Chapter 35—Kooper #2
“Please. Natalie is missing. She was taken. Along with his woman, her roommate.”
They both look at me, and I just stare, not agreeing or disagreeing.
I would never deny Ruby being mine, but I don’t know this woman.
Maybe she’s in on it. Maybe everyone is.
Till I clear a person, everyone is under suspicion.
Ruby was here one minute, gone the next.
That takes planning. Skills. And people working with them to make it happen so that the Hounds can’t find them.
I’m not about to say shit to people I don’t know because of that.
“No one knows where she and Ruby are. If you can find them, if you know anything about where they are, please tell us. We just want them back. We just want them home.”
The woman stares at Kitten for a couple of seconds before pulling her hand back and walking quickly away. Probably out of fear of us manhandling her some more.
“What was that about?” Fairy asks. She’s carrying like six muffin boxes that come close to covering her entire face.
We—well, Kitten—offered to help, but she insisted on doing it herself.
Something about a mathematical geometry shape and the load of each box that distributed things for easier accessibility.
“I thought she could help.” Kitten’s still staring out the window, as if she expects the woman to come back at any moment.
“Come on. Let’s get going. Maybe your old man found something,” I say to cheer her up. To cheer me up. I doubt it, but it’s all I’ve got right now.
As we all pile back into the truck, I don’t miss that four cars down is the Asian woman.
Her car is still parked, but it’s clear she’s looking right at us.
And she’s on the phone. Could be calling the police.
Could be calling someone else. All I know is that I still don’t know shit, and staying outside a bakery is doing nothing to help.
“She’s here.” Kitten comes running down the hall, yelling it over and over till she finds me just as I come out of my room. I had just gotten out of the shower and heard her yelling. Never got ready so fast in my life.
“Who?” My heart stops for a second, thinking it’s my girl, but Kitten must know my thoughts because she shakes her head.
“No, not Ruby. That girl we saw at the bakery yesterday. She’s here. The Asian businesswoman.”
“Okay….” I’m not really sure what she’s going on about, but this doesn’t concern me at all. I need to get back out there and find Ruby.
“Come on.” For a small little thing, she has some muscle on her and pulls me along. All the way through the clubhouse and to the gate, where the other woman is waiting.
We’re on lockdown for the families. No one goes out without a brother, and no one comes in who we don’t know. No one.
“Hey!” She waves and smiles like we’re long-lost friends. “I brought those clothes you wanted to try on.” She holds up a brown sack filled with clothes.
“Ah.” Kitten looks at me but moves closer to the gate. I walk with her, as I’m not about to have something happen to an old lady. No doubt Flint’s watching the cameras, and with Walker on the gate, we should be good, but you never know.
The woman is smiling wide and tilts her head down as if she wants to have a private conversation. Kitten falls for it and leans in, as if they’re conspiring over clothes.
“Get me inside.” She says it between her teeth, her smile never faltering. Her lips never move so no one can see what she said, only hear it if they’re close. And I’m close.
I look her over skeptically. She’s small, but we’ve been fooled before by size and other things around here.
She sees my look and doesn’t bat an eye at it. “I promise you, sweetie. I have exactly what you’re looking for.” Her words are for Kitten, but her eyes never leave mine.
A spark of hope flourishes inside me. It might be the biggest mistake I’ve ever made with the club, but I make the call.
“Open it up, Walker.”
He doesn’t hesitate, and in walks the woman, giving Kitten an enthusiastic hug. To Kitten’s credit, she plays along, going so far as to gush over the clothes that could be in the bag and being so grateful she brought them. That she has nothing to wear or some shit.
I don’t know what they say, as I’m only half listening.
If the woman doesn’t want to talk outside, then she must know we’re being watched or something.
I look at the cameras that I know Flint is using to watch us walk inside, then move my finger to my nose and rub it in a circular motion.
A yellow light flickers on the camera, and I know he understood my cue to scan the surrounding area.
I hear the drones take off a second later and hope they can catch whoever’s watching.
When we get inside, the woman keeps walking toward the back like she knows where she’s going, which pulls a ton of attention.
“All right, sweetie, I’m going to get set up in the back.
I think your man is just going to love the lingerie sets we picked out for you.
And don’t worry, I brought some for your girls too.
Why don’t you go get your man, and you can try it on for him.
Oh, and bring that boss man you’ve got around here.
I heard he’s got an eye for this stuff.”
Kitten stills and looks at me, and I nod. Then she races down to her man’s place, and I follow this woman, whoever she is, as she makes her way into our Church room. Bass and Jumper come too.
She just smiles at everyone as she dumps her bag open on the table and starts sorting things out as if she really is showing clothes. We wait a minute, maybe two, before Flint, Kitten, and Casper join us, shutting the door behind them.
“Boss man?” The woman smiles at Casper, and his eyes narrow.
I step in front of him. If she’s looking to take out one of our own, she’s mistaken. We’d all take a bullet for the president. Even Kitten. And when she tries to step in front of Casper, too, Flint pulls her back enough to take the head position.
“Cute. But also revealing.” The woman pulls something out of her pocket and puts it on the table. It lights up from red to green.
“What’s that?” Jumper asks.
“A jammer,” Flint says.
“Smart man. And yes, it is. But it can also do this.” She pushes another button, and a 3D blueprint of a building pops up above the table.
It looks like something Tony Stark has. “We think they’re being held here.
” She points to a room. “It’s underground, but it makes the most sense.
Our intel hasn’t seen any women in the top facility since we started looking. ”
“Who the fuck are you?” Casper growls.
“Name’s Gina. As far as you and I are concerned, we’re friends.” She tilts her head as if debating. “Well, more or less. We’re not in your area to take over or make a connection. I was here only to keep an eye on one person. Nothing more.”
“Natalie,” Kitten says in a rushed whisper as she takes a seat.
Gina nods solemnly. “I only do eyes-on every few weeks. I’ve got other jobs that take me out of the area. Haven’t seen her in a bit at the college, so I figured I’d make a play here and see if something turned up.”
“How did you find her?” I ask. Her being Ruby, but she thinks it’s Natalie and speaks hesitantly.
She releases an audible breath. “Without answering more questions than not, let’s just say we have a way to track Natalie.” When no one says anything, she shrugs and adds more. “We turned it on and got a hit on her location. Here.” She gestures to the screen. “Colombia.”
I fall into the nearest seat.
Colombia? South America?
Shit. No wonder we couldn’t find her. She’s in a different fucking country.
I look to my left and see the same disbelief on my brothers’ faces. We assumed she’d be here. In America. We’ve got friends all over the world, but we didn’t expect this.
I look back to the one person who seems to know more than we do. The one who might have an idea about how to get Natalie and Ruby out. If she’s there. There’s a chance they aren’t together, but it’s one I’m willing to take.
“What’s the plan?”
Gina grins. It’s borderline crazy, and I kind of like it. And her next words bring a matching one out of me.
“I’ve got a plane. Leaves in two hours.”