Page 38 of The Devil's Weakness

I don’t enjoy hearing that she’s been through the same gut-wrenching past that I have. It’s not the way any child should be forced to live, and it’s unfortunate how often it happens.

“What injuries did he sustain? Your…father?”

“Road rash and a gash on the forehead. We won’t know what else until he wakes up.”

“I’m so sorry. I should never have left him. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for what happened. But, when I saw he was a member of the Devil’s Skull, I got scared. I knew you guys would be out for blood, so I thought running was my only option.”

I should do or say something to make her feel better, but I can’t. Not when Iron is lying in a bed upstairs fighting for his life. I simply nod my head slightly and ask my next question.

“Who is Steve?”

My question catches her off guard, and I may have growled at her slightly. I want to know more about the guy that Ellie mentioned in her texts to her.

“Um.” Her brow furrows with confusion. “He’s just a friend who helps me with Michael from time to time. He’s the only one I can trust to look after him when I’m not around.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah, why? Is he in some kind of trouble?”

“No, I just saw his name in some texts from Ellie on your phone, that’s all. I didn’t know if we had to worry about him coming to look for you.”

The shock and worry on her face tell me he’s more than a friend. Or at least he once was.

“My phone?”

“Yeah, I took it from your dresser the other night when we came looking for you.”

“Oh.” She bows her head. “Can I check my messages? I’m so worried about Michael. You can watch me use it. I promise I won’t tell anyone where I am.”

“No can do, little girl. But, if you give me your password, I can unlock it for you and make sure he’s okay on your behalf.”

She looks at me, her eyes asking me if I think she’s an idiot. I didn’t think she'd actually give it to me, but I wanted to try.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” she says. “Steve is more than capable of taking care of him.”

I think back to earlier when I kicked Michael out of the bar.

I don’t think Steve is as good a caretaker as you think he is...

“Hopefully…” I shrug.

“Howdidyou find me, anyway?” she asks.

“I went to Captain Turner, who pulled the 911 calls for me. We grabbed your phone number from the list of incoming calls. Once we figured out it was you, we put yours and your car’s description out for other Clubs in the region so they could keep their eyes peeled for you.”

“But I blocked my number when I called.”

“What are you talking about?” I question.

“I dialed *67 before dialing 911. That’s supposed to block my number on the caller ID.”

I twist my lips to keep my laugh in, not wanting to embarrass her.

“What?”

Obviously, I’m not doing a good job keeping my non-verbals in check. She can see the humor written all over my face.

“That doesn’t work when you call the cops, little girl.” I bite my bottom lip to try to keep my smile in.

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