Chapter 17
Menace
“Running solo today?”
“Yeah, brother.” I hadn’t had a chance to go by and see Jagger since Aubrey and I got back from Billy’s, so I decided to take the morning and visit with him for a bit. “Just me today.”
“Where’s the girlfriend?”
“She had plans with the ‘ol ladies today.” I was pleased that Jagger looked like he was doing pretty good. There were no bruises on his face or hands, and that ol’ spark in his eyes had returned—which was something I didn’t expect. “You seem to be doing well today.”
“Yeah, I’m making it okay.”
“You get set up with that new counselor chick?”
“I did.” Jagger ran his hand over his thick beard and shrugged. “I gotta say, she’s not at all what I was expecting.”
“Sounds like that’s a good thing.”
“Yes and no.” His eyes skirted around the room. “I think she means well, and she might even be helping me a little with some issues, but I don’t know, brother. She’s just not the kind of woman who needs to be in a place like this.”
“I figure that’s up to her to decide.”
“Nah, brother.” Clearly bothered, Jagger shook his head. “She wouldn’t have to come to this place if that dumbass lawyer of mine hadn’t sent her here.”
“She could’ve taken a pass, but the fact is, she did come. And if she’s helping you at all, then I’d say it’s a good thing. So, just let her do the job she’s been hired to do.”
“You’re right, but I hate this bullshit. I think the whole thing is so fucked up.” His face grew red with anger as he grumbled, “Her coming here just so I can get a fucking parole hearing. It ain’t right.”
I was tired of seeing my brother locked behind bars in that fucking orange jumpsuit, so I replied, “But it’s what you gotta do to get the hell out of this place, so do it. We’re all ready for you to get your ass home, brother.”
“I hear ya, but I still don’t like it.”
“Understood.”
Jagger glanced over his shoulder, checking to see if anyone was close before he leaned over to me and whispered, “So, the last time you were here you asked me about that Rossi motherfucker.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I did some asking around, and most of his dealings are out West. I figure you know that. Seems he and his mafia bunch are big into meth, and they’re branching out all over the state. The boss got locked up for murder, and with Rossi behind bars, it’s put a real strain on the business.”
“So, you think having them behind bars is gonna slow them down?”
“Nah, man. From what I’m hearing, these guys have the kind of money that can buy them out of just about anything.”
“If that’s the case, then why the hell are they locked up now?”
“I hate to break it to ya, brother, but these guys are exactly where they wanna be.”
“What the fuck?”
“I know. It’s fifty shades of fucked up. I’ll try to do some more digging, but I wouldn’t plan on either of these assholes staying locked up for long.”
That wasn’t the news I was hoping to hear, but I can’t say that I was all that surprised.
We’d had dealings with men like Rossi and his crew in the past, so I knew firsthand that if anyone wanted to get the best of them, they’d have to expect the unexpected.
I was trying to wrap my head around the thought when Kip, one of the guards and the club’s contact came over to me. “You need to go.”
“What?”
“Club’s trying to reach ya.”
“About?”
“No idea. Just know it’s urgent enough for me to tell ya to get your ass to a phone.”
“Got it.” I stood and Jagger’s brows furrowed with concern as I said, “I’ll be back when I can.”
With that, I rushed out of the prison and straight to my bike. Knowing I couldn’t carry it inside, I’d left my burner in my saddlebag. I quickly took it out and saw that I missed several calls from Lynch. I immediately dialed his number, and when he answered, I asked, “What the hell is going on?”
“We got a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“It’s Aubrey.” My stomach twisted into a knot as I listened to him say, “She and Mazie are missing.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? She isn’t at the restaurant with Jess and the other girls?”
“She never made it.” I got on my bike as I listened to him say, “I saw her over at Mazie’s place. Talked to her a minute. She told me that she and the girls were going to grab some lunch. I needed to fill up my tank, so I told her I’d just meet them over there.”
“Wait, you left them alone?”
“It was only for a few minutes, brother. Just long enough for me to hit the gas station on the way to the fucking restaurant. I went straight there afterward, and Aubrey promised they’d do the same.”
“Goddamn it, Lynch! You know better than that shit!”
“I know, brother. I know.” I could hear the regret and distress dripping from his words as he said, “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you fucking weren’t!”
