Page 24 of Diesel

Outside, Cigar handed me off to Capone and three Prospects.

“Last chance,” I said. “Let me walk, and you live.”

Cigar chuckled, amused that a single man could bring his club down. He opened the van’s back doors and motioned me inside.

I took one step toward the van, and Cigar’s head exploded. The Prospects and Capone drew their weapons and spun in a circle. Not wanting to get shot, I dove inside the van as a bullet smashed the window. Another few shots and the Prospects dropped.

Capone dove into the van, pointing his gun at the open doors. Sweat raced down his face, and his hands shook.

“Why do they call you Capone?”

“What? Fuck you, lady.”

Something to our right explodes, and the fireball lit the night sky. They’d had fair warning.

Capone slid toward the open doors when everything fell quiet. I considered telling him to wait. To throw out his gun. But I knew the voices were talking in Diesel’s head. Nothing but carnage would remain.

Someone hopped in the driver seat, and the van sped forward. Capone slid out, his head hitting the van’s hitch. I’d been around too much shit the past two weeks to be afraid. Instead, I held on for the ride.

“Diesel will join us shortly,” Trixie said. “The asshole must really love you to do something so stupid. He killed at least a dozen men on the way in.” She shook her head and tore out onto the open road. Moments later, a motorcycle caught up. Diesel blew a kiss and pulled alongside the van.

I didn’t want to think about the number of men he killed because Charles couldn’t let things go. I hoped word got back to Charles what he’d caused.

We stopped at a cheap motel, and Trixie parked behind the building. Diesel pulled next to us. He opened the back doors and scooped me into his arms.

“Fuck,” he said and held my face in his hands. “You whole?”

“I think so. Whatever that means.” I smiled, and he squeezed the air out of my lungs. When he knew I was okay, a dark shadow crossed his face. “This shit wasn’t random, G. What did they tell you?”

“Can we go inside?” I needed a minute to figure out what to say without him going back to Arkansas to kill Charles. I would do everything I could to prevent that, but Charles didn't have a prayer if the voices were already in Diesel’s head.

We walked around the hotel. The warm night created a sweat I didn’t care for. I really wanted a good night’s sleep in a high-end hotel bed. Diesel opened the motel room door, and I wanted to return to the biker compound I’d just left.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

“Only the best for you, babe,” Diesel said and walked inside. Trixie left me standing at the open door alone.

I stepped inside and closed the door. One bed, a table, one chair, and shitty wallpaper. The shag carpet, orange, needed burning. I pulled the comforter off the bed, leaving behind two sheets. A picture of horses running on an open range hung above the bed headboard.

“I’m gonna go to the lobby and grab some more towels.”

Diesel kissed me, filling his hand with my ass, and left me alone with Trixie.

Trixie lit a cigarette and sat at the single-chair table. “How long do you think it will take until he’s tired of you and moves on to something younger?”

“Approximately never,” I said. “Jealous much?”

“Then you’re fooling yourself. It’s what bikers do. They move on.”

“I’m not concerned. I know how to keep a man.”

I went to the bathroom and started the shower. As I undressed, Trixie came in. She leaned against the door and watched.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Enjoying myself.”

Skittles had told me once before that competition between old ladies in clubs was fierce. I figured Trixie wanted to see what the competition had. “Don’t back down,” Skittles reminded me. “Ever.”

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