Page 37 of Rebel

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “And even if we skip over how much shit you gave us for that, look at how it ended up for each of us.”

“That’s not gonna happen.” No matter what happened with us last night, I wasn’t sure Nikki could get past our initial misunderstanding.

“You sure about that?” Diesel asked with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded. “I met her before, years ago. We had a great night together, talking and drinking at Black Jack’s until we shut the place down. An incredible time in the sack. And then everything got fucked up.”

“You didn’t call?”

“I didn’t and neither did she.” I told him about the note mix-up. “She was pretty upset about it.”

“Why? It was just a one night stand, right?”

That was my first question too, but Nikki seemed legitimately upset and I didn’t want to take that away from her. “We had a connection. I felt it too, we just clicked. Probably just felt rejected.” It was what I’d felt too. Hell, I hung onto that feeling for years. She must’ve too.

“But if she has forgiven you, then what?”

Then I would do it right this time. I wouldn’t fuck it up. “I’m not sure.” I answered non-committedly, not wanting to get into emotional shit with my Prez. But if there was a chance that we could make it work, I had to try, didn’t I? The truth was that I hadn’t given much thought to jumping into another relationship with a woman. Call it trauma or mommy issues or just plain fucking mistrust but it wasn’t something on my mind for the past few years. And then Nikki came back into my life and it’s all I can fucking think about.

“Time to consider it, don’t you think?” Diesel wore a knowing smirk as if he knew something I didn’t.

“Maybe. First, I have to keep her safe.” Which meant talking to the goddam Sheriff. Don’t get me wrong, he was all right for a cop, but he was still a cop and therefore couldn’t be trusted. “And hope that Cross isn’t on Cameron’s payroll.”

Diesel’s brows shot up. “Is that a serious concern or your cynical ass not trusting anybody?”

“Why can’t it be both? I know you and Cross have always had a friendly relationship and he wassomewhathelpful when dealing with the Carter fucks, but we haven’t dealt with anything like Cameron before.” That shit kept me up at night. If the Sheriff chose a side that wasn’t ours, that meant big trouble for Nikki and for the Steel Demons.

“What are you talking about, assholes like Cameron are a dime a dozen especially in a city like Vegas.”

“Maybe so, but he’s elected just like Cross. He could be on the take, even if it’s just looking the other way when the Blood Fangs do bad shit. Or he could be actively protecting him to keep his own job safe.”

Diesel nodded, a sign he was listening to my concerns. “Cross is a straight arrow. Has no patience for any kind of corruption. Trust me, I tried to pay him off back in the day and he basically told me to go fuck myself. He only deals with us because we don’t make Steel City worse.”

I knew there was no arguing with my Prez when his mind was made up, and his mind decided Sheriff Hudson Cross was trustworthy. “No offense but that was thousands of years ago.”

“Asshole,” Diesel murmured. “I trust him, but I hear you, Rebel and I’ll feel him out before sharing anything. Deal?”

That was as good as I would get, and I knew it. “Yep.” I nodded towards the road where Cross’s vehicle turned into the parking lot about ten miles outside of Steel City. “I’m just here to listen and to watch.”

Diesel smiled. “Remember that.”

I watched the Sheriff park far enough away so that it looked like he was doing his job, before he ambled over to us. He had that way about him, like an Old West cowboy with a long, steady gait, his gaze always on a swivel. “Diesel. Rebel.” He nodded but kept his eyes shielded by his mirrored aviator glasses. “What’s going on?”

“What do you know about Councilman Cameron?” That was Diesel, straight to the point. He rarely wasted time on bullshit like small talk.

“Not much. Very conservative and pro-business, staunchly anti-regulation. Typical politician, I suppose. Why do you ask?”

“Curiosity,” Diesel answered vaguely. “Got anything on the Blood Fangs?”

His jaw clenched almost imperceptibly, but the flare of his nostrils was more noticeable. He was familiar with them and his opinion wasn’t favorable. “Looking for something specific?”

“Yeah. They’re after someone who’s asked for our help and I’m trying to figure out what’s got their panties in a twist.” Diesel shifted his stance, folding his arms over his chest, expression blank.

“Do I know this friend?” Cross looked between me and Diesel, probably trying to figure out why we weren’t divulging much.

He grinned and shook his head. “Not that kind of friend, more of someone we happened upon who needed help, and now they continue to need help.”

“I can’t help you if you don’t give me anything to work with.”

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