by Anna Mara
Rocker came forward, a look of shock laced across his features. “What about me? That’s my job,” he whined to his boss.
“Not anymore. From now on, you take your marching orders from Savage…and from me, of course.” Snake’s beady eyes scanned the rest of his men. “And that goes for all you fuckheads, too.”
His arm dropped from Savage’s shoulders. He patted the biker on his back one more time, before turning and disappearing again in the direction of his office.
After a second, the other bikers came forward and patted Savage on the back too, congratulating him. It was clear they were afraid of him and now that he was the number two man around there, they needed to make sure they were on his good side.
Rocker didn’t, however. His mouth flattened into a thin line as jealousy seeped through his body, his hatred for Savage growing by leaps and bounds. With one last look of disgust at the new man-in-charge, he turned and stalked out of the bar.
Wizard didn’t come forward to congratulate Savage either. He remained behind the bar, his face frowning and growing harder by the second.
Savage had seen both of their responses and smiled to himself, amused by their reactions. After all, he didn’t give a fuck! If they wanted to pout and act like little babies, then go for it!
As the other bikers moved away from him to go back to what they’d been doing, Savage approached the bar.
“Hey, Wizard,” he taunted. “My schedule’s pretty full up this weekend, but next week, when I’ve got more time, you and I’ll be having another little chat. We’ve got lots to talk about,” he teased.
Inwardly, Savage was boiling with rage as he remembered the black and blue bruises trailing up and down Tori’s arms. Yeah, asshole, he thought to himself, just for that, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you all over again—only this time, I won’t be so nice. He then threw the bartender a knowing smirk before turning and walking out of the club.
Wizard remained silent, glaring shards of hatred at Savage’s retreating back.
Chapter 33
Friday – 8:31 p.m.
Jubilee Hotel & Casino
Where was Nana?
Where was Nana?
Where was Nana?
The frantic thought cycled itself through Tori’s brain in a continuous loop as the hotel elevator whisked her back up to her own floor. Alarmed, her heart thumped wildly in her chest and a knot of fear settled itself in her stomach. Oh God, where was Nana? She couldn’t find her grandmother anywhere and she’d been through the casino part of the complex five times now!
After Savage left, Tori had gone back up to her room. She’d knocked on her grandmother’s door next to hers but received no answer. Tori had just assumed that the older woman was still gambling away somewhere downstairs, probably losing big time at blackjack again. She’d then tried calling her on her cell phone. The phone rang but Nana hadn’t answered, which wasn’t really all that surprising anyway because once her grandmother had settled herself at a gaming table or at some ‘good mojo’ slot machine, she had a tendency to forget about everything else around her, including answering her cell.
In the meantime, because she was feeling dirty and grimy from riding on the Harley out in the open space all day, Tori had taken a quick shower and changed into a fresh pair of skinny jeans and a white, sleeveless button-down shirt. She fluffed out her hair with a quick blowdry. A swipe of cherry lip-gloss, and a new coat of mascara had made her feel fresh, clean and alive again.
The ugly bruises she’d received from that disgusting animal, Wizard, were turning a deeper shade of purple now. She donned her sunny, yellow summer sweater to cover them up again. The entire ritual had taken maybe a half hour, max. Once she was feeling rejuvenated, she had redialed her grandmother’s cell number. Again, there was no answer.
Tori frowned and shook her head. Nana had been in the casino, gambling all day long. She’d probably lost a ton of money by now, money she couldn’t afford to lose, especially since she had given Joe Sorelli most of her retirement funds. Maybe she wasn’t answering because she was afraid to tell Tori? Yeah, that definitely sounded like something she’d do.
Grabbing her purse and slipping on her white Keds again, Tori had headed downstairs to find her.
But she hadn’t found her!
