Page 145 of Savior
Rusty glances at me. “Axel was tied up with Cherry when he got Dean’s text the other night. Finding the guy’s address was delegated to me.”
“Oh, he was just angry she and I had a conversation...”
“He came to your shop?”
I nod.
“What happened?”
“Nothing happened. He just warned me to stay away from her.” I leave it at that. I don’t need Rusty reporting back to Dean that the guy actually did threaten me. I peek over at him and notice he’s studying me.
“Maybe Dean ought to have us swinging by your shop again.” Rusty says, after a moment.
“That isn’t necessary.” I insist. That’s the last thing I want. Laura’s already had to put up with so much these last months because of me. “We still have the cameras.”
“Cameras can’t hop off a mount and kick someone’s ass for giving you a hard time.”
I chuckle tiredly. “You sound like Dean.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Rusty smiles. “You mind if I put on some music?”
“No. Go ahead.” I say, attempting to muffle another yawn. I gaze out the passenger side window, barely able to see anything but the reflective white line on the side of the road, lit up by the headlights. Rusty brings up some music app on his phone to sync to the car’s sound system.
“You like Rob Zombie?” he asks.
I offer him a quick, slightly uncomfortable smile as the awkward female moaning and groaning at the beginning of More Human Than Human, vibrates through the speakers. We both stare straight ahead, waiting for the electric guitar to take over and rip the intro.
“I forgot about this part.” He says, almost sheepishly. “I can put on something else, if this makes you uncomfortable. I don’t want him thinking I was trying any funny business with you.”
“It’s just a song. I forgot the intro to this one, too. It’s not a big deal.” From the corner of my eye, I can see him glance over at me again.
“Yeah, but… we all know how protective he is over you. How he’s got you high up on this pedestal.”
Something feels slightly off about the way he said that. I don’t respond.
“How about some eighties?” his tone now suddenly more upbeat.
“Sure.” I’m almost home. I really don’t care what he puts on, as long as he puts on something so we don’t have to talk.
The uncomfortable feeling only gets worse, when his next song choice begins to play.
“Great little jam, right?” Rusty smiles, tapping his hand to the beat of the song against the steering wheel.
“Yeah… great.” I force a smile.
Staring out into the blackness beyond my window, I try to ignore the song I’ve come to hate… Rick Springfield’s, Jessie’s Girl.
The heavy scent of bleach saturates the air as we near the location where the van straight up annihilated Axel’s assailant. Viking, Ruger and Chopper are riding with me. The others and the prospects, we left behind at the hospital, as a show of support for Viper, Rosita, Cherry and Axel.
I expected to see flares glowing on the dark road, flashing police lights and the coroner to pick up the body parts that must have littered the street on impact… But there’s no trace of what happened as we pull the bikes over on the side of the service road. It’s glaringly evident that someone returned to the scene of the crime. There’s no body. No bike parts scattered across the street.
Just blood stains. Now drenched in copious amounts of bleach. The crime scene has been destroyed. The bleach they splashed all over the place, decimating any traces of DNA evidence, in case I, or someone else, called the cops.
“Do you think Axel was retaliation for fucking with the Demons income?” Viking asks.
“No. I think Axel was bait.” I mutter, glaring at the glistening puddles under the lights of our motorcycles and the moon above. “Tell me again, that this is all a coincidence. The bible. The fuckin’ Voodoo shit. The drug dealer at the roach motel. Now, Axel getting stabbed and Vanna being stalked.”
“The fuck? She seemed fine, I mean, considering the circumstances tonight with Axel and Rosita.” Viking says. “She didn’t say shit to me about being stalked!”
