Exhaling a long breath, she tossed the phone beside her and massaged her throbbing temples. She glanced at the clock radio on the floor: 4:00 a.m. Was it too early to contact Diesel?
“Why wake him up when there’s nothing he can do now?” she said aloud.
The conversation with Freddy weighed heavily on Myla, and she knew sleep would elude her. She pushed out of bed, padded over to the mini fridge, took out a bottle of tea, then curled up in one of the cushy chairs.
Freddy was downright hostile toward her. If anyone should be pissed, it should be me. Actually, I am pissed. And why wouldn’t she be? Myla’s life had been upended, and she had that creep Peter looking for her. She didn’t doubt for one second that he wouldn’t try any means possible to get information out of her. The kicker was that she didn’t have any information.
“I was such a dumbass. How could I have been so naïve?” she said.
Had she been that desperate for stability? Maybe. As far back as Myla could remember, she always felt that she was living on shaky ground. She’d been born into a family mired in conflict and chaos that lacked any structure she and her siblings desperately needed. Inconsistency was the only constant in their household. Her mother was completely self-absorbed, and her father was non-present most of the time until he never returned.
The phone rang again.
“Hello?”
“Tell me where you are,” Freddy said.
“I told you.”
“Not the town, the name of the motel.”
“Does it matter?”
“You act as if you don’t trust me,” he spat out the words.
“I don’t know how I feel right now. Everything’s surreal.”
“So you’re not going to tell me?”
“No.”
He snorted. “Glad to know I have you in my corner.”
Threads of anger weaved through her. “That’s not fair, and you know it. You won’t even tell me where you are. Don’t twist this around and make it my fault.”
“I told you why I can’t tell—”
“It’s a lame reason,” she said.
“Whatever. I gotta go.”
Before Myla could reply, Freddy hung up on her again.
She drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She rested her head on her knees and waited for sunrise.
The thin sunlight awakened her as it filtered through the partially closed curtains, making a pattern of light and shade on the tan carpet. Myla rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then pushed open the window coverings and watched the sun spread its copper hues across the sky. Several cars drove down the street, and a delivery truck turned into the hotel parking lot and pulled into a space adjacent to the building. A few people stood by their vehicles as bellhops loaded their luggage.
Turning away, she glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It read 6:48 a.m. After a big yawn and stretch, Myla pushed up from the oversized chair and padded to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and shook her head.
“I look like hell,” she muttered under her breath as her gaze skimmed over puffy eyes and smudges of mascara under her lashes. She grabbed her facial cleanser and scrubbed all the remnants of yesterday’s makeup from her face.
By the time she washed her hair and showered, the morning sun was streaming into the room. She picked up the phone and tapped in Diesel’s number.
“Yo,” a deep voice greeted her.
“Hi. This is Myla. I—”
“I know it’s you. I was gonna give you a call.”
“You were?”
“Yeah, I haven’t heard from you.”
“I meant to call, but I don’t want to be a pest.”
“Fuck that. You’re fine. What’s up?”
“Freddy called me early this morning.”
“Is he all right? Did he tell you where he is? What did he say?”
“I guess he’s okay. I have no clue where he is, considering he didn’t tell me much.”
“Did you get the vibe that he couldn’t talk freely?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m pretty sure Freddy was alone. He kept trying to find out where I was. I told him I was in Elizabeth, staying at a motel. He didn’t give me much information. He kept saying it was for my own good because I wouldn’t be able to tell Peter anything if he came after me.”
“Sounds more like it’s for Freddy’s good, not yours.”
“That’s what I told him. He got real pissed at me about that.”
“Did he give you any details on what happened?”
“At first he said it was ‘sort of … maybe’ self-defense, then he said it was but that Peter wouldn’t see it like that. He didn’t tell me anything more. Oh, he also told me not to contact you.”
“Why the fuck would he say that? I’m the only one who can help him out of this shit.”
“I know. Maybe he’s embarrassed for you to know. Freddy always tried hard to be the best, so you’d be proud of him.”
“Shit. He needs to fuckin’ call me.”
“I agree. He was using a burner phone.”
“I figured that. I’m coming over now. Get all your stuff packed. You’re coming with me.”
“Where to?”
“I’ll explain when I get there. You’re not safe. It’s only a matter of time before Peter the Asshole figures out where you are. I’ll be there soon.”
Then the line went dead. Myla stood in the sunshine, wondering how her life had taken such a significant detour. Where was Diesel going to take her? Would her life ever be normal again? And why in the hell was Freddy so hostile toward her when he’s the one who fucked everything up?
After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then began packing her suitcases.
Twenty minutes later, a knock sounded on the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Diesel. She swung open the door.
“That was fast. I’m not finished yet.”
“That’s cool. Take your time.”
She walked over to the dresser, opened the drawer, and pulled out several casual tops. Turning toward him, she caught his eyes roving over her. A heated flush crept up her neck as she shuffled her feet. Glancing toward the suitcase on the bed, she mumbled, “I have to put these in there.”
He brought his gaze to her face. “Go ahead.”
“Where are you taking me?” she said, moving toward the suitcase.
“To the clubhouse.”
Myla froze to the spot. “Your clubhouse?”
“Yeah.”
She turned around. “Will I be safe there?”
He busted out laughing. “Fuck yeah. You got a bunch of outlaw bikers in a secure facility. What do you think?”
A smile whispered across her lips. “I meant, will the guys be okay with me being there?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m taking you there. The prez and VP are cool with it, and so are the brothers.”
“Are you going to be there?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I gotta figure out some things, but yeah, I live there.”
“I didn’t know that. It must be a big place.”
“It is. I’ll give you some of the rules you gotta be aware of. Also, some of the club girls may be a bit pissed to have a new woman in the place.”