Lock and Key (42 page)

Grace’s body stilled. A prickle shot down my spine.

Creeper scowled at her. “Where’s Butler? He came down to see you, bitch. What are you doing with Tonto?”

Grace shook her head and moved to my side. “He had to go fill his nose, and I just found him fucking some stripper. I’m over it.”

Vig threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, yeah? You keeping him entertained while you were getting me down here and my property was being jacked?”

The door to a VIP room blew open. Bear and Boner barreled down the stairs dragging a bloodied Butler between them. Jump strode behind them. Dancers and customers screeched, yelled and darted out of the way.

“What a joke,” Vig said. He grabbed Grace by the arm and pulled her close. She didn’t protest, and she didn’t look scared, either. In fact, she only looked annoyed.

“We agreed to do this outside,” she said to him through gritted teeth. “We’d be done by now.”

Before I could take another step Creeper got in my face, his hand on my chest. My eyes flared at him. “Nuh-uh,” he said.

“All bets are off now, bitch,” Vig’s voice was full of venom. “You fuck with me, I fuck with you.”

I’d heard enough.

I grabbed Creeper’s wrist and jerked it hard. He grunted and fell against me. My knee shot up and pummeled his chest. Grace let out a yelp. Scuffling and urgent yells zig zagged through us. Gunshots detonated. Butler stumbled out of Boner and Bear’s grip and tumbled down the stairs.

“Aw shit!” Boner took out his gun. I reached for mine, but a ripping burn gashed at my arm. I flinched, but didn’t let go of Creeper’s wrist. A knife plunged into me once more, the pain tore through my arm. I let go of Creeper and dropped to the floor clutching my bloody arm. Punches, cracks and curses exploded over me.

“No!” Grace shouted. “Vig—don’t hurt him!”

I twisted back. In an instant Dawes appeared out of nowhere and collapsed on the final stair behind me. He shuddered and choked out a groan. Blood dribbled from his side and down the stairs.

I swiveled around and was pushed forward. I slammed my leg into the head of the Demon Seed who hovered over me with the knife. My eyes shot up. Peg sneered at me. My leg jerked out again and landed in his chest sending him flying back with a wail. His bloodied knife dropped at my feet.

“Dawes! Goddammit—” Jump hollered as he pulled me back.

“Aw shit, we gotta call 911!” Boner said.

Bear’s hands wrapped around the bleeding gash on my arm and pressed in. “You okay?” he asked.

But all I could think of was Grace. Something was wrong, very wrong. My insides rattled and scraped against my skin. “Grace—?” I clawed at Bear’s jacket. “Where is she?” I pushed away from him and staggered forward.

“Grace!” My jagged voice boomed through the empty club.

She was gone.

Vig and Creeper were gone too.

“Only one way this bitch is gonna give you what you want,” Creeper said. “I’ve had enough of this fucking bullshit!”

Creeper knocked me off his bike and kicked me to the ground.

This hallowed ground.

There was no marker, no sign that a thousand hopes and dreams had been destroyed at this bend on a small country road in the middle of nowhere. It was the same dirt-edged asphalt, rocks, dry, cold earth, tiny green shrubs breaking their way through to the surface. My personal ground zero. It was time for all the ghosts to rest and all of the living to live. Right here. Right now.

I lifted myself up on my hands. Tiny sharp rocks jabbed at my palms and knees. “Vig!” I shouted. “Call him off. This is between you and me.”

Creeper’s boot landed on my back. “Shut it, cunt!” My stomach rolled at the clang of his belt buckle and the slide of his zipper.

“Creeper, that ain’t the way right now,” Vig said. “That’s for later, if you’re a good boy. Now I need her. Afterwards, do want you want.”

“Fuck that!” Creeper said. He yanked my hips up. My limbs locked, my stomach hardened.

“Dig’s Old Lady deserves what she gets,” Creeper said. “Thought his shit didn’t stink.”

“Vig!” A cracked voice boomed.

It was my voice.

A wail ripped through the night air. Creeper went flying, blood splattered on my hands. Vig held back his bloodied palm.

Creeper writhed on the ground. “What the fuck? My nose! You broke my nose!”

“You don’t listen, asshole,” Vig said. “Now do as you’re fucking told.”

My eyes went to a shiny object on the road which gleamed just beyond Creeper’s right foot. It must have fallen out of his jeans when he went flying.

God gives you an opportunity, you take it.

I shot forward. My fingers wrapped around the gun, I released the safety, crunched up and took aim at Creeper’s thigh and squeezed.

Creeper howled and grabbed his leg. Blood seeped over his hands. I twisted up and turned the gun on Vig. He already had his gun aimed at me.

I tilted my head at Vig. “Insurance,” I said.

“My thoughts exactly.” His eyes tightened. “How’s this gonna end now, pretty?”

“Let’s finish it, Vig. I’m done.”

“That’s not up to you.”

“Ruby’s dead, and I’m staying in South Dakota now to take care of my nephew. I need out. For fifteen years I did just what you wanted. Didn’t I?”

“You did.”

I gulped in air. My incessant adrenaline rush kept my arms taut and raised high enough for my gun to remain aimed at Vig’s chest. A cold sweat beaded along my brow.

“We need to make a deal,” I said.

“Honey, this ain’t no deal making meet.” Vig chuckled and shook his head. “That’s over with. The minute the One-Eyed Jacks took my truck, all the rules changed. I’m holding you hostage, pretty. Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Just an Old Lady trying to make things right.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“They wanted to get your attention by taking the truck tonight.”

“Well they got it. And now I’ve got you.”

