Unless…
Chapter Thirteen
It was madness to consider hiding behind their club, but there was no safer place with the Hell’s Artillery looking for me. I had no doubt that Berretta and his men wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in me or my sister.
I didn’t trust the Celestial Sons or Zodiac—I would be a fool to trust them. I’m not book smart, but I do know people. When you grow up in the system, you learn to read people and situations quickly. While the Celestial Sons weren’t angels, they weren’t evil like the Artillery either.
What’s that saying?‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend?’The two clubs were rivals, and I needed an ally. If it was going to help me get Joey back, I would try to make nice with the club. The added benefit was it kept me safe from the Artillery’s reach.
I took a deep breath as I rounded the corner and headed toward the Celestial Sons’ clubhouse. They owned the strip club, but that was their business. This was the building they used for the times they weren’t working at the strip club.
I could hear music from inside the building. The quiet small-town street seemed alive because of the music and the number of motorcycles that were in the front parking lot. My threadbare hoodie was no match for the chill in the night air.
When I ducked around the back of the building. I found a huge green dumpster and a pile of broken-down boxes set up against a fence that looked like it led to a back patio. At least I’d have some type of shelter for the night.
I quickly grabbed a few of the boxes and set them up, doing my best to make some semblance of a structure. Since I aged out, I’d gotten used to sleeping in the most uncomfortable of places and positions. I thought the threadbare mattress at the boys’ home was bad. Now I realized how much of a luxury that was.
My stomach growled with hunger, and my throat felt raw from thirst. I would need to make my way over to Brownwood soon for a decent meal and a night’s sleep. My body ached from the beatings I’d taken, add that to the hunger pains, and I felt like shit. I was exhausted, and every part of me physically wanted to give up. The only reason I didn’t was Joey.
She said she wanted to remain with that asshole who was forcing himself on her, but if that were the case, she wouldn’t have saved me. Even to this day, my sister is trying to protect me and keep the wolves at bay. She wouldn’t have flashed the danger Murdock sign at me if this was the life she wanted.
If I had to use the Celestial Sons to get my sister back, then so be it. I would do anything to get her out of there. I’d give my own life up to make sure she was okay. She’d given so much of hers to keep me safe, I couldn’t do anything less.
I shivered and burrowed as far as I could into my makeshift hut. If it decided to rain, my cardboard mansion didn’t stand a chance, but for now, it was enough.
My eyes were just starting to shut when the world around me rattled after someone violently kicked my box.
“Hey, you, this isn’t a hotel. You’re on private property.”
Shit.
“Hey, you can’t sleep here.” This time someone gave a gentler kick to the box, so I crawled out, not sure what they would do when they realized it was me.
“Dillon?” Zodiac questioned, lowering his gun and flipping the safety back on in the process. “What are you doing?”
“I had nowhere else to go.” I hated the sound of uncertainty in my own voice. I hated feeling so damn out of control and like my life would forever depend on other people. Once I had Joey back, I would make sure that neither of us would ever be in a situation like the ones we’ve been in our whole lives.
We were dependent on two shitty ass parents who couldn’t be bothered. Then the flawed system shuffled us from one situation to the next, always unsettling us just as we were about to get our bearings. Our lives have been nothing but one big Tilt-a-Whirl ride, spinning us around everywhere beyond our control. I never wanted to feel that again.
“Is that why you had me drop you off at the gas station? Because you’re homeless?” Archer asked from where he appeared around the side of the building.
I nodded, clenching my teeth and pushing down the shame I felt churning inside me.
“Damn, why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve figured out something for you.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t want to put anyone out.”
“Yet, you found it convenient to sleep behind our clubhouse?” A guy that looked familiar sneered at me like he didn’t believe what I was saying. I guess I couldn’t blame him there. “Why? Are you spying for Beretta or something?”
I glared at the asshole, wishing I could go after him for even suggesting that I was working for Beretta. “That motherfucker is the last person on Earth I’d spy for. He’s fucked over me and my family in more ways than I can count. I want that asshole dead.”
Silence hung in the air as the men studied me and each other. It was as if they were all on the same wavelength, talking without words.
Zodiac finally broke the silence. “Why don’t you come inside, Dillon? We got food and stuff. You look hungry.”
At the mere mention of food, my stomach rumbled. “I guess I could eat.” I tried not to appear overly eager, shrugging it off, but truthfully, I was so hungry I was starting to get cramps in my stomach.
Zodiac led me through the back door. When I looked over my shoulder, I found Archer and Cap following behind me.
