“And how do I get that?” The frustration bleeds into my voice. “He could have taken her anywhere.”
“Not anywhere,” Steel says, shaking his head. “Demon’s got enemies. Places he can’t go. People he can’t trust. You need to talk to someone who knows him better than we do.”
I frown, confused. “Who?”
“Dragon,” Steel says simply. “Head over to Billings. Find the Drago’s Inferno MC. Talk to their Prez, Dragon.”
I blink in surprise. “Are you serious? They hate us. Have for years.”
“Not all of us,” Steel corrects. “Their previous Prez held a grudge against your father and Atlas, but he had a grudge against everyone by the end. And the new Prez doesn’t like Atlas’s leadership style. But…” Steel hesitates for a minute. “Dragon, he’s a different sort than his father. Fair. Honorable in his own way. If you’re straight with him, don’t try to bullshit him; he might help you. And you’re going to need his help, because if anyone knows where Demon would go to ground, it’s Dragon.”
I consider this. “Why do you think he’d know that?”
Steel’s mouth twitches in what might almost be a smile. “Ask me that question again after you meet with him.” He stares outat the horizon for a moment longer. “But listen to me, Viper,” he says, pausing. “Be careful who you trust right now.”
The warning is clear, but it doesn’t make sense. “What do you mean?”
Steel hesitates, then says, “You trust Naomi more than you should.”
I’m about to protest when something stops me. I remember the look on Naomi’s face the other day, while I was going over the books, when she was talking about her big plans for the Rejects. The look on her face in Atlas’s office just this morning. Both her and Atlas being willing to sacrifice Kayla to Demon. Just twenty-four hours ago, I would have said I could trust Atlas and Naomi with my life. Now, the ground is shifting beneath my feet, and I don’t know anything for certain.
Steel gives me a slight smile, his eyes sad. “Your hour’s up. What you do now is your call. Just watch your back, Viper.”
Steel turns and starts to walk back to his bike, before suddenly turning back around. “Oh, and one more thing: Dragon’s club prefers to be called The Inferno. They’re a bit sensitive about their club name. Best not to ask questions about it.”
“What?” I frown, completely confused by this random bit of advice. “Why would they be sensitive about their name?”
But Steel is already mounting his bike. “Just trust me on this one,” he calls over the sound of his engine starting up. “And good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
With that, he pulls away, leaving me alone on the overlook with more questions than answers. I stand there for a moment, watching him disappear down the winding road, then turn back to the view.
Drago’s Inferno. It’s not much of a lead, but it’s something. And right now, something is better than the nothing I had before.
I pull out my phone and search for the fastest route to Billings, determination hardening in my gut. I’m coming, Kayla. Just hold on a little longer.
11
Chapter 11
Kayla
Kit lowers his phone, his lips curving into a slow, satisfied smile as he turns to face me. The warehouse feels colder suddenly, or maybe it’s just the chill that runs through my body when those eerie golden-green eyes fix on mine. I stare back at him, my face blank, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing just how much I’m unraveling from the inside out.
“Do you think Viper liked my little message?” Kit asks pleasantly. “I thought the lighting was particularly good. Really highlighted that lovely bruise blooming on your cheek.”
I don’t answer. What’s the point? Instead, I let my gaze drift to the far wall, focusing on a patch of peeling paint that vaguely resembles a cloud. If I stare hard enough, maybe I can pretend I’m somewhere else, anywhere else.
Kit studies me for a moment, head tilted slightly, like I’m a peculiar specimen in a jar. “You’re not much for conversation today, are you?” He sighs dramatically. “And here I thought we were becoming friends.”
The men around us shift uncomfortably. Some are cleaning guns, others are playing cards at a rickety table in the corner. All of them trying to look busy while keeping one eye on their unpredictable leader and his captive. I count six of them in this room, though I’ve seen at least a dozen others coming and going through the warehouse.
Kit slides his chair closer to mine, the metal legs scraping against concrete with a sound that sets my teeth on edge. “Tell me, Kayla,” he says, in an almost flirtatious tone. “What do you think Viper is feeling right now? Anger? Fear? Maybe a touch of guilt for letting his pretty wife get snatched up while he was busy playing hero for someone else?”
I turn my head slowly to look at him. His beautiful, scarred face is so close I can see the faint stubble beginning to shadow his jaw despite his otherwise clean-shaven appearance. For a split second, I wonder what he looked like before the scar, before whatever happened between him and Roman turned him into this.
“I think,” my voice catches and I clear my throat and try again, “I think that if you really wanted to hurt Roman, you should have skipped me and kidnapped Naomi.” It hurts to say the words out loud, but I force myself to continue. “Or done something else to harm the Devil’s Rejects. Me? I’m just… an afterthought.”
Kit’s eyebrows rise fractionally, and he leans back in his chair, studying me with renewed curiosity. “I’m surprised you’d say that. Doesn’t that make you rather useless to me?”