Tori had searched the cavernous complex several times and hadn’t seen her. Then she’d gone to the customer service desk and had Nana paged. But Nana hadn’t shown up! That’s when a rush of black fright had swept through her. Could something bad have happened to her precious grandmother? Oh God, she hadn’t thought of that before. Nana was always so vibrant and healthy that the thought had never even crossed her mind. But what if she had had a heart attack or stroke and was lying on the floor in her hotel room right this minute? Tori instantly felt sick to her stomach at the mere thought of that.
Practically running to the elevators, she had made her way back upstairs. As the elevator doors parted, she rushed down the hallway. A chambermaid was pushing her cart around. Tori ran to her. “Excuse me? Can you please let me in to my grandmother’s room next to mine? She’s not answering her phone and I’m worried she may be sick or in trouble. Please, can you do that for me? I need to check on her.”
The maid nodded. “Of course, which room is it?”
Tori ran to the door. “It’s this one. Please hurry.” Panic surged through her and her heart beat faster.
The maid knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she opened the portal.
Tori rushed through. “Nana? Nana? Are you here?” she shouted.
But the room was empty and in pristine shape. No sign of her grandmother anywhere.
Tori ran into the bathroom and suddenly, her heart stopped. No, her Nana wasn’t in there either, but—all of the senior’s toiletries and cosmetics were gone, including her five cans of hairspray, which she brought everywhere with her.
Rushing to the closet, Tori threw it open and gasped in shock! It too was empty. All of her grandmother’s clothes and belongings were gone!
Tori felt the blood drain from her face. A new panic like she’d never known before overtook her and her knees buckled. Losing all strength, she plopped onto the bed and redialed the cell phone clasped in her shaking hand. The maid stood frozen in the doorway.
“Come on, Nana, where are you?” Tori mumbled. “Answer, please, answer! Please, please, please!”
On the tenth ring, the phone call was finally picked up.
“Hello, Tori.”
Thank God, it was her Nana. Relief flooded through her bones.
“Where the hell are you?” Tori screamed.
“Now, sugarplum, don’t be mad and listen to me.” Her grandmother’s Texas twang came through loud and clear. “I’m on my way to be with Joe.”
“What?” The word came out of Tori like a bullet.
“He called me, Tori. He’s scared—real scared. And he’s all alone, with nobody to help him. He needs me, honey!”
“Are you out of your freaking mind?”
“I have to go to him, I just have to.”
“No, you don’t have to! Just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”
“I can’t do that, sweetie. Joe doesn’t want anybody to know where he is. He’s hiding and he’s in trouble.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble? What’s he done?” Tori shouted.
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me what happened, but I’m on my way to be with him. I just gotta be with him, Tori, and help him as best as I can, that’s all. I love him.”
Tori took in a deep breath and tried to calm down. After all, she wouldn’t get any information out of her grandmother if she kept yelling like she had been. “Tell me where you are right now, Nana,” she asked in a soothing voice, as if she was talking to a puppy, trying to prevent it from bolting away.
“I’m in a cab on my way to meet him. That’s all I’m gonna say. And when I see him, we’re gonna disappear together for a while. I don’t want you ta’ co
me looking for me.”
“Don’t do this, Nana, please.” Tori’s gut clenched with fear.
“Now, sugarplum, it’s done, and there’s nothin’ you can do about it!”
“Nana, please—come back and we’ll go find Joe together. I promise.”
“I can’t do that. Now, honey, you listen to me. The hotel is all paid up. I want you to take the $1000 in the safe and pay Mr. Savage for his time and trouble, and then I want you to take the next plane out of there and go back home. I’ll call you when I can.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not leaving here without you!”
“You have to. It’s what I want.”
“What about Mommy and Daddy? What do I tell them?”
“Nothin’. You tell them nothin’, because I’ll call them myself and square it with ’em. You don’t have to worry about a thing, sweetheart. Leave it all to me.”
“Don’t do this, Nana!” Tori tried hard to keep the hysteria out of her voice.
