Page 98 of Diesel's Perseverance
When they entered the main room, Banger approached Diesel and drew him into a strong bear hug, replete with back patting. Banger released him, and her eyes met the president’s. With a solemn face, he lifted his chin to her, put his arm around Diesel, and whispered in his ear. She knew he didn’t want her to hear what he was saying. She guessed it had something to do with finding Cano, but she wouldn’t ask Diesel about it, and he wouldn’t tell even if she did.
Throttle, Smokey, Rags, Tank, Animal, Shadow, and some other Colorado Insurgents whose names she didn’t know hugged him and spoke in hushed voices. Rags, Tank, and Animal lifted their chins to her, like Banger had, and the others glanced at her and then shifted their gazes downward.
Demon and a few more local Insurgents approached Diesel. Myla didn’t know the names of any of them except for Demon and Iceman. She figured the tall, muscular man with jet-black hair and clear green eyes was probably named something like Panther or Jaguar because of the hair and eyes. She had begun to catch on as to how some of the members got their nicknames, or road names as Diesel called them.
“I’m so fucking sorry, dude.” Demon kissed both of Diesel’s cheeks and hugged him tightly. “This shit’s not gonna go unpunished. We’re…”
His voice faded away while she walked to the front door. Stepping out onto the large porch, she breathed in the fresh air, strolled over to the edge of the veranda, and watched the sailboats on the water. Myla was blown away at the love and support Diesel received from the club members. Watching how they gathered around him, giving him their shoulders to lean on, she understood what he meant about the Insurgents being his family. For a split second, she almost envied the closeness, love, and bond between him and the others. It was something she’d never felt, not even in her own family. The only person she ever felt connected to was Diesel. Their relationship had been formed through the letters they exchanged, but in the weeks she’d been with him in Pinewood Springs, it had grown, and she felt closer to him. He made her laugh, feel safe, and cared for, yet sometimes she could scream in frustration. Guilt pangs zigzagged through her, and she chastised herself for thinking about Diesel inthatway.
“Ready to go?” he said, startling her out of her musings.
“Yes. Are we taking your motorcycle?”
“We’ll take Demon’s cage.”
“I’m surprised about that,” she said.
“I don’t want to draw attention. Besides, I gotta see someone real quick, and I don’t want you on the back of my bike. You’d be too vulnerable,” Diesel replied as he opened the door of a black pickup truck. “We’ll drive by the hotel to see what’s up.”
“You’re not going to park and talk to the cops?”
“I’ll go to the station later. The badges aren’t gonna let me go in and see Freddy. It’s not like on TV. Freddy probably had identification on him or somewhere in the room, but in case he was using fake shit, do you have a photo of him?”
“Yes,” she said, her mind swirling.
“I’ll take it when I go to the station.”
“Are you going later tonight?”
“No. I’ll go after I deal with Cano.”
A shiver slithered up her spine at his words. She knew what “deal with Cano” meant but didn’t want to dwell on it. She clambered into the truck and shut the door. Diesel settled into the driver’s seat and switched on the ignition.
He backed up and said, “When we pass by the hotel, look around and tell me if you see anyone you recognize.”
“Okay,” she said.
The closer they got to downtown, the faster her pulse raced. Diesel turned onto Front Street, and they slowly drove up the road. A couple of blocks in, Myla noticed several police cars and an ambulance parked in front of a five-story building sandwiched between two larger and taller ones.
Pointing ahead, she said, “That’s probably the hotel.”
He nodded, pulled into the right lane, and slowed his speed even more. Driving on the same side of the street as the hotel was impossible due to the multitude of law enforcement and emergency vehicles, so he pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine.
“He was so damned close.” He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. He sat still, staring at the hotel.
“I know,” she whispered.
“Why the fuck didn’t he tell me. I’d been here in a flash, and he’d still be here. Fuck it!” He slammed his fist on the steering wheel so hard it made her jump.
“It’s okay,” she said softly.
“The fuck it is!” His head jerked around, and his eyes flashed fire.
She could see the dark flush spreading across his cheekbones.
“Don’t fuckin’ tell me it’s all right when it isn’t. I let him down!” The look he gave Myla was so anguished that it shredded her heart. He turned away from her, his eyes fixed on the hotel, his body stiff.
Myla wished she could say something to help comfort and soothe him, but she didn’t have a clue what to say. Freddy was dead, and he didn’t let either of them help him. Now Diesel had to deal with the fallout of that action.
