Chapter 11
Worley
My head aches. My back hurts. Everybody and everything has gotten on my last nerve.
Nothing has gone right—absolutely nothing.
Why Nick and his brother believe this rehab center is so great is beyond me.
Okay, I take it back. They do have good ratings and reviews.
I checked them out online earlier today.
Ratings seem pretty cut and dry. A one-star is bad, and a five-star is great.
The complaints in the reviews were trivial stuff.
Nobody mentioned their loved one disappearing while under Doctor Spear’s care.
Ratings and reviews don’t help us right now.
“Mack.” I find him in the front living room, lobby, or whatever a bed and breakfast calls this room. He sits near the window with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He didn’t hear me. I place my hand on his shoulder and try again. “Mack.”
“Worley.” He points to the chair across from him without lifting his head.
I sit and watch my best friend for a long moment. I’m supposed to ease his pain. Tonight, I have no news that will comfort him. I feel useless as a VP and a friend.
Nineteen years ago, Mack lost his brother in a motorcycle accident.
I don’t believe it was an accident, but we can’t prove it.
Fourteen years ago, he lost his oldest daughter and unborn granddaughter.
Ariel and Baby Angel are why we do what we do.
We rescue as many women and their children as we can from domestic violence.
Tonight, his second child is missing. Harley’s alive. She’s out there with a man we know very little about. Grown woman or not, Harley missing is destroying her parents, all of us really.
“Out with it.” Mack sits up and leans against the arm of the chair.
“It’s been over twenty-four hours. Nick and Sherlock don’t think they’re in the area anymore.”
“They steal the truck?”
“We think so. Cops found it at an abandoned store outside of Denver, not far from the interstate.”
He continues to stare out the window into the night. “Abandoned means no cameras.”
“Yeah. They’re still trying to find one, though.
” Movement down the hall catches my eye.
Jack and Jay returned from searching for Harley an hour ago.
We had a quick meeting with Nick. Jack nods, telling me to continue.
“I don’t know why, but Sherlock believes they’re heading north.
We think staying here is pointless. They’re not coming back to Aspen Park. ”
“I failed again, Worley.” He finally looks up at me. His eyes are lost and numb. They barely hold any signs of life. He’s on autopilot.
“You didn’t fail.” My words sound hollow because I know how he feels. He’s a brother to me. If he failed, I failed right alongside him.
“I failed my brother, and now two daughters.”
“That’s not true,” I say with force. “You can’t always stop evil, and Harley’s coming home.”
He tosses a hand toward the ceiling at the second floor. He’s still not hearing me. “I failed my wife, Worley. I failed her again. She’s falling back into the dark shell she was after losing Ariel.”
“We need to go home.” Jack steps into the room, changing the subject before his father loses his mind.
“What?” Mack snaps.
“Mom needs family. She needs Maci, Logan, and Everly. They ground her. They’ll give her purpose and keep her from falling all the way over the edge,” Jack explains.
He has a point. Taking care of Logan and Everly after losing their mother is the one thing that’s kept Nanny from going insane.
“We can’t leave your sister out there,” Mack yells.
“We’re not,” Jack insists. “Nick’s going to stay with his brother’s team. They won’t stop until they have Harley.”
“I can’t…” Mack leans back, closes his eyes, and runs a hand through his hair. He’s hurting to the point he can’t make clear decisions.
Jack kneels by his Dad’s chair. “I don’t want to leave with Harley still out there either, but we’re useless here.” He covers one of Mack’s hands with his. “And, Dad, we’re losing Mom. If Mom goes down, we all do. This family won’t function without her.”
That’s the truth. Evelyn McLeod holds this family and club together.
Right now, she’s upstairs in bed, balled up in a fetal position, crying.
Ciara has proven to be more than just a lawyer.
She hasn’t left Nanny’s side. A tear slips from Mack’s eye.
He looks from his son to me. I want to fix this for him.
Sadly, the only thing I believe will help is finding his daughter.
“It’s a tough decision.” I release a long breath and nod slightly. “But we gotta make one.”
“Mr. McLeod.” Jude walks into the room with his team and Nick behind him. “I mean, Mack. I promise you that we won’t give up searching until we find Harley. Sherlock’s the best IT guy and hacker I’ve seen.”
Jack stands. “Has he got a new lead?”
“It’s not so much of a lead. It’s more like intuition.
” Nick rolls his eyes toward the ceiling for a moment.
“Oscar has always been odd. His brain is just wired differently. He thinks way too much. He sees things others don’t.
