Chapter Twelve

Remy

I can't believe that jerk Snake pulled a gun on me! Actually, scrap that. Pulling guns on people is his MO. What I can't believe is that I let myself get into this position. I should have never stepped outside of the library knowing full well what Jovie's dad is like. Now I'm stuck in his small trunk that smells like vomit as he drives like a maniac. Jovie's cries drift from the backseat to where I'm lying and I want nothing more than to reassure her I'm OK.

We turn a corner none too gently and I slide, getting my arm up over my head to brace myself before whacking my head on one side of the trunk. I wish I was more familiar with the layout of the town. That way, I'd at least know where Snake and Jovie's dad are taking me.

I know it's wishful thinking, but I hope someone from the DRMC notices when I don't return from work. Hopefully Chewy or Ana notice when I don't reply to our message thread.

Chewy has accepted me into her girl gang and I love it. I love having girlfriends to talk and joke with. We have inside jokes that I'm a part of! They let me be me, but also they help to point out that I don't have to agree with anything if I don't want to. They encourage me to have opinions and voice them. My eyes well up with tears when I think about how special they are. I make a vow in this cramped, pukey trunk that I'm going to take up more of Chewy and Ana's invitations to lunch.

We turn another corner, and this time my head isn't so lucky. I whack it on something hard, a whimper escaping my lips. I'm meant to be meeting Mags tonight, instead I'm probably being driven to my doom. My gut swirls thinking of Mags waiting at our meeting point, thinking I've stood him up.

Screeching sounds out and the car comes to an abrupt stop, jolting me once again. I lay quietly and wait. If I had a little more space, I could maneuver myself to explode out of the trunk, taking my abductor by surprise. However, at the sound of a motorcycle pulling in, I know Snake will be armed and he probably wouldn't think twice about shooting me.

The trunk makes a clicking sound, then swings open. I brace myself for the bright light. Instead, we've pulled into what looks like a dimly lit warehouse or garage.

Snake looks down at me with a leer, licking his lips as he rubs the front of his jeans. "I always wondered what you'd look like looking up at me with those big blue eyes,"

My brows pull low and I let out a snarl, surprising both Snake and myself. With a sneer, he grips my arm, roughly pulling me upright and then out of the trunk. I think he's going to let go, but his knobbly fingers tighten, gripping me even harder, his long dirty fingernails digging into my soft flesh through my blouse.

The doors slam shut and Jovie's dad has her in the same grip, the little girl fighting against him, begging him to let us go. Seeing Jovie fight lights something within me, so I do the same. Twisting, I kick Snake hard in the knee. He buckles and I use my free arm to swipe across the arm that's holding me. Instead of knocking his hand off, it seems to incense him even more, and he recovers fast, fast enough to pull his gun from his holster and point it directly in my face.

"Hammer may want you untouched, but I'm sure he can still use you with a bullet in your leg. What do you think, Remy Girl?"

My shoulders sag and I make it appear as if I'm giving in. I'm not. As soon as the gun was pulled, I realized that if I get hurt, Jovie won't have a chance to get out of here. I need to play it safe. Which means being the old Remy. Acting timid and quiet. The Remy Snake and Hammer expect.

What they don't know is that I've spent the last two months with the Devil's Rose MC. The Remy that left the Death Riders is different from the Remy that they kidnapped. This Remy isn't invisible anymore. This Remy has a group of friends that she loves and shares her dreams with. This Remy believes she can do whatever she wants. This Remy is pissed that this is happening to her and the sweetest little girl in the world. This Remy also seems to talk in third person. I blame the adrenaline.

I let Snake drag me behind him. He uses his booted foot to kick open a door to a dark storeroom with a filthy mattress in the corner. Jovie's dad shoves her into the room, growling at her to shut up as she cries harder. Snake leans close, licking up my neck, stopping to breathe a "good girl" in my ear, causing me to shudder. He too shoves me hard into the room and I have to stop myself landing on Jovie.

"Stay put, don't make a fucking sound, and we'll be back with a little surprise. Good girls get surprises." Snake leers and Jovie's dad guffaws like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.

They slam the door behind them and both me and Jovie hear the ominous click of the lock.

Wire

Swiveling my head left and right, I take in the trailer park where my sisters and I would spend weekends with my dad. When he remembered to pick us up, that is. It's not like he was a terrible father. He was just young and with a woman who was so focussed and driven that I think he struggled to find his place. Add to that his shit show relationship with Sandra, who introduced him to harder things than the gambling and drink he was used to and, well, let's say that my sisters and I haven't seen him for a while.

A whistle from behind me has me looking over my shoulder at Rider, who slows his bike, tips his head to us to follow, and turns down a side alley. We meander through the park, looking for Jayla's trailer.

I have to admit, the park itself hasn't changed all that much. Everything is still a little run down, although you can see pockets of pride, where people have at least tried to make what they have more like a home rather than a place to crash. A small veggie garden here, some nice deck furniture there. Following Rider, we pull up outside a tidy trailer with a bright yellow door. There are flower boxes sitting on the porch that look like they've seen better days and an overflowing trash can, but even through that, you can tell this was a home that someone looked after.

I kick down the stand on my girl, throw my leg over and tip my chin at Rhodie to follow while Rider stays with our bikes. I wouldn't trust any of the fuckers around here. There may be some good folk, but they're outnumbered. I should know.

