Chapter 37
Daisy
Falcon had a run coming up again soon, so I was shocked he wanted to drive me to Ohio to get my license and birth certificate before that. But he didn’t have any clients coming in and cleared it with Hawk. He told me it could be a while before we had time again. I was excited to get it out of the way. I’d still have to get a new license and visit the Social Security office in Georgia, but that wouldn’t be as much of a hassle as going back to Ohio. I couldn’t even call it home anymore. My home was with Falcon now, and the club.
As much as I loved riding on the bike, I was glad he told me we’d take the cage. After the ride from Jersey to Georgia, my ass didn’t like the idea of a long haul on the bike again. He still didn’t make many stops and said we’d get a hotel for the night, then make the drive back tomorrow. I didn’t argue; I nearly offered to take shifts driving just so we could get back, but he had a long trip ahead after we returned and didn’t need that turnaround. I dozed off several times on the trip and hitting some rain on the way up was another reason I was happy to be in the truck.
“Are you gonna let me drive this thing while you’re gone? I’ll be legit once we’re done here,” I said as we pulled into the DMV. It was later in the day, but it wasn’t a big town and luckily the parking lot wasn’t very full. The health department was in the same stretch of buildings and we could just walk over after getting my license.
“Where would you need to go? I have guys that can take you.”
“So, you’d rather let me ride with some biker than just hand over the keys? Are you serious?”
He hopped out and walked around to open my door, helping me out. He took my hand and started leading us to the door. It was warm, and not as humid as Georgia, but it was gloomy and miserable. Georgia had a lot of pop-up showers now that the weather was teetering between cold and hot but was generally sunny. I’d already acclimated in the short time there, even to the mugginess. Maybe it was just because Georgia was where Falcon lived, but being back here only reminded me of how boring and bland this state was.
Walking inside, we both had to go through the metal detector. He had removed his weapons in the truck but watching him dump his hard candy into the plastic bin and remove his belt was fun for me. The rent-a-cop grinned as she waved her wand over him. I crossed my arms and scowled as she took her sweet- ass time, especially around his crotch.
After she let him get his things from the bin, I shot her a glare, but she just smirked back. Bitch. “Some women have no couth.”
“Jealous, darlin’?”
“Of her?” I scoffed as I motioned behind us. “Hardly. But we’re obviously together. She practically felt you up.”
He put his arm around my waist and guided us to the flimsy plastic chairs. The lighting was depressing and, after waking up to leave in practically the middle of the night, I was exhausted. But his plan made sense. This way, we could hopefully get what I needed done, have only one hotel stay, then go home.
Oddly enough, even though I read it was possible to get a copy in person, the process went pretty smoothly. They would only give me a paper copy until the other could be mailed, though, and they wouldn’t let me change the address since I had no proof of residence. Falcon had already talked to Mama Hen about that and had her trash bill put in my name, but that was too recent, and we planned the trip quickly. All they did was scan my face, take my fingerprints, take his money, and give me a paper copy.
With my license available, we left one dreary building for another. Once more, very few people were inside the health department, but I still had to sign in and wait. I was about to nod off when my name was called.
Falcon walked with me as we followed the petite older woman down a short hallway. Her perfectly coiffed silver bob bounced with each step. She motioned to two chairs and then sat across from us. “What can I do for you both today?”
I laid the paper copy of my license down on her pristine desk. “I need to get a copy of my birth certificate. All of my things were stolen, so I have to replace everything.”
The cute little woman grinned. “Oh dear, that’s much less fun than what I thought. How terrible.” She pulled a clipboard from the other side of her desk. “I’ll need you to fill this out.”
She kept sneaking glances at Falcon, but he just gave a smile back, as much of a smile that anyone would get from him, anyway. I couldn’t help but grin at her slight blushing. She had to be old enough to be his grandma. It was funny how some women would cower and clutch their invisible pearls at the sight of these guys, while others— those you’d least expect—would preen.
“Here you go.” Passing the form back, she grabbed my license and pulled reading glasses from a chain around her neck. She began pecking away at the keyboard and the silence aside from the clicking of the keys was making me antsy. “What did you think I needed my birth certificate for?”
She gave me a coy look and wiggled her shoulders. “Well, not to scare him, but I thought you needed it so you could get your marriage license. Most women don’t have a need for them until that time comes, and nobody keeps up with them.”
As she kept pecking away, heat rose in my chest, but I tried to breathe slow and steadily to keep it from rising to my face. “Not sure we’re there yet,” I said with a nervous chuckle.
Falcon whipped his head at me and his intense stare was unnerving. I hated when he did that. I had no clue what he was thinking. I decided to keep my mouth shut going forward. I was sure he’d bring it up once we were back in the truck, but if he didn’t, I would because I couldn’t handle not knowing what he was thinking.
“Oh, my,” the woman said with a frown. “It’s you.”
My brows shot up. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and I didn’t owe anyone money, but her tone made me feel like I was in trouble. Falcon must have sensed my unease because he scooted his chair closer to me and gripped my hand. “I’m sorry. What do you mean?” I wanted to bolt from the chair, but Falcon’s grip was grounding me.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. But I have to call this in.”
My heart thundered in my chest. She typed in something on her computer before she turned her screen to show me. Falcon turned it even more so he could read it as she picked up the phone.
