Sav sniffed at the empty takeout cartons. “Jesus. When last did you eat? This shit is rotting.”
“Um . . . dunno. Don’t care, either.” Just the thought of food and my stomach lurched.
“Get your smelly ass in the shower. I’ll clean up here before I take you in to the office. Boss wants to see us. Strategic plans.” He gripped my crumpled shirt and steered me toward the bathroom.
“I’ll get to the office later. I've just fuckin’ woken up,” I slurred, the effects of the alcohol not worn off yet.
A flicker of sympathy shone in Savage’s eyes. “Harrison, it's midday, buddy. Dirty Harry will crack your ass if we aren’t at the meeting in an hour.”
My eyes widened, taking in more light than I wanted to. I screwed them shut. “It's not morning?”
“No, asshole. Now get in the shower.” He opened the taps and shoved me into the cubicle, clothes and all. The cold water hit me in the face. For a few moments I stopped breathing, the shock too much for my drunken system.
“Fuck you, Sav.”
“Love you too, Summers.” He chuckled as he closed the bathroom door behind him.
After I killed everyone else, he was next on my list. Why couldn’t he just leave me the fuck alone?
Savage had brewed fresh coffee and was just pouring us each a mug when I walked into the kitchen. I hadn’t shaved, because I simply didn’t care, but at least I didn’t smell like a drunk. And I'd brushed my teeth. Funny how just that one small action could make me feel human again.
Pushing a mug across the counter to me, Sav appraised me through narrowed eyes. “You still look like shit, pretty boy. Those dark rings under your eyes are a dead giveaway.”
“Listen, if I need beauty advice I’ll ask somebody else, huh?” Gulping down the first sip of the strong and robust brew, I knew I had a lot to be thankful for. Sav was an expert at bringing me back to life.
I shook two Advil from the container I’d fished from the medicine drawer, and swallowed them down with a sip of coffee. “Remind me what the meeting with Dirty Harry is about?”
Savage laughed, baring his teeth. “The Scorpio Stinger deal is still going down. Even after the MC boys got wind that we know about their operation. Just goes to show how stupid some people can be.”
I agreed. “Stupid indeed.”
“We’re making plans to take them down. It's happening on Sunday. You better get your fucking A game on.”
Remembering how my head had hurt when I’d nodded before, I just grunted. I'd take a shitload of vitamins to fix my hangover. It was time to put an end to the fucking weapons deal. I couldn’t wait for Sunday. At least it would give me something else to think about other than Eva. I smiled. This part of my life I understood—taking down criminals. It had driven me for years. Some thrills never got old.
Chapter Forty-Three — Ryder
Sunday morning, with Jade still recovering in hospital, I drove down to the compound, dread eating at my gut. The only way I could feel better was by opening the bike up and going full throttle down the highway. The wind in my face always seemed to clear the cobwebs away. And the closer I came to death, the more I appreciated life.
Before I knew it, I was idling at the big gates, waiting for someone to let me in. Ratbag ran toward me and quickly pressed the button to open them up. I revved my bike in jest and then rolled her in and parked to the side under the carport.
Now that I wasn’t living there permanently, it struck me how uninviting the place looked, and a little more rundown than I remembered it. Although the damage from the earlier shootout had now been fixed and a coat of white paint had been slapped over the walls, the place lacked warmth. What was always my sanctuary, didn’t feel like home at all.
It was at that moment that it struck me that my home would be where Jade was. It wasn’t the building per se that made a home; it was that my woman was with me, beside me, that made me feel settled.
“Hey assholes,” I greeted Ratbag and Hammer as I hung my helmet over the handlebars. I took off my gloves and placed them inside the dome before giving the guys a hug and a slap on the back each.
“Glad you made it, brother.” Hammer gave me a crooked smile—he hated being left behind when the boys went on a mission, but he needed to run the computers, so he was more useful right here while the rest of the guys were out on the gun run.
“Good day, Ryder. Where’s ya sheila?” Ratbag asked in his nasal tone.
I laughed at his Aussie turn of phrase. “She’s at home,” I lied, not wanting them to know the truth.
Ox was cooking steaks on the barbeque, so he didn’t come over. He just lifted his beer in greeting and grinned widely, baring all this teeth, including the gold caps that shone in the sunlight.