Page 59 of Ripper
I broke conversation with the bartender, heading back down to the end of the bar where Ronnie was trying to move away from that drunk piece of shit. He was getting handsy real fast, and right then, I didn’t care if we were swarmed by the Kings. All I cared about was Ronnie.
“The fuck do you think you’re doing talking to my lady?”
“You got a problem?”
“Yeah, I got a fucking problem. You better get the hell away from my lady.” I ordered.
“I don’t fucking think so.”
I could see the anger in his eyes when he threw the first punch. I caught him by the arm, delivering one directly into his jaw. He got one in before the bartender pulled him off, and it didn’t take long for everyone to stop staring.Thank God.I cupped my fist, feeling the pain shoot up into my arm, and Ronnie came over with some ice in a towel that the bartender gave her.
“I’m sorry, Ripper.”
“What do you have to be sorry for, sweet pea? That fucker was coming onto you,” I said, watching him turn around, heading for the door. His buddies were holding him down, and he shook them off, doing a full spin, giving me just enough time to spot that familiar sigil etched into the side of his jacket.
I didn’t say a word, giving Ronnie a slight nod, and she followed my gaze over to him.
“I think it’s time we put this motherfucker out like a light, after we get what we need outta him,” I said.
“You think that arm of yours can handle that or would you like me to take a crack at it?” she teased.
“I ain’t got no problem with that.”
The bar was starting to empty out now, and I was surprised to see that the place was open as long as it was. It wasn’t until we were back outside in the cool, crisp morning air that I spotted the twenty-four-hour neon sign. Ronnie and I followed that fucker round back to where he parked his bike. He was drunk off his ass. Blood was dripping from his lips, and his head must have been throbbing hard because he did not seem to hear us coming.
I grabbed Ronnie’s arm, holding her back in case he picked up on the sound of her heeled boots on the concrete. I grabbed my gun from its holster, cocking it back before I charged straight for that fucker. I pressed it up against him, holding his arms behind his back so he couldn’t move, and he squirmed under me.
“The fuck do you want from me? I left the fucking bar. I ain’t bothering your bitch anymore. You some kinda thrill-killer or something?” he asked, spitting blood off to the side and some of it coated his bike handles.
I pressed his body up against his bike, knowing there was no way in hell he’d try to move with my gun digging a damn hole in the back of his skull.
“I need you to tell me where your buddies are holding dear ole Axle,” I said.
“I ain’t know a fucking Axle. You’ve got the wrong—”
I tightened my grip on his arms, pressing the barrel of the gun deeper until he shut his eyes in fear.
“You really gonna tell me I got the wrong guy when you’re damn well one of those Freeway Fuckers? I see the damn highway skull emblem on your jacket. You know exactly who Axle is, and you’re gonna fucking tell me before I blow your brains out,” I murmured.
“I ain’t telling you shit.”
“Well, that’s too bad.”
My gun clicked, and his life flashed before his fucking eyes. He was sweating now. The droplets ran down the back of his neck and he squirmed, trying to get out of my hold again, but it was no use.
“Okay. Okay! Wait. Please.”
“You ready to talk now? I can do this all night, and something tells me you ain’t ready to die yet. If you tell me what I need to know, you can be outta state by the time Ray figures out what you’ve done.”
He nodded, listening closely to every word I said, and just before my impatience got the best of me, his lips parted. He was finally ready to fucking talk.
“There’s a warehouse off the highway going north. It’s near the old tobacco factory. Place hasn’t pushed cigarettes in years, but it’s still standing. You’ll know it when you see it,” he said, his voice shaky.
“See? That wasn’t so fucking hard, was it?”
I let him go, and he didn’t waste a damn minute getting onto the back of his bike, getting the fuck out of there before I started firing off bullets just for the fun of it. I turned to Ronnie to see the worried look on her face. I approached her, placing my hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
