Page 21 of Mace

She didn’t look too pleased by that piece of information. “Did your club brothers ever figure out who those dead men were?”

“One of the brothers by the name of Mack has a contact with the Griffinsford police department. He alerted him to the dead bodies. The detective went out and investigated the situation and even called the crime lab in to have a look at the scene. They said from the trajectory of the bullets and the number of bullet casings it looks your father and his men were ambushed. He also told us that all five of the men had the number nine five four tattooed on the inside of their bottom lip. It’s the call sign for a Latino gang in Los Angeles.”

“Why would my father kill American gang members?”

“We think it might have been a drug deal gone bad. If so, that means your old man probably took the drugs and the money with them when they left.”

“Do you think more members of that gang might come looking for him?” she asked worriedly.

I shrugged with one bulky shoulder. “Maybe. It doesn’t matter though because you’re gonna be here with us and your old man is likely far away.”

“Something tells me it’s not going to be over quite so quickly. My father has been coming to America for my whole life. He spends more time here than he ever did in Mexico.”

“Don’t worry, Alicia. If he rolls back into Griffinsford, my club with be ready for him.”

She visibly relaxed. “I’ll take your word for that.” Reaching out, she began tracing the many tribal tattoos on my arms. “So, what’s on your agenda for today, now that you’re a fully patched member of the Dark Slayers?”

My hand drifted down to the still healing wound on my side. “I’m feeling a lot better than when I was first shot. The medic who patched me up is coming this morning to have a look at the wound and change out the dressing. After that, I’m gonna head back to the forest to hunt for that burial site. I want to take advantage of your father and his men being gone to find what I’m looking for.”

She nodded, though she looked concerned. “Maybe I could come along and help you look? An extra set of eyes might come in handy.”

I immediately shook my head. “I don’t want you out and about on the off-chance that your father and his men are still patrolling their old stomping grounds.”

Her expression shuttered. “I understand. The last thing I want is for you to get reinjured protecting me again. If you see anyone out there today, please be extra careful and take Nine along.”

“That was my plan. I’d love to capture of these fuckers. It would be really beneficial if one of them would explain what the hell is going on.”

“I wish you luck with all that. I’m going to try to get my mom on the phone and maybe see if there’s anything I can do around here to help out.”

I reached over and playfully tapped the tip of her nose. “You don’t need to work while you’re here. At least not right now because you’re a guest of the Dark Slayers.”

“I feel lazy just lounging around the clubhouse doing nothing with my life.”

“Well hopefully it won’t be for long.”

Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. I got up to see who it was and was careful to close the door to the bedroom before opening the door even though Alicia was still wearing the same outfit she had on last night. We’d been so tired, and okay, a bit too drunk, to get undressed. Standing on the other side of the door was David, our club medic. I was pleased he’d come early, if he gave me the all-clear that meant I could continue with my search for the burial ground.

I backed up so he could enter the room. “Thanks for stopping by David.”

He gestured for me to sit down on the tiny sofa and opened his medical bag. “How has your wound been feeling? Any burning or bleeding?”

“Surprisingly, no. It’s itching a little though.”

I heard the shower pop on in the bathroom, so Alicia must have gotten up.

David slowly peeled my bandage back as he mumbled, “Itching is good. It means the wound is healing.”

I looked down and watched him inspecting the stitches.

Without looking up, he stated, “I don’t see any sign of infection. In fact, it’s looking better than I anticipated.”

I waited patiently as he checked the exit wound on my back, applied a fresh dressing and re-bandaged the front and back wounds.

“I’m actually feeling pretty good,” I told him.

“Well, you smell like a brewery, and you should know that mixing alcohol with your meds is contraindicated.”

That’s a fancy word meaning I shouldn’t be missing alcohol with my prescription meds. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll remember that.”

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