Wrong Side of the Tracks by Ashley Zakrzewski

ChapterEighteen

Sissy sat in the driver’s seat of Cole’s pick up and took several deep breaths. She’d handled it all better than she’d thought she would, especially after the panic that shot through her when Cole had asked if it was Troy in the car, and spotting Troy’s face again. The police showing up hadn’t helped.

She’d almost lost her mind when they had insisted on taking Cole in, but he’d told her it was okay and to go talk to Gizmo, so that was what she would do. As soon as the shaking stopped. She closed her eyes and let her head fall forward onto the steering wheel while she waited for the moment to pass. Once she was steady again, she slid the seat forward till she could reach the pedals, started the engine, and put the truck in gear. She had to get to the clubhouse so they could get Cole out of wherever they were going to put him.

She made it to the clubhouse and pulled the truck to a stop in the yard without bothering to find a space and threw it in park before bailing out and hitting the door at almost a run. She didn’t stop to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior but went to the bar.

“Where’s Gizmo?” she asked Sackett.

“He’s not here. What’s up?”

“I need to find Gizmo, where is he?”

“What’s going on?” A woman’s voice pulled her attention. Sissy turned and found a heavily pregnant woman she’d seen a couple times moving for her.

“I’ve got to find Gizmo. They picked up Cole and he told me to get Gizmo.”

“Cole is Bubba, right? Come on, Ruger will know what to do.” The woman who looked about her age, turned and at a semi-waddle, led Sissy through the door at the back of the room she’d never been through. Ruger sat at the back table with a couple other men Sissy had seen before but didn’t know their names.

“What’s up?” Ruger asked as Sissy hurried into the room behind the pregnant woman.

“They took Cole.” Sissy was desperate to find Gizmo like Cole had told her. She didn’t know what either’s position was, but Cole had said Gizmo, so she was looking for Gizmo. “He told me to come back here and tell Gizmo and he would get him out.” She looked around, almost frantic.

“Okay, slow down a minute. I’m not understanding what’s happened.” Ruger stood, nodded to the pregnant woman who moved away while Ruger came around the table and pulled out a chair. “We’ll get Gizmo but tell me what’s happened. Who has Bubba?”

Sissy forced herself to take a deep breath and sit down. She told him everything, from showing up, to the fight, and the police showing up.

“They said because Troy was unconscious, they had to take Cole in too.”

“But this Troy was alive?” Ruger asked. “And is Troy the one responsible for the condition you were in when you first arrived?”

Sissy looked away but nodded. “He was waiting at Cole’s when we pulled in this evening.”

“They’ll take Bubba into booking first. Gizmo will reach out and see what we can do. Tell me what happened from the beginning. From the moment you saw your ex.”

She recounted the whole story, from Cole giving her the pistol to when she’d pulled up in the clubhouse yard.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot. I didn’t bother to park. Someone is probably going to want to move the truck.”

“Sackett!” Ruger yelled, then turned back to Sissy. “Are the keys in the truck?”

She nodded. “I’m not sure I even killed the engine.”

“We’ll take care of it. Is the pistol still in the truck?”

“Under the flip down middle part of the seat. Between the seat and the back. On the passenger side.” She gave details as she remembered them.

He laid one hand on top of hers as the bartender spoke up from the doorway behind her.

“You need something?”

“Sissy says she left Bubba’s truck in the yard, possibly running. Can you park it, look for the pistol tucked between the seat and back in the middle of the seat and bring in his weapon too?”

“Will do.”

Sissy didn’t turn to watch him leave but heard footsteps retreat. Then different footsteps approach.

“I got ahold of Gizmo. He’s reaching out to his contacts. We’ll know more soon. Want me to find out more?” That was the pregnant woman.

“Please. But sit down and put your feet up.” Ruger motioned to the table he now leaned against. “Sissy, have you met Krissi yet? I know she brought you back, but I don’t think you’ve been introduced.”

“Nice to meet you.” Sissy found it hard to ignore her manners, even when she was worried about Cole. “I didn’t know there were any women members. Cole only talks about brothers.”

“I’m not technically a member,” Krissi said as she waddled around the table and pulled out the chair in front of a closed laptop. “I’m his wife.” She nodded toward Ruger. “And this is his kickboxer.” She rubbed a hand over her distended belly.

“When are you due?”

“Not for a couple more weeks.”

Sissy smiled but didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t have much experience with babies. While she did have friends with kids, no one she was close to did and she hadn’t been around much when they were pregnant. She glanced up at Ruger to find him watching Krissi with a look so much like how she sometimes caught Cole watching her. That made her miss him more and wonder how long until they got him out and she could make sure he was all right. Every horrible story about what happened to men in jail flashed through her mind. Every minute he was gone made her worry more.

“We’ll get him out. Don’t worry so much.” Ruger’s words made her realize she’d turned and had been staring off into space while her mind had run away with her.

People moved around her in a bustle she couldn’t pay attention to. Why didn’t they seem concerned that the police had taken Cole in? How could she stop worrying? Troy was here and trying to take her back to Alabama, and with Daddy’s blessing, she was sure, and Cole was locked up and couldn’t stop him. What was she supposed to do other than worry?

“Here. Drink this.” A glass was pressed into her hand. She didn’t think, but did as she was told, coughing when the burn of Jack Daniels Fire scorched her throat.

