Page 7 of Roman

“Why the fuck would I want to kill him?” I ask myself as I step out of the bar.

“Talking to yourself is a sign of early dementia.” A voice drifts from the parking lot of the bar along with footsteps that come closer to where I’m standing. “You must be Roman,” he sucks in air through his teeth, “I knew a Roman once.”

“Yeah?” A man about my height stands in front of me, typing out something on his phone.

“Yeah. I killed him.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Name’s Steven. Wiz sent me to help you find your girl.” He pockets the phone after seemingly satisfied at whatever he was doing.

“Steven?”

“Would you prefer another one of my names? Estaban perhaps? Or maybe Wraith? That one seems to get people’s attention.” Shit. I take another scan of him. Then I see it, the same dark features that grace our Cental Chapter’s president.

“You’re Rock’s brother.”

“One of the many things I’m guilty of. Are you all set and ready to go?” The door opening cuts him off and out steps Pria. Of course, it had to be her. “Well now. You must be mom.” Wraith, or fucking Steven I guess, extends his hand out to Pria who pauses for a beat before placing her hand in his. “Steven,” he introduces himself. “I was just asking Roman here if he was ready to go.”

“Go?” her face lights up with hope. “You found her?”

“Not yet.”

“I need to run to the clubhouse to get my bag I will meet you out front in ten,” I say then get on my bike.

It takes only a minute to get to the clubhouse and my bike parked, a little longer to get what I need. Stuffing a few changes of clothes into my small duffle bag I make sure to grab a box of shells just in case. I’m not looking for a gunfight but if there is one I need to be prepared. As much as I’d love to put a bullet in every one of the pieces of shit that have my daughter, deep down I know that stealth will be key in getting her out safely.

Steven isn’t here yet when I step outside but someone else is.

“I got the update from Wiz. Have you seen him yet?” Brood asks as I let the door close behind me.

“He’s a strange motherfucker and has only said five words to me.”

“He knows the people. Your best shot at finding that little girl.” I know Brood is right. I suppose dealing with a slightly deranged ex-hitman isn’t all that bad.

Headlights pull up in front of where me and Brood stand. “Watch over Pria. Make sure she doesn’t go and do something stupid while I’m gone.” Brood lets out a chuckle at my words. It’s only when I toss my bag into the back of Steven’s truck do I realize why he is laughing. Pria is sitting in the middle spot in the single cab pickup truck.

“No, absolutely not,” I state, opening up the door. “There is no fucking way.”

“She is my daughter and yes I’m going.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“You can’t be seriously entertaining this shit.” I look over to Steven who has a far too smug expression on his face.

“She can come along for the ride. What’s the harm in that? We might need her once we find the girl. Don’t know about you but a frightened teenager who is going through the kind of hell she is most likely going through at this moment will need her mom.” He talks as if from experience. “Look you’re going to need her is all I’m saying.”

I can’t believe I’m hearing this. The last thing I want is to have to spend more time with Pria than I absolutely need to. It won’t be good for either of us. “Fine,” I grit between clenched teeth and glance one last time at Brood who is doing a shit job hiding the amused smile on his face. “She’s doing that something stupid I was talking about,” I say then climb into the truck, flipping Brood off when he lets out a burst of laughter.

“Let’s get this road on the show. Or however it goes,” Steven says and puts the truck into reverse. When he gets completely backed out he looks over at me, then at Pria. I’m sure the scowl on my face speaks for itself and Pria has one of her own that rivals mine. It’s a scowl I have been on the receiving end multiple times and right now is no different. It’s been quite some time but it still feels the same. “Well now.Thisis going to be a fun trip,” Steven says in a sing-song voice with a slightly weird accent and starts driving out of Rhino.

A fun trip indeed.

7

Pria

Steven is all smiles and conversation as we drive down the darkened highway. It’s getting close to midnight as we make our way closer and closer to Seattle. He has told me everything about his family and his girlfriend- not his wife. He was clear on that point when I referred to Lara as his wife. “She won’t marry me.” Is what he said. I left it at that. The kids, all four of them, are homeschooled by their mother and spend most of their free time hunting and fishing around their home in Alaska. Roman has kept quiet the whole trip, even going as far as to pretend he was sleeping.

“The boat is docked in Seattle. When we get there, we can get some sleep then take off at first light,” Steven says.

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