“You and Jump should get your shit organized. You used to be on the same side, remember that?”

Vig sighed. “Sounds sweet. You gonna serve tea and cookies at that meet?”

Creeper wailed behind us. “My leg! My fucking leg! Shoot her ass. Now!”

Vig and I kept our eyes locked on each other, our guns still raised. Vig’s phone rang.

“It’s Jump. Should I answer it? Or send him one of your fingers instead?”

“I have all the keys on me right now, Vig. Every single one from each and every bank. All for you.”

He said nothing, only stared at me.

“I never told, not to anyone,” I said. “I’ve kept your secret safe.”

“You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking.” I held Dig’s small nylon travel case open in my hands. I was looking for his extra sunglasses. Instead, I found a baggie filled with raw gold granules and two small diamonds.

Dig’s eyes were hard.

“How could you agree to work with Vig?” I asked.

“He needed somebody outside his immediate circle to trust. He knew I was that man.”

“I can’t even begin to comprehend…”

“Vig’s been going underground working with the Russian mob doing odd jobs for them out west. Making big contacts for the Demon Seeds. But he took a few more diamonds than he was supposed to have for his cut. And now they’re out looking for them. He managed to pin it on somebody else of course, but they might see through that one day.”

“Oh, my God.”

“He needs to keep his diamonds out of circulation for a long while, leave no possible trace to himself. I agreed to stash them until he needs them. For a healthy cut.”

“A healthy cut? And how much are all these diamonds worth anyhow?”

“Easily over half a million.”

The blood drained from my head. “Do your brothers know about this?”

“What do you think, Sister?” His jaw tightened.

“Holy shit.”

“Calm the fuck down!”

“The Russian mob could be after you?”

“No, there is no way in hell,” Dig said shaking his head. “Everyone thinks, no, everyone knows, me and Vig can barely stand to be in the same room with each other, ever since our disagreement over Ruby taking the heat and butting heads over you. It’s been that way for years and probably always will be. But I can have respect for my enemy. We can both find a way to strike a bargain when it comes to a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“A bargain with the devil,” I breathed.

“Oh, come off it, Grace.”

“You’re not going to tell your brothers?”

“Not right now, no. Maybe later, when it’s done. I always share though, they know that. They won’t question me, once they see what I can put on the table. I’m going to have to tell you where I stashed them, just in case.”

“Just in case of what? Oh, my God!”

“Now that you know some of this, you should know the rest,” he said. “You’ll be the only one.”

“That explains the diamonds, but what about this gold?”

“That’s nothing,” Dig said. Last week this freak tried to outmaneuver me when buying a bag. It got ugly. Afterwards, I found it on him. Bonus. I figure I lay low for a few months, and then I can work on flipping it. No one knows about that either. It’s safer this way.

“Luck?” My voice shook. “Bonus?”

“Relax baby, it’s all good. Things have been real quiet, haven’t they?”

“It is not
good
, Dig! How can any of this possibly be
good
?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

I shook my head. “All I did was forget my sunglasses at home.”

“This is why I don’t tell you this shit.”

“It’s never enough is it?” I pulled fiercely on my ponytail. “Whatever variety of shit the club has going on, whatever money comes in, it’s still never enough.”

Dig’s eyes flared. “Sister, I saw a play, I made it,” he bit out, his voice harsh. “You always have to be ready for a new play. You know that.”

“Always have to think one step ahead?”

“That’s right.” His eyes flared. “I don’t sit back on my ass and wait to get served. That’s not me. How can you not want better for the club?” he asked. “For us?”

“We have that, don’t we?” My hand passed over my middle.

Dig’s eyes shifted to the movement. He exhaled and licked his bottom lip.

“Baby, you know what I mean.” He held out his hand, and I handed him the nylon travel case that held a sample of his blood-laced investment in the future.

A veritable Pandora’s box. But Dig didn’t see it that way.

He tucked it inside his jacket. “Hop on, we’re out of here,” he said. He swung a long leg over his bike, settled in the saddle and revved the engine. I didn’t move. His eyes cut to me. “Babe.” The muscle in his jaw pulsed.

My back stiffened. “Coming.”

“What did you say? Didn’t hear you,” he spit out, his face tight. Any irritation or worry I expressed was sometimes translated by Dig as a personal challenge especially when he was already ticked off or tense. My stomach seemed to drop ten feet like a boulder over a cliff. I detested that particular tone in his voice, that chilling authority.

I swallowed the quiver in the back of my throat and shuffled over to the bike. His lips were in a stiff line. His knuckles were white around the handlebars. I placed my hand on his shoulder to steady myself, but he grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me in to him.

“Sister…” He studied my face.

My fingers pushed his hair back. The sun was setting; the orange golden glow in the sky broke over his handsome features.

“Get on,” he said softly and planted a kiss on my temple. His lips lingered on my skin just a moment longer, and I let out a sigh. I got on the back of his bike and leaned into him wrapping my arms around his middle.

“Your doctor said no more bike rides for you after this, right? So let’s enjoy it,” he said over his shoulder. The bike thundered to life under us. We took off.

Less than half an hour later gunshots exploded over us. Blood, flesh and bone rained over me. The bike skidded out of control. I went flying and stopped breathing. I landed on the green earth at the side of the road. Pain radiated through me. My blurry eyes struggled to focus on the once glorious Harley that now crushed Dig, his one leg horribly twisted back.

I dragged myself up on my knees despite the jabbing pain that streaked through my abdomen. “Dig?” I shouted. I hobbled up and scrambled over to the groaning Harley. The bike’s wheels spun slowly and their burning scent scalded my nose.