Logan: New Crusaders MC (22 page)

“Where can I find the guys?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Logan,” Danny said.

Reno wasn’t there.  He only stopped in when he had time off from the hospital.

“Did we lose anyone when the Devil Kings took over?”

“There were some injuries, but I didn’t hear about any fatalities.  Everyone went to ground, though.  They knew the Kings would kill them if they stuck around.  I think a lot of them are taking refuge out west with the Arcadia charter.  Can’t say what happened to the Iconoclasts.  Both MCs lost their presidents that day.”

“Okay,” Logan said, already formulating a plan.  “I’m gonna need a ride.  Not a bike.  Something that’ll help me travel under the radar.  And I’m going to need a burner cell.  A razor, too.  I might not be recognized so easily without my beard.”

“Are you gonna make your move?” Danny asked.

“Starting to.  Gotta make sure my old lady’s safe.  Then I’m going to take back what’s mine.”

“I’m behind you all the way, brother.  I’ll get you the wheels and the supplies.”

Danny took off, and Logan passed the time doing some basic exercises.  When he looked in the mirror now, he almost recognized the man looking back at him.

Danny was back in less than an hour.  He drove up in an old, gray sedan.  Reno was driving behind him in a newer car.  Logan was just stepping out of the shower when they let themselves into the room.

“Reno’s gonna loan you his wife’s car,” Danny explained.  “She’s out of town.  He was… worried for her.  We’ll drive back into town in his other car.”

Danny handed Logan a plastic bag with a pre-paid cellphone, a razor, and shaving cream.  Logan accepted it, thanked them for the help, and retreated back into the bathroom.  He wasn’t looking forward to shaving his beard, but he knew it was necessary.  When he drove back into Castillo, he didn’t want a single person pegging him for an ex-Crusader.  He got it over with quickly, and he had to admit he did look like a different person without the beard.

“Chuck’s still at Hamilton’s?” he asked, emerging from the bathroom.

“Yeah,” Danny said slowly, staring at Logan’s face.  “He’s just a waiter now.  Clay made him sign the place over to him.  But he’s there pretty much every day.”

“Then that’s my first stop.  You guys have been great.”  Logan hugged them both.  “Reno, I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“Just kick the Devil out of Castillo, and we’ll call it even.”

“Can do.”  Logan turned to Danny.  “You’ve more than earned your patch, kid.  I call you later, you gonna pick up?”

“I’ll be waiting by my phone,” Danny assured him.

Logan hugged him one more time.  “Thank you,” he said quietly.  “Stay out of trouble until you hear from me.”

“Will do, Logan.”

Reno sighed.  “When it’s over… you’ll know where to find me.  I’ll start stocking up on medical supplies now.”

He tossed Logan the car keys.

“Thanks, doc.”

Reno and Danny left first, and Logan gave them a few minutes’ head start.  When he decided it was safe, he checked out at the front desk, got into Reno’s car, and headed for Castillo.

During the ride, Logan prepared himself for the possibility of seeing Clay.  He wanted to destroy that man so badly it hurt.  He wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself if he saw him.

But he had to.

First priority was getting to Nicole, making sure she was alright.  Then he’d have all the time in the world to hurt the people who dared to hurt her.  Clay and Ruiz were at the top of his list.  Before the week was out, he was going to watch them both die.  That was a promise he made to himself as he pulled into the diner’s parking lot.

The place hadn’t changed much, and yet it felt different.  For one thing, the only kuttes Logan saw belonged to the Devil Kings.  For another, he saw Chuck wandering around inside, dressed in a waiter’s apron.  He looked like he’d lost some weight, but at least he had had time to heal.  It was like he’d never been injured at all.

Logan sat in the car and watched for a while, but there was no sign of Clay.  He knew he couldn’t go inside, so he took out the burner phone and dialed the diner’s number.  Marina was the one who picked up the phone.  He saw her standing at the counter, looking stressed but healthy.  He couldn’t believe she’d stuck around after the Devil Kings took over.  She was tougher than Logan originally thought.

“Hamilton’s Diner, this is Marina.”

“Don’t say anything, just listen,” Logan said.  He watched the recognition cross her face, but she kept her mouth shut.  “I need to talk to Chuck.  Can you think of a good excuse to get him on the phone?”

Marina didn’t hesitate.  She lowered the phone a bit, but he could still hear her as she called across the restaurant.

“Chuck?  This guy’s asking for you.  He swears up and down you promised him a discount last time he was here.”

Logan saw the confusion on Chuck’s face as he crossed to the phone.

“This is Chuck Hamilton.  How can I help you?”

“Meet me out back, by the Dumpster.  Five minutes,” Logan said.  “Don’t forget to keep up Marina’s lie.” 

He hung up without waiting for a response.

He watched Chuck’s expression.  The shock was plain.  He stood there frozen for a beat, the phone still at his ear.  Then, slowly, he rearranged his expression, started talking into the phone.  Logan couldn’t tell what he was saying, but he knew Chuck was making it seem like he was talking to a disgruntled customer.  A minute later, he put the phone back in its cradle.  Logan saw him glance at his watch and then rush back to work.

