Page 57 of Ruthless

"What's between us is between us," I finally said, tossing back my drink and slamming the glass down onto his desk. If he didn't get the message that I didn't want to discuss it, then there was going to be trouble.

"You hurt her?"

"Don't plan on it." I watched as he sat back in his chair, grumbling beneath his breath. "Let's worry about finding Daryl," I insisted, crossing my arms. For a minute we stared each other down, but after a few seconds of thinking it over he nodded. I felt a vibration in my pocket and dug out my phone. It was Moody. "Yeah, brother?"

"Hey, I'm down here at a biker bar called The Rooster in Sanford. Caught wind of some news."

I'd heard of The Rooster but had never been to it. I liked to stick closer to home when I was in Daytona. Moody didn't call any place home. Like many of us nomads, he had never been part of an MC. He liked running solo, and when you hired the brother for a job, he did it, did it well, and then disappeared. I knew the only reason that he was sticking around now was to help out if I needed him.

"What kind of news?" The background noise on his phone revealed that he was still in the bar. I could hear heavy rock n' roll, laughter, and the sound of pool balls slamming into pockets.

"Some of the Kings are here. Overheard one of them talking about Daryl and his skipping out on owing them money. Apparently, he called Wicked earlier and told him he had something for him in exchange for the money."

Ginger. My gut clenched at how close she'd come to being in the middle of shit. "Are they looking for him?"

"Fuck, yeah, brother. They want their money and they're willing to take it out of his hide."

I snorted. "Daryl's days are numbered. Vinny has people looking for him, too."

"You might not get to be the one to end him," Moody said, stating something that I was already aware of. "The only advantage you got is that Daryl doesn't know anyone else is looking for him except the Kings." I knew that, too. "I'm going to hang around here for a couple of days, see if I can pick up anything else."

"While you're at it, ask about a guy named Jack, he was with Daryl when they took Ginger."

"Will do."

"Thanks, brother." We'd have an easier time of finding two men with specific names than one. The call was ended and I slipped my phone back into my pocket, pinning my gaze on Vinny. "Daryl was going to trade Ginger to Wicked in exchange for the money he owed them."

"Thank fuck she escaped when she did," Vinny commented, his face turning red.

I couldn't agree more. I got to my feet. "Moody's going to hang around in Sanford for a while, keep his eyes open. I've got to get back to the hospital." I didn't want to leave Ginger alone for too long with Daryl still out there somewhere. I didn't trust him. She'd ruined his plans, whether Wicked would have taken her or not.

Vinny pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. "I gotta get out front. I'll let you know when I hear something."

When, not if. With the amount of people looking for Daryl, and now Jack, someone was bound to see or hear something. Better sooner than later. I wanted to put an end to this.

When I arrived back at the hospital and Della's room, I wasn't surprised to walk in and find that Ginger was asleep. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed, her head lying on her crossed arms that were resting on the bed rail. She looked uncomfortable. Della was sleeping, too, which was probably a good thing. She was hooked up to all kinds of bags and monitors, but her breathing seemed peaceful. The woman had been through hell, and the thought that Ginger could have ended up the same way filled me with blind rage.

I wasn't going to be happy until Daryl was maggot food.

I stepped further into the room. Ginger stirred slightly as I moved closer to her. She straightened slowly and turned my way, the sleepy sadness in her eyes gutting me. Once again I was reminded that I hadn't been there to keep her safe, that I hadn't listened to my gut when it had warned me that Daryl was trouble. I forced down the anger and instead focused on Ginger's beautiful face. Her warm smile calmed me.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Babe." I couldn't help myself. I slipped my hand beneath her hair and around the back of her neck and then leaned in to kiss her. Her lips were so fucking soft and sweet, and I wanted to take the time to slip my tongue inside her mouth to taste her, but not here, not now. There would be time for that later. I drew back, my gaze dropping to the slightly swollen, dewy look that my kiss had created. "Let's go?"

Her eyes grew round as she whispered sharply, "No! I need to be here!"

"Babe, listen--" I crouched next to her, running my hand up and down her back. "It's been a long day, you've got to eat something and get some rest. Della would want you to do that?"

"But?"

"Look at her," I continued. "She's sleeping soundly and probably will all night. We can come back first thing in the morning."

Ginger looked at Della, but I could see the indecision in her liquid eyes. She was barely holding on. "I'm scared," she admitted softly.

I couldn't blame her. I dug out my phone and pulled up Tanner's number. It took a few rings before he answered.

"What's up, brother?"

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