Page 36 of Ride Long
“I’ve got another fifty square feet of concrete to scrub,” I said with a groan. He was so not calling me inside for scrubber duty but best to playcoy.
Leaving my empty beer bottle with the bikers, I went inside. The moment we were out of eyesight and earshot, Gasket grabbed my arm and shoved me against thewall.
“Hey!” Iexclaimed.
“What are you playing at?” he asked, hissing atme.
“I’m playing at keeping myself alive,” I retorted. “I won’t let what happened last time happenagain.”
“You’refishing…”
I made a face. Is that what they called it around here? Fishing for allies in the sewerage pipe oflife.
“I don’t know what Marini’s go going on with the Hollow Men, not all of it, but Fortitude can’t help you,” he wenton.
“That’s where you’re wrong, old man,” I said, anger rising. “Fortitude can help me by me helpingFortitude.”
“By taking it over, youmean.”
I stared blankly at him, but he was far too smart to be fooled by an emotionless stare. He’d been playing this game for his entire life. Playing people, exploiting their weaknesses, beating the shit out of them, killing when ‘reason’ didn’t get through. Gasket wasn’tinnocent.
“He brought this on me,” I murmured, the chill in my voice alarming even me. “The Hollow Men, the abuse, the manipulation. My mother’smurder.”
“Sloane…”
“Don’t youSloaneme.”
Gasket let go of my arm and ran his hand over his face. Cursing under his breath, he turnedaway.
“What are you going to do?” I asked his back. “Tell onme?”
He cursed again and faced me, his eyes full of something as far from anger as he could get. Was it regret? Resignation? Whoknew?
“Even if your father is out of the picture, they’ll still come after you,” he said. “You know that. The deal he made with them won’t end with his death or dethroning. The deal was made with Marini, and Marini isFortitude.”
“Believe me, I know how this works.” They all had to go, lest the one left alive out of mercy came back to avenge what they’d lost. I was going for complete and utterannihilation.
“Be careful, girl,” the big biker said. “Be verycareful.”
I nodded, those three word echoing the same sentiments I’d been having since Iarrived.
As Gasket walked away, and the garage fell into silence, I knew I could trust him with my life. Just like that night seven years ago when he’d helped me get out of the compound the night before I was going to be sold. Gasket’s loyalties would always be to Fortitude, but that didn’t mean they would always be withMarini.
Fortitude was more than oneman.
It was time for a woman to remind them ofthat.
