Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
I gave Rocket a hard look and jerked my head toward the front door. No doubt he’d heard mine and Effie’s conversation. He nodded and Byte followed Rocket out the door. I shut the door behind us and positioned myself in front of the window. I waved my fingers, knowing Effie would be watching. Then I turned to face the two men.
“So. Gina had a crush on Hammer.”
Byte glanced at Rocket who nodded. He didn’t play off my concerns to Byte, only gave Byte the go ahead to speak his mind.
“She did. But she’s clean. She didn’t do anything to betray the club, and she certainly didn’t harm those girls.” Byte shook his head. “She’s got something going on, which is why I’m here. But she wouldn’t harm a kid. Lost her own when she was just thirteen. She almost died too. But that girl does everything she can for kids of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Said the ones with rich families often have the roughest time. Especially the girls. But since Hammer left with Scarlet, she’s… changed.”
“How?” Rocket growled the word, taking a threatening step toward the younger man.
“She never leaves this house, Rocket. Ever. Not to go to the grocery store. Not to shop or go to a party. She doesn’t even go to the back yard or sit on the porch. She’s holed up here and I can’t figure out why.”
“What does Crush say?”
Byte shrugged. “He can’t find anything either. She had no hidden accounts. She gets no phone calls. She has no friends come to visit. Not even the other club whores come to see her. She’s effectively a prisoner in this house and I have no idea why.”
“Have you asked her?” It was the obvious question, but I knew no one had. I also thought I knew why. Same as no one came to help Rocket, even when they knew he was in trouble.
“No.” Byte looked at his feet and shuffled around a little. “Not my business.”
There were so many things wrong with that statement, but now wasn’t the time. I needed that conversation with Rocket before I took on everything else. It was a good fucking thing I’d come along; otherwise, this club would end in disaster. Soon.
“OK. So, Effie needs to get back to her mother, but I have a feeling there’s something wrong there.”
“Yeah,” Byte said, looking relieved to change the subject. “Her mother’s dead. Just a few days. Kid saw her get hit by a car. From what I can find it was a hit and run, but I’m still digging. I haven’t found her father yet, but I think he’s…” Byte cleared his throat looking nervously at Rocket. “Military.”
“Embedded?”
“Yeah. You could say that. Might have something to do with… uh… you know.” Byte and Rocket shared a look. It was the look that said, we’ve got secrets we need to keep from the outsider. Still, I bit my tongue and said nothing. I’d unload on Rocket later. While I might berate him when I thought he needed it and give him shit continually, I’d never truly undercut him in front of his club. Not like that needed to happen in this instance. While I intended to fight at Rocket’s side any time he had to fight, I’d never disrespect him or go against him in public. One battle at a time though. Because, no matter what, I intended to be a good old lady to him. Even if we parted ways afterward.
“Does she have other relatives besides her mother?” This was something that had to be decided now. Rocket was surprisingly quiet. He didn’t offer input, but he watched me intently. Well, if he didn’t want to participate in any meaningful way, he didn’t get to bitch when it didn’t go the way he wanted.
“No. Her mother’s parents are dead, and there are no living relatives on her mother’s side. They’ve been living here by themselves since Effie was born. As far as I can tell, Effie’s mother, Mary, had no close friends. No intimate relationships. No job. She had a modest inheritance she got when her father passed, but it was enough for her to be able to live off the interest while Effie was little. It looked like she’d planned on going to work soon, but hadn’t, deciding to wait a while longer. They didn’t have a whole lot, but they had a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.”
“Why didn’t the state take Effie in?”
“They couldn’t find her. The girl was scared and ran, then hid. She’s been living on the beach ever since. Cops ‘er still lookin’, but not very hard. A nobody’s child with the only person who cared about her dead? There’s other things for the state of Florida to spend time and effort on. With no one making any noise, finding her isn’t a priority.”