Page 49 of Damaged

“We have someplace to go first,” Wrath said and hung up the phone before Savage could argue. Screw it, he was going after Rogue and taking Rebel with him.

“Let’s go.” Wrath smiled at Rebel’s incredulous look at him and then back at the house. “What?”

“You guys have cleaners and everything?” Rebel whispered.

“We do. I’ll tell you about Erebus but let’s hit the road,” he said.

It ended up being the back door he guided Rebel out of instead of the front, but a door was a door in Wrath’s book.

Right now, they were going to find Rogue.

And then he and Rogue were going to talk. Whether or not Rogue talked wouldn’t matter.

Wrath had plenty to say.

Rogue was glad he had taken them down the coastal route instead of the more popular Highway 5. It really was too bad it was dark outside because the drive down Highway 101 was beautiful during the day. In the morning, the view would be spectacular with the sun rising in the East.

The sun began to rise about five hours later and just past Carmel, he felt comfortable enough to get a motel room.

He was running on empty and that wasn’t good for their safety.

With Boston passed out in the other queen bed, Rogue checked the room and out of habit, he reinforced the door with the desk chair beneath the knob. Shutting the blackout curtains, he crashed on the other queen bed and stared at the ceiling for most of the day.

He did manage to sleep a few hours and thankfully, without nightmares. When Boston ordered pizza around five that evening, Rogue managed to pass back out until dark.

“Hey, Rogue?”

“Yeah?” He came awake quickly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Rolling over, he found Boston watching a movie on TV and picking at the crumbs in the pizza box.

“You were making choking sounds.”

“Sorry,” he said gruffly and scooted from the bed. I’ll take a shower, and we’ll hit the road.”

“I like traveling at night,” Boston said, jumping to his feet and shutting off the television.

“Me too.” He snagged a towel on his way to the bathroom and took a hot shower.

On the road after getting ready, his stomach was growling about an hour and a half later. Just past the city of San Lucas, he stopped to get gas and got back on the road.

Finding a diner not far down the highway, he pulled into the parking lot. The place was one of those chains located up and down the highway boasting of gas and food.

Rogue pulled his truck around the building to park, and even though the parking lot was almost deserted, he never parked around other vehicles. A few long haulers and one other car were parked there and when he and Boston entered the diner, Rogue noted two men eating at the counter and a man and woman in a booth.

“Pick a seat,” the waitress called out from behind the counter and grabbed two menus.

Rogue picked a booth that he could get out of quickly and gave him a clear view of every section in the place except the kitchen. Most importantly, he could see the front door as well as the parking lot through the diner’s wall-to-wall glass windows.

When Boston sat across from him, Rogue nodded toward the menu. “Get what you want.”

Forty minutes later, a low rumbling from the parking lot drew his gaze from his second cup of coffee and he watched as several men on motorcycles and a few dusty pickup trucks rolledup. They parked their hogs together with the trucks, so Rogue figured they were a gang.

Boston tossed a hurried look over his shoulder and sucked in a small choking breath, but Rogue heard it.

“I have to use the bathroom,” Boston whispered, not looking at him, and darted from the booth to walk quickly down the back hall.

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