Ryatt was important to McKelle, and important to Romeo. After last night, and this morning, he was important to me. I lit a cigarette and spilled the fucking tea.
“Ryatt’s in trouble with the Kings. That’s why he bounced last night. They cornered him in the parking lot of Chrome. He took off, and he lost his phone in the chase.” I gave them the abridged version of everything he told me last night. Why they were after him, and his plan for keeping out of their territory.
“He was supposed to meet me here today. I’ve hung around the MC most of the day waiting on him. McKelle hasn’t heard from him. The phone she gave him still isn’t taking calls or texts. He’s living in a fucking halfway house, one junkie away from getting his ass handed over to the Kings.”
Romeo paced the porch of the mausoleum. “We need to find him.”
“McKelle doesn’t know where he lives. The guy is nomad, no connections to anyone. No family.”
Romeo turned to Dozer. “Who do we know?”
Dozer tipped his head toward me but spoke to Romeo. “I’d have gone to Cruz.” He turned to me. “Youwere hitting trap houses with Blue when you were looking for Kiss. Any of those in King territory?”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t flying Heller colors. I’m not sure I’d get the same welcome.”
“You won’t find out anything from users,” Romeo said. “Kings are down on Washington Street. Let’s get the guys and take a ride.”
“He needs the protection of the club,” I said. “Pike’s moving out at the end of the month. You think the board would give a waiver and let another prospect rent a room?” I wrapped my hand around the back of my neck. “He’s not just my prospect,” I said. “I’ll cover his rent for a while.”
Money wasn’t a problem now that I was working with Tank.
“It won’t be a problem as long as a patch doesn’t need the room,” Romeo said.
An engine screeched, and a motorcycle headlight cut through the darkness.
I rushed around the side of the church. It would either be McKelle or Ryatt. As much as I needed to see McKelle, I hoped it was Ryatt. The fucker had my gut tied in knots.
McKelle ripped her helmet off and shoved it onto her handlebar as I rushed over to her.
“He’s not here,” she whispered.
His bike would’ve been parked along the side of the building with hers. I admit, I felt like a dick for teasing her about parking next to my Harley. It wasn’t funny anymore.
I held her close. “We’re going to ride out and look for him.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Stay here,” I said. “We’re going down to Washington Street.”
“He’s not there,” she said. “I drove around. If he’s hiding, he wouldn’t be there. If he ran into trouble, he wouldn’t be on the street. I didn’t know what to do so I checked the community center and downtown around the courthouse, too. I think that’s where his PO is. I even rode down Maple. I think that’s where he said he lived, but I’ve never been to the halfway house.”
“Christ, he’s running from the Kings. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“The same things you are. That he’s in trouble.” She jerked her helmet from the handlebars. “I’m going.”
I sucked in a deep breath through my nose. This girl would fight me on the color of the sky.
“If you want to fight about this, we can fight later…after we find him.”
Dozer approached. “Bullet might have a contact. He knows everyone.”
I had a contact, and it had everything to do with the situation Ryatt was in. “I know someone. He knows he can trust me, and he knows I’ll wreck his fucking life if he gives me up to the Kings.”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go,” McKelle said.
“Ryatt won’t be there, but Kane might know who has him.” I turned to Dozer. “His place is a convenience store of partying. Open late, seven days a week.”
McKelle sucked in a sharp breath. At hearing Kane’s name, the color drained from her face. Hayley was Kane’s sister. I’d fucked up when I’d fucked Hayley. I hadn’t considered McKelle and I to be exclusive, but really, I’d just been the fuck who’d taken her for granted. I’d been a total asshole when it came to her feelings. Hayley was a black stain on my soul because ofhow my actions had made McKelle feel. But, for her—because I’d almost lost her then—I’d changed.
