Outlaw Revenge (Back Down Devil MC #1)(21)

Miller’s bike came barreling into the compound. He sped up and blew by the chief and Gaige. He backed his motorcycle in and then took a slow walk toward them. He was smiling and once close enough, he offered a hand to Jerry.

“Just wanted to say congrats,” Miller said.

Jerry took his hand and they stared each other down.

“I’m not here to celebrate,” Jerry said.

“Well, life is worth celebrating,” Miller said. “We wanted to give you something.”

Miller reached into his pocket. The chief reached for his gun again and Gaige put a hand to the chief’s wrist.

“You f*cking touch me like that again and I’ll shoot you,” Jerry warned.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Miller said. He looked at Gaige. “That’s the fatherly instincts kicking in.”

Miller pulled out a long jewelry box and handed it to Jerry.

“What’s this?” Jerry asked.

“To celebrate life,” Miller said. “From all of us here. Congrats on your baby.”

Jerry tapped the jewelry box against his hand. “Speaking of life… anything you would know about the shooting at the junkyard yesterday? All the way down near Riverside?”

Miller shook his head. “Shooting?”

“Don’t,” Jerry said. “We found a young woman in a car. Shot several times in her back.”

“Drive by?” Miller asked.

“Hardly,” Jerry said. “She was in an alley. And according to the ME she was put in the car after the shooting. Bullets hit her from a distance too. Doesn’t make sense either, considering who she is… well, was.”

“And who was that?” Gaige asked.

Jerry smiled. “Rachel Strokner.”

“Don’t know the name,” Gaige said.

“Rachel is the daughter of Bob Strokner…”

“The real estate guy,” Miller said. “Shit.”

“Worried?” Jerry asked.

Miller smiled. “Not at all.”

“Well, let me be clear about this,” Jerry said. He took one last large drag of his cigarette and tossed it to the pavement, scattering embers. “I know that girl probably has some kind of tie to the MC here. How? I don’t know and I don’t give a shit. The junkyard hasn’t been fully investigated yet, but I’m sure that will come in time. I haven’t visited Mr. Strokner yet. He’s flying in from Seattle on a private jet as we speak. When he lands, I’m sure he’s going to want answers about the death of his daughter.”

“I’m sure you’ll point him right to us.” Gaige asked.

“Now, why would I do that?” Jerry asked. “Unless you have something to confess to me right now.”

Miller took a step forward. “Thanks for the information. I’m sorry we can’t help you. It’s a damn shame when other people start pulling triggers without knowing their targets, isn’t it?”

“I take it those bullets were meant for…” Jerry looked at Gaige. “Maybe for you?”

“Bullshit,” Gaige said. “Sorry to hear about a wasted life.”

“Now if I could just do my goddamn job,” Jerry growled.

“You can,” Miller said. “Investigate. Do what you need to do. I can promise you that we didn’t shoot her. You can come take a look around here if you want.”

Jerry shook his head. “I’ll be back if I need anything else. Just a courtesy heads up. Money talks more than the badge, Miller. You know that. If Strokner starts talking backdoor offerings, there’s not much I can do.”

“You just focus on your beautiful wife and baby,” Miller said. “Make sure you give her that gift.”

Jerry looked at the box in his hand. He slowly opened it. He took out a bracelet and held it up. It was a charm bracelet. There was a bottle and a blue ‘B’.

“Thanks,” Jerry said. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Gaige pointed to the pack of cigarettes on the hood of the cruiser. “Take those, too. Just don’t get caught with them.”

Gaige and Miller turned and walked away, shoulder to shoulder.

“Strokner a big deal?” Gaige asked.

“Big f*cking deal,” Miller said.

“Should we be worried?”

“When aren’t we worried?”

Gaige stopped and Miller kept walking. Gaige looked over his shoulder and saw Jerry lighting another cigarette.

Everyone has a vice… and most were deadly.





twelve.



Emily sat at a long desk, filtering through paperwork while her mind couldn’t stop thinking of Gaige and Rachel. It still didn’t seem possible that her best friend was dead. And yet she couldn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t tell anyone. She couldn’t grieve. She couldn’t stop long enough to miss her friend, collapse into pieces, and then slowly pick herself back up and move on with her life, because Emily knew that if she gave any indication of Rachel being dead it would take her to the scene of the crime.

The pit of her stomach burned all day.

She had three clients that were set for their dates. All three were for the afternoon, which was a bit of a rarity as most of the men enjoyed their dates during the evening hours. A few of the woman who worked there would even go on overnight excursions which cost a lot of money. The men paying though didn’t care. They were rich and they knew what they wanted and they always got it.