Perfect!
I found Cindi as she was backing her black SUV out of the driveway. She waved and smiled, rolling down the window as I approached. “Need company? I want to buy a few things for me and Bodie tonight.”
She laughed. “Sure. Hop in.”
I was careful to smile and appear calm, laughing at her jokes and joining in when the conversation lagged. I didn’t think Cindi noticed how my palms were sweaty or how I kept glancing at the road around us and the cars as they drove by. Any number of them could be Acid’s men watching and waiting for me to screw up.
“I’m gonna split up. Need some personal stuff,” I joked once we had parked and entered the local Wal-Mart.
“I get it,” she laughed.
Cindi and I separated, and I quickly found a few miscellaneous items like lube and condoms and approached the counter, rushing ahead of my new friend. When she approached, I was standing by the cashier, paid and anxious.
“Can I grab the keys and wait for you? I’ve got a bit of a headache.” The lie was bitter on my tongue but there was no stopping this freight train of craziness now.
“Sure.” She tossed them my way and I caught the ring with ease. “Need anything?”
“I didn’t buy Tylenol,” I admitted.
“I’ll grab some and check out. See ya in a few minutes.”
“Thanks!” I shouted, walking as quickly as possible from the store and then sprinting for the SUV. Once inside, I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot in a hurry, hoping she didn’t see that I left her behind. At least she had somewhere warm to wait until someone from the club could pick her up.
Heart pounding in my chest, I pushed the gas pedal all the way down as the vehicle lurched forward. I had an hour to get to the coffee shop and it would take nearly that long to reach the destination. “Forgive me,” I whispered aloud, feeling bad for leaving Cindi stranded.
A phone started ringing in the passenger seat and I realized she’d left her cell in the car.
Shit. “Sorry, Cindi. This is safer for you anyway.”
I ignored the phone and it stopped ringing, merging onto the highway with determination.
“Please,” I pleaded to no one in particular, “don’t let me be too late.”
Chapter 12 – Bodie
“Just tell us what we want to know and it’ll all end,” Rael coaxed in a smooth tone. “All the pain, the agony. I’ll make it all stop.”
Vince Denali was trussed up like a little piglet, his massive body dangling from a butcher’s meat hook by his arms as he hung suspended from the main support beam in the basement. In the adjacent room and behind a closed door, his brother awaited a similar fate. It was fucked up, pinning the siblings against one another but allegiance to the club was mandatory and any infraction, no matter how minor, was met with swift punishment. The Denali Brothers knew this and yet, they still betrayed us to the Scorpions.
Rael picked up a dental drill as a wicked grin curved his lips. A twisted bit was inserted into the chuck right before he lifted his hand. Creative and viciously effective, it was one of many tools that he chose to use during an interrogation. Approaching Vince with slow, measured steps, he lifted his head by the hair and yanked it back, staring deep into his coal black eyes.
“How long have you been working for Acid?”
Vince tried to shake his head but didn’t succeed. Rael had a tight grip and didn’t hesitate to pump the trigger of the drill causing Vince to jolt in fright. “I didn’t. We aren’t working for Acid!”
“I don’t believe you,” Rael snarled, bringing the bit closer to Vince’s face. “I’m not a patient man, Denali. We’ve discussed this before.”
Vince continued to deny the accusations as Rael pushed the twisted bit into his left cheek. The drill made a chugging sound as it ripped through the flesh and Vince began to scream. Blood spurted in all directions as his body flopped around in the air.
Disgusted, I left the room and decided to see if Antonio was more in a sharing mood than his brother Vince.
“What’s happening?” Antonio yelled, squirming in the chair but limited in his movements because we’d strapped him there with duct tape, rope, and whatever else Rael could fuckin’ find a half hour ago.
“It doesn’t look good,” I replied with mock concern. “I don’t think Vince is gonna make it.”
Antonio cursed, fighting his restraints as Mammoth shot me an amused look. “You better speak up, Antonio.”
“Right now, there’s a drill in his left cheek and I’m not so sure that pretty face is gonna look the same in another few minutes.” I shrugged. “If it was my brother, I’d come clean.”