Chapter Thirteen
Ghost
I t took half an hour longer than I expected to get everything in order. I had to brief Steel and Blaze on the inventory I ordered and an inspection next Thursday. We need to make sure the Undercage is locked tightly and the entrance completely concealed.
I will have to leave Snow and Dove home for the club meeting this coming Wednesday. We have a fundraiser to set up in order to raise money for a local church that burned down. Ma and Pops took us boys there many times when we were younger. It was a good place with good people. We’ll help them rebuild. But fundraisers this size require a ton of paperwork and seller fees.
That’s going to be a task on its own.
I palm the cross around my neck as old memories flash before my eyes. Pops ordered these special necklaces for us boys. They had a small tracking device attached so he could find us in case we got lost or ran away. Venom did that a few times.
I think it’s time we had some made for the rest of the family, especially our most precious ones. I make a mental note to get some made for Maddy, Knox, Hope, Alliecat, Sophie, Snow, and Dove.
I brush off all of the unchecked things I still need to do and focus on parking. The second I exit my car I know something’s wrong. Each small building holds two apartments, and I know for a fact the one across from Snow is empty and she would never leave the main door wide open.
Rushing forward, my heart drops when I see that not only is the door to the building wide open but so is the one to Snow’s apartment.
“Snow,” I call out. “Where are you, babe?”
After searching all of the rooms and not finding her, I take a deep breath to clear my thoughts. Her bags are by the door, and Sky isn’t here. Maybe she had another seizure and had to call the ambulance again. That would explain why the doors are wide open. They wouldn’t bother with them if they were in a hurry.
I quickly pull up the information for the same hospital I just took her out of.
“Saint Mary’s, how may I direct your call?”
“I need to know if a woman named Amara Clarke was brought it by ambulance?” I say. “She most likely had her service dog with her.”
“One moment, please.”
I focus on my breathing while I hear the clicking of a keyboard through the phone.
“It looks like Amara Clarke arrived via ambulance earlier this morning but was discharged a couple of hours ago.”
“She hasn’t been back in since?” I ask frantically.
“No, I’m sorry. Not unless she’s sitting in the waiting room.”
Damn it. Hanging up, I call Venom.
“Brother, you on your way back? Pops wants to grill out tonight before you take the new family home.”
“She’s missing,” I respond. “I can’t find her, and I’m freaking the fuck out.”
“Who’s missing? Snow?”
“Her apartment door was open, and her shit was waiting by the door, but I can’t find her. I even called the hospital. She’s gone.”
“Fuck. Alright. I’m calling the men in. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Don’t fucking drive, Ghost. I’m coming to get you.”
“I’ll meet you at the clubhouse. Have Knox pull any and all cameras within a mile of Snow’s home.”
“Damnit, Ghost.”
“Hey,” someone calls out when I reach my car. “Are you friends with the deaf girl and her mom?”
An older man walks towards me with a slight limp, his cane snapping against the pavement.
“Yes,” I answer. “Why?”
“Some skinny man was carrying her over his shoulder to his van earlier,” he tells me. “I tried to tell him that she needed her dog, but he ignored me and drove off. Can you take her dog to her? He was out here running around, so I brought him inside.”
“Do you remember what this man looked like?” I ask quickly. “Or the plate number on the van?”
“Do I look FBI to you? It was a solid black van. The man was stronger than he looked and carried her from her apartment to the van with no problem. She’s got some meat on her bones, so he must have been hiding muscles under that jacket. Anyway, come get this dog. He won’t stop barking.”
“Did the man get in the driver or passenger seat?” I ask.
“He climbed into the back of the van with the woman,” he says. “This is me.”
“Did you call the police?”
“In this neighborhood? Son, the police would think it’s a prank.”
Fuck.
The second the man opens his door, Sky bursts out and runs back to his apartment.
“Sky,” I call out. “Let’s go, boy. Thanks for your help, sir.”
Not waiting around to hear his response, I rush to my car and open the door. Sky runs to the car. Before jumping in, he looks back at the apartment as if waiting for his friend to emerge.
