Chapter 5 #2
Thankfully Tally and Michael came in the door before Letty could pounce. I knew she was doing what any good sister would do and had been standing close, listening in.
Everyone was exchanging greetings. It was time for me to set aside my personal life and concentrate on Kiki.
She’d been gone a little over two weeks.
I was not stupid nor was I na?ve, though I’d never say anything to the Welshes—not because they were stupid or na?ve either but they didn’t need the reminder Kiki was running out of time.
Wherever she was, whatever was happening to her was not good—it was likely the worst. She needed to be found sooner rather than later.
Letty was sitting between her mom and dad on the small couch that was meant to accommodate two.
I was perched on the armrest. Wilson McCray was seated directly across from us in one of Letty’s overstuffed purple velvet chairs.
Reese Turmel and Cole Keniston were sitting in antique highback chairs both upholstered mustard yellow twill.
And to complete the huddle, Jack Donovan, Asher Noble, Davis, and Rhode stood.
I’d been introduced to all of them. Belatedly, I realized I recognized Wilson, Davis, and Asher from the night at the hotel bar.
Also belatedly things were starting to snap into place—my assessment had been semi-correct; they weren’t businessmen, they weren’t buds hanging out at the bar after doing some manly activity. They were all former military. Wilson had been a marshal and Asher had worked at the FBI.
It took a lot, but I shoved all thoughts of the bar out of my mind.
Wilson repeated what Davis had told Letty.
I felt Tally go stiff at my side the moment the words “human trafficking” were uttered.
Michael made a disgruntled sound that was painful to hear.
But Letty was stone-faced, the dutiful daughter who hid her anguish from her parents.
“Do you think Kiki’s still in the area?” Michael asked.
“We don’t know yet,” Wilson gently told him. “Right now, we’re going over the reports the local PD gave us. The feds started building a file so we’re looking at that, too. Desi Cunns provided new information, including the bar they were taken from so we have a new lead.”
My hand resting on Tally's shoulder slid down her arm. I bent and grabbed her hand and squeezed. She returned my squeeze but didn’t release the pressure. Nothing would release the pressure building inside of her until her daughter was home.
Wilson went on to explain how the investigation was going to go from then on.
Reese had added a few words, but my mind was on Tally—the way she remained stiff, holding on tight.
And my heart was heavy with the weight of her pain, Michael’s pain, Letty’s pain, and lastly, mine.
I was also thinking that if my parents were alive, they’d be devastated.
Letty and Kiki were their goddaughters—an honor my parents had taken seriously.
My mom and Tally were like me and Letty.
Best friends. Sisters of the heart. She would know what to do, what to say, how to help Tally.
And my dad and Michael were just as close.
He would’ve been out on the search for Kiki.
He would’ve followed up on the calls the Welshes had received from people who’d claimed to see Kiki.
He would’ve kicked in everything we had, making the reward for Kiki’s safe return even larger than it was.
I didn’t have much but I’d given every penny to the reward fund.
This was after much argument from Michael.
I wasn’t proud of my actions but I’d pulled out the big guns and used emotional manipulation, reminding Michael that he and Tally had taken me in.
They’d financially supported me. My parents didn’t have life insurance, and after the sale of my parents' home and cars and all the final bills were paid, there wasn’t much left.
Michael hadn’t blinked an eye taking on another mouth to feed.
Neither had Tally. She and Letty got me through the loss of my parents.
I owed them everything and I didn’t have the first clue how to help them now that they needed me.
“We interviewed a few of Kiki’s friends. One of them mentioned Kiki had a boyfriend.” Cole’s declaration grabbed my attention. “Trevor?”
When in the world did Cole have time to interview Kiki’s friends?
“Kiki didn’t have a boyfriend,” Tally incorrectly answered.
Shit.
Tally didn’t know about Kiki’s boyfriend because her head would spin and Michael would be homicidal.
Trevor Lawrence was bad news. The kind of bad news you didn’t bring home to Mom and Dad.
