punched you. The guys are holding him in a different room right now. He is no longer a Night Rider. We are going to dump him somewhere before heading out.” His eyes flashed with fury while he talked but softened when he looked at me. “Sarah, I'm sorry for what happened. I told you that no one would touch you and I couldn't keep that promise. I just want you to know that I had no clue Peter was this messed up. He had been complaining about trying to change things with in the club, trying to change leadership and take us in a different direction. He obviously acted out of his anger and resentment to me. It's my fault. I'm sorry.” He looked pained and genuinely remorseful. I couldn't hold it against him. Dex might be annoying and imperious, but he had been good to me so far. And he had stopped Peter from raping me. That was the important thing.
“It's alright. I'll be fine,” I said touching my cheek and wincing. I knew it was going to form an ugly bruise. “Just make sure to dump that asshole somewhere far away from me. And someplace really horrible and desolate if you can,” I said as Dex grinned at me.
“Done!” he said, sounding much more cheerful now. “We'll be getting a later start today while Jason and Mike deal with Peter. If you want to get cleaned up and dressed, I would like to take you to a real breakfast.” He helped me to my feet and then walked to the door. “Hurry up though,” he said with a laugh as I walked towards the bathroom. “I'm going to be waiting out here for you and I don't want to be standing here all day.” I sighed and stuck my tongue out at him, but did rush to wash up and get dressed. Glancing in the mirror, I saw the red mark where Peter had punched me blooming red under my eye. I didn't even bother to try and cover it with makeup. Instead, I pulled on some clean clothes and walked to the door. Dex was standing out there, just like he had promised.
“I'm impressed,” he said when I stepped outside. “Only fifteen minutes this time.”
“Hey! Are you making fun of me?” I asked.
“Me? Never. Now come on, I know the best little diner around here.” I got behind him on the bike and we drove down the road a while until we pulled up to a small, hole-in-the-wall type place. It didn't look like much, but it smelled fantastic once we walked inside. My stomach rumbled as the friendly waitress seated us in a booth.
“So, do you trust me?” Dex asked.
“Um, I guess so,” I replied, looking over the menu.
“Good. Then I'll order for you. I promise you won't be disappointed.” I laughed as he smiled at me like an excited kid. He infuriated me but also made me feel happier than I had felt in a very long time. I agreed and let him order. He ordered us chocolate chip banana pancakes and a special omelet with bacon. I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything. The waitress poured our coffees then left to put in our order.
“So, what was the problem between you and Peter?” I asked, taking a sip of the warm, black coffee. It was very strong and sent a jolt through me, making me feel instantly more awake and alert. I leaned in to listen to what Dex had to say. He sighed and leaned back.
“Peter only joined the Night Riders two years ago,” Dex said. “He was a messed up kid, on drugs and in with a bad crowd. But he really seemed to want to straighten out. We took him in and he seemed to be doing really well. But I always had this nagging feeling that he was a really good actor. It didn't take too long before I heard whispers from the guys that Peter wanted to get the group involved in some really bad shit. He wasn't happy with the way that I ran the club and he thought he could do a better job. Mostly, I think he just wanted power. He was good at hiding his intentions though. When he spoke to me, he was always grateful and deferential. I had my suspicions, but there was never any solid proof he was such an asshole. Until now.” A cloud had formed over Dex's face and