Chapter 28
Hank
My eyes keep drifting up to the clock on the wall across from me. The one we have there when customers want to argue about whether it’s closing time or not. We stop allowing anyone in at two, and last call is at two thirty. At three, we’re kicking their drunk asses out the door.
It’s dragging toward closing time and I’m dreading having to go sit with Bash and Jennalyn while we get lectured. I’m sure that’s what it’s about. She was practically fucking me right in front of the bar. A huge no-no if a cop were to walk in the door.
I’m staring off into space when Doc and Luke walk inside the club. Immediately, something feels off. Not the fact that they’re together, but that they’re here. Especially since Vee isn’t.
They step over to the counter, shoulders tight, eyes scanning the room as if they’re looking for someone.
I raise a brow at them, giving them a nod. They’re my brothers, regardless if they want the same woman as me. I have to be civil and make sure there’s no tension between us. That’s the last thing the Hellions need.
Doc leans against the counter, ignoring my sign that says ‘No Leaning On The Counter’ as he runs his fingers through his hair. Luke stands beside him, arms crossed, jaw tight.
“How’s the night been?” Doc asks. “Nothing too wild?”
I shrug, standing from my stool, resting my hands on the countertop. “Steady. Couple bachelor parties. Couple drunk frat boys. Same ole, same ole.”
Doc and Luke exchange a look.
Yeah.
Definitely something wrong.
“Do you know where Veronica is?” Doc asks, always using her full name versus the nickname everyone else calls her by.
My eyebrow lifts.
“She left.”
Luke speaks up quickly. “Yeah, she messaged that she was heading home. Once we were done with what we were doing, we headed over to her place, but she wasn’t there.
” His voice tightens. “We waited, but she never showed. She didn’t answer her phone when we called her so we came here. Her car’s outside.”
I freeze. Nope, this can’t be happening. Not again. What the hell is it with the women in our lives and this fucking club?
“What do you mean it’s outside? She walked out the door and left hours ago.”
“Yeah, that’s what she texted us. But she’s not home and her car is in the parking lot.” Luke’s voice rises as he speaks, and I can hear the panic in it.
My stomach drops. I don’t think, I just react. I’m around the counter and racing out the front door, straight to where she parks her car every fucking night she works without fail. The cold night air slams into me as I run across the parking lot to her car.
Her car. Still parked where it was earlier.
“Shit,” I mumble.
I can hear Doc and Luke stepping up beside me. I reach out and grab the car handle to the driver’s side door. It’s unlocked. Opening it, I glance inside. Nothing looks out of place. There are no broken windows. No signs of a struggle.
“What the hell…” My pulse starts to hammer in my ears.
I turn and see the two of them behind me, their faces mirroring mine.
“Wait a second.” Luke steps to the back of the car. “The trunk’s open. Not by much, but it’s open.”
“Maybe she had some car trouble. Let’s call Luca and see if she’s with him.” Doc says, trying to stay calm, but I can tell he’s worried. That as much as he hopes she’s with Luca, he knows she’s not. Just like I do.
Doc pulls out his phone and calls him, placing it on speakerphone. We listen to the ringing and almost give up hope he’s going to answer until we hear his deep voice.
“What the fuck you want?” he all but shouts.
“Is Veronica with you?” Doc asks.
“No. Why?” We can hear rustling and him telling someone to shush.
The three of us go completely still.
“Where is my sister? What the fuck is going on?” he growls.
Doc runs a hand over his face, sighing heavily.
“We don’t know. She left the club, but her car is here and she’s gone. She’s not answering her phone.”
Dead silence.
“I’m on my way,” he shouts. “Check the parking lot for anything. And check your video. I want to see everything.” Then the call ends.
My gut twists into a tight knot.
“Doc, go inside and find Bash, let him know what’s happened and check the videos. Luke, let’s do a walk around the parking lot. Look for anything.”
Doc nods and takes off inside while Luke and I split up, taking our time, checking the lot for anything that would give us a clue as to what’s going on.
But there’s nothing. Not a trace of anything. It’s as if she’s disappeared into thin air or was sucked up by an alien ship.
“Let’s go back inside,” Luke says, his voice low, hurt.
Thirty minutes later, Luke and I are standing at the counter, waiting on Luca when the doors slam open.
