What Doesn't Destroy Us (The Devil's Dust #1)(45)

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem right. Just stay close to Dani, Shadow,” Bull says. If only he knew how close I was to Dani; he would freak. “Old business?”

“Lady?” Locks asks.

That bitch is definitely old business. She would do good to stay far away from Dani. Something about her is just … off. I don’t hit women, but I would make an exception for that one.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that bitch is gone. Can’t say I’m sad about it either. She ain’t the same woman she used to be; she’s all kinds of f*cked up now. Not sure if I did it or if it was just life in general, but let that be a lesson to all of you and your gals.” Bull's face falls; I can see the regret about what went down with Lady.

“Lust like a saint; trust like a sinner,” Bulls speaks out in regret. We all nod, knowing Lady was one time he didn’t follow his own advice. Lady looked like a saint from afar, making it easy to trust her, but deep down she was anything but a saint.

“So Stevin?” Bobby asks, wondering if he is still a threat.

“Fuck him; he’s Lady’s problem. She left here of her own free will,” Bull says spitefully. His face went from hollow to steel in a split second.

“I got some news for you. You might find it interesting,” Hawk chokes out from the back of the table. Everyone’s heads turn waiting for the ol’ bird to spit it out. “Some locals said they have seen some guys called the El Locos running around town.” Hawk's voice is so scratchy, it’s often difficult to understand the f*cker.

“Makes sense. Bet they were f*cking pissed because we declined their shitty service. The drive-by was amateur, and they definitely seemed very amateur,” Bobby says, indicating they might have been the ones responsible for the drive-by.

“We take care of this today. Bobby, Shadow, Locks, you're with me. Locks, have Babs get some of the girls, Dani too, to get food and stock up on more booze. When we get back I wanna let loose.” Bull lifts his eyebrows in a lewd gesture. Retaliating against the El Locos and then partying all night is a perfect day for Bull, and when he wants to let loose, he really means let loose.

“Hawk, where can we find these El Locos? “ Bull asks, smashing his cigarette into the ash tray.

“They are staying at some hotel; about a twenty minute drive.” Hawk hands Bobby a map; f*cker hasn’t heard of GPS apparently.

I walk out of the room and see Dani sitting at the bar eating eggs. She looks over her shoulder and her eyes instantly connect with mine. Every time she does that, I feel like my f*cking stomach just went through the floor. That woman makes me feel unspeakable things. She has on a black, fitted tee with blue jeans; her hair pulled up high. She is simply beautiful.

“You boys be careful!” Babs squawks even while Locks is kissing on her and shit.

The ride to the motel takes twenty minutes, just as Hawk said. It is the typical fleabag place with chipping paint and missing shingles. There are about twenty rooms in all. We circle the motel to try to locate which rooms the El Locos may be staying in, but only find a car or two. I look over at Bull and he points to the main office.

“See what you can find out,” Bull says to me and Bobby. He always sends Bobby and me after information. Sometimes we can charm the person; sometimes it takes a little more force. I, personally, prefer force over charm. Through the glass doors, we see a young girl with dark hair in a ponytail and thick, black glasses. Even though she's alone in the office, the look on her face is one of fear. God only knows what those f*cking *s have said to her. We push the door open and a bell tinkles.

“Can I help you?” the young girl asks, her voice shaky. She can't be more than sixteen; why her parents would let her work in a place like this is beyond me.

“Why yes, you can, pretty girl,” Bobby says, laying on the charm. She instantly blushes; her face of fear turning into a shade of flirtatious red. Obviously Bobby's the charming one and luckily the clerk is, no doubt, a hopeless romantic.

“Cindy is a pretty name,” I say, reading her name tag and making her blush even more.

“Thank you.” She smiles, showing a mouth full of braces.

“You got any other bikers staying here, Doll?” Bobby asks her.

“Um... I’m not really allowed to give out information like that,” she replies, twirling her hair.

I lean over the counter and brush a stray hair behind her ear. “We won’t tell anyone, if you don't,” I clearly flirt with the underage girl. I would never mess around with a girl of her age, but if flirting with her gets the information we need, then so be it.

“Yeah,” she stutters, “we have some called the El... El... Locos.”

“What rooms are they staying in?” Bobby asks.

She bites her lip, looking around her before continuing. “Rooms ten through fourteen,” she responds quietly.

“How long they staying?”

“I think I've already said too much; I could lose my job.” Honestly, if she lost this job, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for her.

“I wouldn’t ever let that happen, I promise,” I wink at her, making her eyes light up. Girls can be so clueless sometimes. I think if I acted this cheesy around Dani she would laugh in my face. Maybe that’s what I like so much about her; she's not like most girls.