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Before she could get away, another man cut her off. She recognized him. He was the one who went toe-to-toe with Whip.Gypsy.
“Have we met?” he asked her flatly.
“Not that I can remember,” Riley said without inflection.
“Here’s my card. If you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me, and we’ll be there.”
Riley took the white business card from him. “Thanks” was all she said, then she headed for the door.
Gypsy stood watching as the young woman walked out of the Emergency Room, making a call.I know her from somewhere,he thought to himself.
ChapterThirteen
Riley stepped into the humid night, savoring the light breeze that blew through the parking lot. Closing her eyes, she let the coolness of the soft wind wrap around her. California wasn’t normally humid, especially on the northern coast, but damn if it hadn’t been off and on over the past months. The sound of the phone ringing over and over told her she had to find her own way back to the bar. Riley opened her eyes at the sound of the deep rumble of a truck approaching.
She watched an older model diesel truck turn into the first parking lot and let out a sigh. She needed to get away from the Emergency Room before anyone saw her. The last thing she needed was the attackers to come snooping around and spot her. That was if they had taken the time to even look at her as they ran.
When no one answered her calls, Riley took a step back and reevaluated her situation. She could go back inside and ask for a ride, but that would only put her in a place she didn’t want to be. Her other option was to call an Uber. She decided on the Uber.
* * *
It took almost a half-hour for her car to arrive. Once she slid into the back seat, Riley instructed the driver to take her to Muther’s. Riley stood in the parking lot, watching the Uber drive away. She waited until the car’s taillights disappeared from view before walking toward the building. When she walked in, she wasn’t surprised by the greeting she received.
“Was it worth risking the surveillance, or did you fail to save the guy?” Scout asked Riley as she walked past her. “Like you did someone else we all knew,” Scout added.
“Yeah, I got him to the hospital. What happened after that is not my business.” Riley stepped into Scout’s space. “And as I recall, you failed to save Booker, not me. So, shove it up your ass, bitch.”
She watched Scout turn, laughing as she did so. “Keep telling yourself that, loser.”
Riley had no idea what she had expected coming back to Muther’s, but it wasn’t being attacked by her friends. Her clothes were stiff from being covered in dried blood, and she could still smell the odor of the hospital clinging to her. What she should have done was gone home and taken a shower, maybe thought about things before she came out here.
“You’re out,” Whip announced as Riley stepped farther into the bar.
Riley raised an eyebrow as she heard Whip. The woman could be a real ballbuster, but so could Riley. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You weren’t supposed to get involved.”
“Whip, you got me involved as soon as you put that damn rifle in my hand. You don’t get to make me play God then decide who I can help and who I can’t. Shit doesn’t work that way.”
“You’re suspended from Muther’s.”
Riley laughed. Whip and the others couldn’t do shit to her when it came to the business—she owned an equal share like all the rest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re off the schedule for now.”
“Doesn’t matter. I still get my cut of the take.”
“Muther’s doesn’t make a profit, and you can’t say any different.”
Whip wanted to play dirty, Riley could play dirty as well. Glancing around the bar, she reminded herself why she lived away from the rest of the crew. She always knew shit would go sideways, and when it did, she needed a landing spot. None of the others knew her financial dealings. For years, she’d been investing in her own business, something that wasn’t part of Muther’s.
The rest of the girls were so deep in, they wouldn’t be able to walk away or fight for their share. Not like Riley could. “Wanna bet?”
Riley’s mood wasn’t getting any better as she stood there arguing with Whip. “Who do you think does the books? I’ve kept copies of every single transaction this place has done. I’ll get my money one way or another, Whip.”
Turning around, she shoved open the door and looked back. “Evidently, you bitches have forgotten who I am.” Pushing the door wider, Riley stepped back outside. They always underestimated her.
The quiet parking lot made her restless. She hated the silence like other people hated the noise. Digging her keys from her pocket, she made quick work covering the distance between the building and her car.