“She’s not there, buddy. But we’ll find her. And then someone is going to pay.”
***
“What the hell do you mean you don’t have any?” I hear Knox yell as soon as I enter the clubhouse. “It’s in the lease agreement that security cameras would be installed around the parking lots… I don’t care if your cheap ass didn’t want to front the money for them. You placed in the lease that you had everyone sign. It’s the fucking law, you cheap bastard.”
“What’s going on?”
“Where did you find Sky?” Sophie asks, her face red from crying.
“He was at a neighbor’s house. Where are the girls?”
“I took them to my place with Maddy and Emily,” King says. “It’s locked up tight, brother. Jax, Mitchell, and Taylor are there with them. No one is touching your little girl. And she doesn’t know what’s going on. I thought it best not to tell her.”
“Good,” I nod my thanks.
Trusting King and knowing that my girl is safe, I focus on finding her mom.
“What have we got?”
“I just got off the phone with the apartment complex’s owner where Snow lives,” Knox says. “Even though it was in the lease agreement, he never installed security cameras. However, a small mom-and-pop shop across the street gave me access to their network. It only catches the edge of the main parking area but without knowing what to look for, it’s next to impossible to spot something.”
“That’ll work. Narrow the feed to the past two hours,” I say. “We’re looking for a black van. Unknown plates. Her neighbor claims to have seen a man carry Snow to the van before tossing her in the back and climbing in next to her. He said the man was skinny but strong because he had Snow tossed over his shoulder.”
“Oh, I’ve already seen that van come and go,” Knox says, messing with his computer. “Here. The windows are too tinted to see through.”
Knox tosses the video on the main screen in the room.
“Can you rewind it right before the van turns right?” Reynolds. “Then slow it down.”
Knox does as was asked, and we watch the van as it turns slowly.
“Stop,” Reynolds says before the van completely drives off screen. “Look at the bottom left of the van.”
“It’s a sticker,” Knox says.
“A very familiar sticker,” Reynolds responds. “When we first moved here, I didn’t own a car. I drove either my bike or Taylor’s truck places. However, I had to rent a truck for a few days to help move lumber around when we were helping build a friend’s house.”
“Let me see if I can enhance the image,” Knox says. “You were right. Second Street Rentals. Is this the same place you used?”
“It was called Don’s Rentals back then,” Reynolds says, looking at the image on the screen. “But it’s the same building. They must have changed the name.”
“Did they have GPS tracking on their vehicles?”
“I’m not sure,” he admits. “I just asked for a truck with a big bed.”
Everything in me wants to scream in outrage, but I need to control myself. I need to stay focused.
King places his hand on my shoulder and holds my eyes. With a single nod, I know that he understands my internal turmoil. He gets it. He’s been here before. So has Venom.
“You’re in control,” he tells me. “Absorb that anger. That fear. Save it for the right time. It will give you a strength you never knew you possessed.”
“Hello,” Knox says, pulling my attention. “Yes, I was thinking of renting a car for my son and was wondering if your vehicles were equipped with a GPS tracking system. I would feel much better knowing he has a backup map in case his phone dies…yes…around May… What about any vans…Oh, I see. Thank you for your help. I’ll be in touch in about a month to finalize all of this. You too. Bye.”
“Alright,” he says, hanging up his phone. “Only a handful of their vehicles have GPS installed, but none of those vehicles are vans.”
“What do we do now?” Sophie asks.
“I’m going to need a few minutes to hack into their files and see if I can find out who rented this van. Hopefully, the description alone will work because we can’t see a single digit of the tags.”
“In the meantime,” I add. “I want everyone who…”
“Uhm, Ghost, a fax just came through for you. You might want to read this.”
“A fax?” I ask as Knox hands me a paper.
“I didn’t even know we had a fax machine,” Reynolds says.
“What does it say?” Sophie asks.
