Page 94 of Diesel's Perseverance
“Freddy, talk to me!”
An unmistakableclick-clackfilled Diesel’s ears and the pit of his stomach. The sound of the shotgun blast was all too familiar to him. So was the second and third one.
Then the screen went black.
“Freddy!” He tapped his phone, and the password box popped up. “Fuck!”
Anger rippled through him so fiercely that his whole body shook.I fuckin’ failed him.
Freddy’s voice filled his head as if he were right there before him. Fragments of their times together swirled in his mind: Swimming in the river when they were kids. Eating burgers at the lunch counter in Wyler’s Drugstore. Teaching Freddy to drive the pick-up truck. Buying beer for Freddy and his buddies. Sitting in the front row at his high school graduation. There were so many moments in their lives that he’d forgotten. He wiped his damp cheek with the back of his hand.
The jarring ring of the cell phone sliced into his grief. Glancing at the screen, he brought the receiver to his ear.
“Hey.”
“I couldn’t find shit, bro. I can see if we can—”
“Thanks for the effort, but the motherfucker got him. Right when I was on the damn phone,” he said to Hawk.
“Fuck, man, that’s tough. I feel for you. Damn it to hell, that’s too fucking rough.”
“It is. I couldn’t help Freddy. Fuck.” Diesel kicked his boot against the palm tree trunk.
“It was like finding a damn needle in a fucking haystack. Don’t beat yourself up over this. You tried, but your brother didn’t want to be found. But we’re gonna find the fucker who did this.”
He could feel Hawk’s anger through the line. “Freddy confirmed that one of the San Diego brothers is involved with that motherfucker, Cano, and the asshole Grim Henchmen. East Bay Dicks are in the mix, too, but I’m not sure if they were connected to what was going on with Freddy.”
“Did he say who the turncoat is?”
“He didn’t know. Just that he overheard the snitch talking with some Henchmen and Cano.”
“The traitor has to be snuffed out. Any ideas?”
“It’s gotta be someone who was at our club for a party a while back. Myla thought one of the dudes at the party looked familiar. Panther doesn’t want to address that the snitch is working with Cano. He kept saying it could be someone from another club ’cause there were a lot of bikers there. Banger sort of agreed, but Freddy verified that this shit rat is not only dealing with the Henchmen but with the fucker too. I’ve gotta find Cano. I’ve gotta avenge Freddy’s death.”
“Of course you do,” Hawk said in a low voice. “I’ll call Banger. We gotta find this motherfucker and take care of him, and then we’ll deal with the backstabber.”
“I’ll give Zach a call in a bit to see if he’s found anything else. He knows some people in LA. I’ll touch base with Viking too.”
“Any idea where your brother was when he called?”
“I think he may have been in a hotel downtown near a hospital or something. I could hear traffic and sirens. It was early when we talked, so I figured it must be downtown. I’m gonna start there.”
“The fucking badges would know. It’s your call,” Hawk said.
“I’ll see what I can find out on my own first.”
“We’re gonna get this fucker. I’ll work from my end.”
“Thanks, bro.”
“Later.”
Diesel swiped the phone and trudged toward the clubhouse. It was still early, and the main room was eerily quiet. He walked behind the bar, poured a healthy amount of Jack in a tumbler, and then made his way upstairs.
Weak sunlight slid in through the slats in the blinds. Diesel padded carefully to the couch and put his glass on the end table. He glanced over at Myla; she was still sleeping. A sigh of relief pushed through his lips as he slumped down on the cushion and retrieved the glass. He tipped his head and threw back the whiskey. A smooth burn slid down his throat, hitting bottom and radiating outward. Diesel’s eyes closed, and his mind drifted back to his early life in Hayes when Freddy had been safe and alive.
Chapter Seventeen
