Revved Up Soul: A MC Romance (28 page)

Luke considered the words carefully; his heart was screaming that it couldn’t just be some coincidence, that even though he couldn’t place his finger as to
why
Robert would do such a thing, that nothing else could make sense – even worse, he feared, that if it wasn’t Robert, that he might never get his pound of flesh – that he might never find the person that took the light of his life away.

Did he do it? Luke’s jaw relaxed.

Allen continued, “Tell me that you have no doubt.”

Robert’s eyes glistened, “I didn’t do it,” he said heartfelt and genuine, “swear on grandad’s grave.”

I can’t say that. It wouldn’t be true, I might not be a good person – but I try to walk the straight and narrow . . . Able would never forgive you, Luke chastised.

Gabriel rose to his feet, looking as though he had just had an epiphany, “Robert didn’t kill him,” he announced, not looking at anyone in particular. His eyes met Luke’s, “I’d finally gotten to sift through Able’s finances,” he said, “he spent a good deal of money at this shop a couple of days before he died; one of the mechanics seemed a little off, but I didn’t put any real weight to it. Brushed it off as the guy just being awkward.”

The lines on Allen’s face turned to something intrigued, “So what gives?”

Gabriel craned his head, “If we sweat this guy, I know he’ll crack – what Luke did wasn’t right,” he glanced at Luke then, his face a mix of melancholy and disappointment. Even Gabe thinks less of me now. “If what Luke said is true, about what Able said, this guy did it. He had to.”

Alex spoke up then, “Why?” He asked dumbfounded, “you’re just going off of the same dumb assumption that he went after.”

Gabriel shook his head, adamant on his position, “No, this is different – Robert had an alibi that I’m sure someone could verify.”

Robert interjected, “I was alone that day,” probably high on Oxycottons.

“Okay, but still, you were there at the funeral; you never had the means or the motive. This Dale guy could have been bribed to rig Able’s bike,” Gabriel explained, motioning with his hands. “While I was at the shop, I saw that he had a big black tattoo on his back, up to his neck. They were chains.”

Stunned at the idea of getting his hands on what could be his brother’s true killer, Luke went to his feet. Fingers of heat pressed against his chest, “Call them,” he said, “see if he’s there, if he isn’t we’ll send someone down there and get his address.”

Allen’s gaze turned something pensive, “You trying to save your boy’s skin, Gabe? It ain’t gonna cut it, no matter what.” Robert shot up from his seat then, clamoring to find the man.

Shaking his head, Gabriel answered, “This guy was weird even before Luke spoke up; he’s the closest thing we’ll get to our guy. Let’s do what’s right for our fallen brother first, worry about the justice of things second.”

“Not convinced he’s our guy,” Allen said, smooth as smoke, “but I’ll break him myself if he’s hiding somethin. All in favor of sweating this bastard, stand.”

One by one, the Knights all found their footing.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Gabriel

“On baker street? Gotcha,” Gabriel relayed the information to the MC; Alex and D.W had ventured off to the mechanic’s shop and ‘persuaded’ one of the workers to give up Dale’s address. Whatever happens, Luke’s still knee deep in shit, Gabriel thought.

Gabriel, Luke, Robert, Allen and Benny rode hard under the curtain of twilight, the last glimmer of natural light vanishing beneath the skyline – the stars reminded Gabriel of simpler times; the way the tall, dew touched grass would susurrate beneath his bare feet, how the cold would lick at his boyish figure beneath the silvery moon. He missed those days, those days that were trapped so long ago in the past – the times that he could never have back.

As the five rolled slowly through the street, Gabriel noted the perfect little houses on either side of his person. Perfect houses, with perfect fences and perfect lawns; he imagined the church going family’s dressed proper and disgustingly happy. It sent a wave of sickness through his body.

There’s a life I’ll never have. Life I’ll never want.

The crew came to a stop, only a couple of houses down from where the mechanic was supposed to reside. Allen looked over to Benny and called out above the rumble of their respective engines, “Go around the back, he tries to run – clip him.”

