Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
A fter getting caught up to speed on Terri Daily’s treachery, Deke had headed out to find his Little girl. It would be a lot easier if he had any idea where in the hell to start looking.
Where would his girl go if her world was falling apart? She’d head to the scene of the crime, in this case, The Daily Nugget office. He knew how she thought. That was where she would be.
He called the office. It only rang once.
“H-h-hello? Suzi, is th-this y-y-you? Please say it’s you?”
Deke shoved his temper down to the bottom of his gut. He’d be bringing all his rage out when he found the General. He didn’t need to slam into an obviously overwrought employee.
“Carly, you got Deke. Does this mean you haven’t heard from Suzi?”
“Deke,” she squeaked out. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t give that article to Terri. I would never do that to Suzi. How could her own m-mother d-d-do that to her?”
Wasn’t that the ten million dollar question?
“I don’t know, Carly. Can you tell me what did happen?”
“Y-Y-Yes,” Carly answered. “Terri called yesterday morning and said she couldn’t gain remote access to the computer. She said she had it all the time in case there was something she could ever do to help Suzi. That sounds reasonable, right? I mean, she’s Terri Daily. She knows more than God about the news business, and she’s Suzi’s mother. But she couldn’t get in. She said someone must have changed the password. I’m so st-stupid. I gave it to her. She used it to look at what Suzi had been working on, but when she saw the article about Alex Boucher, she stole it and posted it everywhere.”
That bitch. How a woman like that could have raised a person like his rosebud was beyond him. She was the polar opposite of Suzi.
He was about to ask more questions when Suzi’s number showed up on his phone.
“Carly, Suzi’s calling me. I’ve got to go, but it’s going to be all right. We’ll take care of it. Got me?”
He didn’t wait for her to answer him. Switching over to the incoming line, he said, “Rosebud, babygirl, where are you?”
“Deke? Oh my god, Deke! You’ve got to do something. He took her. She looked terrified, and her hands were tied. He had tape over her mouth, too. Do you think she can breathe?”
Holy fuck! It was about time he caught a break. Now, if he could just get Gabi to focus and tell him who had taken his girl and where, then he could get to his girl and kill whoever had taken her.
“Gabi, sweetheart, I need you to take a breath. I’m going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer them with only one or two words. Can you do that for Suzi?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Good. Now, first, where are you, and where did you see Suzi?”
“Books N Brews. She was driving by on a motorcycle with Crash, I think it was. He had her wrists and mouth bound with tape.”
Fuck.
Shit.
Fuck.
“Was he alone?”
“Um, no. There were five other bikers with him.”
Fuck!
“Which way were they headed?”
“Out of town like you would go if you were headed to Suzi’s house on the ranch.”
Five guys taking a bound female to an isolated location? He needed Sawyer’s help.
“Gabi, you’ve been a huge help. I’m going to hang up now so I can call my people to help me get Suzi back, okay?”
“Deke, she was really upset. She doesn’t even know everything that is happening. She thinks everyone in the town hates her. Please, get her and bring her back safe. We need her.”
“I will, Gabi. I promise. Now I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, Deke.” If she said anything else, he didn’t hear it. He disconnected and called Sawyer.
“You got me. What do you need?” Sawyer asked. Straight to the point. Just like Deke needed.
“I need you to check the CCTV and confirm Crash has Suzi and that he’s taking her toward her house.”
“I can already confirm that,” Sawyer answered. “I can also tell you that Alex Boucher is in town, or at least he was. He is also headed in the direction of Suzi’s house. I already have everyone en route to her house. They have a head start, but you aren’t too far behind them.”
“Thanks,” Deke said. “I own you.”
“Bullshit,” Sawyer said. “Go get your girl.”
Deke disconnected the call and floored it.
If Crash hurt a single hair on her head, he was a dead man. Strike that. He was a dead man either way. It just was a matter of how long and painful the journey would be.
Seven minutes later, Deke was racing around the front of his car, praying to whoever could help him that the body he’d spotted when he’d slammed on brakes wasn’t Suzi.
When he rolled the body over, he recognized Crash. He was glad that fucker was dead, but it pissed him off he hadn’t been able to do it himself.
Taking out his phone, he called Reid. “I’m at the entrance to the ranch. The only one here is Crash, and he’s dead from a GSW to the chest.”
“Couldn’t happen to a better thug,” Reid said.
Deke agreed, but he was no closer to finding his Little girl. “I’m going to drive to her place just in case. I don’t see any fresh tracks, but maybe someone saw something.”
“We’re almost there. I’ll put Law and Connor on dealing with the body. What’s your gut telling you?”
“Sawyer said the General was on his way here. I think he has Suzi. No idea what he plans on doing with her, but my gut says he wants either revenge or a retraction. Or both.”
Deke's phone buzzed with another call. Caller ID showed it was Breezy. Returning his attention to Reid, he said, “I gotta take this. We got to find her, man. Boucher is a sick fuck with nothing to lose. Not a good combination.”
He disconnected the call. “Breezy, I can’t talk right now, sweetheart. You good?”
“My father just pulled up at your house,” she said. “He has Suzi, and he took her inside. I can’t be sure, but I think he has a gun.”
God bless the Musketiaras. “Thank you, Breezy. I’m on my way. Stay inside your house and away from the windows.”
“Um, I don’t think so. I’m going over there and give my dad a piece of my mind,” she said.
“Fuck, no!” he shouted into the phone. “You stay in your house with the doors locked and the security system armed. Call Gage and let him know. Under no circumstances are you to go to my house. Do you understand me, little girl?”
“Yes, but?—”
“No buts, Breezy. I mean it,” he paused. When she said nothing, he added, “And Breezy…”
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
He disconnected and called Gage. “You got me. What do you need?”
“I need you to get to your house and keep your Little girl from playing hero.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Gage demanded.
“She saw her father take Suzi into my house, probably at gunpoint. She wants to storm across the street and confront him.”
“Fuck!” Gage snarled.
“Just get home and keep her safe.”
“Will do. Thanks, brother. I’ll keep an eye on your place until I get there. And you know if he’s in your house, Sawyer has eyes on him.”
“Right,” Deke said. “That my next call.”
He disconnected and called Reid instead. “He took her to my house. I’m headed there now.”
“Yep. Sawyer has them on camera. Says Boucher is doing what he does best and running his mouth. I’m on my way. Do not go commando on me, do you hear? Wait for backup.”
“I know the drill, Reid. But you can’t tell me if this was Winnie, hell when this was Winnie, you sat around waiting when your girl was in danger.”
“Just be careful. Boucher is a cold, calculating son of a bitch. He’s no hot headed psycho. He’ll have a plan, and he’ll work it.”
“I know,” Deke said. “Gotta go.” He disconnected the call.
Five minutes until he reached his house.
Five minutes that Boucher could be doing God knew what to his babygirl.
Fuck!
Hold on, Rosebud. Daddy’s almost there.