Page 97 of Kings Fear No One
We hit up the likely places. The motels in town. The diner on the edge of town. Jefferson’s bus terminal that’s more like a garage housing the occasional bus that passes through.
Teysha’s nowhere to be found.
Dusk fades along the horizon, the sky purpling. It’ll be dark in another hour.
“Where the fuck is she?”
The words husk out of me in a throaty growl. They’re underpinned by frustration and rage. Tension knots every muscle I have, putting me on edge.
Right on the cusp of losing my shit.
I peer down the dim road as the streetlights blink on. Ozzie sighs from my side, sitting back on the seat of his sleek Softail Deluxe. He’s been patient through our search, though he’s growing frustrated too.
“Ghost, brother, it’s time to admit the obvious.”
“Don’t fucking say it,” I snap. “Don’t fucking think for one second I’m giving up.”
“You kidding? Fuck that. We’re not leaving without her. But I mean… the obvious place she must be.”
“What the hell are you talking about!?”
“We’ve checked everywhere in town. Motels, diners, stores. The dang bus terminal.”
“And?”
“You forget what else is in Jefferson?”
Recognition narrows my eyes, my chest clenching. “You mean the Zapote bar?”
“Where else could she be? If she’s still in town.”
“That’s the Barrera’s spot.”
“I’m aware. Cash and me met up there for a deal months ago. It’s a shithole but has lots of stragglers. Perfect place to get lost in.”
What the fuck would ever drive Teysha to go to a bar that’s associated with the local cartel? What could ever fucking possess her to put herself in such a dangerous environment?
A fresh wave of rage surges through me.
I rev my engine, then take off down the dusty road. Ozzie’s not far behind.
Jefferson’s such a little stain on the map that we’re arriving within five minutes. We pull up to the deafening sounds of Spanish music blasting at full volume. The establishment looks more like an outhouse than a legit bar.
A nasty enough wind could blow right through and knock it to pieces.
Ozzie and I park our bikes in the dirt parking lot and approach the door. We earn stares the entire walk up. Our leather Steel King rockers give us away.
But it doesn’t fucking matter. We’re here for one purpose and one purpose only.
The inside of the bar’s tinted blue, a haze of smoke thick in the air.
My eyes scan the space. I’ve stopped breathing without realizing it. I’ve stopped thinking ’til I find her.
Nothing else in the world holds any significance ’til I do.
Ozzie elbows me in the rib. “Ghost, the far corner.”
It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for. The moment I see her again.
