Ride Steady(91)

“He was my high school teacher. He looked out for me. Last time I saw him was at the hospital after his wife lost their stillborn. I’m lookin’ to reconnect, wanted to be sure he was good before I did that.”

“Well, my guess is, he’s not,” Shirleen gave her opinion.

Joker stared at his bike as the thought came to his mind at the same time his lips moved. “I’ll pay, owe a marker, don’t give a shit, but need you and your boys on another one.”

“That would be?” Lee asked.

“Whore. Named Heidi. Last name is Smith, which means her last name ain’t Smith. She was in Valenzuela’s stable. She dropped off radar a few days ago. I need her found.”

“This through Tack?” Lee asked carefully.

He asked carefully because he knew the Club had issues with Valenzuela. He also knew that Tack and his brothers were working it alongside the crew of brothers Tack had outside the Club. Namely Hawk and two cops named Mitch Lawson and Brock Lucas. The Nightingale boys were not in that, and Joker knew by the way he asked the question that Lee didn’t want them to be.

“This is me,” Joker answered.

“Need you to explain, man,” Lee told him so Joker explained.

“Heidi Smith dropped off radar a few days ago because she’s knocked up, Valenzuela would rough her up if he knew, and she wants to be healthy because she’s lookin’ for a buyer for her baby.”

“Oh Lordy,” Shirleen breathed.

Lee said nothing.

“You’ll get on that?” Joker prompted.

“I get you, Joke,” Lee said quietly. “Says a lot about you what you’re lookin’ to do for this man. But he and his wife have been through hell. They don’t need a prostitute lookin’ for a payday f*ckin’ with their lives.”

“Some young girl might change her mind one look at her baby, Lee, but do you think a bitch like Heidi would take Chaos for a ride?”

Lee was silent a beat before he said, “I get you.”

“You’ll find her?”

“Fuck yeah, we’ll find her,” Shirleen agreed for Lee.

“Jesus,” Lee muttered.

“I’ll give it to Luke. No, Vance. Whatever. We’re on it,” Shirleen declared.

“You heard her,” Lee added, sounding pained.

“Keep tabs, send me an invoice. Or accept a marker. Whatever, it’s done,” Joker told them.

“We’ll sort it out,” Lee replied.

“Right. Great. Thanks.” Joker swung his leg over his bike and finished with “Later.”

He got their laters, disconnected, and was about to put his phone in his back pocket when it rang in his hand.

He brought it back around, looked at the screen and smiled at his bike grip.

He put it to his ear. “Yo, Butterfly.”

“Hey, Joker,” Carissa replied, but her voice sounded funny.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Uh… I just got a call from Angie.”

Fuck.

“Your ex?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.

“No, though she did share that Aaron’s attorney reached out to her to set up a meeting.”

“You gonna take that?”

“Angie advises I should. Test the waters. So she’s doing it.”

She said no more.

“Okay, then what’s the problem?” he asked.

“Well, she also told me that she contacted my landlord and demanded he fax a copy of my lease to her.”

Good.

Joker had called Angie’s assistant the day before. He was glad she didn’t delay.

“And?” Joker pushed.

“Well, I haven’t had the time to dig out my rental agreement, but Angie took a look at it. Apparently, my memory isn’t faulty and I was right. Notice is just a week.”

Thank f*ck.

“She then called him to ask why he gave me erroneous information,” she went on. “He told her the terms of the agreement had changed and I’d been informed of that in writing. She asked for my signed acceptance of that change and when he said he was having trouble locating it, she told him I’d be out at the end of the month. She also explained I’d have photo evidence to the state I left the apartment in, and if there was any issue with the return of my deposit, I’d see him one last time. In court.”