Page 36 of Devil's Dilemma

No. However much I want it to be, it doesn’t sound like his bike.

But it does stop outside. Realising it’s probably Pyro and he may have news, I rush to the door and open it before he knocks.

“Shouldn’t do that, Mel,” are his first words out of his mouth, then he explains, “it might not have been me.”

I go to tell him that it had been the logical, and as it turned out, correct assumption, but the expression on his face shows he’s completely serious. For some reason he’s annoyed that I’ve thrown open the door without checking.

Because of something they’ve found out about Skull?

It’s my turn to speak. When I do, the floodgates open.

“Have you found anything out? Do you know where Skull is? Have you found him?”

Instead of answering, his hands come to my arms and apply pressure, so I move back out of the doorway. Turning, he closes the door behind him, shooting across the bolt.

He shrugs when my eyes question him. “Can’t be too careful.”

“What is it, Pyro? Please, tell me whatever you know.”

“Can we sit?” He sends a pointed glance toward the sofa.

I don’t answer with words, just step over to my comfortable three-seater, taking a place at one end. He sits at the other, and for a moment, holds his head in his hands. There’s something about his posture that shouts out this man is exhausted.

“Can I get you anything?”

“What?” He glances across the space between us. “Nah, thanks Mel. But I’m okay. Just been a stressful day.”

“Because of Skull?” I make the assumption. “What is it you know?”

He takes a deep breath, then sighs. “Easier to tell you what we don’t know. We don’t know where he is. We’re trying to find leads of where he might have been going or gone. He may have gotten to his destination and stayed. With fuck all to go on, we’re checking in every direction. All I can tell you is that so far we’ve found no body in a morgue, no injured biker in any hospital, and no police reports which could show he’s been arrested.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” I’m clutching at straws.

“Could be worse,” he agrees.

“Can you really be sure of your information? What have you been doing? Making calls?” Even if someone had been on the phone ever since I left them, they couldn’t have contacted every organisation he’s named.

He gives a half-smile. “Nah, we’ve got other ways. Got the computer experts in all our chapters searching.”

“Oh.” I didn’t realise they could do that. Computer hacking probably comes under their one-percenter ways which Skull had alluded to, but never told me about. “You are searching under his real name, aren’t you?”

He rolls his eyes. “Kris Cox, yeah.”

Of course they are.

“So, he’s not dead, dying or arrested,” I surmise.

“So far we can’t say that. Not locally that’s for certain. We’re casting our net wider and wider, Mel. We’ll keep trying.”

“What…” I struggle to get out my thought, “what if he crashed, and his body’s not yet been found?” I sob. “What if we never find out what happened to him?”

“Darlin’, don’t be defeatist,” he says sharply. “We’ll find him. It’s just a matter of time.”

But even if they discover his whereabouts, there’s no guarantee he intends to come home. If he did, he’d have contacted me. Skull had never proved to be anything but dependable and he cared for me. But perhaps that too, had been a lie. Maybe disappearing had been his intention. If he left of his own volition, if nothing’s preventing him returning…

“Maybe he left me. Just didn’t want to tell me.”

“Then he’s a fuckin’ fool.” Pyro’s eyes blaze. “Skull’s got everything going for him. A good woman, abeautiful woman,” he corrects, and now it’s time for my eyes to roll. “The possibility of a family and his club. Man doesn’t walk out on that unless he’s crazy. There are ways of leaving the Satan’s Devils if that’s what he wanted. Bikers do not simply walk out on family.”

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