“Please don’t hate me, baby. You have to understand. I’m an old woman. I’ve finally found love again after all these years. You—you’re young and beautiful, and you’re at the beginning of your life, but me, well, I’m ending up. Time is short for me. The grim reaper could come for me any day now but whatever I got left on this earth, I gotta use it and be with Joe. I love him and he’s in trouble.”
Tori choked back a cry as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. What could she say to convince her grandmother to give up this foolish plan? She was at her wits end and completely out of ideas.
“Don’t, please Nana…” she whispered, feeling as if a hand was closing around her throat.
“Tori, you’ll be fine and so will I, so don’t worry. I’ll call you again as soon as I can. I love ya’ so much, sweetpea, never doubt that. Goodbye.” She hung up.
An icy fear twisted around Tori’s heart mixed in with a sudden bout of scalding fury, as she stared at the silent smart phone in her hand. Oh my God! What was she going to do? She had to find her grandmother, she just had to! And when she did, she would yank that old lady by her mile-high, beehive hairdo all the way back to Gideon, Texas! As All-Mighty God was her witness, she would do it!
But how would she do it?
How?
Savage Matthew Monroe, that’s how! He would help her, wouldn’t he? She needed to call him right now and ask him. Yes, Savage would help her.
Rushing past the maid who was still standing in the open doorway, Tori mumbled a quick thank you to the woman before racing back to her own room. Once inside, she rifled through her purse for the phone number of that disgusting club, Delilah’s. She’d stupidly never gotten the biker’s private cell phone number and so, she’d just have to call for him at that bar. Someone there should know how to reach him.
Finally finding the slip of paper with the number on it, Tori dialed but suddenly, she stopped. No—wait a minute—she couldn’t ask Savage for help, not after the nasty way they’d parted. What about all the insulting things she’d said to him? He hated her now and wanted nothing more to do with her.
And she’d already paid him his money anyway. His services were done and over with, and he’d probably want more money from her if she asked for his help again. What had she vowed to herself only an hour ago? That she would never ask a criminal like him ever again, no matter what? She refused to venture down that rabbit hole leading back to his evil world and lawless rules. It just wasn’t right.
Tori’s thoughts raced back to that moment when she’d been climbing up that ladder to Rat’s roof. What had she heard that lowlife say, when Savage had been choking the life out of him? He’d said he’d taken Joe Sorelli to some cabin at 126 Preclude Road. Maybe that’s where the scam artist was still hiding out at right now? And maybe that’s where her Nana was headed too? Could it be that easy?
126 Preclude Road.
Tori scribbled the address down on the same slip of paper with the biker bar’s phone number on it, and her hot temper flared to the high heavens again!
Okay, she’d google map the directions to the address using her smart phone and then drive the rental car to the house, wherever it was. When she got there, she would bet all the cattle in the Lone Star state that she would find her infuriating, hard-headed, impulsive grandmother hiding out there with that slimy crook, Joe Sorelli!
And when she found the both of them, she’d give them each a piece of her furious mind before dragging that old lady, kicking, screaming, and cussin’, all the way back home where she belonged!
Chapter 34
Friday – 9:42 p.m.
126 Preclude Road
The sun had set 25 minutes ago, dusk having fallen on the lonely, desert highway. Tori had been driving for about a half hour and the route had taken her outside of Las Vegas towards the Lake Mead area. Lake Mead was a 112-mile long, manmade lake/reservoir, created by the colossal Hoover Dam.
The slip of paper where she’d scribbled the directions lay on the passenger seat. According to the Google map instructions, the next exit on her right should take her to Preclude Road.
Slowing down, she saw the street sign showing her the way. Flipping on the turn signal, she took the right and continued travelling along the dark, deserted road. Not far down she spotted a mailbox atop a metal pole with the number 126 on it.
