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Chapter Twelve
Bear
RANSOM NODDED TO MOUSE. “Zig, Zag, or Pie around?” he asked.
Mouse took a step back and shook his head. “They aren’t here yet.”
“You know when they’ll be here?” I asked.
Mouse’s eyes snapped to me, and he stepped back again. The guy was going to back right into the bar if he didn’t start paying attention. “Uh, last I heard, they were going to Wyndemere.”
“What are they doing there?” Ransom asked.
Mouse moved crept back again and bumped into the bar. His hand shot out to steady himself and his foot turned on its side. “Waffles.”
Ransom tsked and shook his head. “I should have fucking known.” He raised his hand to Mouse, and he flinched.
“Thanks,” I called to Mouse.
We headed out of the clubhouse, and I dropped my sunglasses over my eyes. “That kid seem off to you?” I asked Ransom.
Ransom laughed. “That would be because Zig and Zag told him you and I killed the last prospect.”
“What?” I scoffed. “I have even been in town long enough to catch Dr. Lu, let alone kill one of the Devil’s Knights.”
Ransom moved to the passenger side of the Bronco. “That’s what I told Luna,” he called.
I got behind the wheel and started the truck. “These guys are just a bunch of jokers, huh?”
“Welcome to the Devil’s Knights, brother.”
I reversed out of the driveway and headed into the direction of Wyndemere.
“Do I want to ask how you know the way to Wyndemere?” Ransom asked.
I grunted and turned. “You have to know as soon as you told me the Banachis were close, I would find out where.”
“I know you had some bad shit with them, but they really aren’t as bad as you think.”
“Did you really just tell me that Leo Banachi is not that bad?” That was a fucking lie.
Ransom held up his hands. “All I am saying is the Banachis you knew ten years ago is not who they are today.”
“You’re trying to tell me that Leo Banachi is a changed man?” I scoffed. “I will never believe that, brother.”
Ransom shrugged. “I can’t really tell you that because I haven’t seen the guy in months. Marco is the one I’ve seen around.”
“As if the second generation is somehow changing the way the Banachi’s operate.”
Ransom glanced over at me. “Look, I don’t trust the guys as far as I can throw them, either, but I’ve been in Rockton for years now, and I have not once had a run-in with the Banachi’s. They don’t shit where they live, so I respect that.”
I found that hard to believe. I was sure the Banachi’s were up to something, but they were smart enough to stay off the police’s radar. They had been in business for years and knew what they were doing.
I turned down the winding driveway to Wyndemere. “We talk to Zig, Zag, and Pie and then we leave, yeah?”
Ransom nodded. “Deal.”
Five minutes later, I pulled up to a huge mansion and was greeted by two armed men standing on the front steps.
“They look so welcoming,” I grunted.
“Open mind, Bear,” Ransom called.
I parked behind three motorcycles and killed the engine. I knew the second we pulled into the driveway that we were being watched. Again, the Banachi’s did not become who they were by being sloppy and stupid.
I jumped out of the truck and moved over to Ransom who was talking to one of the guys.
“Bear, this is Murphy and Princeton.” Ransom motioned to the two men. They were both wearing dress slacks and white button-down shirts. They had dark sunglasses over their eyes, and they each had guns at their hips.
I nodded to them but didn’t say anything.
“You guys just out for a drive?” Murphy asked.
Ransom chuckled and shook his head. “We’re actually looking for Zig, Zag, and Pie. Mouse told us they were over here for waffles.”
Murphy nodded. “Yeah, they seem to think the kitchen here is open to them whenever they want.”
He did not seem to be fond of the club coming over whenever they wanted.
“You think we can talk to them?” I asked.
Princeton looked me up and down. He was about my size, and I knew he would put up a good fight if we went a few rounds in the ring. “They’re in the kitchen.” He moved to the side and motioned for us to go in.
“Hook a left at the stairs and you’ll run right into the kitchen,” Murphy called.
We walked up the steps and opened the large front door.
“Could you imagine having this much money?” Ransom muttered.
I looked around and was slapped in the face with opulence and indulgence. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling, and there was a grand staircase in front of us. “I think I would need a map to get around here,” I grunted.
“No doubt,” Ransom laughed.
We turned to the left and heard loud talking.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Ransom muttered.
Even if there wasn’t talking, would have known we were headed in the direction of the kitchen. The pleasant smell of sweet waffles mixed with cinnamon wafted around us. “You eat breakfast?”
Ransom chuckled. “Protein bar.”
“Maybe we’ll have to see if Bristol made some extra waffles.” Greta had made scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, but that was two hours ago. I was ready for second breakfast.
“First, you don’t even want to come here, and now, you want to stick around for breakfast?” Ransom laughed.
I still didn’t want to be here, but I wasn’t about to walk away from the chance to have Bristol’s cooking. I still thought about that damn tuna casserole she made a couple of weeks ago.
“Hey!” Bristol was the first one to see us. She was behind a large island and had Zig, Zag, and Pie on the other side. “You’re just in time for waffles.”
The guys turned and nodded to Ransom and me.
“Mouse told us you might be on the way over.” Pie nodded at Ransom.
I wasn’t too sure about the dynamic between those two. Ransom was dating Luna who was Pie’s sister, but I didn’t think that made them too friendly with each other. It could just also be that Ransom was a cop and the Devil’s Knights weren’t always aligned with the law.
“We wanted to talk to you guys in person about Leonard.” Ransom sat on the stool next to Pie.
“Waffles?” Bristol asked. “My second batch is about to be done.”
“Count me in,” I called.
Ransom chuckled and nodded. “Me, too.”
I moved to the end of the island by Zag and sat down.
“What’s up, dog?” Zag asked me.
I glared at him.
Zig blew out a breath he was holding and held his hand to his stomach. “You did not just call him dog.”
Zag smiled wide. “I mean, you are a bounty hunter, right? I kind of thought all of you guys have blonde mullets and shoot rubber bullets.”
I pulled my gun from its holster and set it on the counter. “You wanna see if these are rubber?” I growled.
Zag held up his hands. “Nah, brother. I kind of figured you were more of a badass than that guy, anyway. Carry on.”
I leaned forward and looked at Ransom. He shook his head and shrugged.
I was quite possibly sitting next to an idiot.
“So, what do you want to talk to us about?” Pie asked.
“Leonard. You think about him anymore last night?” Ransom asked.
Zig and Zag shook their heads in unison.
“I stared at that fucker’s picture last night, and I have absolutely no memory of him. If his name wasn’t in my yearbook, I would tell you the guy didn’t even go to school at Rockton High.” Pie picked up his knife and smeared a blob of butter onto his waffles.
