Page 76 of Diesel's Perseverance
A loud gasp circled around him. He slid his gaze over to her and saw her staring at the large bandage on his back.
“Don’t freak out. It’s nothing. There was some trouble at the rally. Some fuckers started up some shit and”—he lifted his hand and pointed a finger behind him—“this is the fallout.”
“Did you get shot?” Apprehension laced her voice.
“Nope. Just someone with a switchblade or something. It’s nothing big.”
“A switchblade. That’s awful. Those things can be real dangerous.”
“I know, but everything is cool.”
Myla glanced back to the television. “I’ve been sitting here on pins and needles watching all this. I was so scared something bad happened to you. The police have arrested several people. They said that they’ve found a lot of guns around the area. I’m surprised no one was killed. And what about all the kids that were there today? How could these guys start a fight knowing that children were there?”
Diesel pulled the tank over his head. “They’re fuckin’ assholes.”
“But you knew something was going down. That’s why you had me go with Shania. How did you know? Was this planned?”
“Nothing was planned. When rival outlaw clubs come together at rallies or poker runs, things go from okay to pure shit real fast. I felt the tension brewing, and I knew it was gonna boil over.”
“How?”
“Years of living this kind of life and doing a stint in the pen. You get a sixth sense about this stuff.”
“Why did the fight break out?”
“Who knows. Could be for a simple thing like one of the asshole rivals didn’t like the way an Insurgent looked at him.” Diesel had no intention of telling her anything about the fight and what transpired. He answered, but he didn’t say a lot.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you were.” Her two front teeth bit her lower lip. There was silence for a space of a long breath, and then she said, “Or you could’ve been arrested. The news showed a lot of bikers being led away by the police. Did anyone you know get arrested?”
“The Insurgents are good. I don’t know a lot of the Angry Disciples members.”I wonder if Viking got away.He’d lost track of his friend when the melee began.
“Thank God for that. The news said that a lot of weapons were found. They said the bikers discarded them so they wouldn’t be caught with them on their person when the police got there. Were you there when the police arrived?”
“Nope, I booked it.” Her questions were bordering on club business and not her business, so he turned away and headed to the bathroom. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
“Okay.”
“Stop watching that shit. The news is wrong about most facts, and they don’t know fuck about the real outlaw world,” he said over his shoulder.
Doc had told him not to get the bandage wet, so he grabbed the hand-held shower head and aimed it everywhere but his back. By the time he’d finished, the wound was throbbing like hell. Wondering if he should’ve taken a few of the pain meds Doc offered, he wrapped the towel around his waist and leaned against the counter. Diesel didn’t want to dull his mind because he was on a mission to find Cano and get to him before the dirtbag found Freddy.
A fuzzy idea began to take shape as Diesel contemplated what he should do.What if I use Myla as a decoy to draw the fucker out?It was dangerous, and a whole lot of things could go wrong, but it could work if he planned it out carefully.I don’t want to put Myla in danger. It would kill me if something happened to her. But Freddy’s holed up somewhere in this damn city, and I don’t know where. Fuck, this whole thing pisses me off!He slammed his fist on the bathroom counter, then dismissed the idea. It was too unsafe, and he couldn’t chance it. Cano had already slipped away, and he couldn’t risk the asshole doing it again, especially if he had Myla in tow.
Diesel switched off the light and walked out of the bathroom.
The television was turned off. Myla stood gazing out the window. She glanced over her shoulder and then turned around.
“All done?” she said, her gaze skimming from his face to his naked chest to the towel slung low around his waist. He watched as a reddish stain spread across her cheeks.
“Yeah.” He strode over to the closet and, with his back to her, pulled out a clean pair of jeans. The last thing he wanted was Myla to see him pitching a tent. “We can go downstairs and get some chow,” he said as he grabbed his clothes then headed toward the bathroom.
“Sounds good.”
Diesel slipped his clothes and boots on, splashed cold water on his face, and inhaled and exhaled several times. “Keep it together, man,” he said to the reflection in the mirror.
“Ready.” He walked out of the room.
“Me too. Do you know what’s for dinner?”
