“Look, I told you how sorry I was for what happened and…” there were tears in her voice, “he’s fine now. Billy is fine and I thank God for that every night.”
“So do we.”
I could hear her blowing her nose on the other end of the phone. “Sorry,” she said after a few seconds. “I still lose it when I think about that night. I keep reliving it in my head, over and over.”
“And you don’t remember anything about the guys on the motorcycles?”
“Not really.” She started crying again. “Dammit, Cole, why can’t you just let things rest so we can all move forward?”
I lowered my voice. “Because we need to know who did it.”
“Well… I don’t know!” she cried.
“Calm down,” I said, softening my voice.
“I will if you quit drilling me about that night. I’ve told you so many times now, I don’t know who in the hell they were. All I heard were the shots and I only caught a glimpse of the drivers. Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference between one club and another.”
“What about their patches?”
“I told you I couldn’t see any patches,” she said. “Why do you keep asking me the same things over and over? Do you have any idea how upsetting this is?”
“I’m sorry this is upsetting you,” I said, trying not to lose my cool. “Think about how upset Raina was when she found out about Billy. She almost lost everything that night.”
“I know and I’m sorry,” she said sadly. “I did something so stupid and believe me, if I could go back in time and change things, I would. I’m just glad that he’s alive.”
“So are we. Still, don’t you think the men responsible for hurting him should pay?”
“You mean go to jail?” she asked dryly. “Or pay with blood?”
I wanted to ask her why she even cared. She could have died that night. “Patty, if you won’t talk to him for me, at least do it for Raina and Billy. See if the two of you can come up with something,” I said, ignoring her snide comment.
“All he wants to do is talk?” she asked in a sulky way. “And he won’t…. hurt me?”
“He isn’t looking to hurt you, Patty. He just wants answers. He’s marrying Raina and wants to help her.”
She was silent for a few seconds and then sighed. “I guess I can talk to him. But, seriously, I don’t have anything more to tell him than what I told the cops.”
“Then just tell him the same thing. The point is, he knows the streets and knows what the other clubs are capable of. Something you may have told the cops might make more sense to him.”
“Fine. As long as he doesn’t threaten me.”
“He’s not going to threaten you,” I replied. “Tank just wants answers.”
She sucked in her breath. “Oh, crap… I think he’s actually calling back already. You owe me big time.”
I wanted to tell her that she was the one who owed my family something, but knew it would just start another argument. “Thanks Patty.”
Mumbling something, she hung up.
I set my phone down and looked over at the clock. It was almost three in the afternoon and the longer I waited, the more I felt it was a mistake just being there. Craving a cigarette, I pulled out the pack I had in my jacket pocket and debated on lighting it. Before I could, however, the door opened and two people walked into the room. The first one being the woman from the deli.
“Hi,” she said, pushing a piece of red hair behind her ear. “I have to say, I never thought I’d see you again. At least not this soon.”
Eleven
Terin
“I was in the neighborhood and figured you might need my statement,” he replied, his lip twitching. “And… you’re welcome.”
Cocky bastard.
I smirked. “Well, I do appreciate it. Thank you.”
“What about Chips? Did you catch him?” asked Cole.
“No. Unfortunately, he got away,” I replied, checking out the many tattoos he had on his muscular arms. He’d removed his jacket and was wearing a cut that identified him as a