Five minutes later, when Logan wandered to the back of the restaurant, Chuck was waiting for him.  His eyes went wide when he saw Logan.

“My God.  It
is
you,” Chuck said.

He stepped forward and reached out to touch Logan’s arm, as if checking to make sure he was really there, a solid person.

“I’m no ghost,” Logan said.

“I thought you were dead,” Chuck told him.  “I mean… he
told
me you were dead.”

“Who told you?”

“A friend,” Chuck replied, not meeting Logan’s eyes.

“Nicole?” Logan asked.  “You told her I died.  Got her out of town.  I need to see her, let her know I’m alive.”

Chuck put his hand over his eyes.  “I’m so sorry, Logan.  What Clay was going to do to her… I
had
to send her away.”

“I agree,” Logan said.  “But now I’m asking where I can find her.  I’m not gonna drag her back here, Chuck.  I just need to know she’s safe, and I need her to know I’m alive.”

“You’re not the only one looking for her, Logan.  Clay was furious when she took off.  He keeps me around because he thinks there’s a chance she’ll come back for me.  He doesn’t even come to the diner most days.  I think he’s out looking for her when he isn’t here.”

Logan’s blood began to boil.  On the one hand, it was fortunate for him that Clay wasn’t around.  It reduced the chances that this meeting could go wrong.  But that wasn’t enough to distract him from his anger.  Just the thought of that asshole laying a finger on his girl… it was enough to make him see red.

“I’m sorry,” Chuck said again.  “I always thought Nicole would leave one day, maybe go to college.  I had cash stashed under her bed that she didn’t know about.  Told her to grab it and go.  She did.  I wish I could tell you more.  One thing I know, she’s still alive.  And she’s safe.”

“Thanks, old man,” Logan said.

“If you find her…
When
you find her… will you pass on a message for me?”

“Of course.”

“Tell her I’m safe and that I love her.  She makes me so proud.  I was happy to see her with you.”

“I’ll tell her,” Logan promised.  “I’m going to find her, Chuck.”

“I believe you.  Be safe, son.”

Chuck slipped back into the restaurant and Logan wandered back to his car.  Fortunately, no one paid him any attention as he got inside and pulled out of the parking lot.  He wasn’t sure where he could find leads on Nicole, and a part of him worried he would never find her.  With enough cash, she could have ended up on the opposite side of the country, or in Canada.  But a part of him believed that she wouldn’t have traveled too far from home.  He clung to that belief as he coasted through town.

Nothing had outwardly changed, but it still
felt
different.  He had been born and raised in Castillo, yet he felt like a stranger there.  It didn’t help that his kutte was long gone.  He felt naked and exposed.  Driving around in Reno’s old sedan, no one paid him a second glance, but it was only a matter of time before someone noticed him.

Logan hit the brakes when he passed in front of Sinsations.  It was a risk, but he decided to pull over and stop inside.

When he opened the door, he immediately saw that the club’s regular bouncer was still employed there.  His eyebrows went up when he saw Logan, but he didn’t say anything.

As Logan got further inside, he saw a few Devil King kuttes.  All the girls on the stage were familiar, and they looked happy enough. 

Bells was staring at him from behind the bar.  As soon as he looked her way, she gave a quick nod toward the wall.  She wanted him to meet her in the alley beside the club.  He headed back outside, nodding to the bouncer, and walked down the alley.  Bells appeared seconds later.

“Sweet Jesus, I cannot believe it,” she breathed, pulling him into a tight hug.  “How the fuck did you survive?  Where have you been?”

Logan did his best to sum up all that had happened as quickly as he could.  He knew Bells couldn’t stay away long.

“Glad to see you’re alright,” he said to her.

“Likewise.”

“They treating you okay?  Did anyone get hurt when the attack hit?”

“Everyone’s fine,” Bells assured him.  “When the Kings came in, I hid the girls in the back and grabbed my trusty shotgun.  Managed to kneecap one guy.  It was over quick.  They outnumbered us, but they also had orders to keep us civies alive, if possible.  Ruiz needs us to run his new business acquisitions and whatnot.  So far we haven’t had too much trouble, but that’s because the club is a lucrative business.”

“Well, it’s
my
club, and I’m planning on taking it back.”

“Good to hear, man.  We miss you around here.”

“Gotta do something first,” Logan said.  “Is it too much to hope you’ve heard from Nicole?”

“As a matter of fact, I got a letter from her about a month back.”

Logan’s heart jumped into his throat.  “You did?  What did it say?  Is she alright?”

“Easy, tiger.  She’s just fine.  She said she was pretty sure no one would intercept my mail, but she asked me to burn the letter just in case.”

“So you don’t have it anymore?” Logan asked.

“Nope.  But I have the return address.  Saved it on my phone.”

Logan felt himself smiling for the first time in months.  “What would I do without you, Bells?”

“Blow up and die.  Let me get you the address.”  She took her phone out of her pocket.  “The name on the address wasn’t Nicole’s.  She didn’t say who it was in the letter, only that it was someone she trusted.”

She showed Logan the screen and he quickly copied the name and address down in his burner.