Before Bones finished his laugh, Rock had him by the throat, his back flat against the wall. “Don’t fuckin’ disrespect my woman. You don’t know shit.” He tightened his grip around Bones’s neck until Chas and Wheelie pulled him off.
Bones gulped air and coughed as he threw daggered looks at Rock. “What the fuck is your problem?” He lunged for Rock and the two of them threw a few punches until the surrounding brothers pulled them apart.
“Will the two of you fucking calm down? What the hell?” Chas shoved Rock away from Bones.
“I don’t like what he’s saying about Clotille. And I’m fuckin’ worried about her ‘cause she’s not answering my calls or texts. Shit!” He kicked over a couple stools, then tipped over the bar table. Several dudes from the Devil’s Legions came over to see what all the ruckus was about.
“What the fuck’s going on?” Catfish asked.
Axe and Wheelie went up to the host members. “It’s cool. Our brother’s just worried about his woman,” Axe said.
“Need some help with it?” another member asked.
Rock shook his head and they sauntered away. “Something’s not right,” he said after the dudes were out of earshot. “My gut’s telling me that.”
Bones came over and gripped his shoulder. “Wouldn’t have ribbed you if I knew your mood was because you were worried. Sorry, bro.” Rock tilted his chin. “Why do you think something’s up with her? Maybe she’s just pissed or teaching you a lesson for something you did.”
“Women love doing that,” Chas said. “My wife’s the queen of the cold shoulder, and it’s fuckin’ effective ‘cause it drives me crazy and I always fuckin’ give in. Am I right, Axe?”
Axe chuckled. “Yep. Baylee must’ve taken lessons from Addie ‘cause she can go hours acting like I’m not in the same fuckin’ room. Damn. How the hell do women do that?”
All the other brothers but Rock sniggered. “I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. If she were doing that shit, she wouldn’t have texted me that she was at her mother’s and ask me to confirm the text. Fuck! I didn’t really want her to go alone to visit her mom. I don’t trust the fuckin’ bitch.”
“What’s going on here?” Hawk asked as he walked up to the group.
“Rock thinks his woman’s in trouble,” Chas replied.
“Do you know what kind of trouble?” Hawk leaned against the table.
Rock nodded. “If something’s wrong—and my gut’s telling me it is—I know it involves that rich fuck we did the stint for in Aspen.”
“Frederick Blair?” Hawk scrubbed his face. “He’s the one you think killed your mother, and he’s the one who wanted to sell the weapons to the Demon Riders. Why’s his goddamned name all over the fuckin’ place?”
“He wants Clotille back. I know he’s been supporting her mother and she’s a greedy bitch, so I wouldn’t put anything past her. I’m going to go over there and see if my woman’s still there. It’s been a few hours since she texted me.”
“You want me to go with you?” Bones said.
Rock shook his head. “No, I gotta do this on my own.” He scanned his brothers’ faces, a warm feeling spreading through him. They were ready to charge with him to the mean bitch’s house and help him find his woman. He couldalwayscount on their loyalty and support no matter what. He pounded his fist against his chest a couple times, then headed out the door.
As he was about to switch on his Harley, Hawk came over to him. “You let us know what you find out about your woman. If this fucker is in town, I wanna know.”
“Sure thing.” They locked gazes for a few seconds and an understanding passed between them that the brothers were behind him and waiting to help in any way they could, even if it wasn’t club business. Rock broke eye contact, switched on the ignition, and rode away.
After the second ring, he tried several bump keys that made getting into places a lot easier. The third one he used unlocked the door and he entered the house. Everything was quiet and he silently padded his way through the whole house looking for Clotille. No one was there. He went into one of the rooms that looked like an office and started rifling through the papers on top of the desk. Thumbing through a desk calendar, he noticed several notations that Mrs. Boucher had spoken to Frederick—one as recent as a couple of days before.
I fuckin’knewit! I wonder if he’s taken Clotille back to Aspen. Fuck!
As he rummaged through the desk trying to find more information, he heard a door close. He froze as heels clacked on the floor. He hid behind the door and waited until the footsteps grew fainter, then quietly followed them to the other end of the house. He saw the woman he’d hated all through his growing years, the one who beat Clotille, underpaid his mother, and treated him like white trash.
Mrs. Boucher bent over and took off her high heels before massaging her foot. He waited until she straightened up and then came up behind her, grabbing her with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. She kicked and twisted, but he held her like a ragdoll. He let her carry on for a few minutes, and then he yanked her head back hard and snarled, “You’re going to get one chance to tell me the truth. If you don’t, I’ll fuckin’ peel your skin off before I rip out your intestines. Where the fuck is Clotille?” He put his hand over her throat and squeezed it hard before releasing.
“She’s with Frederick,” she said against his hand.
“Where the fuck is the sonofabitch?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just know she went with him.”
He kneed her in the kidneys and Mrs. Boucher cried out as her legs buckled. He forced her to stand straight. “Wrong fuckin’ answer, bitch. One last chance. Where the fuck is the asshole?”
