Chapter 5 Rachel
PRESENT TIME—
Time was almost up. I parked my car and shoved the door open, barely remembering to shut it as I slung my backpack over my shoulders. I had to hurry.
The countdown pounded inside my chest as I ran, keeping pace with the frantic beating of my heart. Doubt tried to creep in, nearly making me panic further. I couldn’t afford to lose my shit this close to finding my daughter.
My dad would help. He promised.
I didn’t know what to expect when I ran toward Hannibal, avoiding the crowd as I rushed toward my father, who waited outside the rodeo.
It took a few seconds for me to catch my breath, and then I lifted my head, staring over his shoulder as I saw a man standing behind him.
Not just any man. A biker. Someone I met only once on one of the most frightening days of my life.
He looked the same. Crypt.
The criminal, or outlaw as he described, that I met that fateful day I visited my father in prison on my twenty-fifth birthday.
The man who saved my life when he took a bullet to his right side to keep me safe.
I still remember the way he stared at me as I pressed my hand to the wound, crying because I thought he was going to die.
Don’t shed a tear for me, Brown Eyes.
He never cut his hair. Even now, the long, dark blonde strands hung below his shoulders, fading into a lighter shade as they reached his chest. His beard was darker than I remembered, but the mustache matched his hair.
There was more dark ink on his body now, too, but that wasn’t what made me gasp in surprise.
It was the color of his eyes and the intensity within them. The dark gray with hints of blue, a smoky shade that was so rare I never saw anything like them again. They were as spellbinding now as they were the day we met.
In three years, I hadn’t forgotten him, not even when I knew that I should. He visited my dreams. Popped into my head when I least expected it. My heart thrummed as much from running as it did from seeing him for the first time since that prison visit.
But it didn’t matter. Not right now.
I had to focus on my daughter. “Dad! We need to go! Now!”
Hannibal reached for the backpack and the money, joining me as we ran away from the rodeo and the thick crowd.
But we weren’t alone.
I heard Crypt join us. “I’m coming with you!”
We didn’t have time for a debate. My little girl needed us. And I didn’t care what danger awaited; I would save her.
In fact, I welcomed more help, especially a guy who knew how to shoot a weapon and wasn’t intimidated by powerful or dangerous men. Crypt wore a leather vest. A GBMC cut. Glancing at it, I grew confused.
When the hell did he join my father’s club?
“Which hotel, baby girl?” My Dad asked as I led the way, pumping my arms and running faster as I realized I was about to miss the rendezvous for Rylee because the timer would run out before we reached the hotel.
“Here!” I shouted, pointing directly ahead of us. “The lobby!”
Hannibal frowned as he held onto the strap of the backpack, nearly colliding with some guy in a suit who couldn’t tear his gaze away from his phone as he stood at the entrance.
“Get out of the way!” Crypt shouted, ramming his shoulder into the guy as he passed him.
All I heard in response was a grunt before the guy hurled insults at Crypt.
I didn’t stop, focusing my gaze on the lobby area. I spun in a circle as I reached it, tears burning my eyes because I didn’t see my daughter or anyone other than people checking in at the front desk. “Dad?”
“I’m looking.”
“Dad!” I repeated with a shout, heaving air into my lungs.
“I’ve got this,” Hannibal assured me, then ticked his chin at Crypt. “Stay with her. Rachel doesn’t leave your sight.”
“I understand.”
My father left us to walk the inside of the hotel, still clutching the backpack as I watched him disappear around a corner. This couldn’t be happening. Where was Rylee? I had to fight back the urge to crumble to the ground and sob. Why wasn’t anyone here to meet us?
I glanced at my Apple Watch. We had one minute to spare when I reached the lobby. I hadn’t been late.
Crypt faced me. “I know I don’t have the details about what’s happening right now, but I’m here for you, Rachel.”
I appreciated that, but he didn’t even know I had a daughter. We spoke a few sentences to each other during a prison riot three years ago. This biker didn’t know anything about me or my life. He had no clue that I was about to drop a bombshell on him.
Might as well rip off the band-aid.
“My daughter was kidnapped, and I’m trying to get her back.”
Crypt blinked. A curse tumbled from his lips before he strode forward and wrapped me in a hug. “Fuck, Rachel. I’ll help any way I can.”
“There’s nothing you can do.” I lifted my head, knowing the heartbreak I felt had to be visible in my eyes.
“Like fuck there is. I’ll figure it out.”
I opened my mouth to reply when I heard Hannibal’s voice.
“There’s no need.” He gave Crypt a scathing look, his gaze pausing briefly on Crypt’s hands that still pressed to my back before turning to me. “I know where Rylee is.”
What!?
My father still carried the backpack. What did that mean?
“Where is she? Did you find the kidnappers?”
“Not exactly.”
God, I hated it when he got secretive.
“What happened?” I shook my head, trying not to think the worst. “Where is she?”
He took a step in my direction. “Need you to listen to me real good, baby girl.”
