Page 13 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
“Pasta Fizzoli,” I said.
He paused. “The fuck does that mean?”
“It’s a restaurant one town over from where I’m staying. Specializes in all things fast food Italian. Apparently, Skeleton had some percentage of ownership in the place. Was frequently seen in there talking to the two owners. And three weeks ago? He came around wanting to cash out.”
“That’s not good.”
“We need to know who owns that place so we can talk to them. But I’ve got a feeling our ‘buying warehouse’ intel is old. Even if Skeleton was just being cautious and getting his supplies one town over from where he was, literally no other place in the town I’m staying in or this one I’m currently in has ever seen the man. Except for Pasta Fizzoli.”
“And you’re sure about that.”
“I can read these people like a hawk. I’d bet my soul on it.”
He sighed. “Well, that’s good news and bad news. Good news is, Skeleton’s been in that area before. So, at least we’re on his trail.”
I turned down the main road leading to the motel. “Bad news? It sounds like he’s trying to get out of town. Three fucking weeks ago.”
“Yep.”
“Shit.”
“All right. I think it’s time for more of the crew members to join you. If you’ve already had to travel a city over, then we need to fan out further in order to maximize time. And for now? It’s best to stay put so Skeleton doesn’t figure out we’re hunting him.”
“So, wait for reinforcements, got it.”
He clicked his tongue. “Uh huh. Link’s calling the motel now to see if we can book out a few more rooms. You go nowhere and you talk to no one until they arrive, got it?”
I pulled into the motel parking lot. “Got it.”
“And while you might hate me for this, that girl of yours is—”
“I’ll make sure to let her know that, come tomorrow, she needs to be off to the Iron Horse.”
“She’ll be safer here, anyway. Link told me about y’all’s conversation.”
I parked in front of the motel room. “Yeah. I figured he would.”
“Got any idea why she’s so spooked?”
I saw Simone peering out at me with a smile on her face. “Not a clue.”
“Well, take this time and figure it out. Because once she’s at the Iron Horse? She’ll have to talk if she wants us to protect her. The least she can do is fill you in first.”
“Got it.”
“All right. I’ll let you know who’s coming your way in a few minutes.”
I cut the engine to my bike. “I’ll be waiting.”
I hung up the phone by sliding my helmet off my head and watched as Simone ripped the front door to the room open. And standing there, clad in nothing but my black shirt, was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.
“Please tell me you have food,” she said.
“I have food, dessert, and enough Dr. Peppers to keep you going for the next three weeks.”
And watching that damn smile cross her face filled my gut with a warmth I hadn’t felt since my childhood with her.6SimoneI peered out the window, waiting for JayJay to park in his space in front of the room. He didn’t look the happiest, but he’d also had a long day. And when he slid his helmet off his head, I pulled the door open to greet him.
“Please tell me you have food,” I said.
His eyes raked up and down my body. “I have food, dessert, and enough Dr. Peppers to keep you going for the next three weeks.”
I smiled brightly. “Perfect. Because I’m thirsty as hell.”
He slid off his bike. “I didn’t even think to leave you money for food. I’m so fucking sorry.”
I waved my hand in the air. “It’s really not an issue. I didn’t really start getting hungry until a couple of hours ago. I still had a lot of pizza and stuff left over.”
“Still, it should’ve crossed my mind to leave you some.”
“I promise you, it’s okay. I would’ve used my own card, but I didn’t want to risk anything. I figured there was a reason why you paid with cash last night.”
He hoisted food out of the bags on either side of his bike. “Observant as always.”
My eyes widened as he pulled out more bags. “How much food did you get?”
He chuckled. “Come on. Grab a bag and let's get inside. Just don’t bend over too far. You might flash everyone in the vicinity.”
“I have panties on, JayJay.”
I watched his jaw flex and it flooded my heart with pride.
“Just come on, would ya?” he asked.
I was in awe of the amount of food and drinks he brought back. There was much more here than what I ordered, and the Dr. Pepper? I filled up our miniature fridge and still had twenty cans sitting all around the television just so I had somewhere to put them. JayJay was always one to go overboard on something. It was his way of apologizing for something he felt he had done wrong. And after scarfing down the luscious food he brought back, my stomach poked out further than I’d ever seen it poke out before.