Luca storms into the building, Nic right beside him. Both of their eyes are wide and lips pressed firmly together. I can tell he’s barely holding it together, especially after just finding her after so many years. They were living so close to each other, yet had no clue.
He must have been flying to get here so fast. His eyes lock onto us immediately.
“Anything?” he demands.
Luke shakes his head.
“No,” I speak up and tell them.
His jaw tightens. “Do you have the video?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go watch it.” He pushes past us, heading inside. He knows where Bash’s office is and heads straight to the staircase.
Just before we make it to the stairs, Jennalyn steps into our path blocking the stairway. Her hip is popped out, tongue gliding across her bottom lip as her eyes move between the four of us before landing on me.
“Hey Hank, baby,” she purrs, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she all but eye fucks the four of us. “Ready to see Bash?”
Before I can say anything, Bash’s voice booms from the top of the stairs.
“Our meetin’ is canceled!” Bash leans over the railing, glaring down at Jennalyn as she turns her head toward him, a pout already forming.
“But—”
“You know what?” Bash cuts her off, his voice cold as ice. “We don’t need a meetin’. You’re fired.”
“What?” she squeals. “It’s all because of that bitch, Vee.”
“Get the fuck out of my club,” Bash orders.
Luca steps up behind her, taking hold of her arms, gripping them tightly. “That woman is my sister, and you better hope to God you have nothing to do with her being missing.” He tosses her to the side and she stumbles, falling to the floor.
“Carlos, can you handle the trash?” Luke yells.
“Sure thing,” he hollers back, and I can’t help but hear the excitement in his voice. He couldn’t stand her either.
Luca is already making his way up the stairs, Nic and Luke following behind him.
“Hank, aren’t you going to do anything?” Jennalyn whines from where she sits on the floor.
I shake my head and rush up the stairs behind them.
The door to Bash’s office is already open, and Doc is sitting on the edge of the desk.
“I want the video,” Luca growls. “I want to see everyone in the club tonight. I want to see the parking lot. I want to see the fucker who dared to take my sister.” His eyes go blank, his hands fisted at his sides. His rage is barely contained.
Bash steps over to his desk, turning his laptop so that it faces us as we all crowd around it. He types in something, and pulls up the security feed.
“The first one is the front of the building. The camera is on the door and covers the area where she’s parked.”
My stomach twists tighter with every second that passes. He fast-forwards it to her walking out the door, her finger held high in the air.
“Who’s she flipping off?” Nic asks.
“Me and Jennalyn. The girl from downstairs,” I admit.
No one says anything. We watch as she comes out the door and turns left, heading in the direction of her car.
She stops, looks to the right and heads that way.
She goes out of frame for a couple of minutes before stepping back on the screen and heads straight to her car.
She doesn’t get in. Instead, she heads to the trunk, pops it open, and pulls out a black box looking thing.
Jumper cables. I got her that. She heads back in the direction she came from and disappears again.
“She doesn’t show up again after that,” Bash says. “We kept fast-forwarding until you showed up and nothing.” “Where’s the camera that covers that area?” Luca asks.
“The footage was snow, so I had Luke check. Someone cut the wire.”
“So we don’t know what happened after that. But…” Luca exhales slowly. “Just that someone intentionally made sure the camera wasn’t working so they couldn’t be seen.”
The room goes dead silent.
“And we don’t see anyone else either. There’s no one on camera around the time she disappears.”
My gut twists violently. Broken cameras. A woman walking out of frame. Then disappearing. This feels way too damn familiar. I rub a hand over my face. Bash tried to warn me about something like this, and I was too damn stupid to listen.
Now she’s gone.
“Run the bar footage,” Luca snaps.
Bash pulls it up and starts skimming through the night.
We watch. Fast-forwarding through hours of people drinking, dancing, moving through the crowd. Looking. Searching. Waiting for something that doesn’t feel right.
Then suddenly, both Luca and Nic lean forward.
“Fuck,” Luca exclaims, his hands gripping the edge of the desk, knuckles white.
“Rewind it,” Nic growls.
Bash drags the timeline back, and my heart starts pounding. This isn’t good.
“I know where she is,” Luca says slowly as he and Nic share a knowing look. “And I know who has her.”