When the group rolled over to the mark’s house, they parked their bikes at either side of the mechanic’s truck. Benny hurried along to the back, jumping the tall dark fence – Gabriel could hear the thud of the man landing. The rest of the group took purposeful strides up to the front door. He thought that it looked like an old, quaint little home – perhaps the man’s mother had left it to him, or their mother’s mother.

Regardless, the man would die if he truly had a hand in Able’s murder. Gabriel was convinced, much like Luke was, that this was the guy.

One of them, at least.

Gabriel pulled out his black pistol and glanced at Luke, an unmistakable anger flashing in his eye. As their footfalls sounded off of the concrete, Luke and Allen got into position, counting to three quietly and bull rushing the front door. There was a wicked snap as the door flew off of its hinge, splinters of wood and paint chips flying through the air – the flimsy lock crashing against the wooden flooring, the panel itself clattering.

Allen’s voice boomed as Robert kept lookout behind the three men. “Come out come out, the harder you make this on us, the harder we’re going to make it on you.”

Gabriel knew there was truth to that – but if he had to offer any advice to the dead man, it would have been to bite the bullet on his own terms. No matter what happens tonight, it won’t be pretty for him. The three men fanned out and the two unholstered their Glock’s; Luke taking the stairs, Gabriel to the right, Allen to the left.

There was an open door, which from what he could tell, led to a bathroom. Gabriel listened intently for any sign that the man might be on the move, but all he could hear was the rustling of Luke making his way above.

It was difficult to make things out in the dark as Gabriel moved through the dining room and into the kitchen. He felt his hand up the wall at his side, looking for a switch – the outlines of things were all that he could make out, leaving the black that was beyond all the more frightening. Finally he found the nub and the lights flicked to life, dispersing the darkness.

Nothing.

There was a loud thump, and then a crash – Luke’s voice rang out in a roar, warning not to move. Gabriel’s heart lurched into his throat and a wave of heat cloaked him; he caught Allen’s eye as the two flew up the stairs – the steps clacking beneath their footfalls.

When they got to the top of the stairs, Luke was already dragging the man by his stained wife beater. “We’re taking this downstairs,” Luke huffed, his gun jabbed against the man’s kidney, “go back down.”

Allen grunted beneath his toothy smirk and retraced his steps, Gabriel quickly followed. Better to not stay so long, Gabriel thought as he reached the bottom and glanced where the front door
used
to be. Allen walked over to the light switch, a golden illumination poured from overhead.

Dale protested and pleaded and begged, he questioned and struggled against Luke – but it all fell on deaf ears, his scream booming as Luke gave him a firm shove down the small flight of stairs. The man’s body rolled clumsily down, thudding against the steps between painful grunts and pitiful whimpers.

When he finally crashed against the dark polished wood of the living room floor, Allen put a boot on the man’s back, pressing down hard – Dale wheezed and moaned, a thin film of nervous sweat coating his red face. Allen husked low and dark: “You scream, you die,” his smile, like that of an alligator, widened a degree.

Gabriel stepped forward as Luke slink-ed his way down the stairs, his face dark with murderous intent. Don’t be too quick, we need to find out who paid this idiot. “Slow down,” Gabriel warned through grit teeth, bending down and taking a fistful of the mechanic’s hair – yanking his head up, a cry escaping the man’s throat.

“Please!” He whined, “take whatever yah want, take it all I don’t care,” he wheezed and groaned, “just let me go. Just lemme go?”

Gabriel wagged his head from side to side as Luke reached the floor and holstered his piece. “We’ll let you go,” he assured, softly as he could manage, “so long as you tell us the truth.”

Dale nodded as best as one could expect a man in his position, “Yes,” he said, “just let me go and I’ll tell yah whatever you want to know.”

Luke unhooked the ring off of his necklace.

Gabriel pulled tighter the man’s hair, looking him dead in the eyes, “Someone pay you off to kill Able Reynolds?” His words were deliberate, cold as ice. Don’t try to hide from me.