It’s like he has ten scenarios and plays them out in his mind until he finds the answer.
” His voice lowers. “It’s how he got his nickname. ”
“Because he thinks like the famous detective?” Jack asks. Nick nods.
Jay tosses an arm over Nick’s shoulders. “And he calls you Watson because you’re his little helper?”
Nic growls and nods again. Nick’s good, really good. If his brother is that much better, I have no doubts he’ll find Harley and Josiah Edwards. We stopped saying Josiah’s name around Mack and Nanny. Regardless of what the doctors here say, we fear there’s more going on between the two.
“I know it’s hard, but I hope you can find a way to trust us. Take your wife home. Take care of your family in Tennessee. Nick’s staying with us. Between him and Sherlock, we’ll find Harley,” Jude promises.
“I won’t come home until I have her with me,” Nick vows.
Mack stands, his body rigid. He holds Nick’s gaze for a long moment. “Can I trust you with my daughter?”
Nick chooses his words carefully. “Yes, Prez.” He slowly moves his head from side to side. “I’d never hurt Harley. I’ll protect her with my life.”
His words aren’t just a reply. They’re a promise to a father and between bikers. It’s an oath, and one a man would die before he broke it. Something deep just passed between the two men. Let’s hope Dominic Watson can survive it.
Our phones ding with text messages at the same time. Mine rings seconds after.
“It’s an SOS,” Jay says.
I answer the call immediately. “Patches, what’s happening?”
“Fight at the Roadhouse. It’s bad.” His voice is ragged.
The prospect quickly tells me what he can. The sound of sirens in the background confirms how serious things are. The call abruptly ends before he can finish filling me in.
“Patches! Patches!” The screen is black. I hit the call back button. No signal on his end. I turn away and slap a hand to the top of my head. “This is not happening tonight,” I yell to no one.
“Worley.” Mack grabs my arm and spins me to face him. I’m taller, but I swear he’s stronger. “What happened?” he demands.
“There’s a fight at the Roadhouse. The Mavericks showed up.
They’re tearing the place up.” I look between Jack and Jay.
How do I tell them this? “Bankz is down. Don’t know how bad it is yet.
Hendrix and half the club are on the way.
” I meet Mack’s eyes. “The prospect said the cops and ambulance were on the way. I could hear the sirens.”
“Dad…”
Mack holds up his hand. “I know, son.” He steps in front of Jude. His voice cracks a little. “I’m trusting you to find my little girl.”
Jude gives a firm nod. “We’ll find her and escort her and Watson home.”
“Great,” Nick mumbles.
He hates the name even though it’s his last name. I’m afraid it’s going to stick. Jay will make sure of it.
Another call comes. I step into the hall to answer it.
“You need me?” Dobson, our helicopter pilot, asks. He gets SOS texts for the club, too.
“How fast can you get to Colorado?”
“I’m already here. I left when y’all did. Thought it was best you had backup transportation just in case.”
I like the way he thinks. “Thanks, man.”
He texts me the address of the small county airstrip he’s at. I plug it into my GPS. It’s only fifteen minutes away. I hurry back into the room to tell the other. With so many things out of hand tonight and so many people needing us, I take charge. Hopefully, my friend won’t be too mad.
“Mack, Dobson is here. The boys and I are going back with him.” Mack opens his mouth to argue.
I shake my head. “Nanny needs you. Fly back with her and Ciara. They need a Viking escort.” We don’t let our women travel alone.
“Get your wife home and settled. We’ll hold the club together until you’re there. ”
Mack takes a deep breath and nods. He hates this, but knows it’s for the best. The boys and I hurry upstairs to get our bags.
Jack says goodbye to his mother. He kisses her forehead and follows us to the parking lot.
Nick is driving us to the airstrip so he can bring the SUV back.
Something urges me to make another call before we meet Dobson.
I pull up my contact list and hit the call button.
“Darin,” Nina says in a panic.
Alarm shoots through me. “You okay?”
“There’s a fight at the Roadhouse.”
“I know.” I’m an idiot for making the call. I can’t just blurt out that I wanted to check on her.
“Pops says hi.”
My dad? Wait.
“You’re at the Den?” I was hoping she was at home with her sister.
“Yeah. Lauren and I wanted to help Nana out tonight.”
“Don’t walk home alone.” It’s not an order. It probably sounded like one, though.
“Don’t worry. Your dad and Granddad offered to walk us home.”
That’s a relief. I silently thank my dad.
“Okay. The boys and I are on the way.”