Page 62 of Dancin' with Demons

“The kind that comes with photos of her bein’ raped and torturin’ by the Havoc Ryders and a decapitated dog. Let’s go. Do not alert anyone as we leave. I don’t want Hammer knowin’ we’re pissed.”

Only part of that registers, and when we don’t move I realize everyone is starin’ at me. “We need to go.”

“You need to calm down, Ren,” Catacomb says.

“Yeah, you look like you’re gonna decapitate more shit,” Freeway says with a weird little chuckle.

“Raylynn doesn’t need us showin’ up and bein’ scary,” Recoil says, “she needs to know she’s safe. So, we all need to chill and reign the anger in, but yes, Renegade, you’re the scariest right now.”

Closin’ my eyes, I take a deep breath, then another, and another until the tension and panic radiatin’ through my entire fuckin’ body calms enough that I can think straight. Openin’ my eyes again, Catacomb nods in my direction.

He shoves the heavy double door wide and we step into the common room.

“Trickster,” Catacomb yells as our group moves toward the front door, “with us! Recoil, keep this place locked down.” His command to Recoil is low, and our SAA nods once before veerin’ back into the room and givin’ clipped but calm instructions to a few of the brothers.

Steppin’ into the parkin’ lot, I pull my keys from my back pocket and move right to my SUV. To my surprise, Catacomb climbs into the front of my vehicle while Archangel and Trickster get in the back. I don’t wait for the others before I back out and floor it, headin’ toward the diner.

My mind is all over the fuckin’ place the entire drive, and the brothers are so damn quiet, I’d be able to hear a mouse fart in this bitch right now. All I can think about is whether or not Raylynn is okay, and wonder what the fuck we’re walkin’ into. Sooner than usual since I pretty much drove like a NASCAR driver, I whip my SUV into the diner parkin’ lot and slam in the breaks before cuttin’ the engine and throwin’ my door open.

There’s fuckin’ cop cars everywhere, and my eyes fly across the scene, tryin’ to find my woman.

“Raylynn!”

My voice boomsacross the parkin’ lot, causin’ several of the cops to look in our direction as Hardwire, Circuit, and Freeway come rumblin’ in behind us on their bikes, parkin’ behind my SUV.

“Over here!” a deep voice rings out, and I look up to find James at the far end of the back of the parkin’ lot, wavin’ his hands to get my attention.

“I’m gonna talk to the cops,” Catacomb says, “Reaper’s on the way, too. He’ll be here any minute.”

“Aight,” I say, turnin’ to head toward where James flagged me down from.

As I stop in front of James, Renee comes up from the back of the truck, worried pasted on her face.

“Listen quick before the cops come over here,” she says steppin’ closer as the brothers with me form a small semi-circle around her. “Someone put an envelope in the dog’s mouth with Raylynn’s name on it. I have it in the truck so the police can’t get it. Firgured you’d want. Tyler came in and said we needed to come outside. Whoever did this put up pictures of Raylynn and wrote a message in blood. Left the dog’s body and head on the ground below everythin’.”

“Where’s my woman,” I say, tryin’ like hell to control the anger and shit bubblin’ up again.

That’s when a whimper hits my ears followed by the tell-tale sound of someone vomitin’. I move around Renee and walk to the back of the truck where I find Raylynn in the grass, on her knees, pukin’, her body Shakin’ like she’s freezin’ to death. But I know damn well that ain’t from the cold— she’s fuckin’ terrified.

I close the distance between us just as Raylynn lets out a low, controlled scream as she sits back on her legs and lifts the bottom of her shirt to wipe her face. Movin’ slowly, I stop behind her and squat down, gently layin’ my hand on the middle of her back.

“Little love,” I whisper, and her head whips around at the sound of my voice.

THe next thing I know, she launches herself into my arms, knockin’ me on my ass as she sobs. Wrappin’ my arms around her, I gently rock back and forth, holdin’ her tight as the others join us.

“Ren, I-I—“

“Shh, baby,” I say, kissin’ the top of her head as she fists my cut and shirt in her hand, “I got you now. You’re okay.”

By the time she calms down and pulls herself somewhat together enough that I think we can get up, two police officers have joined the brothers, Renee, and James. Gettin’ off the ground, I pick Raylynn up and set her on the open bed of Renee’s truck, but I don’t step away. Instead, I open her legs so that I can keep her flush against me, my arms around her while she pretty much hides her face in my chest.

“Renegade,” the taller of the two cops says as he comes up to stand next to me, the other officer standin’ just slightly behind him.

“Gage,” I say with a nod, “what do you need?”

“This was Lacey’s best friend back then, wasn’t it?”

Raylynn pulls away from me and narrows her eyes at the cop. “Who the fuck are you?”

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