“IfTomorrowNeverComes”—BadWolves
Voodoo and I dropped our phones in the basket outside the door, walked into the chapel, and sat down. Venom was already present, as was Chains, Angel, Hawk, and Kicker. Squirrel and Blade were out on a cleaning call down in Des Moines.
“You guys might want to take a seat,” Facet announced to me and Voodoo as he came in behind us and sat at the end of the table with his laptop.
I didn’t waste time and did as he suggested.
“You asked me to look into Price’s customer, Dirk,” he announced once he had his laptop open and logged in.
“Correct. What did you find?” Venom questioned.
Facet huffed as he shook his head. “You aren’t going to believe this, but his family filed a missing persons report the afternoon he made the appointment. He called them after he left the shop and said he was stopping by his apartment, then would be on his way over, but he never showed. No one had seen him since—well, until today.”
At first there was utter silence. Then all hell broke loose, and everyone was asking questions at once.
“For fuck’s sake, shut the hell up!” Venom finally shouted and all conversation immediately ceased. Then he motioned at Facet. “Continue.”
“If what Sabre believes about this thing is true, we need to find a way to eliminate it. Because APD just found another body. I’d be willing to bet it’s the real Dirk,” Facet concluded.
“Fucking hell,” Angel muttered.
“I don’t think Sabre should be by himself, and someone should probably be with his girl at all times. We have no idea if he’d use our families to get to us for protecting our brother. Honestly, it might be a good idea to put the chapter on lockdown,” Hawk suggested. He had a good point because a cacodaemon absolutely would use any means necessary to complete its task. The vile creatures had no scruples, no conscience, and no regrets. Selfish and thriving on fear and chaos, they were evil to the core.
“I’m not trying to be shitty, but Soleil isn’t family. If she’s not working, she’s not carrying her weight. Regardless of their past, Sabre hasn’t claimed her, and we’re not a homeless shelter,” Kicker voiced, and though I wanted to scream that he was wrong, I knew that to everyone else he made a good point.
Venom grunted. I honestly wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad grunt.
“Look, if I have to, I’ll pay for her to be here until I can get shit figured out with her,” I offered. No way was I having her kicked out. “And though we may not be a homeless shelter, everything we stand for is helping victims and ensuring the people who hurt them don’t get away with it. We promised Detective Santiago we would take care of her. If she can’t stay here, then I’ll get a place in town and have her stay with me there.”
“Maybe not the best idea, since she has no clue you two have a history. She doesn’t really know you, bro. Not to mention the fact that with you out of the compound, your safety is at risk—and hers too. Our security here is top-notch. I’m just saying,” Facet added.
“I think what everyone is trying to say is that you need to talk to her. If she’s your girl, then she’s family,” Venom remarked in a level tone.
There was a knock on the door before Blade and Squirrel entered and took their seats. We got them caught up, and Blade sat there rubbing his hand over his mouth.
“What about Eliska?” Blade finally asked with a deep furrow between his brows.
Slowly everyone’s heads swiveled to stare at him in disbelief. The dude had never mentioned he was with her.
“You’re seeing her?” Ghost asked with his eyes wide. I understood his shock. Blade and Eliska were as opposite as two people could be.
“No, not exactly. I mean, I’ve gone to the library where she’s working,” he muttered.
Venom cocked a brow. “So that’s a no. You’re basically just a crazy stalker.”
“Dude, you read?” Chains asked him as he tried to hide a smirk.
Blade’s answer was to flip him off.
“Um, she hasn’t been back here since Ghost rescued her. I don’t think you can go tell her she needs to stay here because Blade has the hots for her,” Phoenix snorted. “Why didn’t you just ask her out?”
“Fuck you,” Blade muttered and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair.
“No offense, brothers, but if Soleil isn’t allowed to be here because Sabre hasn’t claimed her and she can’t work off her room and board, then it’s not fair for Eliska to be here,” Voodoo mused as he absently rubbed his jaw.
“Back to what I was saying,” Venom grumbled with a glare at Blade. “Soleil stays regardless of Sabre’s situation. We made a promise, and we’re not kicking her out. If someone is willing to keep an eye on her, I don’t see why she couldn’t still work. Chains is there during her shift, and security at the shop is tight. We have cameras and a sophisticated system. Who wants to be on first watch?” Venom asked as he gave me a pointed stare.
“You know I will,” I replied with a frown.