Jagged Edge

I mean, I walked out on the guy in the nice restaurant where he’d invited me for dinner. Least I can do is give him a few minutes of my time.

“I really like you, Raine. You’re hot, you’re intelligent, you’re funny.”

I pull the phone away from my ear, stare at it. Is he talking about me? Laying it a bit thick, aren’t you, Gary?

My impression at the restaurant was rather that he was embarrassed to be seen with an uncivilized animal such as me. Though he seemed to be down for wild, hot sex with this bad boy, anyway.

When I put the phone back to listen, he’s saying, “…another chance. A coffee, maybe? Nothing committing. Just to chat and get to know each other more.”

Right. Should I give it another try? He’s persistent, I’ll give him that. Polite. He wasn’t bad looking, either. He was…

Not for me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Sorry, Gary.”

A silence.

“I see.” Another silence, shorter this time. “Is there another guy in the picture?”

“Maybe,” I admit.

Holy shit. The moment the word leaves my mouth, I realize this isn’t a lie to soothe Gary’s pride. There is another guy. If only I can find him and talk to him.

“We could be friends,” he says, his voice subdued. “We could—”

“Look, I got to go. Thanks for calling. And good luck.”

Days pass. The wound in my side has scabbed over. My worry has gone up a few more notches. Jason is a no show. Again. Where the hell is he?

With a customer, of course. What did you think, dickhead?

Or something happened to him.

I tell the twisty feeling in my gut that he’s fine. It was pure luck that I happened across him so often the previous weeks. Doesn’t mean he should hang around in case I pass by. Maybe he’s avoiding me, after I was such an ass to him last time.

My phone chirps with a message, and I check it quickly, not even sure why. Not like Jason has my number. Not like he’d text me if he did.

Christ, Raine.

The text is from Jesse. Says to join him and the guys at Halo, their favorite bar.

I consider refusing. What I really want to do is keep cruising, keep looking, and to hell with logic. That feeling in my chest won’t let up and I don’t think I’ll be good company tonight.

Then again… Jesse will be there. What if he has Jason’s number? What if he knows where Jason is?

That cinches the deal. One last pass, checking every corner, every shadow, and I swing the truck around.

Time to finally get some answers.

“Simon Gomez.” Jesse spits out the word like a broken tooth. “What about him? He was released from prison, went back to terrorizing the streets. He’s an MC leader, who’s controlling everything and everyone crossing through his area.”

“Drugs?” Shane asks, tilting his head to the side and taking a sip from his beer.

“Drugs, weapons, human trafficking, sex, you name it. Question is, what’s your dad got to do with the damn MC and the Mexican mafia?”

Good question. “He was involved with shady types back in Milwaukee,” Ocean says. “Then he and Mom skipped town, remember? And nobody heard from them in three years. Now he’s back and who knows what he’s been doing during all this time?”

I nod and take a long gulp from my beer. God, I need something stronger.

“Let me tell you about Simon Gomez,” Jesse says and worries at the label on his beer bottle, green eyes shadowed. “He assaulted me many times when I lived on the street. He’s like a dog with a bone when he gets obsessed with something. And for a while, that was me.”