Wild Ride (Wind Dragons MC #4.5)(9)

“Fuck,” I grit out, standing and turning my back on Zip’s body. Who would want to kill him? He didn’t have any enemies that I knew of. He wasn’t the smartest guy, he f*cked around and drank a lot, but he wasn’t a bad man. I look at Slice out of the corner of my eye and demand, “I want you to talk to every man in the clubhouse and find out what they know. If anyone noticed anything unusual today, or anything that can help. I want to know his last movements, and who the last person to talk to him was. Check his phone.”

“What are you going to do?” Slice asks, knowing me well enough to know that I’d have a plan.

“I’m going to find Carla,” I say with a sigh. “And tell her that the father of her unborn kid is dead.”

The baby will be taken care of financially, of course. I’d see to that. And we’d need to organize a nice funeral. Fuck. I’ve known Zip for a long-ass time, ever since I was a boy, because he was friends with my stepdad. I turn back around and look at him.

How do I tell this Carla that her man is dead, and that he was killed inside his own home? Not to mention that I have no idea who did it. I could wait until we know more, but what if she tries to contact Zip? Fuck, she only just found out she was pregnant. This is definitely going to be rough on her, and I’m not really good at dealing with emotional women. In fact, I’ll probably end up awkwardly patting her on the back and wishing I was elsewhere. Maybe I should take a woman with me? I wonder what Tia is doing right now. She seems like she’d be good in a situation like this. I realize that I don’t even have her number; it’s she who has mine. Why is she the one springing to my mind first anyway?

I don’t think Arrow would appreciate my wanting to bring Anna along, and Shayla is currently in hiding, and those are the only three women who I’d feel comfortable bringing with me. I guess I was stuck doing this alone. I’d have to ask one of the men if they knew where she lived, or at least her surname.

“Rest in peace, brother,” I whisper, then my voice turns to steel. “Whoever did this to you will pay.”

I’ll make sure of it.





CHAPTER SIX




Tia

I’M walking back to my car after dropping off Rhett and Cara at school the next morning when Dean stops me to say hello. Dean is Lucas’s dad, one of Rhett’s other friends. A single dad. Every time he sees me, he wants to chat, and he’s already asked me out twice, but not in a straightforward way, more in a sneaky way that involves the kids as well. He’s a decent-looking guy and seems nice enough, but I’m not interested in him at all. I wish he’d take the hint, but he doesn’t.

“You look beautiful this morning,” he says, checking me out from head to toe.

“Uhh, thanks,” I reply, looking longingly at my car. It was a piece of shit, but right now it was my haven. “I better go, Dean. I’m running late to work.”

“Of course,” he says, and I think I’m free, but then he adds, “Any plans for this weekend?”

“Yeah, just spending time with Bailey and Cara.”

“Maybe Lucas and I can join the four of you,” he suggests, and I stand there for a second, not knowing how to get out of this.

“Why don’t you give me your number so we can organize something?” he presses.

I glance at my car and blurt out, “I really am late. Can we talk about this another time?”

“Sure,” he says, smiling like I’ve agreed.

I force a smile and rush toward my car, getting in and not looking back. However, my luck doesn’t last, because halfway to work, my car breaks down again.

I realize that I’m just going to have to get it fixed and put it on my credit card. I’m about to ring up roadside assistance when someone pulls up next to me. This time, however, it isn’t Talon.

No, it’s Sin. The WDMC president.

He glances at the car, then at me, and says, “Get in the car.”

He means his.

“Oh, it’s okay, I’m fine,” I try to tell him. “Roadside assistance is on their way.”

Which is a lie, but I was about to call them.

“Tia,” he growls, nodding to his car. “Give me your keys, and get in the car. I’ll get someone to pick this up and take it to the shop. Come on, I’ll take you to work.”

I really don’t like accepting help, but turning him down will just irritate him even more, and make me seem like I’m being an ungrateful drama queen, so I hand over my keys and get into his passenger seat.

“That Dean guy annoying you?” he asks when we get back on the road. “I was dropping Clover off and saw you talking to him before running to your car like a hellhound was after you.”

“He’s just . . . a little friendly,” I reply, looking out the window. “I told him I’d be with Bailey and Cara this weekend, and he tried to invite himself.”

“If you need me to talk to him, let me know” is all he says.

“He’s harmless,” I say quickly, not wanting or needing Sin to get involved. He’ll scare the shit out of the poor man. Sin is very intimidating.

“Offer stands,” he replies.

I give him directions to my office, and then we spend the rest of the ride in silence.

“Thank you so much for the ride,” I tell him when we arrive.