That pulled her out of her self-absorption enough to look around. There were more present than just Ruger and Krissi. When had they gotten here? A tall heavily tattooed man with long blond hair and a close cropped Van Dyke beard patted her on the back until she stopped coughing.

“Better now?” he asked in a deep voice.

Sissy blinked and stared at him a moment. “Yeah. I guess. Who are you?”

He chuckled and grinned at her.

“I’m Sadist. Ruger tells me Bubba was taken in by the Tucson police. Did you happen to get the officer’s name?”

Sissy shook her head. Why did the officer’s name matter? What had this guy said his name was? Sadist? Who voluntarily went by a name like that? Then again there were some odd names around here and she’d learned better than to say anything.

“When can we get Cole back?” She looked from one face to another, wondering what they had planned. Cole had told her to trust them, but with him locked up, and Troy loose somewhere in the city, she felt less than safe. Though here in the clubhouse, surrounded by the men Cole called brothers, she didn’t feel unsafe. It dawned on her it might be part of why he’d sent her here. He knew they would protect her.

Sissy realized she’d brought her hand up to brush along the edge of the green and yellow bruise still covering a good chunk of her face.

“Did that duchebag touch you again, did he hit you?” Sadist leaned close and turned her face with a finger on the tip of her chin.

“No. Cole made sure he never got close. I was just thinking about him.” She lowered her hand and met his gaze.

“Ruger told me what you said. Give me more details. Tell me what happened, as much as you can remember.” Sadist sat on the edge of the table in front of her. She looked up at him, at the scowl he wore and wondered why this man who should be intimidating, who she was sure could be scary when he wanted, didn’t frighten her more.

She went through what had happened again, from when they’d pulled into the driveway and Cole had asked if the man in the car was Troy, to when he’d insisted they cuff Troy to the gurney and had told her to come here and tell Gizmo before the officers had loaded him in the back of a patrol car and taken him away.

“Did he have his phone on him?” Sadist asked.

Sissy frowned, trying to remember. “I think so. He carries it in his vest pocket, and I don’t remember him taking it out. If it’s not with him, it’s in the truck.”

He turned and looked toward the other end of the table. “GPS his phone. Can you handle that, or do we need to call Gizmo?”

“I got it.” Krissi sounded annoyed that he thought she might not be able to do what he requested.

Sissy looked at the glass still in her hand and found there was still whiskey in it. More carefully this time, she took another drink.

“How did you know what I drink?” she asked absently.

“We had Sackett bring it,” Ruger said from where he still sat on the far side of the table. “He served you while you were here and remembered.” He lifted one hand in a motion toward the door behind her. She turned to see if the bartender was watching them but found the door closed. Frowning, Sissy turned back to the people in the room with her. Ruger, Krissi, Sadist, and someone she didn’t recognize.

“Who are you?”

“My name’s Maverick. You’re the reason Bubba took so long to get back?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Cole came to help me, if that’s what you mean.”

“He lets you call him that?”

“He’s always let me call him that.” She didn’t like this guy. She didn’t know why but something about him rubbed her wrong. She decided to ignore him. She turned back to Sadist. “Are we getting Cole back soon or what?”

“We’re working on it,” Ruger said without looking at her.

“It doesn’t look like it. It looks like we’re sitting around here, passing around drinks and messing on a computer.” She lifted the glass of whiskey they’d given her and drained it before putting it on the table. The last thing Sissy wanted to admit was that she had no idea what to do, she couldn’t help but she wanted Cole free and back here with her. Now.

“I’m in touch with Gizmo. We’re working on getting Bubba released.” Krissi spoke from behind the laptop. “From the GPS it looks like he’s at the police station, not the jail. That’s good. Gizmo is on his way down there to see what we can do. If possible, we’ll get him out tonight, but it may not be possible.” Krissi met Sissy’s gaze over the top of the computer. “I’d prepare yourself to spend the night here if I were you. Just to be safe. And you will be safe here. None of these men will let the man who did that to you,” Krissi waved a hand in Sissy’s direction, “get to you while you’re here.”

Sissy frowned and watched Krissi for a moment. Something about the woman’s matter of fact manner calmed her.

“What’s the asshole’s name again? You said Troy, but I need more info. What’s his last name? You know anything else about him?”

“His name is Troy Easterwood. Yes, I know more about him, we dated for six months before I’d had enough and decided to break it off, that’s what made him do this.” She waved a hand at her own face. “What do you want to know?”

“Date of birth, or even just age or a close estimate. Address if you have it.”

Sissy gave her the information, wondering what she would do with it, but wasn’t ready to ask. Not yet.

* * *

Sissy didn’t know how long she’d been sitting at the table in the back room of the clubhouse, alternately answering questions for the others in the room and staring off into space, but a hard knock on the door behind her made her jump. She turned and looked at the door as if half afraid it would burst open, but it didn’t. Sadist got up from the chair he’d taken at the end of the table, unlocked and opened the door.

“Where is she?” Cole’s voice sent a wave of relief through her so strong she felt tears prickle the backs of her eyes.

“I’m here,” she said.

Cole shouldered his way past Sadist, stopping when he spotted her.

“Are you all right?” He moved closer then stopped as if afraid she would refuse him.

“I’m fine now that you’re here.” Sissy stood and flung herself into him.

He caught her against him, rocking slightly with the impact of her body against his. She wrapped her arms around Cole’s waist and buried her face against his chest as she took a ragged breath. She didn’t know how long he’d been gone but seeing him again was the best feeling she’d had in so long. So long.