Page 26 of Rage & Paradise
“You need something?” he questions, and even though his words are respectful, I can see in his eyes that he’s pissed off.
“Yeah, I need you to do some digging on someone.”
There are no questions or complaints. He just walks to the next room where we have all his electronics set up.
Even though Pooh isn’t a patched member, he’s so important to our club that he’s the only one besides Vado with two rooms. One of Pooh’s rooms is just his computers and electricalequipment. The both of us go into his command center and I wait for him to power up his gear. About ten minutes later he’s asking me questions that I have no answers to.
“I can’t really do a search for someone if I have no information.”
“Look, man, this is all I know. Estrella says she’s bad news. Just do a check to see if any of our people have come across anyone who answers to her or has any connection to a woman named Sina. Even if you get a hundred hits, I can have Estrella go through them and see if they are the girl she is talking about.”
“Yeah, you got it, man.” Pooh focuses on the computer screen.
This is going to take a long time, and I know it’s only going to take that much longer because I don’t have the information. I need to find out what Estrella knows.
I groan and let my head fall back. I already sent her home for the night and I don’t know where home is for her.
I go back to Pooh’s room where I know Coca is. She will have gotten all that information when she had Estrella fill out the paperwork to work for Seda.
I knock on the door, but this time I don’t just walk in.
“Come on, Oro,” Coca yawns.
I push open the door and peek my head in. “Sorry to disturb. I just need to get Estrella’s home info. I need to pick her up.”
“I’d tell you to call her, but she doesn’t have a phone.” Coca huffs as she picks up her phone, I’m assuming to check through her electronic files.
“Why the hell doesn’t she have a phone?”
“She can’t afford it yet.” Coca shrugs.
What the hell. Estrella told me that she had lost everything, but I didn’t think it was that serious.
I don’t say anything. I don’t want anyone to know that I’m concerned more than I need to be. Still, it’s extreme.
I wait for Coca to look through her phone and give me the address. She doesn’t ask what I need it for or what I’m going to do at Estrella’s house at five in the morning. She trusts me. I only hope Estrella doesn’t see this as a breach of her privacy. I’m not sure I’d be happy if someone randomly popped up on my doorstep this early.
Trying my hardest not to overthink what is going on, I hop on my bike and make my way to her place. What surprises me is she is living in a small three-story building. It looks like it was a three-family house at one point, but it has been made into apartments. The construction of the place looks very second rate.
It’s not my problem.
I park directly in front of the building and look around. This isn’t my area and I’m on my own. I really hope no one around here is stupid enough to fuck with my bike.
Making my way up the wooden warped stairs, I stop in front of an apartment and knock. I back up when, instead of Estrella, a man comes to the door in a pair of briefs that have seen better days.
“Shit.” I groan and take another step back. I don’t want to have to deal with some jealous boyfriend.
“Yeah?” The man slurs. It’s not even six in the morning, but it’s clear he’s off his ass drunk.
“I’m looking for Estrella.”
The man blinks once slowly before he squints his eyes at me. “Who?”
“Estrella. She lives here?”
“You’re going to have to be more specific than that, buddy. There are three other apartments in this section.”
Fucking hell. How many people live in here. Whoever the landlord is for this place needs to be put in fucking jail. This shit has to be a damn fire hazard or something.
