Page 59 of Rebel

“We wouldn’t be interfering with anything. You’re just visiting a family member. If the topic of the outstanding warrant for his arrest comes up, just act like you know nothin’ about it.”

“I see where you’re going with this. Since your club brothers sacrificed so much to solve this case, we should step up while they can’t.”

Eric shot me a pleased grin. “They did the dirty, dangerous work of finding the guy. The least we can do is visit him in the hospital and try to get him to talk. Maybe if you get to him before the cops, you might figure out why he targeted your family business?”

I poured the coffee and handed a mug to Eric. Blowing on mine, I thought the situation over for a few seconds. I took a tiny sip before telling him, “I agree. If you can find out what hospital he’s at while I get dressed, we might even be able to get there before the police get to him.”

He pulled out his cell phone and I headed upstairs with my coffee. I hadn’t drunk enough to be hungover, but my mouth did feel exceptionally dry. By the time I’d showered and gotten dressed, my coffee cup was empty, and Eric was waiting for me in the living room.

When Eric pulled up the location of the hospital on his GPS, he said, “It looks like the hospital is about an hour away across the county line.”

“What about the jail where Rebel and the others are being held?” I asked. Although I was still feeling some type of way about the stuff I heard the club girls talking about last night, I wanted to stop by and show my support. I told Eric, “I’m thinking about dropping off a change of clothing for him, if that’s allowed.”

“They’ve not been arraigned yet. I doubt the cops will let you visit, the only person who has a chance of getting in is our attorney.”

I just shook my head. “I have to let him know I’ll be here for him.”

“If you want, we can stop by after we talk to your cousin, see if the cops will let you have a word with him,” Eric offered.

“That sounds great,” I told him, knowing the priority should be dealing with Richie, but right now all I wanted was to seeRebel. Last night I might have been thinking all sorts of bad stuff about him, but it was funny how a true crisis made you rethink everything. My car was still parked at the clubhouse, so Eric insisted on driving us to the hospital in the van he drove me home in last night. I didn’t fight him on that because I understood the tight time frame.

***

The ride to the hospital seemed endless in the Dark Slayer’s van. I stared out the window as buildings, vehicles, and trees blurred into a long line of images I could no longer distinguish.

Eric spoke from behind the wheel, “How are you holding up?”

I sighed. “Okay, I guess. Although, as you pointed out, Rebel getting arrested isn’t my fault, but I still feel guilty for getting him involved in the first place.”

Eric snorted a laugh, sneaking a quick, respectful glance in my direction. “My club brothers got themselves involved, just like they always do. They’re always looking out for the women in their lives, stray kids who don’t have anyone else to rely on, and our local community because they don’t want to live in a cesspool of crime and corruption. It’s what they do. They’ve landed their asses in jail more than once and unless I miss my guess, they’ll be out in no time.”

“I sure hope so,” I murmured as I continued looking out the window. It occurred to me that Eric might be a good person to ask about the club girls in general and what they were saying about Rebel.

Reorienting my body to face him, I tugged the safety belt into a more comfortable position. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Not at all. If I can give you answers that ease your mind, I’d be happy to tell you anything.”

Looking down, I twisted my fingers together, worried that he might think my question was immature. Snatching up all my courage, I blurted it out, “Last night, I overheard a couple of the club girls talking in the restroom at the clubhouse.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Is that why you went flying out of there like a bat out of hell?”

I nodded. “They were talking about Rebel, saying stuff about how he acted with the club girls, buying them gifts, and how he was insatiable. They thought if he ever settled down, he’d need two women to keep him satisfied. They didn’t know why he was with me and said some nasty stuff.” I glanced away, feeling small and unworthy of Rebel.

“The fuck?” he exclaimed, clearly angry on my behalf. “Who the hell said that? I want to know right goddamn now!”

My eyes flew up to his and I stammered, “I… I don’t want to say.”

“Then why the fuck bring it up?” he demanded.

I shrugged, “Well, he was a prospect until recently and you know him. I just wanted to check if the things they said were true.”

“Hell the fuck no! Almost nothing they said had a grain of truth to it.”

“Explain the ‘almost’ part.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I knew for sure that I couldn’t not know.

Eric merged onto the highway. “Well, almost all the club brothers like to fuck, it’s not a secret.”

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