Page 10 of Property of Riptide
“What the fuck ever.” Rio releases a short, mirthless laugh. It’s what he does whenever something has him feeling conflicted.
“That won’t be an issue,” I answer. “But if it’s gonna be a long sit down, I’m gonna need a cushion for my ass and a beer to quench my thirst.”
“I’ll give you a pillow for your boney ass, you pussy,” Rio retorts.
“And the beer?” I ask, raising my brows into my hairline.
“That’s a given, brother,” he muses. “Need to get back and handle a few things before you roll in. Come to my office once you drop off your bags.”
“Bossy fucker,” I rag him.
“Tool of the trade, as you well know,” he responds.
“As Icer has been reminding me about a lot recently. I’ll see you there,” I tell him as the nozzle clicks letting me know the tank is fully fed. We wave at each other as he pulls out and I put the cap back on my tank. I’m a biker through and through but hopping back on my Harley doesn’t give me the relief it normally does. I’m getting too old for these long hauls. I’m ready for the younger ones to level up so I can sit back and direct them as I’m sipping on a beer while lounging in a recliner.
Some would say being in your thirties is the prime of your life, but I have led a life that begs to differ. My body is breaking down with each year that passes. I’m not ready to hand over my gavel to somebody else, but I’d like to be able to rest my achy bones more than I’ve been able to these last couple of years.
“You’re shitting me.” I can’t believe what my ears are hearing. “You’re saying Gage had a woman and a son and didn’t tell us about them?”
“That’s what I’m telling you,” Rio responds as he leans back and places his arms behind his head, cupping it as he stares up at the ceiling.
The mystery of the woman that was leaving the coffee house with them when we rolled into town has now been solved. I’m going back and forth between being pissed and excited that there’s a piece of our friend still out there.
“Why is she here, Rio?” I ask, leaning forward in my chair. “What does she want?”
“She wants to know about why Gage was here, and what happened when he died,” Rio announces. “And I’m not sure how much I’m willing to share with her.”
“Obviously there are things that need to be left out,” I muse.
“Without a doubt,” he mumbles. “I don’t want to bring our enemies into it, with what little knowledge I gained about her when we sat down, she’d dig and end up putting herself in their sights.”
“What’s left of them,” I chuckle. “The main players are gone now.”
He smirks remembering that day and how he eliminated the ones that hurt Issy. “Not as many as we believe. You know how roaches are, brother.”
“Yeah, they lurk in the shadows during the daytime and come scuttling out during the night,” I remark. “That’s when most people’s guards are down.”
“We aren’t most people, Rip,” Rio states. “Our guards are never down.”
“Apparently, after my clubhouse went boom, we aren’t as guarded as we once thought we were,” I return.
“Did you ever figure out how they got the device there without your men noticing?” he inquires.
“Nothing substantial, Rio, but I have a few suspicions that I’m looking into. As of yet, nothing has panned out.” Which pisses me off. I know that Zoey’s parents are somehow involved, but none of our monitors picked them up sneaking around the property before the timer on the bomb went off. But I won’t be found with my pants hanging around my ankles again becauseevery acre of our compound is now wired. I have no blind spots anymore which has helped me relax somewhat.
“But we know the Onyx Dragons were involved in it, right?” Rio asks.
“Yeah. That’s been the only thing I’ve been able to confirm,” I tell him. “That, and the fact that Zoey’s mom was the one who called me to warn me.”
“That wasn’t a warning, Rip. That was her taunting you. They didn’t anticipate you being as quick as you were getting everyone out.”
“Figured that out, too,” I state. “They thought they’d annihilate most of my club, if not all of it, and had to get that last barb in.”
“Thank fuck Zoey’s grandparents were around to be a good influence her. Otherwise, she’d have ended up just as messed up as they are.”
“They were the ones she looked up to and admired more than the rest of the adults in her life,” I confirm. “Both sets of grandparents were damn good people, I’m not sure what happened to their kids because they both grew up and became psychotic.”
“I’m sure that same thing could be said about most serial killers when it comes to their upbringing and parentage,” Rio speculates.
