I perched on the bike and watched the sunset. Riding my Harley into the sunset had always meant freedom, even if MC life had been full of responsibilities and rules.
I decided to spend the night on the truck bed before I would make up my mind what to do next. I was dead tired and needed a night to really come to terms with the turn my life had taken.
When I woke on the truck bed early the next morning, my longing for Marcella was just as strong as the call of the street. The two loves of my life: the endless road ahead of me and the woman with the cold blue eyes. Mom’s parting words kept repeating in my head. “I don’t want to see you again until you’ve made sure your brother is safe. This is your fault.”
Finding Gray would be difficult. The majority of my old contacts would avoid me and those that didn’t might try to kill me. They had every reason not to trust me. But Mom was right. I needed to save Gray from himself. Not only was he probably still on the hit list of Vitiello but pissed off bikers out for revenge might be after him as well. If Gray got it in his head to attack Vitiello in revenge, I wouldn’t be able to save him.
I hoisted the Kawasaki back onto the back of the truck. I needed to get rid of it and the dogs, preferably without running into any of the Vitiello men. Once the dogs had taken their seats again, I headed toward New York. The male Rottweiler was panting constantly, probably from pain because of the gash, so I decided to take the dogs to a safe place first. During our research on the Famiglia and its many affiliations, we’d also come across the dog shelter run by Vitiello’s enforcer, Growl.
Vitiello probably wouldn’t be happy if I showed up on his mansion’s doorstep uninvited and I had no way to contact Marcella. We’d destroyed her phone when we’d kidnapped her and so far there hadn’t been time to ask for her number anyway. I didn’t even know what exactly to tell her that wouldn’t jeopardize my search for Gray.
Growl had been semi-friendly when I’d talked to him, so he seemed like a safer option than any other Famiglia soldier.
When I pulled up in the driveway of the shelter, I parked beside another big pickup. I hadn’t even gotten out when Growl and a tall, lanky boy came out of the house and headed my way. Growl became more alert the moment he spotted me, but at least he didn’t pull a gun. That was the most friendliness I’d gotten from the Italians in years, and it still felt strange. I doubted being on semi-friendly terms with the Famiglia would ever not feel strange.
I got out of the car, making sure to keep my hands in sight. I really didn’t want to end up with a bullet in my head, unless I’d really given them reason to.
“What are you doing here?” Growl asked.
“I have two more dogs for you, saved them from the junkyard of one of my dead club brothers. One of them is injured.”
Growl still looked wary, but some of his vigilance disappeared as he saw the dogs on the passenger seat. “Lead the way.”
I went over to the passenger door and opened it. “Hop out.” The dogs actually obeyed and leaped out of the car. The bigger one growled when Growl walked up to him, but the tall man got down on his haunches and talked in a calm voice with the dog. Soon they calmed and trotted closer to him.
He patted them. “I’ll call our vet so he can look at the wound, and you should head back to the city and meet with Luca.”
I ignored the last part and motioned at the truck bed. “I have Matteo’s bike. Can I leave it here so he can pick it up?”
Growl straightened, the suspicion returning to his face. “Why don’t you bring it to him?”
“I’m not returning to New York right now. I still have a few matters to attend to before I can join Luca’s team.”
Growl shook his head. “That’s not how it works.”
“It’s how it works with me,” I said simply. “I’ll probably be back in a couple of days, tell Luca that.”
“What business do you have to take care of now?”
“That’s only my business. But it’s nothing that concerns the Famiglia.”
“Everything concerns the Famiglia, especially if Marcella Vitiello is concerned. Does she know you’ll be gone?”
“You can tell her. She’ll understand.” I wasn’t really sure that was true, especially because I couldn’t give her details about my plans, not with someone ratting me out. I’d never been accountable to a woman, except for my mother when I was a little boy, but even that stopped when I became a teen.