Page 56 of Dodge

He checked the sizes and pulled a tire from the stock in the back. The rim was a total loss, so he pulled one of those too. No need to put the car on a lift for a simple tire exchange. Brick had already put the portable jack under the vehicle when Stud came roaring up on his bike.

“We got a problem.”

Brick was on alert instantly. “What happened? Betsey? The Lair?”

Stud shook his head. “The bistro. It happened in our town. Someone roofied Katie Grace.”

What the fuck?

“Where’s Mute?” Brick asked, his voice frigid.

“At the River’s Edge. Betsey is on her way over right now. So is Blue.”

Brick turned to the open garage bays and bellowed. “Forge, get over here and finish this tire. Close it down after and get on over to the River’s Edge. Stud, make sure Bruiser is on with Mute tonight. Tell Taz to lock down the Lair and get Molly and Tambre on standby up there. I want every Dragon Runner out at all the bars in town keepin’ watch. Make assignments if you have to. We need a big show of force with our colors in full view. Whoever this asshole is, he picked the wrong place to fuck with. You spread the word—I want him before the law gets him. Dodge, come with me.”

Fury rose in Dodge’s gut. The bistro. Katie Grace. Fauna’s business.

Fuck! Someone is going to die tonight.

“It gets worse,” Stud stated.

Dodge spoke up, his voice almost as tight as Brick’s. “Worse? How the fuck can it get worse?”

“They’re saying that bartender friend of Fauna’s is the one who did it.”

* * *

Brick and Dodgeheaded out on their bikes, motors running hot and high as they ignored the speed limit signs. An ambulance was pulled up at the front of the restaurant, and Dodge got a glimpse of a small body being loaded into the back. An oxygen mask covered her face, but Katie Grace’s blonde hair was visible. Blue lights flashed everywhere, illuminating the faces of the onlookers, most of whom Dodge guessed came from the dining room.

“She was bringing us our plates when she just stumbled and fell.”

“Hit her head too. Poor thing.”

“I thought she was drunk.”

“It was that gay feller. Only one behind the bar all night.”

Dodge caught phrase after phrase as he dismounted and hurried to the door. An officer stopped him. It was all he could to do to keep from punching the man. “My girlfriend is in there.”

“I get that, but so is all the evidence. Too many people in there right now is gonna stir shit up.”

“Hang tight, brother,” Brick gruffed. “I’m gonna go talk to Blue.”

“You think Macie had something to do with this?”

Brick pursed his lips. “Hell no. By the looks of it, he’s the one, but it don’t make no sense. I’ve seen him and Katie Grace a time or two when I brought Betsey here for dinner. They were smilin’ and cuttin’ up like good friends. I cain’t tell for sure, but I seem to recall him workin’ on the night Zelda was killed. ’Sides, why would a gay man want to mess with a young girl? Especially one he’s friends with and works with?” He tipped his head back and shook his head. “Like I said, it don’t make no sense. Somethin’ ain’t right, but we ain’t gonna figure it out in the next ten minutes. You go get to your girl. Imma head over to the station and see what’s really going on.”

Macie came out then, handcuffed and escorted by two grim-faced officers. He’d been crying with long streaked tears flowing down his cheeks. “I didn’t put nothing in her water glass but a lime wedge. She likes lime over lemon. Crazy White girl!”

Dodge didn’t believe for a nanosecond that Macie had anything to do with Katie Grace’s condition. He ignored the orders from the deputy to stay away and walked over to the distraught man. “We know you didn’t do anything, and we’ll get you out as soon as we can.”

“Dewey said he’d come bail me out in a little while. He came in to hang at the bar and wait for me to get off. We were going to go over to the casino after closing,” the man wailed. “You just take care of Fauna and my little Gracie K. Oh God, I hope she’s all right!”

Dodge finally got access to the restaurant. Fauna was in the back throwing out piles of food. After hearing about the possible drugging, no one wanted to eat anymore. Dish after dish was tossed violently into a big black trash can.

“They said it was okay to clean up. They already took samples,” Fauna groused as she dumped another plate and slapped it against the side of the can. “I don’t know why. Katie Grace and the other servers didn’t eat from customer plates. Macie has water glasses for them behind the bar. He’s always done that for all the staff who work with him. The police took them as evidence.”

A pile of sliced tomatoes landed with a splat, and the stainless steel pan they were in clattered as she lobbed it into the wash sink. “Katie Grace. Only Katie Grace got sick. Someone had to target her. I hope they find him soon. I hope… I hope….” Her frantic movements slowed down and her voice broke. “Fuck me, I hope she’s gonna be okay.”

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