Hell, you didn’t even bring him around your sister, who loved you and would take one look at the guy and lock you away in an attempt to dissuade you from ever seeing him again.
Something that Letty and I had done when we saw Kiki with Trevor.
That had been an accidental run-in. Kiki had not brought Trevor around because even though Kiki had taken a turn deciding she wanted to take a walk on the wild side—doing this about-face three years ago when she turned into a party girl to the extreme—she knew Letty would lose her mind about Trevor.
Not only was he into drugs he was also a biker.
Not a friendly biker. Not a rough-and-ready alpha book hero biker.
Nope, not Trevor. He was not in a biker club, he was in a biker gang.
Everyone in a thirty-mile radius knew who the Horsemen were.
Everyone also knew to steer clear because they were gross.
Seriously gross. Slimeballs into drugs and sleazy women.
Kiki Welsh was not sleazy. And as far as I knew she didn’t do drugs. So seeing her with Trevor had been alarming. After seeing Kiki and Trevor together, Letty wasted no time enlisting me to help her extradite her sister’s head from her ass.
Kiki was having none of it. She’d told us to mind our own business.
After Kiki disappeared Letty and I did tell the detective about Trevor but we hadn’t told Michael and Tallulah.
Mainly because Michael would go off on a tear and the Horsemen were not men you fucked with.
They weren’t even men you politely attempted a conversation with.
With Michael beside himself with grief, he was unpredictable, and a man who loved his wife and children.
A man’s man who wouldn’t give a second thought about waltzing up to the Horsemen biker gang headquarters and demanding answers.
Thankfully Letty and I hadn’t had to tell Tally and Michael about Trevor because the police said Trevor hadn’t been in Idaho when Kiki disappeared.
Now, the tea had been spilled.
“Trevor Lawrence,” Letty confirmed.
“Who’s Trevor Lawrence?” Michael boomed.
“Dad—”
“Who, Letty?”
“He’s one of the Horsemen,” Letty whispered.
Michael sucked back so much oxygen it was a miracle the rest of us didn’t pass out. Tally’s hand squeezed mine so tightly her nails dug in and I winced.
“Are you kidding me?” Michael roared and jumped up.
“I told the police. They looked into him and he was in California when Kiki went missing.”
“But you didn’t tell me.” Michael jabbed his thumb at his chest. “How could you not tell me Kiki was dating a Horsemen?”
“I didn’t want you going to the clubhouse and asking questions. You know the Horsemen. You know their reputation. And I know you’re not thinking straight. You would’ve gone down there and—”
“You’re goddamn right I’m not thinking straight! Your sister’s gone. Vanished. And she was…” Michael trailed off and dropped his chin to his chest and shook his head. “And she was going out with a Horsemen.” The last word was spat in disgust.
“How long was she seeing him?” Asher asked.
“She wouldn’t say,” I joined the conversation.
“Letty and I saw them together in Spokane. A place called Jimmy’s.
We didn’t approach them but a few days later, we talked to Kiki.
She told us to butt out, she knew what she was doing and they weren’t serious.
She was just having fun. When we reminded her about the Horsemen’s reputation, she laughed and told us not to believe the rumors.
That Trevor wasn’t like that. After that, she stopped taking my calls and she only answered the phone for Letty occasionally. That was three months ago.”
“Jimmy’s?” Rhode drawled. “What were you doing in a biker bar?”
How did Rhode know Jimmy’s was a biker bar? And why did he sound so irate?
“We were there for research,” Letty said and waved her hand like it was no big deal.
It wasn’t a big deal; it was also the truth. I’d gone for research and she’d gone with me because that was what best friends do.
“Research?” Rhode pushed.
“I’m a book narrator.”
“Know that, Brooklyn. So I’m unclear why you’d go to a biker bar in a shit area as research.”
Rhode knew I was a narrator?
