“Savannah, you can’t—”
“Alanis, I paid Frank two grand the Friday before my attack, and I owe him another two grand at the end of the month. Thanks to how crowded it was Sunday night, I’ve got enough to pay him for June, July, and August. Even so, that will only lower the debt to roughly thirty grand - assuming he doesn’t do something tricky with the interest, but either way this amount of money is outrageous.”
“Report him. Come stay with us - you and Cat both—”
I shook my head. “Honey, you don’t have the room, and we’d totally cramp your style.”
She sighed. “I hate this for you.”
“Me too,” I admitted. Then I changed the subject. “How much do you know about your brother’s motorcycle club?”
“Probably as much as you do. If you’re curious, why don’t you ask him?”
I told her what Desiree said about the Riot MC being outlaws.
Alanis sighed. “Yeah. He and Dad got into it when he first earned his patch. Dad got on a soap box about how taking the law into your own hands is never the answer.”
My lips pressed together as I thought about that. I could see both sides to this because I’d love to take things into my own hands where Frank was concerned. “Does he break the law?”
Her tone became defensive. “Now, I didn’t say that. Though, Dad despises his road name because he got it by puncturing motorcycle tires, and that’s technically vandalism.”
“Vandalism is breaking the law,” I muttered.
“It’s a misdemeanor most of the time, Savannah.”
“So?” I asked.
“So, it’s not like he physically hurt someone… as far as I know.”
I laughed. “As far as you know! Do you hear yourself?”
“Why do you care? The two of you work together, it’s not like you’re dating or something.”
“No, but memories of my attack have come back to me and when I mentioned calling the cops about it, one of the other dancers told me not to because the Riot would take care of it themselves.”
Alanis went silent and I wished we were doing this on Face Time. Finally she said, “Anybody else, I’d tell them to inform the officers. But seeing as it wasyouwho was attacked so badly, I’m with Desiree. Let the Riot handle this.”
“So you want him to break the law?”
In a gentle tone, Alanis said, “I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but you didn’t see yourself hooked up to an IV and your face all bandaged. You also didn’t see what that did to Catalina.” She paused and her tone hardened. “So yeah, Ted and his brothers want to take care of this, I say let ‘em, because jail time is too damned soft for the asshole who beat you.”
I took a deep breath. “And you don’t care if that means your brother could go to jail?”
“He’d be proud to serve that time if it meant he got revenge for you.”
“He would not,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Yes, he would because it’d be another way to show Dad what he should have done for Mom.”
That gave me perspective.
Punc wasn’t having lunch with me tomorrow because he was interested in me. He undoubtedly felt guilty for not protecting me from Ghost and Prime.
It all went back to a beef Ted had with his dad. His parents had taken him out to dinner - leaving Alanis with a sitter, and the three of them were robbed at gun-point. Somehow, Punc’s mom had been shot. She survived, but never recovered full use of her left arm. From what Alanis told me, Punc not only blamed himself, but also believed his dad should have done more to protect his mom.
“Now you’re quiet,” Alanis said.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get quiet, because that helps. Definitely gives me perspective.”
