9. Powertrain
Ileft Whisper back in the room while I went out to meet Blaze and Edge. I needed a bike, and I was meeting with them early this morning to pick it up.
We hadn”t spoken much this morning, with Whisper. She”d been quiet about it all. I regretted having touched her. She was family, and you didn”t put your hands on family. Especially not an MC Princess. Her father, Spectre, was one scary motherfucker. He used to run with the Reapers up in Nevada and had connections in all the wrong places. Not to mention her brother would beat my ass to a pulp if he ever found out.
It was hard enough dealing with her, let alone being near her. Whisper had this way about her. A bratty little girl who kept me on my toes. But as much as she was gung-ho on making this run impossible, there was an underlying pain to her actions. She was used to pushing people away on purpose, but I hadn”t been an easy target for her. She was determined though, fighting me at every turn, thinking that would deter me. Instead, it only fueled me to gain the upper hand. I had a gut feeling this push and pull between us was eventually going to cause us both some major hurt. Which was why I needed to stay away from her.
The last time I fell for someone, she’d been torn away from me. I’d been so focused on getting ahead in life that I hadn”t taken notice how many years had gone by since anyone had shown any love for me. I’d had women warm my bed here and there, but I didn’t stay long enough to catch feelings. It made things easy for both of us. I made it clear; I was nobody’s forever. But something told me that Whisper wasn’t going to take lightly to me saying something like that. She wasn’t the type to want to play into games like that. I didn’t know if I liked that, but I sure as hell respected it, which was gonna make it a hell of a lot harder to walk away.
My cell phone vibrated in my pants pocket, and I reached back to see who it was. Hoax’s stupid face appeared on the screen.
“Ain’t it a little early for your ass to be up?”
“I haven’t gone to bed yet.”
That was never a good sign. “What’s going on?”
“There’s been a string of murders along the highways leading up to New Mexico. Most of them were brutal stabbings, one was pretty gruesome.”
“Okay. What does that have to do with the MC?”
“Ron Hargrave was mentioned recently. An escapee from the Louisiana Mental Institute. He’s been called deranged and dangerous; his image is all over the news.”
“How the fuck did he get out?”
“Nobody knows and those in charge aren’t talking. They haven’t signaled out who the killer is, but he seems to have the same M.O. Intimate stabbings, all done in the same manner. The women are all in their mid-thirties, Caucasian, and with each murder the killing gets more and more intense, as if he’s perfecting the craft. But what’s concerning to me is that the killer is following a specific itinerary and he’s coming from the west coast, following your route.”
“The west coast? Do you still have eyes on Lucy?” She was my main concern in all this.
There was a long pause. “Brother…Lucy’s gone missing.”
“What?” Dread filled my heart. I’d been so consumed by getting the package that I lost track of what was truly important.
“When did this happen?”
“The day your plane went down. I had her on the surveillance cameras. They were picking up on feed from the hospital, I was monitoring her shifts, and then she disappeared. She didn’t show up for her morning shift, so I tried tracking her down on traffic cams but there was no sign of her vehicle. I didn’t want to add anymore to your plate but a missing person’s case with her name on it was just sent to me.”
“She’s missing,” I repeated, trying to wrap my mind around it.
“I’ll keep looking for her, brother. I’ll keep searching.”
I knew the Hoax was trying to keep me calm, but I kept going back to Jameson and his Tower moment. That burning tower scorched into my memory. Lucy wouldn’t just disappear, she had a family, a good life. It was too coincidental that Ron would be up that way. Deep down I knew he had her, and if it was true what the news reports were saying, she had no hope.
“Put word out on her disappearance, Hoax. Do what you can? Somebody has to have seen her. And you keep me posted if you hear anything.”
“I will. I’m sorry, brother.”
“She’s not dead, Hoax. So, there’s nothing to apologize for. Just find her.”
I was approaching the club’s garage, Edge and Blaze were out front waiting on me. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll keep in touch.
Ending the call, I headed inside with the members. I stopped short when I saw the motorcycle they had gotten me. She was a Harley Road Glider. A beauty coated in deep royal blue.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
“She was left behind by one of our men, we gave her a new coat for ya, figured she’d be good if traveling with your girl.” Edge said.
“She’s brand new,” I stated, absentmindedly, fascinated by the sleek machine, its glossy blue paint gleaming under the light. I ran my hand over the smooth curves of the fuel tank, feeling the power pulsating beneath my fingertips.
“Pretty much, although we did clean her up for you.”
“I need to repay you guys for this. It’s too much.”
“No need,” Blaze stated, raising his hand to stop me. “Jameson’s got it covered. You just get your girl home safe.”
My girl. Was that what they all thought she was to me? I didn’t correct them. As long as they didn’t lay a finger on her I’d let them think what they wanted.
I swung my leg over the saddle and settled onto the leather seat. Blaze handed me the key and I slid it into the ignition, turning it with a satisfying click. The engine roared to life, and I gripped the handlebars tightly, feeling the vibrations coursing through my veins. This wasn’t just a bike; it was an extension of myself, and I could feel the raw power of the machine beneath me.
Edge reached a hand out to me and I shook it. “You take care of yourselves on the road.”
Blaze simply nodded to me in regard, and I did the same. “You ever need anything you let me know,” I said in gratitude for the gift they’d just given me.
With a flick of my wrist, I twisted the throttle, and the bike surged forward with a throaty growl as I glided her out of the garage. I was in a hurry to leave, eager to get back on the road. The wind tore through my vest as I took off, getting used to the bike with every twist and turn I took. This was what I was missing. The freedom to fly the only way I knew how.
My heart ached for Lucy, but worrying wouldn’t help matters. I needed to get back to the motel and get to Whisper. If the last murder was here in New Mexico and Ron had anything to do with it, then I needed to make sure she was safe. The last thing I needed was to have her go missing as well. I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to her under my watch, I already held that torment with Lucy.