Page 76 of Ripper
“You gonna bring us some menus, darlin’?” asked Claymore.
I saw the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her. I tapped the table, glaring at him because the last thing we needed right now was Claymore flirting with Ella until she eventually gave us the boot.
“You here to eat or you here to talk about Ray? What kind of trouble is he in now?” she asked, blowing a loose strand of hair up out of her face.
“Why can’t we do both?”
“What Claymore means is that we’re here to tell you that Ray’s been in one hell of a pickle lately. See, he fucked with our club, nearly killed my lady here, and I’m gonna need you to tell us where he is,” I murmured.
Her eyes widened when she looked at me, but they eventually softened again.
She shook her head.
“I don’t really care what kind of trouble my brother has with you. He’s a thug. He’s a terrible human being, and she’s not the only person he’s tried to kill. He cornered me last year and wouldn’t leave until I gave him a way to contact me. I can’t help you find him. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. He’s not my problem anymore.”
“He’s your brother.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. He’s been dead to me for a very long time,” she said.
I could see the sadness in her eyes like she was harboring a great deal of pain for a very long time.
“We have nothing left to discuss,” she said.
“Darlin’, your brother is one hell of a motherfucker, and he may be dead to you, but he ain’t dead yet. He’s fucked with a lot of people, and something tells me you’re one of ’em. You hate him, I hate him, and I think we have a lot left to discuss after all. Come on, buttercup. Humor me?”
“Claymore, seriously?” Ronnie asked, glaring at him.
She sighed, nodding as he led her to the back where the bathrooms and kitchen were.
Tank came in a few moments later, and we both glanced over at him.
“What happened? Where’s Claymore?”
“Working his charm apparently. Ella may just be our golden ticket to getting rid of Ray once and for all.”
“That is, if she’ll even help us,” said Ronnie.
We waited there while Claymore chatted with her. Her arms were folded across her chest like she was just waiting to leave, tapping her foot incessantly. A few minutes later, her hand dropped to her sides, her expression softened, and she nodded.
“Goddamn. Lover boy did it.”
“Damn right he did,” I said.
***
I parked my truck in Ripper’s driveway, noticing how strange it felt to be behind the wheel again after all this time. I shut off the engine, hopping out to start unloading my things when I spotted Sam stepping out with the biggest smile plastered on her face.
“Ronnie!”
“Sam, is Ripper still in there trying to hang those curtains I bought?” I asked, and she chuckled.
“They’ve been fiddling with the rods all day. Claymore and Wrench gave up a while ago. They’re out back grilling now,’ she teased.
Sam helped me with the first few boxes just as Jade and Evelyn made their way out the front door. Ripper followed close behind them, his face lighting up the moment he laid eyes on me. He took the boxes from my hands, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on my lips while the girls cooed.
“Nuh uh, no more heavy lifting for you, sweet pea. You only just recovered from your accident,” he reminded me.
“I’m fine, Ripper. I promise.”
