Page 41 of Wire
We all look at Marx, his jaw clenching hard.
“Fuck brothers. I don’t know. We lost the princess of our ally club. I need to let Savage and Flack know before we do anything else. Don’t forget we’ve been told by your momma, Wire, that we have to lie low. Whatever the fuck we do has to be stealth and fucking planned to the nth degree.” He runs his hand through his hair, and then his beard. “First, we need intel. We need eyes all over this fucking town. Need to find out where those fuckers are holed up.”
“Aw shit.” Chewy says, staring at her laptop screen.
“What now, Chewy?” Marx asks, the look on his face showing that he is pretty fucking close to his last straw.
“The plates on Jovie’s dad’s car belong to the woman they found at the yard. Jayla Stevens.” Chewy beams her license up on the big screen next to the frozen picture of Jovie’s dad with her car.
“Fuck me. You don’t think…?” Switch’s voice drifts off as he too gets closer to the photos. We all stand around looking at the features of Jovie, her father and this Jayla Stevens.
“Surely that’s not Jovie’s mother.” Rider says, eyes flicking between the photos.
“Only one way to find out. We have her home address. Who’s going?” Chewy says, standing with a huge smile on her face.
I let out a deep sigh before speaking up. “I’ll go.”
“What the fuck Wire? I need you here,” Marx orders, but I’m already shaking my head at him.
“I’m sorry, Pres, but I can get the info we need. I know the address. It’s the trailer park my dad’s whole side of the family live in. They’ll talk to me.”
Marx’s brow furrows as he considers my words. “You sure?
“Yeah.”
My brothers sit silent. They know what my relationship with my father and his family is like. It may be a little distant, but everyone knows distant family has a better chance of poking around than strangers. If a stranger asks questions, they’ll clam up tighter than a duck’s ass.
“Chewy, you’re in the control center. Rider and Rhodie, you’re with Wire. That place has always been shady as fuck, and I don’t expect it to be any better. Tav, you and Tank take the van. Just in case these fuckers are dumber than they look and have Remy there. Everyone else, back on the streets looking for Hammer, but do it quietly. Obey the road rules, don’t speed. Idon’t want the wrath of Wire’s momma coming down on me if you lot draw any attention to us. I have a Pres to call.” Marx grimaces before nodding at us and turning to head into his office. Shoulders slumped.
“Mount up boys” Rhodie slaps me on the shoulder and leads the way.
Chapter Twelve
Remy
Ican’t believe that jerk Snake pulled a gun on me! Actually, scrap that. Pulling guns on people is his MO. What I can’t believe is that I let myself get into this position. I should have never stepped outside of the library knowing full well what Jovie’s dad is like. Now I’m stuck in his small trunk that smells like vomit as he drives like a maniac. Jovie’s cries drift from the backseat to where I’m lying and I want nothing more than to reassure her I’m OK.
We turn a corner none too gently and I slide, getting my arm up over my head to brace myself before whacking my head on one side of the trunk. I wish I was more familiar with the layout of the town. That way, I’d at least know where Snake and Jovie’s dad are taking me.
I know it’s wishful thinking, but I hope someone from the DRMC notices when I don’t return from work. Hopefully Chewy or Ana notice when I don’t reply to our message thread.
Chewy has accepted me into her girl gang and I love it. I love having girlfriends to talk and joke with. We have inside jokes that I’m a part of! They let me be me, but also they help to point out that I don’t have to agree with anything if I don’t want to.They encourage me to have opinions and voice them. My eyes well up with tears when I think about how special they are. I make a vow in this cramped, pukey trunk that I’m going to take up more of Chewy and Ana’s invitations to lunch.
We turn another corner, and this time my head isn’t so lucky. I whack it on something hard, a whimper escaping my lips. I’m meant to be meeting Mags tonight, instead I’m probably being driven to my doom. My gut swirls thinking of Mags waiting at our meeting point, thinking I’ve stood him up.
Screeching sounds out and the car comes to an abrupt stop, jolting me once again. I lay quietly and wait. If I had a little more space, I could maneuver myself to explode out of the trunk, taking my abductor by surprise. However, at the sound of a motorcycle pulling in, I know Snake will be armed and he probably wouldn’t think twice about shooting me.
The trunk makes a clicking sound, then swings open. I brace myself for the bright light. Instead, we’ve pulled into what looks like a dimly lit warehouse or garage.
Snake looks down at me with a leer, licking his lips as he rubs the front of his jeans. “I always wondered what you’d look like looking up at me with those big blue eyes,”
My brows pull low and I let out a snarl, surprising both Snake and myself. With a sneer, he grips my arm, roughly pulling me upright and then out of the trunk. I think he’s going to let go, but his knobbly fingers tighten, gripping me even harder, his long dirty fingernails digging into my soft flesh through my blouse.
The doors slam shut and Jovie’s dad has her in the same grip, the little girl fighting against him, begging him to let us go. Seeing Jovie fight lights something within me, so I do the same. Twisting, I kick Snake hard in the knee. He buckles and I use my free arm to swipe across the arm that’s holding me. Instead of knocking his hand off, it seems to incense him even more, andhe recovers fast, fast enough to pull his gun from his holster and point it directly in my face.
“Hammer may want you untouched, but I’m sure he can still use you with a bullet in your leg. What do you think, Remy Girl?”
My shoulders sag and I make it appear as if I’m giving in. I’m not. As soon as the gun was pulled, I realized that if I get hurt, Jovie won’t have a chance to get out of here. I need to play it safe. Which means being the old Remy. Acting timid and quiet. The Remy Snake and Hammer expect.