Page 76 of I am Dressed in Sin (Death by Daybreak MC 2)
I shiver as we walk the perimeter of the building. There’s nobody and nothing here.
At least, not at first.
I look at the Palm Motel key in my hand. There’s a number on it. Room two. There was nothing in there; Sin checked. We even had the office give us the names of the last few hookers who used that room with their clients. The men were listed simply as anonymous johns (is there anything more pathetic than a man who has to pay for sex?).
My head lifts up, eyes scanning the buildings around us. Mostly two- and three-story brick buildings with cute little storefronts underneath. This part of the city is gentrifying quickly, but the edges of the neighborhood are still rough. The Palm Motel, of course, is controlled by the club, so it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Still, this is exactly the sort of place you don’t make trouble.
Too many tourists, too many people in general, a prideful middle and growing upper class community, security cameras, thriving businesses. Beast even informed me that this neighborhood is run by cops who are, for the most part, just cops. That was news to me. Apparently, not every police officer is a bad guy or a mercenary who gets paid under the table; some are actually just what they seem to be. That’s what this particular area is like.
Again, not a great place to play the games of the underground. After all, darkness only thrives because of its very definition: the absence of light. Too much attention from ‘average’ people tends to ruin seedy deals and shadows.
So what are we doing here?
Damn it, Grey, why am I here?!
Room two. Is there something significant to that number? Two dead siblings—his and mine? Except, I have two dead siblings by myself. I bite my lip.
“Don’t worry too much, Gidge,” Sin assures me. “This isn’t just a puzzle you can solve. That’s not really how these things work. There’s nothing here.” He gestures around at us, at the people walking by who keep craning their necks to stare at three people dressed in leather and flying colors. If they’re local, they’ll know to stay away from us. If they’re not, they might not realize how near to demons they truly are.
I look down at my feet on the debris-strewn floor. If you kick aside bits of loose stone and gravel, you can see the pretty flagstone pattern. It seems odd, actually, that my feet aren’t smoking, aren’t on fire. This is supposed to be holy ground, right?
The sound of more bikes arriving gives me pause, and I glance over my shoulder just in time to see Crown and Grainger pull up to the church. My heart stutters, stops, and then starts back up again at hyper speed. Shit, fuck, and damn. These guys are distracting as hell.
“These fucking Wolves,” Crown growls out, pausing too close to me. “They take a shit on your front lawn and then leave without cleaning it up.” He looks up, at what’s left of the church’s spire. “What are we doing here?” With his hands on his hips, chin lifted slightly as he studies the architecture, he looks every bit the vice president.
My throat gets tight, but only until Grainger talks and annoys the crap out of me.
“Wasting our time, that’s what,” he says, but he’s here, so I guess I have to give him credit for that. “No casualties. Damage is minimal. It’s a distraction. So what is it we’re being distracted from?”
I look at the key again, turning it over and over as I try to puzzle this out. Grey clearly didn’t have a lot of time to plan this, but he’s clever. He’ll expect me to be cleverer.
“It’s something to do with this key,” I say, wrapping my fingers around it and squeezing it hard enough that it leaves marks in my skin. Crown places his hand over mine, soothing some of that ire.
“Your father doesn’t know you’ve left the compound; the sooner we get you back, the better it is for all of us. If you think about something else, we can always come back.”
He’s making sense, even though I don’t want to believe it.
“Will you at least get some guys to bury Reba’s parents?” Crown is already nodding, but I haven’t fully finished my request. “In a place where I can find them again? She deserves a place she can visit.” He hesitates before nodding reluctantly, his eyes cutting over to the guys behind me. He doesn’t believe Reba is alive, but I do. Because only I can understand the real game we’re playing here.
Me and Grey.
The corruption and salvation for both our families—even if neither set realizes it just yet.
The house is quiet when we get back, so it’s easy to sneak in, change clothes, and fall into bed with a book before Cat finds me. I can’t focus on any of the words though. Instead, I relive every single moment I’ve ever spent with Reba, obsessing over details that, at the time, seemed meaningless but now mean everything.
