Chapter Twenty-Four
The following morning,Muerto kissed Raven deeply, then went out to his Harley. Looking back before he turned the corner, he saw her standing behind the screen door watching him ride away. Knowing that she didn’t just close the door and start her day when he left gave him a warm glow.
Pulling up to the curb in front of the pool hall, he killed the engine and walked up to the front door. Before he turned the key, he could see the mess inside the place.What the fuck?He rushed in. The room was a disaster: broken glasses and bottles strewn all over the bar and floor, sliced-up pool tables, graffiti everywhere. He stood frozen for a few seconds surveying the mess. Red paint sprayed on all the walls read “You’re dead.”
Adrenaline rushed through his body, and a deep urge for vengeance consumed him. Picking up a chair from the floor, he hurled it across the room. “Fuck!” He whipped out his phone and called Steel.
“The pool hall’s been trashed. It’s a goddamn mess.”
“Did you set the alarm last night?” Steel asked.
“Crow closed up, but I’m sure he did.”
“Crow had an emergency, so he left early. Who closed?”
“I don’t know, but whoever did would’ve set the alarm.” A low thud came from the hallway. “Hang on. I hear something,” Muerto said as he reached in his cut and took out his Glock 9mm. Walking with deliberate steps, he quietly entered the hallway. When he passed the utility closet, he heard low moans and soft knocking.
“Someone’s in here. I gotta go,” he said to Steel.
“Take care. The brothers are on their way.”
Muerto put the phone in his pocket and slowly turned the doorknob. It was locked. More moaning, then sobbing.A woman’s in there.He put the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door. Jaime was on the floor and she looked up at him, wild-eyed. Her hair was disheveled, her blouse was torn, blood and tears streaked her face, and her nails were broken.
“What the fuck happened, Jaime?” Muerto bent down and the broken woman clung to him, sobbing, relief etched on her face. He pulled her up from the floor and, with his arm wrapped around her, led her to the main room. He picked up a chair and set it straight, then helped her into it.
“I’m so glad you came,” she said haltingly.
Coming back from the bar with a bottle of water, he sighed. “What happened here?”
She took the water and drank in large gulps. Staring vacantly, she said in a monotone, “It was horrible. Just horrible.”
“What was?” He sat in a chair next to hers. “Just tell me about it. No one can hurt you. I’m here.”
Another few gulps of water, and color began to come back on her face. “I was the one who ended up closing last night. Zach was supposed to, but his girlfriend had another one of her meltdowns, so he left at eleven thirty. No one was in the place and I was kinda spooked to be there alone, so I decided to close early.” She finished her water. “Can I have another one, please?”
“Of course.” He went over to the bar.Zach’s ass is fired for sure. He knows not to leave Brandy or Jaime alone at night. Fuck him.“Here you go.”
She took the opened bottle and drank deeply. “Anyway, as I went to lock the door, two men with bandanas over their faces pushed in. One of them was real tall, and he hit me across the face and asked for money. I told him all the money had been taken to the bank, but he called me a liar. The shorter guy pushed me and told me I better show him some money or he’d kill me.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Then he took a gun out. I was so scared.” She hung her head down and Muerto put his hand on hers. She looked up. “I gave it to him. There was about five hundred dollars in the drawer. Crow had taken most of the money when he left at ten. I’m sorry, but I thought they were going to kill me.”
“No worries about the money. I’m just glad they didn’t kill you. Were they wearing leather jackets or vests?”
She shook her head. “T-shirts and jeans.”
“Any tats?”
“They both had a lot of them on what I could see of their arms.”
“Anything that said Piston or Satan?”
“I’m sorry. I really don’t remember. I was so terrified that all I could think about was how to get out alive.”
He patted her hand, then looked at the door when he heard Goldie’s voice. “Goddamn, it’s a mess.”
“No shit,” said Skull.
Crow rushed over to Jaime. “Are you okay? Who the fuck did this?”
“I’m okay now. It was awful. They acted like they were only after the money.”
