While she understood her fears were unjustified, she also knew that going to the police now would bring all of Moroad down on her head for going after one of their own. Instead, she cut herself off from Brad and Tony. They could live their miserable existence without her, and hopefully, Brad would stay in prison and Tony would soon follow.
"Aldridge requested to meet with you." Roar watched her for a reaction.
"No." There was no hesitation.
"I think—"
"No. Absolutely not." She looked to Brage for support. "Tony said one of the Moroad members killed my father and took me from my mother. They ruined my whole life. They're murderers, and I want nothing to do with them."
Nothing would change her opinion. She pressed her hand to her chest. The ache spread up into her throat, choking her.
The small room closed in on her. There was no way she was going back to Idaho now. She wanted to stay far away from Moroad Motorcycle Club.
Chapter 32
Dinah pulled her hand away from Brage. He scooted closer on his chair and cupped the back of her neck, trying to comfort her. How was she going to handle Roar's news when bringing up Moroad caused her pain?
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He forced her to look at him. "Trust me."
"I don't want to see him." She ducked her chin. "Please, don't make me."
"I think you should listen. Brage is going to tell you what the phone call was about." Roar cleared his throat and nodded at him.
He pulled Dinah's hand to his chest and pressed her palm flat. She needed to understand he was here and he was confident that nothing would happen to her.
"Aldridge has information about your parents, babe. He's asked us to grant him permission to tell you what he knows, and he wants to do it in person." He caressed her face, willing her to open her mind and think about what was being offered to her.
"He's going to tell me about my mom and dad?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
"Ja," he whispered back.
"Why does he need to give it to me? Why can't he tell you or even Roar? Have you asked him that?" She frowned. "I don't trust him. I never have."
There were parts of the deal he couldn't and wouldn't divulge. Jeremy Aldridge had contacted Roar earlier in the evening with a proposal. The president of Moroad Motorcycle Club would hand over all the information about Dinah's parents in exchange for the extortion contract with two of the three groups Slag Motorcycle Club had stolen from them. When Roar rejected the proposal on the spot, Jeremy offered the information on Dinah's parents for one extortion contract, and a one-time delivery for two hundred disassembled semi-automatic rifles.
Slag, the Norway Chapter, needed the weaponry.
"It has to be done this way, babe. He'll only give the details to you." He ignored the pressure from Roar being in the room, knowing how important the deal was for Slag.
Not often would they cut deals, unless it benefitted them. Holding on to the extortion money coming in from Blue and Red put Slag members in a good position, even with losing the third contract for Los Li. He was aware the deal was unusual for Moroad.
Desperate times often made men weak. Moroad was suffering.
"Tony isn't going to be with him?" she asked.
"No. Only Aldridge and another member named Jacko." He let that sink in and added, "I'll be with you, and so will Roar and Elling."
"I don't want to do this." She rubbed the top of her thighs.
The meeting was already a done deal. Roar agreed to the terms. He only needed to get Dinah on board.
"Because of the way you were taken from your parents, Aldridge is the only one who can give you the answers you need. If you don't meet with him, you're not going to get another chance. Do you want to go the rest of your life not knowing?"
She stood, checking her pockets. Almost frantic in her movements, her breathing grew rapid.
Figuring out what she needed, he pulled out a stick of gum from his vest pocket and handed it to her. She sat back down and unwrapped the offer, popping it in her mouth before she barely had the wrapper off.
She visibly inhaled a deep breath as if the chewing action brought her relief. If it weren't for the fact that she used gum to keep from smoking, he'd light a cigarette himself. The discussion was more significant and intense than he'd anticipated.
The last thing he'd want to do was cause her more pain and have her relive the details he suspected caused her to have nightmares.
"Where does he want to meet?" She hugged herself. "Moroad members aren't supposed to leave the state of Idaho, but as you know, they do."
He hadn't even asked about the location when Roar brought up the deal. It wasn't his decision. He only knew he'd be there to protect Dinah in case the meeting took a turn for the worse.
Roar said, "He called the meeting point in Moses Lake."
She stopped chewing. "Where's that?"
"In eastern Washington, almost five hours away."
"So, close enough to my apartment in Coeur d'Alene..." She looked at Brage. "I would want to go there after the meeting. I still want to move everything down here with you."
"I'll make that happen." He placed his hand on the back of her neck and rubbed the tight muscles.
She slowly closed her eyes, shook her head, and looked at him again. "Do we go tomorrow?"
"No, next weekend." Roar stood. "I'll let you two be alone. Lizzy is waiting in the alley for me. I'll be at the house for the rest of the night if you need anything."
Brage concentrated on Dinah. He'd never seen her unsure of herself. She usually had a confidence that surprised him knowing her