The man’s green eyes looked away for the briefest of moments. Gabriel slammed the man’s head into the floor, the shock wave pulsing through his fingertips and up his wrist – a sharp yowl escaped Dale’s lips. Luke put the ring on his finger, beside its matching twin.

“Jesus,” he groaned, “please! I don’t know what you’re – what you’re talking about!” The smallest trail of red leaked from the scoundrel’s nostrils.

Wrong answer. Gabriel slammed the man’s head against the floorboards again. “Horeshit,” he seethed above the man’s wails.

Crimson bridged the gap between the floor and the man’s nose, droplets falling from his face, “
P-please
, I don’t—“

“Ah-ah-ah,” Gabriel started to wind the man’s head up again for another hit, watching his eyes carefully. He could smell the guilt.

Luke calmly produced a lighter, “Let him up,” he announced, “come here,” Luke put the dancing strip of flame to the ends of his rings, waving it all along the length of them for as long as he could stand – his face screwing up from the pain.

Gabriel lifted the man who called out to God – he pitied the creature for beseeching something that wasn’t there; of course, if it ever was, even the supposed almighty itself would rightfully take an eye for an eye. Allen helped and the two pressed the man hard against the wall leading up to the staircase, Gabriel pressing his hand over the man’s fat mouth and muffling his cries – his eyes thick with fear.

Luke closed in and stared Dale down, bringing the two rings precariously close to the man’s sweat laced forehead; the beads rolling lackadaisically down his skin. “If someone paid you to do this, you’d better start talking,” Luke glanced at Gabriel then, “never done this before have ya?” He chuckled and looked back to the struggling wreck of a man – he wouldn’t last much longer. “It’s kind of like frying bacon,” Luke noted, bringing the rings to just above the man’s eyebrows.

The breath against Gabriel’s hand was hot and the pressure of Dale’s scream pounded into the palm of his hand.

The two rings never touched the man’s flesh, and Luke pulled them away – Gabriel quickly following suit.

Clear little droplets pooled at the corners of the man’s eyes, “I-I dunno know their name!” he confessed, “I
never
met the guy I
swear
,” he continued, taking in rapid breaths, sinking back against the wall, cowering. “It was all done through the phone – I-I tried to tell him no but he just kept offering more and more; he had a real deep voice, that’s all I know! He, he said that, that if I didn’t take the job he’d burn my place to the ground.” The weasel just kept on wheedling.

Heat blossomed deep in Gabriel’s chest. The ends of his knuckles throbbed with the need to hit the man. Luke’s phone went off then, it barely got a second ring before he stopped it.

“Come on,” the man croaked, “I-I was scared for my life guys. It was fifty bones or risk my fucking life! What the hell would you have done?!” You’re just a cowardly, pathetic excuse for a man.

The flame from Luke’s lighter flicked to life and licked against his rings once more, “Don’t worry, soon you won’t be scared anymore,” Luke assured.

Dale’s eyes went wide and Gabriel swore that his skin became pale as milk.

Gabriel pressed his hand over the man’s mouth and the ring pressed against his flesh – a hissing sound piercing the air, the music of agony gracing the evening: there was a sweet, sadistic pleasure that coursed through Gabriel, at holding the man down.

Allen and Gabriel made their peace with Able’s murderer, kicking and punching and stepping on him; the President spat and cursed at him before Luke dragged the bloody, barely clinging to life, to the bathroom adjacent the stairs and kitchen.

Luke gave Gabriel one last look before closing the door. “Give me five.”

The two turned their backs and listened.
No! Nooo! PLEASE.
It was the longest, most hauntingly satisfying minutes of Gabriel’s life.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Romance In Red

The night was dead and the leaves beneath Jasmine’s sneakers crunched as she walked down the sidewalk, the sole provider of light being Luke’s house. There was a rhythmic sound of crickets – it felt as though she was intruding on territory that was not her own. Jasmine felt a chill of excitement dance along her spine as she grew near and nearer still, clutching tight the six pack of bottled beer in her hand. He definitely sounded off, she mused, maybe he really is sick and doesn’t want to admit it?