She kneeled beside me. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You need to keep going. Find a phone. Call Phoenix Black,” I told her and tried to keep my eyes open. I was fading fast. “Can you do that?”
“I’ll try,” she cried.
“Phoenix Black,” I repeated. “And tell Presley I love her.”
The last thing I heard was the rustling of the leaves as Chloe left me.
27
PHOENIX
Iwas pacing the room, ready to tear my hair out, when Badger opened the door without knocking. “Need you out front. Diesel’s bringing a girl up from the gate. Said a car dropped off a hysterical girl demanding to talk to Phoenix Black.”
“What in the fresh hell?” I muttered. “This better be about Ink.”
When I got to the common room, Diesel was escorting a young woman through the front doors. She was covered in blood and bruises and looked like she was about to fall over.
“Can we help you?” I asked.
“Are you Phoenix Black?” she croaked.
“I am,” I said. “And you are?”
“Chloe,” she rasped. “I know where Ink is.” Then, before Diesel could catch her, she fell face-first onto the floor.
“Fuck!” I bellowed. “Is Patch or Gabby here? We need her awake and talking.” I realized I sounded like an asshole, being more concerned about the information she had rather than the girl herself, but I didn’t know her.Ink was one of mine.
Gabby came running into the common room. “What’s going on?”
“This girl knows where Ink is, but she collapsed before she could tell us.”
Gabby dropped to her knees beside the girl and rolled her onto her back. “I’ll be right back,” she said and disappeared before I could stop her. When she returned, she had something in her hand that she waved in front of the girl’s nose. Her eyes shot open, and she tried to sit up. “It’s okay,” Gabby soothed. “Don’t move just yet.”
“What happened?” Chloe asked.
“You collapsed,” Gabby said. “Somebody get her some water.”
“You said you knew where Ink was,” I interrupted.
“He’s in the woods,” she said weakly. “Somewhere near Vinnie’s house.”
“I’m gonna need more than that,” I insisted.
The girl took a sip of her water and nodded. “I don’t know the address. His name is Vinnie Reynolds. It’s his house. We ran from there. Ink had to stop. He told me to keep going and find you.”
“Is that Ink’s blood?”
“No,” she said, and her face crumpled. “It’s Leon’s. I tried to help him, but I didn’t know what to do.”
“Diesel, you stay with her and Gabby. Gabby, you are not to be alone with her. Everyone else, get to church and start rounding up the guys that are out searching.”
“Did she say Reynolds? As in Ricky Reynolds?” Badger asked.
“Yes, she did,” I spat. “We’re going to find Ink first. Then, we’re going to have a chat with dear old dad before I slaughter his son.”
Badger nodded. “I’m good with that plan.”