So, there it was—the turnoff leading to the driveway, which led to the cabin where Joe Sorelli and her crazy grandmother were probably hiding out in! Tori’s temper rose all over again. Boy, when she got her hands on those two, there was going to be hell to pay.
She went a little ways on the road before stopping the car, her gaze following the beam from her headlights. In the distance, she made out the dark outline of a well-hidden, small cabin situated at the end of the very long driveway. Even though the surrounding area was all flat, empty desert space, plenty of bushes and shrubs obscured the view, obviously intentionally planted all around the property to give the house a sense of privacy and isolation. And it was true; no one would be able to find you here unless they knew where they were going.
Tori parked to the side and got out. She would leave the rental here and walk the rest of the way. If she drove up to the house, Sorelli would certainly hear the vehicle approaching, giving him a heads up; and she didn’t want that. Because, what if, after her grandmother had gotten here, the slimeball was holding her a prisoner or she was hurt in some way because of him? After all, Tori didn’t know this guy, or where he came from, or what kind of trouble he’d gotten himself into.
From her own wild adventure through the streets of Las Vegas today, she could certainly testify to the fact that Sorelli associated with some pretty shady characters. Nana may have felt her ‘tingle’ and pronounced him a good man, but Tori had never met the bum.
Her heart banged erratically in her chest at the thought of her precious grandma maybe being in danger. That’s why she needed to first make sure that Nana was all right before announcing her presence, even if every instinct screamed at her to go pound on that front door and demand that the both of them come out pronto!
Slipping her purse diagonally across her body, she trudged up the lonely road leading towards the cabin, her white runners barely making a sound in the dry, sand-packed dirt. A chilly breeze cut through her thin, yellow sweater and she wrapped the garment tighter around her chest. She hadn’t realized how cold the desert got once the sun went down.
Near the front porch, Tori could now see that the cabin was a small, one-story abode with a flat roof, probably housing a couple of bedrooms in the back. It clearly was a home away from home, when someone needed to get out of Sin City for a while—or to hide out in!
Her eyes darted around the desolate property. There were shrubs and bushes everywhere but she couldn’t see any cars. The place look deserted. Gazing back at the house, she noted how shadowy and mysterious it looked, keeping its occupants well-hidden and protected. It was completely dark, with no light shining from within. Shades were drawn down over
the two windows on either side of the front door, preventing anyone from peering inside. It was obvious whoever was in there didn’t want any intrusion from the outside world.
Suddenly, a thought flashed into Tori’s mind. What if this wasn’t the right house? What if this place belonged to some stranger and not Sorelli? Oh no, she hadn’t thought of that! But she shoved the doubt away. No, this was the right cabin, she was sure of it. 126 Preclude Road; that’s what that weasel, Rat had said. But just in case, she fished in her purse for the steak knife she’d bought at that pancake restaurant yesterday. Yup, it was still in there. Her fingers brushed against the wooden handle.
Reassured, she pulled her hand out of her purse, and instinctively, her fingers went to the gold crucifix—the one that Nana had given her this morning—hanging around her neck. Yes, she still had the sweet Lord Jesus with her for protection too. A brief smile flitted across her lips. With both Jesus and the steak knife, she could take on the world!
Tori tiptoed towards the back of the property, curious to see if she could get inside that way. Her eyes widened in the dark as she crept around the side of house, trying to get her bearings.
Suddenly, she bumped into something and gasped. She looked down. Whew! It was only a plastic patio chair. She let out a breath of relief. Thank God, it was only a stupid piece of furniture; and thank God, she hadn’t made too much noise—or at least, she hoped she hadn’t.
Resuming her mission, she went forward a few more feet and came to the back door. Okay, so how was she going to get in? Maybe the shaded window beside it could be opened somehow and she could squeeze through? Or what if she tried jimmying the lock on the door with a credit card like she’d seen them do in the movies? Maybe that might work? She grasped the doorknob to test the lock when, to her utter surprise and shock, it turned in her hand! It wasn’t locked after all!