“Dad,” I began, but he held up a hand.
“No time. I’m going to get her, but I’ve got to do this alone.
You can’t go with me. It’s not up for debate.
” He turned his attention to Crypt. “Prove your loyalty. Get my daughter to The Crossroads. Grim will know what to do. She’ll be safe there, but I’m trusting you as the last line of defense.
Protect her with your life. If anything happens to Rachel, you’ll be paying with your fucking soul. You feel me?”
“Damn, Dad.”
He ignored me. “Crypt?”
“I got her,” Crypt replied without hesitation.
Hannibal tugged me into his embrace, hugging me far too tightly before he rushed out of the hotel. I swear something menacing spread across his face right before he turned away. Blinking, I wondered if I imagined the sinister flash.
I had zero answers to any of the questions in my head. Was Rylee okay? Would he find her? “I’m so confused.”
Crypt’s arm slid around my shoulders as he guided me toward the exit.
I caught the no-nonsense way he moved, staying vigilant as we walked outdoors.
His entire body seemed alert, scanning everything around us like the boogeyman would soon jump out and scare us.
The thing was, in my case, the boogeyman was real, and he preyed on my daughter.
“What if he doesn’t find Rylee?” I dared to ask, using every bit of courage I could muster to stay strong because she needed me. There was no way I would fall apart now, not this close to having her back. But if Hannibal failed, I didn’t know what I would do. Offer myself instead?
No one had offered me that deal, but I would take it in a heartbeat.
“He will.”
“But,” I began to say before Crypt cut me off.
“I’ve seen your dad in prison. I know the type of man he is, and I’m tellin’ ya, babe, he’s fucking fearless. There’s something about him that’s lethal in a way I can’t describe, but it’s there, lurking, and not many men are foolish enough to test it.”
I couldn’t argue because Crypt was right.
I’d always known my father was a powerful, influential man.
He was respected, and it wasn’t only by other bikers.
My father had connections everywhere he went.
I almost laughed at the thought that he could be mafia.
If he wasn’t so integrated into the Graven Bastards MC, I would suspect it.
“I just want my daughter home and this nightmare to be over.” I sniffled as a few tears slipped from my eyes.
“Hey, I’ve got you. It’ll be all right.” He gently swiped the tears from my cheeks. “Hannibal will find your daughter. I don’t think he’s going to fail to bring her back to you. I’ll just keep you safe until we’re all back at The Crossroads.”
I didn’t really have a choice. Hannibal was already gone.
“I’ve never even been there,” I admitted.
“Never?”
“Nope.”
“Well, that’s changing now, Rachel. Come on.”
I let Crypt lead me from the lobby, sighing as we walked outside and toward the rodeo. Crypt’s hotel wasn’t far, and we took the elevator up to his floor, only pausing long enough for him to grab his two duffel bags. He certainly traveled light.
It honestly looked like he never unpacked. The two bags sat on the bed, zipped shut. If I wasn’t so worried about Rylee, I would probably ask him the reason he was staying in a hotel if he was a new member of the Graven Bastards. But it wasn’t any of my business.
“You know how to ride?” Crypt asked as he stopped beside a motorcycle parked toward the entrance.
It was dusty, but also a gorgeous, deep blue. A grim reaper was painted on the tank in black with a silver scythe. I didn’t know much about Harley-Davidson bikes, but I did know the brand was popular, and most GBMC members rode one.
“I’ve ridden once or twice,” I replied with a shrug.
Hannibal had taken me on a few rides, but my mother hated it, and he got sick of hearing her freak out about her daughter on a death machine. To be fair, I was young.
Riding a motorcycle had to be like riding a bike. Once you learned you never forget. Right?
Crypt stashed his duffels in black, hard saddlebags. The expensive ones, labeled with the Harley-Davidson name. They looked sharp on his bike. It was a sexy motorcycle.
“Hop on, beautiful.”
I climbed on, settling onto the seat as he stared at me. “What?”
“Did you drive your car to Vegas?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not gonna like it, but we can take it instead if you don’t wanna ride.”
I snorted. “Old Blue is probably on her deathbed. She doesn’t have much left.”
“Ah. You got anything inside you need?”
No. I never thought to pack a bag for myself. “I left in a hurry.”
“So, no?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have anything in that car other than a few tears, a little desperation, and some bad memories.”
“Okay.” Crypt straddled his bike with ease, reaching back to tug me closer. “Babe, you gotta hug me with those pretty thighs and wrap your arms around me tight. Not risking losing you. Get closer.”
I moved as close as I could get, noting that my body was plastered to his from behind. My hands circled his waist, and I could feel his stomach muscles tighten and flex beneath the material of his shirt.
“You ready?”
I tried to block everything from my mind and clear the worry, fear, and doubt trying to strangle me. “Yes, Crypt.”
He started the engine, and as it rumbled to life beneath us, I held on to the outlaw and his beast, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake.