Diesel yanked the biker out of the trunk. “Close the trunk, Ryan. Walk, little man,” he ordered the unknown biker. “This won’t take long. You’ll be out of here in no time.”
Glaring at Diesel, Lewis leaned against the door and allowed Diesel to march the biker past him. Once inside, Ryan noted three things—the biker wore rockers that indicated he was a Gnome; Lewis was a Dweller; and they stood in the back of the building where the crematorium was located.
The fuckinglitcrematorium.
After laying his gun on a chair and directing Ryan to do the same, Diesel circled the sobbing, bleeding man, studying every angle before stopping in front of him. He waited until Lewis wrapped the man’s hand up.
“I have three questions, Bernie.”
He must’ve had a patch on his cut that indicated his name.
“Where’s Tom Harris?”
“I don’t know a motherfucker by that name—”
Diesel wagged a finger. “Uh uh uh. He’s the father of my cousin’s girlfriend.” He waved Ryan over. “This is Bernie, Ryan,” he introduced as if Ryan hadn’t been standing a few feet away. “Bernie, this is my young cousin Ryan. My young cousin isverydistraught. So distraught in fact that he committed an almost unforgivable crime against a girl I know.” He shoved Ryan away. “He watched her without any clothes on. He spied on her private conversations.”
Goddamn, Ryan prayed Diesel wasn’t intending to throw him into the crematorium.
Jesus H. Christ.
Fuck.
Why else was it lit?
Ryan gasped and staggered back.
“I’m running out of time and patience,” Diesel said. “I’ll be fair and allow you to ponder your answer. Next question. Can you withstand high temperatures?”
Bernie was starting to tremble, probably getting a fucking clue that Diesel was a fucking psycho.
“Earl and Shine couldn’t handle them,” Diesel revealed.
What was that again? Ryan thought for a moment and remembered Diesel asking about high temperatures.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Diesel smiled. “Never found outEarl’sreal name. He passed himself off as Earl Grey. I thought about making teabags from his ashes and sending them as a gift to Mickey.”
Bernie sobbed. Ryan managed to hold himself together and dismissed the idea that Diesel had overpowered Bernie because he was a little guy. The two motherfuckers posing as school resource officers were as tall as Diesel.
A ringing phone distracted Lewis and he walked away to answer it.
“Next question. Mickey is the president of the Gnomes. When did you all patch over and become Scorpions?”
“We haven’t!” Bernie wept. “I swear!”
“Teabag said the same thing. He claimed the Gnomes are a support club, not a fucking ghost club.”
“We’re neither!”
“Liar!” Diesel screamed and shoved Bernie again. “You’re a fucking liar. You’re a stinking Scorpion. Motherfucking Grits terrorized the same girl I mentioned earlier.”
“I don’t know no Grits!”
He bent to look Bernie in the eyes. “Officer Hominy. He was the first one Outlaw told me to go after once we figured out your fucking games. Where’s Willard and Wally?”
“I don’t know. God, I don’t. I’d tell you if I did.”