I think I’ve given you ample time to notice that your lady friend is gone. Now that I have your attention, I want you to stick close to your phone. Not your cell phone, but the good old landline inside your clubhouse. I will call you in five hours with some information you’re going to want. Until then, I think I’ll spend that time getting to know your new friend. And, Ghost, it better be you on the other end of the line when I call.
-Firecracker
“Firecracker? Who the hell is that?”
My ears buzz with anger coursing through my body.
“Why does his name sound so familiar?” Reynolds asks.
“He’s that fucking kid that Hunter let fight last weekend,” Venom tells them. “The seventeen-year-old boy who wanted revenge on the man who raped his sister. I watched him fight, Ghost. He’s small, fast, and fucking strong. Matches the description of the man Snow’s neighbor saw.”
Not wasting another second, I call Hunter.
“Ghost, hey, I was just about to call you,” he greets.
“No time,” I say. “I need…”
“I want to apologize for the way I acted before,” he interrupts. “I was drunk and fucking stupid. I want to make it up to you. How about I bring some steaks to grill out for the club? I’ll even let your Pops take over if he wants. I know he’s the grill master and all.”
“Hunter,” I growl. “I need your help.”
“Of course,” he says. “Anything.”
“That little shit teenager that you let fight last weekend kidnapped Snow,” I explain. “I need to know where he would have taken her and why.”
“Nathan, the Firecracker?” he asks. “No way, Ghost. That kid is as clean as it comes. I even asked if he wanted to train for future fights, and he said he got what he wanted. Why do you think he took your woman?”
“Where can I find him?” I growl into the phone.
“Listen, you’re wrong about him. But I’ll text you his home address. I’m sure he’s at home with his folks. Whoever took your woman wasn’t Nathan. No way. No how. Bet my life on it.”
The text comes through, and I immediately forward it to Knox.
“Thanks,” I say before ending the call.
“Hunter doesn’t think it’s the kid,” I tell the room.
“Found his parent’s number,” Knox says. “Who’s calling?”
“I will,” Sophie answers. “It might be better coming from a girl. One of you would probably scare them to death.”
She’s not wrong.
“Hello, may I speak to Nathan McAllister, please? Oh, my name is Sophia. Really? Do you know when he’ll be back? That might be too late. I’ll just call him tomorrow. Actually, do you happen to know his cell number? We had talked last week about a job opportunity and this was the number he had set for an emergency contact. Somehow, the Ink smeared over his cell number and social security number. Oh, no, that’s okay. He can just fill it back out when he comes, but I was hoping to see if he could come in today before it’s too late… That would be wonderful. I really appreciate it. I’m ready… Oh, that was an eight. I could just make out the last digit, and I thought it was a six. Thanks again. Bye now.”
“And that is why she called and not any of you,” Knox laughs. “What did they say?”
“His mom said that he went out to help his uncle move some cattle,” Sophie answers. “He won’t be home until later tonight.”
“What do you think, Pres?” Reynolds asks. “Do we wait for the call, or do we check up on this kid?”
“Can you find the uncle’s address?” I ask Knox.
“Already on it.”
“King, I want you to go check the address,” I say. “See if the story checks out. Knox, let me know if you can get a video feed from around the rental place. Maybe they caught this person on film. I’m going to go to Pops’.”
“Why Pops?” Venom asks.
“Because I have no fucking gun in this building, and Ma and Pops place is just around the corner.”
“Wait,” Sophie says. “What if they call? The fax said you have to be the one to answer the phone.”
“Easy fix,” Knox says. “I’ll set up any incoming calls to forward straight to your cell. Just don’t let it go to voicemail. I’m actually not sure if it will be your voicemail or the clubs that picks up.”
“Blaze, you’re with me. The rest of you, don’t leave Knox and Sophie unguarded.”
“I agree, Xander,” Venom mutters.
“Honey, we can’t hear what he said,” Sophie reminds him.
“He said he’s about sick and tired of our family members being taken,” Venom answers. “He thinks we should lock you all up so no one can get to you.”
Looks like Xander and I are on the same page.