My mouth dropped open. “Missing person? And wait—what does that say down there?” I asked, pointing to the bottom of the screen. She had opened another window and a news article from the local paper was covering part of my missing person report.
Falcon grinned at the woman and grabbed the mouse, scrolling the screen. “Who is Danielle Miller?” He got closer to the screen, blowing up the grainy picture. “Is that your cousin or something?”
Leaning in, I read a snippet below her picture and gasped. “She’s in the hospital?” The woman was murmuring into the phone and I kept reading while Falcon waited for an answer. “And I was listed as a missing person? By who? ”
“Daisy, who’s Danielle?” Falcon asked again with his calm tone.
Confused at all I was reading, I finally said, “My mom.”
The woman hung up the phone. “I am sorry you found out this way. The officer is on the way to talk to you.”
“But I haven’t done anything wrong?”
The woman’s brows shot up. “Oh, no dear! But with the missing person file and your mom…well they just need a statement.”
Falcon tucked some loose hair behind my ear then asked the woman. “Why is her mom in the hospital?”
“Oh, there was an incident, but I think it’s best to get that from the officer. Oh, my. Let me get your birth certificate handled before he comes. I’m sure they’ll want you to go in to talk and you’ll need that.”
Falcon interjected. “Why didn’t the DMV know about this? We were just there.”
The woman scoffed. “Like they care about anything. The alert came up as soon as I put her name in. I’d like to believe they didn’t notice the big flashing box, but I’d also like to believe in Santa Claus.”
“Is she alright?” I asked.
The woman shrugged. “I’m not sure, honey. I heard from my neighbor that she was in and out of consciousness. Let me grab this from the printer then I can seal it for you. ”
The woman stood up and walked a little further down the hall. Falcon gripped my chin. “Are you alright?”
“I don’t know.” It was an honest answer. We hadn’t had the best relationship, but I never wanted to see her hurt. From what little I read, there was a home invasion gone wrong. “She wouldn’t have reported me missing. I’ve been gone for a while. I didn’t go too far, but we haven’t spoken in years.”
The woman came back and pulled a notary seal from her desk. “Officer Lincoln will be here anytime. He wasn’t far.” She handed me the document and passed back the printout of my license. “Can I get you a water or something, honey? Or something for your gentleman friend?” she asked with a slight blush.
He waved her off and I shook my head. The woman’s phone rang, and she said, “Okay, I’ll come get him.” She hung up then smiled. “He’s outside. If you want to wait here, I’ll get him. There’s an unused office down the hall.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Falcon said as she stood.
Less than a minute passed before a man not much older than me greeted us. He wore a typical uniform with short cropped brown hair and a clean shave. “Miss Miller, I’m Officer Lincoln. I just need a quick statement. I’m sure you’d like to visit your mother.”
The older woman led us down the hall into the unoccupied office. There was a desk and several chairs, but the walls were bare. There wasn’t a window either, and the fluorescent light needed a bulb change. We sat down and the woman closed the door.
The officer pulled out a notepad and put a tablet down on the desk. “Miss Miller, you were reported missing approximately eight months ago. Our leads ran cold pretty fast.” He looked over at Falcon. “Are you safe?”
I reached over and took Falcon’s hand. “I am now. But who reported me missing?”
He glanced down. “Chad Bowers. He claimed to be your live-in boyfriend.”
The cackle that escaped me was almost embarrassing. “Are you kidding? I filed a restraining order against him. Twice.” I emphasized by holding up two fingers. “I reported him for stalking. Nothing ever held up and I had to run to get away from him.” These idiots.
Falcon’s grip tightened around my hand. I hadn’t really gotten into details with him except that I had a shitty ex-boyfriend.
The officer cleared his throat and I noticed Falcon glaring at him when I looked over. I squeezed his hand back as the officer went on. “I didn’t take the report ma’am. And I wasn’t the detective on the case. I just have to clear this report since you’ve been found, but I’ll be sure to make a note of that.” He jotted something down then asked, “Do you have any reason to believe Mr. Bowers would harm your mother?”
I shook my head. “I never really talked about her. I guess he could’ve found her easy enough. But I thought she was recently hospitalized?”
“That’s correct.”
“If it was Chad, wouldn’t it have made sense if he did that when I went missing, not months later? ”
The officer tapped his pen on his knee. “I suppose. But if you don’t think it was him, is there anyone else you can think of?”
I swallowed and Falcon squeezed my hand. “I can’t think of anyone.”
The officer looked at Falcon for a few beats then back at me. “Right. Well, here’s my card,” he said as he passed it to me. “Where can I reach you with further information?”
“I moved. I just came back because I lost all my IDs. What hospital is my mother at?”
“She’s home. She was only there a few days. But I do need a way to contact you.”
“I’m not a missing person, and I can’t help with my mom’s attack.”
The officer puffed out his chest as he stood. Falcon stood as well, but the officer just smirked. “You folks wouldn’t be trying to make it hard on an officer, now would you?”
Falcon reached for his pen, so the officer handed him the notepad as well. He wrote something down and handed it back, then reached for my hand. “We’re going now.” He opened the door and with my documents in hand, we hustled out of the building.
Once in the truck, I put the papers in the glove box then threaded my hands through my hair and let out a sigh. As Falcon climbed into his side, he pulled his phone out. Seeing a map, I figured he was taking us to the highway to get away from here.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see my mom. Maybe it was best I let him navigate.