“I know you’re pissed, and you have every right to be, but Hawk and Shotgun are with me now. Country and Rafe are on their way. We’re thinking Gary had something to do with this but haven’t been able to track him down. But don’t worry, brother. We’ll find them.”
“You damn well better.” Before I started my engine, I told him, “I’m on my way back. Call me if you hear anything.”
I shoved my burner in my pocket and took off for home.
My mind was racing a mile a minute, wanting to do something, anything, but I was fucking stuck.
I had no idea where the hell she was, and there wasn’t a goddamn thing I could do about it.
I didn’t have my laptop with me, so I couldn’t use it to track Aubrey’s phone.
I tried not to think the worst as I sped out of the parking lot and out to the interstate.
I knew my brothers would do everything they could to find her, but sadly, it did little to ease the blood boiling through my veins.
My mind drifted to what Jagger had said about Rossi.
Even though I felt certain that Gary was behind their disappearance, there was part of me that wondered if he’d seen through our scheme and had gotten to her.
If it was Rossi who had managed to find her and had gotten his hands on her, it would be the last fucking thing he did.
Same for fucking Gary. If either of them touched a hair on her head, they were as good as dead.
As soon as I got back into town, I went straight to the clubhouse to find Lynch and the others. When I pulled through the gate, I found him standing in the parking lot with Viper and Axel. “Any word?”
“Sorry, brother. There’s been no trace of them, but we’re still doing what we can to track them down. Country and I went over to Gary’s place, but there was no sign of him or the girls.”
“Damn it!”
Viper placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re worried about your girl, but we’re gonna find them, Menace. You have my word on that. We just need to take a breath and think this thing through.”
“I’m trying, but it’s hard to think straight when I don’t know what the fuck is going on.” I knew Viper was right. Me freaking out wasn’t doing anybody any good, so I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to slow my racing mind. “Maybe I can track Aubrey’s location with her phone.”
“Hold up,” Lynch told me as they all followed me inside and down the hallway. “Her phone and Mazie’s were in Aubrey’s car.”
“Damn, where the fuck is her car?”
“Parked over at Mazie’s apartment.”
“Fuck!” I felt like I was running in circles and wasn’t sure which direction to take next.
I thought back over what we knew: Aubrey and Mazie were at Mazie’s apartment, her car was still there, and her phone had been left behind.
I couldn’t imagine how Rossi could’ve found her, but the thought was weighing on my mind as I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer.
“You think this is Gary bullshit, or this has something to do with Rossi?”
“This isn’t Rossi. Not after everything Billy did, but this isn’t the time for a guessing game. You’re here now. Do what you can to track them down.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that without her fucking phone?”
“How about checking the security feed from Mazie’s apartment complex?” Lynch suggested. “At least then we could see who we’re dealing with.”
Without waiting for him to say anything more, I plugged in Mazie’s address and located the name of her apartment complex.
Once I had the name, I was able to search the company running their security, and it wasn’t long before I’d hacked into their security feed.
It took some time to find the camera closest to her apartment, but when I spotted Lynch in the parking lot, I knew I’d found it. I pointed to the screen. “Got it!”
“Okay, let’s see what the fuck happened.”
I sped through the day’s feed, watching as he talked to Aubrey, then headed back over to his bike.
Aubrey went into the apartment, and it wasn’t long before she and Mazie came rushing out the door and to the parking lot.
They went straight to Aubrey’s car and were putting something in the back seat when a man with a baseball cap and glasses came up behind them.
I watched in horror as he took the butt of his gun and slammed it against the back of Aubrey’s head.
He aimed his weapon at Mazie, then ordered her to help him get Aubrey into the back of his fucking, white Toyota.
I pointed to the screen once again as I said, “It’s Gary. That’s his fucking car.”
“Okay, that’s good. Now we know who we’re dealing with.”
“Yeah, but where the fuck is he?”
“Hawk and Shotgun are headed over to the Pink Pony to see if they’re there.”
Thinking I could check the security footage there, I turned back to computer, but stopped when I remembered I’d killed the power. “Fuck, I can’t get eyes on the inside.”
“I’ll send word to Hawk to keep a look out for the white Toyota.” Viper took out his burner and said, “If it’s at the Pony, I’ll tell him to hold up until we can get there.”
“Yeah, that’s good.”