“I know, but details get missed when information is passed from one person to another, so I thought I’d get it direct from the horse’s mouth.”
“Got it, man. I’ll do my best.”
I grill him on everything he remembers from the attack, what direction they came from, how many of them there were, what they said and did, where they went when they left. Reynolds does his best to tell me everything, though I can see all the questions are taking it out of him.
When I’m done, I blow out a breath. “So, there’s nothing you can think of that might give us an idea about why they attacked?”
“Sorry, Ace. I’m as clueless as you are.”
“Fuck.” I drag a hand through my curls, aware I’m making a mess of them. “I need to figure out a safe way for us to get into their compound.”
Even if we don’t fully retaliate, we need to get some eyes on the place, find out what’s going down with them.
“I doubt there’s any way to do it, to be truthful. We're not getting near them on our bikes without them knowing. They’ll hear the engines coming from a mile away.”
He echoes my own thoughts.
“They have a clubhouse, though,” I say. “I’m guessing it’s much like ours, only smaller.”
Reynold’s shrugs and winces again. “I guess so, since their MC isn’t as big as ours. I’m sure I’ve heard that not many of them live on the compound. They don’t have alot of houses, the way we do. I guess they go home to the nearby town after they’ve partied there and concluded any club business.”
This could work in our favor. If they go home, perhaps in the very early hours of the morning, once the partying is over, but the new day hasn’t begun, they might have low numbers on site, and they could be vulnerable.
I’m using Reynolds as a sounding board before I speak to Jack, but I’m half talking to myself. “Maybe we could take two or three of the trucks, have several of our guys lay on the bed with covers over them. The way you did when Ghost brought you back?” It's an idea that's only just occurred to me, but it would certainly be better than taking our bikes.
“I know we have to retaliate because they took our weapons and hit us. Club pride demands it, but it seems almost stupid to go after them for such a small offense. That shipment was nothing.” Reynolds shrugs then scratches at his cheek and yawns. “It doesn't even make sense why they bothered to take it, to be honest.”
He’s right, and that's why I keep circling back, time and time again, to the why of it all. It just doesn't make any sense. Why risk bringing the wrath of the Verona Falls Riders down on their heads for the sake of a few guns?
Fuck, I need to go talk with Jack, even if he’s pissing me off. I also need to check on the turtle, and the kittens, and maybe look into where I can get a horse for Camile. Time’s a-wasting, and I’m a busy boy.
I say my goodbyes, then leave Reynolds’s house. I haven’t taken more than two steps when my stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven’t eaten in ages. Ireally need to get some food down me, so I pivot and head to the canteen. As I walk past Camile’s house, the urge to see her is so strong, it overrides both my common sense and my—somewhat fragile—sense of self-preservation.
Glancing around me to make sure no one is about, I knock on her door. No one answers for a good few minutes, and I’m about to walk away, thinking she must be sleeping, but the lock suddenly clicks and the door swings open.
I stare in shock. Camile looks like crap compared to normal. Her face is pale, and she has circles under her eyes. Her upper eyelids are puffy, too. Has she been crying?
“Hey, are you okay?” I ask.
“Yes, I’m fine. What’s up?”
Her tone is flat, and she’s definitely not okay. It was a dumb fucking question, really. Jack is isolating the girl when she’s only just lost her father, and her mother and brother are in hiding from a rival cartel.
Goddamn it, he’s not thinking straight. Her whole world has been turned upside down, and making her sit alone in this empty house is going to drive her crazy. Fuck it, I don’t care if he cuts my balls off. I won’t leave her to wilt like a flower without any sun.
The girl needs company and a friend.
“Do you want to head to the canteen with me?” I ask. “Grab some food?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not really hungry.”
“Want to see the kittens?”
Again, she shakes her head.
“What about the turtle that almost bit off my ear?”
This does earn me a tiny smile. “I’m just tired thismorning, Ace. Can we call a raincheck and maybe meet up later?”
