Page 21 of Beautiful Ruins
Bear frowned, adjusting the tilt of his head for a better look. “What would cowboys want with Harley parts?”
“Maybe someone paid them. Someone testing us, perhaps,” Scout said, glancing at me with a shrug. “See how we’ll react, maybe.”
The kid wasn’t wrong. It could have been a test, a way to draw us out, see what we’d do.
Snake pushed off the wall and sauntered over, plucking the picture from Scout’s hand. “What’s next?” he said, flashing the image to his two sidekicks. “Looks like weakness is setting in.” His cold grey eyes found me when he murmured the last words.
Heat in my chest spread into my fists, and I sat forward in my chair. “You got a point to make, dickhead? You’ve been beating around the bush all morning. Spit it out. Or better yet, I’m happy to take this outside. Your choice.”
Iron coughed, the sound more like a wheeze. He waved ahand in the air. “Righto, righto, you two. Settle down. It’s not a dick measuring contest.”
The room went dead quiet. No-one moved. Snake and I stared each other down like two bulls about to lock horns.
With a shrug, Snake dropped the photo onto the table, and kicked a chair back, dropping into it. “Maybe they know they can push us around. No-one hitting back.” His eyes remained locked on me, accusing, but I wasn’t going to take the bait. Not this time.
He could stir all he wanted. He knew Iron wouldn’t call him on it. Not with the way he was looking these days. So, it was down to me to deal with him. And as much as I wanted to throw a fist in his face right then, I kept it together. I wasn’t exactly in the right state for a throw down.
“Wouldn’t get too comfortable, Snake,” Bear said, his tone sharper than the tip of a knife. “You might find yourself on the other end of my revolver one of these days.”
Snake grinned like this was all some big joke.
Iron snapped his fingers. “Anthony,” he said, Snake’s first name like a dagger to his chest. “Stop pissing around. Rowan is VP. Fall in line. You got an issue, you take it up with me.”
Snake sucked his teeth. “Sure thing, Pres.” He’d have chewed off his own tongue if Iron told him to.
Iron sighed, sounding older than ever. “Good, now take Nicky and Patrick. Check out the CCTV. Pub. Servo. See if anyone saw anything.”
Snake nodded, his gaze flicking to Nicky who was still picking at his fingernails. I guess you could get away with having minimal input when you were the President’s son.
“On it,” Snake said, motioning for the two men to follow him.
They shuffled out, throwing glances my way, like they thought they’d just won something. Good luck to them.They’d be chasing ghosts in a graveyard. This town had a habit of hiding plenty of them.
“Bear,” Iron said, “you and Scout. See if parts have already hit the market. Maybe someone’s heard something.”
Bear clapped Scout on the back as they headed out. Scout practically bounced out the door, too excited to notice the rot in the walls. Soon enough he’d realise that this life was just another way to fill the time before he met his maker. We all knew that, some more than others.
Once alone, Iron pinned his glare on me, linking his fingers together on the table. “What’s this I hear about the chief’s daughter being back in town?”
My muscles went rigid. “What about it?” I said, feigning nonchalance. “What she does is not my business.” But I was going to make it my business. From afar, of course.
Iron stared at me like he didn’t quite believe my lie. “Good thing then. Our chief of police has been quiet on this one. Let’s pay him a visit, too.”
John Cooper had been on our payroll for years—since before I was patched in. Him and my old man went to school together, grew up in the same shitty town, same as Sadie and Logan. If he was suddenly playing dumb, something was up.
“I’ll get it out of him.” Maybe suss out why his daughter was back in town sporting bruises—and what he’d done about it.
If I knew John, probably sweet fuck all. He might have been the police chief, but he was a gutless wonder.
“I’m going with you.” Iron’s words were more forceful than I expected, like he had a point to prove. Either to me, or most likely to himself.
I was about to argue, considering I wanted to be anywhere else. But one look at his face and I let it go.
“Alright,” I said, pushing to my feet.
I lingered by the door for a moment, waiting for Iron as he gathered the photos. There was something off, more so than usual, as though something in him had shifted. Like he’d given up. Still, I didn’t ask. He wouldn’t tell me anyway, not if he was keeping secrets.
And everyone in this club had secrets. Some worse than others.