My heavy footsteps stomp on the porch. Curling my hand into a fist, I bang on the door, Rhodie beside me, peering through the windows.

"It's a fucking mess in there, and there's kid stuff everywhere. The kid is a girl, yeah?"

I nod at him and bang again.

"What do you want?" A gruff voice growls.

Turning, Rhodie and I come face to face with a man peering over the trellis that separates Jayla's place from his. His eyes widen as he takes in our cuts, darting to Rider with our bikes before settling his gaze back on us. He squints at me a moment before recognition lights his eyes.

"Saint?"

In my periphery, Rhodie's head swings to look at me, but I'm busy studying the man on the other side of the trellis. The last time I saw him was before I deployed. At least ten years ago. Back then, he was thin, greasy, unkempt. Now? Now he's healthy, his skin a couple of shades lighter than mine, tanned, but from working outdoors rather than naturally. His blonde hair cut short instead of long and greasy.

"Dad?"

He exhales and blinks a couple of times before giving me a soft smile. "Hey, son. You look good, kid."

"You do too." A smile tugs at my lips. He does look good. In fact, probably the best I've ever seen him.

"Yeah. I, um, remember Sandra?" I nod at him. "Well, we broke up a while back. I hit rock bottom and have been working my way back up. Got clean, got a job."

My eyes flick behind him. "Got a better trailer."

He smiles, the signs of his hard life showing on some of his teeth. Even so, he looks more like the dad I remember.

"Yeah. Sure did. Got a little garden even. You should, um, come visit sometime." He rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.

I could cut him off. Tell him I'll never visit him because he was a shitty father, a shitty husband and sometimes a shitty person. But then my mind drifts to what the two women in my life would say. Remy and Retta would say that he's clearly trying to change, and that I should give him a chance.

Instead of letting him down, I give him a chin lift. "Yeah. Um, that sounds good."

He beams at me, then realizes that what is happening here isn't a family reunion. His eyes flick to Jayla's door before coming back to me and Rhodie.

"Why are you knocking on that door, son?"

"We're looking for our friend. Around 5'5ish, blonde hair, librarian. Seen her round?"

Even before Rhodie finishes the description, dad is shaking his head.

"Nah. The woman that lives there, I haven't seen around for a while now. Sweet girl, reminds me a little of your mom when we were younger," he smiles at me. "Her loser boyfriend lives there with their little girl. He said she took off on them, but I don't believe it. She was a good girl. Always trying to make this place a little better. Helped some of the older folks with their shopping, that sort of thing. The little girl, Jovie, is a sweetheart too, but I think she's been struggling to live with her dad. He leaves her alone at night. A couple of times I've overheard her crying, so I've come over to sit with her." He says, shaking his head in disgust, his expression mirroring that of me and my brothers.

Rhodie catches my eye and gives me a look. I've known him for long enough now to know that he's asking if we can trust my dad. He may have been hooked on some shit back in the day, but even then he was dangerously honest. There's no way he'd cross us. Giving him a subtle nod, he flicks his gaze at my father.

"We're after him. He's been fucking with us, and he's not fit to parent. Think you could call us if you see him?"

"Fuck yes. I've had the police out a few times, but Davey Martin just fobs Jayla's disappearance off as a druggy mother out looking to score. Jayla doesn't do drugs. Her fuckhead boyfriend does."

"Wait, Davey Martin? As in Davey who's mom is Brenda? Used to live a few trailers down from you and Sandra?" I squint at my dad.

"Yeah. That little turd grew up to be a cop. Comes around here bullying and acting like an asshole."

"Wait, that Officer Martin dickhead that threw his weight around at Tav's party?" Rhodie asks.

"Yeah. Shit, I didn't recognize him. Not even when I ran a background check on him."

"He moved him and his mom out as soon as he became a cop. He's done fuck all to help around here other than tell us Jayla is a junkie and Jovie is fine living in that trailer with her father. Do me a favor Saint? Get rid of her piece of shit father and find her a better home." His face is fierce and I know that just like she did with Remy and me, from the moment I met her, Jovie has wormed her way into his heart.

"Give me your phone." I type my number into my father's phone, call myself, and then save his number. I hand it back to him and he blinks a couple of times.

"I know I have no right to ask, but how are your sisters? And your momma?"

I study his face for a moment. "They're good. Eve is head nurse in the ER in Roxwell. Jade is doing law, and Zoe wants to be a teacher."

"Good," sounding choked up, he clears his throat. "That's good. Your momma still busting balls?"

"You know it."

Rhodie slaps me on the shoulder and heads to his ride, pulling his phone out, probably letting Tank and Tav know to stand down. Stepping closer to the trellis, I extend my hand to my father. He looks at it before nodding and placing his rough hand in mine.

"Good seeing you, son."

"You too, Dad."

Letting go, I walk to my girl, throw my leg over, rev her up.

"I'd put money on it that Officer Martin is somehow involved in this shitshow." Rhodie says quietly to me and Rider.

"Bet," I agree, and slowly pull out, throwing a hand up at my dad. We may not have found who we were looking for but we know more than we did five minutes ago and I can god damn guarantee that word will spread around the trailer park who we're looking for and there won't be a nook or crannie that this fucker will be able to hide in without someone snitching him out to us.