Page 9 of Nitro

I can’t help, but smile at that.

“You can settle down, I’m not here to hurt you.” I say.

She opens her mouth, but no words come out. The lot of them were gagged for so long that it’s hard for them to speak now that they aren’t. She opens her mouth again and this time her husky voice comes floating out.

“Why the hell should I believe anything that you say?” She keeps her chin up and her eyes glued on me.

“That’s on you whether you want to believe me or not. I’m giving you my word that I’m not here to hurt you, take it however you want.” I shut the door behind me leaving only me and her in the stark cold room before I start walking in her direction.

“Your word. Your word isn’t worth much nowadays. The last time you and your people gave your word to someone I knew it was nothing but fucking lies. You fucking traitor.” She snarls at me.

I stop dead in my tracks, her words hitting me like a fucking bullet. She knows me. How? “Who are you? Who are your people?” I ask her. She looks away as if she’s not going to answer me. I need to know what the fuck I’m dealing with here. I dart over to where she is and wrap my hands around her arms, shaking her harder than I have to. “I asked you a fucking question woman! Who are your people?” I hiss at her.

She looks up at me again, but this time with a smirk on her face. She knows she has my attention.

“Don’t fucking make this harder than it has to be. Tell me who your people are.” I squeeze my eyes shut, “Dammit, I don’t fucking want to hurt you.” When I open my eyes again the woman is looking at me strangely.

“You know if I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re being sincere.”

I let go of her and take a step back. “I’m the most sincere person you’ll meet in here. That you can fucking believe. Now I’m going to ask you one more time. Who the hell are your people?”

“Not that it’d matter to you. You’ve already chosen your side. I just know when Archer, Wire, and the rest of the Wings get here, your death is going to be one of the worst.”

Electricity zings through my body and my heart feels like it’s about to burst through my chest. Did she just say Archer and Wire, as in the fucking Wings of Diablo?

“You know them? Tell me how!” I grab hold of her arms and shake her again.

Shepard had told me that the Wings were looking for Rooster, but they weren’t any closer to finding out where he was. They were basically chasing their fucking tails. I’ll be the first one to admit that when we started our alliance with the Wings of Diablo years ago, I thought they were a bunch of spineless wannabe bikers. Despite that, they have proven to be some of the toughest sons of bitches around. If Yemen is Rooster’s number one problem, the Wings of Diablo is his second.

“Get your hands off me!” She pushes me away.

“Sorry. I just ... you don’t understand. I just need to know.” I fist my hands at my sides and plant myself where I’m standing.

“Shyne, he’s a member of the New Orleans branch of Wings of Diablo.” She answers.

“Do you think he’d still be looking for you after all this time?” I ask even though I know the answer.

“Yes.”

Of course, they would, another one of their members was kidnapped and they searched for him for years. The Wings of Diablo know what it means to be a family.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Tink.”

Tink, holy shit! I know who the fuck she is! “Oh shit, I do know you. I don’t think Rooster remembers.” I know she isn’t part of my club, but just having someone else here that knows what kind of hell is going on makes me feel better. Until I feel ten times worse.

Shepard is trying to make amends the best way that he knows how with Wire and the rest of his growing club. If I were on the outside, I would have been out helping them look for Tink and now here I am basically her fucking captor.

“Tink, shit is different here with Rooster. It’s not like the clubs you’re used to.” I need her to understand just how fucked up her situation is. “You can’t let him know that you know those guys, he’ll kill you.” I do my best to express how fucking important it is without giving away my own situation. Right now, I know I can’t trust anyone. Though if I had an ally in the clubhouse with me, I might be able to figure out a way sooner for Shepard and the rest of the boys to come in and take Rooster out.

“What’s your name again?” She tilts her head to the side.

“Nitro.”

“So, Nitro, are you here to kill me today?”

“No. I’m here to ask for your help.” It’s time to get this plan underway.

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