Page 27 of Cutter's Hope
“None taken and I know, and I did, I was there… I got a little… upset,” she had the grace to look embarrassed.
“Yeah, about that, what’s the friggin’ deal?” Marlin asked.
“The Plank. Later. Go,” I demanded and the guys got up reluctantly.
“We’ll be on deck,” Marlin said, taking Pyro’s side, “Got some clothes coming for the minx,” he sniffed.
“Awesome,” Hope muttered but didn’t sound exactly happy about it.
“That Ruger the only thing you were packing? Best tell us now, Radar is going to find if you got anything else,” Marlin’s tone was dark.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t exactly need a gun to be dangerous,” she said and topped the statement off with a nonchalant shrug, “But yeah, that was the only weapon I had and I’d like it back at some point.”
“Maybe if you’re a good girl and we decide we can trust you,” Pyro said. Hope flipped him off and he laughed.
“She’s got spunk, good luck with that buddy,” my best friend told me. I arched a brow and remained silent but I’m sure my expression said it all,get the fuck out.
Marlin and Pyro went above deck and a second later we heard the drone of Marlin’s voice on his cell. Hope and I exchanged a look and she gave me another little shrug.
“Let’s make this call,” I stated dryly but couldn’t help but smile. She really wasn’t concerned, in fact she was as relaxed as could be. Tough as nails or had a death wish, this one.
She got to her feet and came to me and looked up the scant inch or two that separated us in height.
“Thanks,” she murmured and tipped her face up to mine for a kiss. I pulled her the rest of the way against me by her hips and kissed her slow and deep. She drew back and her expression was haunted, fearful, but not for herself. Her gaze was distant, her heart and mind wherever her missing sister was, dead or alive. I sighed silently.
“Come on, let’s see what kind of answers we can get you,” I murmured and she nodded, troubled. Sometimes it was better not knowing, but when youhadto know… I knew that feeling too.
I dropped onto the center cushion of my brown leather couch and pulled her down between my knees, circling her waist with my arms. She settled into my lap and I brought up the laptop screen, signed in and put the Skype call through. It was a little early but the screen popped up immediately onto Dani and Thirteen. The small woman perched in her man’s lap, wide blue eyes filling up the screen as she leaned back, almost a mirror for me and Hope.
Thirteen’s eyes skated over Hope then me before he spoke, “Dragon said it was important. What’s up, Man?”
I sketched out what was what and Dani and Thirteen both went very quiet, Thirteen searching his girl’s face. She shifted uncomfortably in his lap and chewed her bottom lip, the wheels turning in her head.
“Please, anything, even if you don’t think it’s important it could mean the world… just whatever you can remember about her, about where she came from…” Hope was desperate and her desperation was showing in her pleading tone.
Dani sighed, “I don’t know what happened to Tonya, but I remember her. She was a social climber of the worst order. A total bottom feeder. She latched onto The Suicide Kings to run from some other bad situation. Thought they would protect her,” Dani snorted with derision, “She just leapt out of the fire into the frying pan, the Kings were a step up from whatever she was running from, but not by much.”
Hope was tense in my arms, “Do you know what she was running from?”
Dani shook her head, “Not what they were into, no… but I know they were Russian. Mob maybe? I don’t know, she let slip one name when she was drunk, Ivan something, I really can’t remember the last name. Said she’d like to see Ivan get through The Kings if he ever came looking.”
Dani looked off to the side, her eyes glazing and gaze distant, she was clearly trying, she finally shook her head as if waking from a particularly horrible dream and gave Hope a sympathetic look.
“Tonya was not good people, she was hooked on drugs, a scammer, selfish and cruel. She wouldn’t hesitate to throw one of the other girls up under the bus if it got her one step closer to whatever goal she had in mind. All I know is she came from New Orleans and she was running from some guy named Ivan because of something stupid she did to cross him. I wish I could be of more help, I really do.”
“Thank you, Dani. It’s something where there was nothing I guess,” Hope said but I could tell by the fine tremble in her hands she was having a tough time not breaking something. She was holding it together but I had a feeling something needed to give, and I was a shit for thinking it, but I was sort of half hoping it would be another wild and angry fuck.
We ended the call on an amicable note and Hope’s shoulders dropped, “Shit… another lead and probably another fucking dead end,” she sighed and I shook her a bit. She put her hands over mine.
“You don’t know that yet, Darlin’. Let’s go talk to the guys and see what we can come up with. I got shit to deal with in-house.”
“Tiny?” she asked.
“Sorry, Sweetheart, you don’t get to know that. That’s club business,” I told her. She nodded.
“Kick him in the balls at least once for me,” she said, “Guy is a prick,” she rose off my lap and stretched, “Where’re my clothes?” she asked.
“Right here,” Marlin ducked below deck and tossed a backpack at her feet, she stooped and picked it up looking inside.
