Page 25 of T-Bone
I stared at the door for a full minute and tried to get my heart rate under control before I forced my legs to move. Iwashed my hands and walked back to the dining room on shaky legs.
T-Bone’s expression darkened as he took in my stiff posture and furrowed brow. “What the fuck happened?” He was on his feet and at my side immediately, guiding me down onto the booth where he sat beside me. “Talk to me, Faith.”
“One of the Ghost Riders approached me in the bathroom,” I began and then the rest of the story spilled out.
Chapter Sixteen
T-Bone
“Nate fucking Ferris,” I growled a second after Faith told me about the man who approached her in the bathroom. “He’s the Prez of the Ghost Riders MC, goes by the name Blade.” I stood quickly and rushed to the back of the diner where the bathrooms sat on one side, an office to the right, and the exit straight ahead.
Gone. He was fucking gone.
Disappointed at missing the fucker, I marched back to the dining room where Faith was paying the bill as she finished another cup of coffee. “He’s gone.”
“I figured he took off pretty quickly afterwards. If he followed us, then he knew you were here with me.” She set her mug down and turned to me, studying my face quickly before she turned away. “We should head out.”
“Yep.” I agreed easily, scanning the whole damn parking lot on the off chance Blade was still around. There were a couple dozen cars in the lot, but mine was the only bike in the lot. “Need to make sure that motherfucker didn’t tamper with my bike.”
“You think he’d do that?”
I took my attention off my bike to look at her. “You don’t?”
Her brows furrowed. “Yeah. Right. Of course he would.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “He’s delusional.”
“What did he say?” She was a tough broad, experienced and cynical but she was shaken that Blade had gotten so close to her. I needed to keep her distracted while I checked my bike.
“He thinks that Chloe killed Marcus and Victor, which is ridiculous. I mean, Iwishthat was true, but he’s convinced of it. I could tell by the set of his jaw.” She paced in front of the bike. “It’s crazy but that’s what he believes and now he thinks that I’m complicating his life, which doesn’t make any sense.” She talked to herself as if she was working something out on her own. “If he thought Chloe was alive and out in the world, my appearance in town would make it easier to find her. Right?”
“He’s trying to get in your head,” I assured her. “Whatever he thinks for real, is unknown at this point.” He wasn’t the smartest guy around, but he could easily play on Faith’s emotions right now. “Did he put his hands on you?”
“No,” she shook her head, leaning over my shoulder to watch.
“Are you sure?” I asked. She answered me too quickly, so I stopped to look at her, watching for her tells. She had a few if you knew to look for them.
She turned slightly and her gaze was on mine. This close I could see there were at least five different shades of green in her eyes from sea green to forest green. “I’m positive. He wanted to scare me, that was it. I didn’t let him.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Good girl.” I also didn’t miss the way she shivered at my praise. “Okay,” I stood and wiped my hands on my legs. “We’re good to go.”
She blinked quickly. “All clear? No signs of tampering?”
“None,” I assured her.
“I didn’t think he’d do anything to your bike.” Her words were sure, and I didn’t get it.
“Why?”
She smiled as if she’d just figured it out. “You were right, he was bluffing. He wouldn’t tamper with the bike because he doesn’t know where Rachel Grey is, if she’s the one who has Gemma. He thinks we know where she is, which is why he’s so far away from his turf, and he needs us to find her.”
Goddamn it was sexy as hell to watch her mind work. “I could kiss you right now.”
She held up a finger between us and took a step back, a slow smile crept up her face. “Don’t do it because I would let you.”
Her honesty was refreshing as fuck. “Is that so?” I took a step forward, smiling bigger when she took a step back.
“You know it is.”
I stepped back and nodded. “Fine. Later, then.”
