A ruckus started as some of the clan rushed forward to help the doctor and her male, while others argued fiercely amongst themselves, unwilling to let Gash leave.
Rigor traded places with Timer in the driver’s seat as Gash opened the passenger door. He took one look back at his people, and Rigor followed his gaze to the huge window on one side of the lodge. A curvy female with dark skin and long, curly hair stared through the glass, her palm pressed against it as she watched the first truck leave.
Gash climbed inside and slammed the door, staring at the floorboard as Rigor put the truck in gear.
“She yours?”
“No,” he said too quickly. He cleared his throat. “No.”
Rigor grunted in disagreement.
“Why did you do this?” Gash demanded as Rigor pointed the truck toward the exit road. “What do you get out of fucking up my life here?”
“Who says I get anything? Maybe I just don’t like how you skipped out on your clan and their business.”
“I wanted out,” he hissed. “Felix said no, so I left. What the hell did I do so wrong?”
“You did plenty wrong in the past. And thinking you can just walk away from it and start over? It doesn’t work like that for people like us.” Rigor only wished it was so easy.
“People like us,” Gash scoffed. “Trust me, asshole. I’ve paid for my mistakes a hundred times over under Felix’s goddamn fist. Now tell me what you get out of coming down here and terrorizing an innocent clan.”
“Oh, fine. I do want something, and you’re going to help me with that. But first I’m getting you back to Felix.”
The wrecker bounced down the small mountain road in silence. When they reached the bottom of the hill, Gash spoke.
“What if I can help you without involving Felix? I know you hate him nearly as much as I do. How about we just take him out of the equation and make our own deal? You’d get what you want and I’d go back to my clan.”
Now there was a solution Rigor hadn’t thought of earlier. He’d been working with the disgusting cat for so long he could hardly see another way of doing things.
Rigor stopped the truck, putting it in park and flashing his lights for the other wrecker to pull off. They’d radio to the third truck up the road and tell them they were on the way.
“It won’t solve your problems, cat. Felix is coming for you whether it’s now or later.”
Gash eyed him ruthlessly. “Tell me what you’re after and let me be the judge of whether it’s worth it or not.”
Rigor considered the offer. Gash was the key to finding his female’s killer. He might even know the man personally.
“What did Felix promise you?”
Rigor sighed. It was worth a try. “There’s a man I’m looking for. Aaron Redman. You know him?”
Gash frowned. “Name sounds familiar.”
“His sister belongs to a wolf pack you’re familiar with. The Dirt Track Dogs.”
“What do you want with him?”
Rigor stared out the windshield. “He took something from me. He needs to pay. Can you deliver him?”
Gash breathed deep, considering another deal with the devil, but this one, for his freedom. Rigor was betting the male hadn’t changed nearly as much as his new clan thought he had.
“Yeah,” he said on a sigh. “Yeah, I can get him for you. But you have to run interference with Felix.”
Rigor laughed. “Sorry, no. That’s not part of the deal.”
“You will keep Felix off my back.” Gash glared. “Stall, at least for a while. I need to find your man, and figure out how to keep Felix away from my clan. You do this, or you don’t get your revenge. Simple. Because, listen wolf, Felix isn’t gonna give you what you want and you know it. This was a last ditch effort to get it. You never really thought he’d help you, did you?”
Rigor stared at the male. He wanted to call him a liar, to flip the truck in gear and take him straight back to Memphis. But he spoke truth.
Trusting Felix to help him find Redman was a risky move. One he’d been willing to chance. But Gash was a much surer bet. And with the clan’s safety hanging over his head, he’d have to come through.
“Fine. We have ourselves a deal.”
Gash’s jaw ticked as he nodded slowly. “A deal then.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic. Now get the hell out of my truck.”
Gash glared, tossing a middle finger in the air, and climbed down out of the wrecker.
***
Owyn ground his teeth together while Doc worked on his hand. Mason had brought in gas lanterns so she could see and Clara held a flashlight for extra light. Renner and Eagan were working on the generators in a last ditch effort for some electricity.