UNDER REVISION - Road Rage, Dark Shadows MC (Book 1)

Shut up, Dodge - Ash

Ash

An hour later, I find myself standing out the back of Platinum, the area eerily quiet. I shove my hands into my pockets, lips twitching into a faint smile when I catch the faint scent of Silver lingering on my skin.

"Oh, fuck right off!" Dodge growls beside me. I look at him, catching his grimace of disgust and raise a questioning brow, but he just shakes his head. "I don't know what dirty shit you were just thinking about, but stop thinking it while you're standing next to me." He gives a fake shudder, and I roll my eyes at his drama, before digging an elbow into his side with a quiet laugh.

"You missing Jesse, huh?" He gives me another dirty glower before turning away, crossing his arms over his broad chest like a petulant toddler. "When's she moving here?"

His throat bobs with a swallow as he shakes his head. "Lorraine isn't doing well. Caught some kind of cold and it turned into an infection. The hospital is keeping her on the isolation ward until they can get it under control, and Jesse won't leave until she's out of hospital."

I wince, my understanding a bitter pill. Lorraine, Jesse's mother, has stage four breast cancer. She's been sick for the better part of a year, but she's still fighting. Her immune system is completely fucked from the chemo, and Dodge doesn't think she'll see out the new year. "I'm sorry, man. Why don't you go back to Willowbank. You know we'll manage here. It sounds as if Jesse needs you."

Something flashes in Dodge's eyes, but then he scoffs. "And leave this beautiful fuckfest?" He gestures wildly, encompassing the back of the dark club, his expression aggravated. "I told Jess I'd be back on the weekend, but I'm going any-fucking-where when some motherfucker is trying to frame the club for killing some fuck."

There's a lot to unpack there, but... "Jesse comes first, Dodge. She's your old lady, and you know the club understands."

"Leave it," he grunts.

I sigh, knowing now isn't the time. I'm about to ask him about why he thinks we're being framed, but then the back door of Platinum swings open and Lucca steps out. He's dressed in dark dress pants and a black button shirt, looking like he'd fit right in at a funeral. His scowl is deep and murderous as he pins a glare on me. "Ash."

I step forward, reaching out to clasp his hand. "Lucca. What the hell happened?"

He props his hands on his hips, staring down the alley into the darkness. "I'd love to fucking know. I wasn't here tonight, but someone definitely fucked with the cameras. They were down for two hours from 1 a.m.–"

"How did no one notice they were down for two hours?" Dodge interrupts.

"It appears I'm not great at hiring competent staff," Lucca shoots him a grin, but it's humorless and all teeth. "The screens seem to have been put on a five minute loop. No one checked closely enough to realize." He gives a stiff shrug. "That's the story they're peddling, anyway."

"So, whoever is responsible has some idea about what they're doing." I start pacing, kicking some loose rocks on the ground, and finally push all thoughts of Silver out of my head, focusing on the here and now. "That's gotta narrow down the list of suspects, right? Not everyone would have that ability."

Lucca clears his throat, his expression a little shamefaced. "Not if they lied when I took them on." At my disbelieving stare, he grimaces. It's hard to tell in the dim light, but it looks like there's a slight flush on his cheeks.

I blink, saying carefully, "Meaning?"

He inhales sharply, eyes flicking between us. "I didn't... The opening–" he cuts himself off with a growl, spinning around and kicking out at a dumpster near the back door. The resounding bang is loud, echoing through the dark alley. He takes several deep breaths while Dodge and I share a look. Cursing under his breath, Lucca turns back around, his expression now carefully blank, his eyes hard. "I was under pressure with the opening, but I wasn't actually able to be here to oversee it, so while I still had the final call, a lot of the decisions were left to the manager."