Page 50 of Gypsy Angel

“Nadia. You should have told me your brother-in-law was part of an MC.” Diesel said, giving Nadia a smile to show she wasn’t upset.

“They are a good group of men…”

“Yes, but knowing what we know now, if I didn’t have the team that I do at my back, I wouldn’t have shown up because I would have assumed you and Raven’s parents are with either the Red Dragons or the Golden Fangs.” Diesel advised Nadia, not backing down.

“Why would…oh shit! You know something?” Nadia asked, her face going pale.

“You know my past. We’ll we think, considering some information we are finding, that the past is now here in Los Angeles. It’s why we are asking the questions that we are asking. Let’s go inside so I can meet her parents and then I can share what we know.” Diesel stepped into the house, into Nadia’s space, who backed up.

“Um, Sarah Grace, this is Raven’s biological mother, Cheryl Diesel. She is a deputy in San Diego with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department…”

“Detective. I am a detective with the human trafficking task force for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.” Diesel corrected Nadia, staring at the two who raised her daughter since infancy.

“Oh. I didn’t know that you changed divisions. Well…this is my sister, Sarah Grace, and her husband, Peter Lipford. They raised Raven in Las Vegas until three years ago. They moved back to Los Angeles when I was diagnosed with that dreadful ‘c’ word.”

Diesel studied the woman who was her savior during her pregnancy. She suddenly realized the short brown hair she knew the woman to have wasn’t the same as it was back then. Realizing Nadai was now wearing a wig, she did a quick once over of the five-foot five woman, who at one time had a toned muscle physic that Diesel had envied as a kid. She now noticed that Nadia was sickly looking, skinnier than she remembered and paler than she knew her to be.

“You have cancer?” Diesel’s world shook just a little more with the hits.

“Yes. I have stage 3 breast cancer. I stopped the treatments two weeks ago.”

“Y-y…” Diesel had to stop and catch her breath. “You never told me. Why wouldn’t you tell me, Nadia?”

“Because I don’t want you, or anyone else, to mourn me when my time comes, sweetheart. I’ve lived a great life as a cop for twenty-five years. I met you, and I got to see a part of you grow up into the amazing woman like you are. I could see you bloom from the petrified teenager you were grow into the beautiful, intelligent and brilliant young woman you are now. You’ve done amazing things with your life. To me, that’s everything and if God is calling me home, then so be it. Now, I know my sister doesn’t agree, but she has her husband and Raven and I’m hoping she’ll have you when all this is done, and you bring that spitting image of you home. And by the way, I mean the spitting image of you. She is you in both looks and that sassy attitude you had once you started feeling safe.”

“Oh God! He truly hates us. She just said there’s two of them, sarge!” Pratt moaned, smacking her forehead with her palm.

“Bite me, bitch! You love me and you know it! Sarah Grace, Peter, nice to meet you both. The whiney one beside me is Laura Pratt and the one beside her is my team leader, Sgt. Helen Brocard.” Diesel introduced Pratt and Brocard to everyone.

Hands were shaken and polite hellos as the ice was broken. Peter led everyone to the back patio where several other men and women were sitting outside, having a late breakfast.

“I apologize, ladies. When word got out that Raven was missing, several friends from Las Vegas rushed out here to help, but sadly, we’ve not found her.” Peter Lipford sighed, rubbing his face as he pulled out a chair for his wife. “They have looked everywhere here in Los Angeles. They haven’t even found her body.”

“They won’t, if they are looking in the streets. Let me ask this, did Nadia ever tell you how Raven came to be?” Diesel asked, looking down at her hands when she did.

“Just that you were raped. You got pregnant from the rape and wanted to put the baby up for adoption.” Sarah Grace told Diesel softly, looking between Diesel and Nadia for confirmation.

“Yes, but it wasn’t by an unknown.” Diesel told the parents.

At their gasp, she told them the story of her family and upbringing and how the rape came to be. She finally admitted to Nadia and Raven’s parents about Symon’s actions as well. Throughout it all, Pratt and Sgt. Brocard stood behind Diesel, each having a hand on her shoulder, showing her they had her back no matter what. Once she was done, the men looked like they wanted to commit murder and the women had tears in their eyes.

“May I ask…what does that have to do with Raven’s disappearance?” A man asked after clearing his throat.

“And you are?” Diesel asked, quirking an eyebrow at the man.

“Sorry, I’m David Jennings. I worked with Peter at the Las Vegas Police Department when they lived out there. We also served together in the Army.”

“Ah. To answer your question, Mr. Jennings, everything. Turns out the man who raped me and my brother, Symon, has opened a club that caters to vampirism here in Los Angeles. They are also part of a huge and fastly growing, and very deadly MC known as the Golden Fangs,” Diesel announced to everyone as she sighed, leaning back in her seat.

“Golden Fangs? Shit! They are trying to make a move in Las Vegas as we speak. They are trying to bid for a place to build their club near the strip. So far, we have held them back.” Jennings advised the group, clasping his hands together on the table.

“I will warn you unless we stop them permanently here in Los Angeles, then when you get back to Las Vegas, unless they’ve already started their strike, they will try to take you, your family and anyone else with you in preventing them from obtaining their goals out.” Sgt. Brocard nodded at Jennings and his crew. “They have no cares how they get it, as long as the end goal is they get what they want.”

“W-who is heading the Las Vegas crew?” Diesel questioned, reaching for Pratt’s hand as if she already knew.

“This Krieger guy’s name sounds familiar. But the main one they have been dealing with is Gegor…” Jennings tilted his head to the side as if trying to think of the guy’s name.

“Georgiy?” Diesel pronounced it for him, leaning her head back and closing her eyes at the news.

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