Suddenly sick hit my stomach. He’d looked into me. Not that I had anything to hide but still he’d invaded my privacy. Of course, he’d run a background check on the woman who was his long-lost baby mama. Oh, God, I’m a baby mama. That thought made my stomach clench.
“I’m not happy with either of you. The two of you keeping this from me is unacceptable and we’ll be talking about it later,” Michael grunted then turned to look at Wilson.
“We’ve put our savings into funding the reward for Kiki.
Whatever your fee is, we’ll cover it. I don’t care the cost, just find my daughter. ”
“Mr. Welsh—” Wilson started but abruptly stopped when Michael's spine snapped straight and his face twisted into a grimace so full of sorrow that Tally whimpered.
I didn’t suspect much made a man like Wilson clamp his mouth shut. Unless what he was witnessing was so gut-wrenching, it stole his words. And Michael Welsh’s distress was so visible it hurt to see.
I dipped my chin and averted my gaze.
“Whatever you want, it’s yours. Just please find her.”
With that, Michael pulled Tally to her feet and they walked out the door. The moment it closed behind them, Wilson began issuing orders.
“Reese, Cole, follow them home. If Michael leaves, call it in and one of you stays on him. If he attempts to hit the clubhouse, cut him off. Jack, Asher, get me everything on Trevor Lawrence. Davis, I want you on the Horsemen, anything you can find. Rhode, when you’re done meet me at the hotel.”
The hotel.
He didn’t live in Idaho.
Shit.
“The police said Trevor was in California. That was why we didn’t tell my dad,” Letty offered.
“We’re gonna double-check,” Wilson returned.
The guys started to move out and Letty turned to me, her expression grim.
“I stand behind our decision, Lets,” I told her. “I know he’s pissed at us but I’d rather him mad than hurt.”
“Did you see his face?” she whispered.
There wasn’t a person in that room who could’ve possibly missed how destroyed he was.
I walked to my best friend, my sister of the heart, the best auntie to my son, and wrapped my arms around her as tight as I could.
Letty wound her arms around me, rolled to her toes, and murmured close to my ear, “Somthin’s wrong, Brook. I can feel it.”
“Lets, sweets, you’re holding on by a thread, putting on a strong front for your parents,” I returned. “You can’t keep going like this. You gotta open up to me, let me help you. And it feels wrong because it is wrong.”
“No,” she denied and shook her head. “It’s not Kiki being gone. Well, it is, but it’s Desi, too. There was something off about her.”
“Honey,” I started gently. “Desi was rescued with about thirty other people. I don’t know how to say this without causing you more pain, but I think coming out of that nightmare, she gets to react however she reacts and we don’t get to question it.”
Letty’s body went stiff and I hated feeling that from my friend. I hated it, but I hated it more that I caused it.
“It’s in my gut, Brook. I’m not being judgy and I hear you. But I’m telling you, something is not right.”
Guilt assailed me. Letty was not judgmental—she had never been and I’d all but accused her of being such.
“Okay,” I gave in. “We’ll talk to Wilson.”
“And tell him what? I have a feeling? He’ll think I’m crazy.”
“No, I won’t,” Wilson said from nearby. “Actually, I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
Letty gave me big eyes and pressed her lips together.
I glanced at Rhode expecting him to look irritated or at the very least impatient our conversation would be further delayed.
Instead, I found he was not irritated or impatient, but he did look thoughtful.
He was staring at me and Letty and when he noticed I was staring back he gave me a tight grin and dipped his chin.
A million thoughts raced through my head. I didn’t know where this new fork in the road would take me, but I was positive Rhode showing up was going to turn my life upside down.
That thought didn’t scare me—it terrified me.
It also made my heart beat wildly in my chest.
It had been five years but I was no less romantic. I still believed in love at first sight and soul mates and cosmic connections and star-crossed lovers.
I’d fallen in lust with a stranger with a look. Now that stranger was back, he had a name, we shared a child, and my heart would forever be connected to his.
So, yeah, my life was about to be turned upside down.