Chapter 9
NINE
LONDYN
“You good?” I ask, cutting the engine.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Feels like I’m dragging trouble behind me.”
I reach for my phone to check the time and freeze when I see the message from Malcolm.
Malcolm: Make sure you and Ty are out of the house. Now.
I exhale, sharp and quiet. “Damn. They’re moving fast.”
Ty looks over. “What?”
“Got a text from Malcolm. The club’s already on the move. If we’d waited even another half hour…” I trail off, shaking my head. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing we left when we did.”
His jaw tightens. “You think they’ll come here?”
“No. They don’t know we’re coming to Mom and Dad’s. We didn’t tell anyone. Didn’t post. Didn’t leave a trail. You’re safe here, Ty. I promise.”
He nods, but it’s slow, uncertain.
“Seriously,” I add. “They’d have to be psychic to find you here. Just stay inside. You’ll be okay.”
We step out of the car, and head up the driveway. The air’s cold, still holding onto the chill of the morning. I’m halfway to the porch when my phone buzzes. It’s Tony.
I answer. “Talk to me.”
“Keller case just cracked. Our witness came forward and Cap wants you at the precinct. Now.”
I glance at Ty, who’s standing at the bottom of the steps, arms crossed tight.
“Tony, I’m in the middle of something. Can’t someone else…”
“Nope. The witness will only talk to a female. Captain’s not giving you a pass.”
Of course he’s not.
“Fine. I’m on my way. Be there in thirty.”
I hang up and walk over to Ty. “I’ve gotta go. Work emergency.”
He frowns. “You’re leaving?”
“Just for a few hours. I wouldn’t if it wasn’t serious.”
He looks at the house, then back at me. “You sure they’ll be okay with this?”
“They know what’s going on. They’ll keep you safe. Just stay inside, alright?”
The front door opens and Mom steps out, arms already wide. “Hey baby,” she says, pulling me into a hug. Then she sees Ty and softens. “Come on in, sweetheart. We’ve got lunch started.”
Dad’s behind her, nodding at Ty. “We’ll keep an eye on him, honey.”
I turn to Ty. “Don’t answer the door for anyone. Don’t go outside. I’ll be back soon.”
He nods, but I see the fear in his eyes.
“You’re safe,” I say, kissing his check, and heading back to the car.
As I pull away, I glance in the rearview. The door closes and I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
I tell myself he’s fine.
I tell myself I’ll be back before anything happens.
But my gut’s already twisting.
The station’s quiet when I walk in. Afternoon shift’s still settling in, and the place smells like stale coffee and felons. Tony’s near the bullpen, flipping through a folder. He sees me and waves me over.
“The witness is already in the interrogation room. Been waiting twenty minutes,” he says.
“Sorry,” I reply. “I had to get Ty settled, and traffic was heavier than I expected.”
Tony gives me a look. “Everything okay?”
“Not really. But it will be.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“No. I can handle it. I’m taking Ty to a rehab facility outside the city. Somewhere the Royal Bastards won’t look. I’m pretty sure they’re looking for him.” I’m not ready to tell Tony about my connection just yet. I need to get my brother situated first.
“Where is he now?”
“At my parents’ place. I didn’t tell anyone we were going there. It’s off the radar.”
Tony nods, grabs a folder from the desk, and hands it over. “Here. Witness says she saw Keller with the girl the night she went missing. Claims she knows where he took her.”
I flip through the notes. It’s thin, but enough to lean on.
Before I head to the room, I stop. “Hey, there is something you can do.”
“Depends.”
“Can you send a black and white by my parents’ house? Just a drive-by. Make sure everything’s quiet.”
Tony nods. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks, T. I owe you.”
Tucking the folder under my arm, I head toward the room. My boots echo down the hallway, each step heavier than the last.
Ty’s safe… for now.
But I’ve seen how fast things can go wrong.
And if the club finds him before I get back, it won’t be a warning. It’ll be blood.
I square my shoulders and push through the door.
The girl sitting at the table looks like she hasn’t slept in days.
Her clothes are wrinkled, hair pulled back in a messy knot.
There’s a bruise on her cheek, another on her wrist. She’s trembling, eyes darting toward the corners of the room like she’s waiting for someone to burst in. Can’t be more than sixteen years old.
I close the door gently behind me and take a seat across from her.
“Hey,” I say, keeping my voice low. “Are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer right away. Just stares at me, breathing shallow. Her cheeks are streaked with tears, and her hands tremble in her lap.
I slide the folder onto the table, but don’t open it. “You can start whenever you're ready.”
She looks up, eyes red and swollen. “He took us,” she says, voice barely above a whisper. “Me and my sister. Keller. Said we were just going for a ride.”
I nod slow and steady, taking out my pad and pen to make notes. “When was this?”
“Three nights ago. We were walking home from school. He pulled up, said he knew our mom. Said she told him to give us a lift.”
Her lip quivers. “I didn’t believe him. But my little sister did. She got in the car before I could stop her, and I didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“What happened next?”
Her eyes drop to the table. “He drove past our street. Locked the doors. Said we were going somewhere special.”
I don’t interrupt. Just let her talk.
“He took us to some kind of warehouse. It was cold and the windows were covered. He gave us food, but only enough to keep us quiet.”
She wipes her face with the sleeve of her jacket. “I escaped when he left the door unlocked. I ran, and didn’t look back.”
I lean in slightly. “Is your sister still there?”
She nods, tears falling again. “I think so. I don’t know. We were separated, but there were other girls there.”
I reach for the photo, but give her a second. She’s already unraveling. “Is this the man?”
“Yes. That’s him,” she says crying harder.
I nod, jot down the confirmation, and slide the photo back into the folder.
This is going to take more than a few hours. We’ll need a team, a location, backup, maybe even a warrant if we’re lucky. But right now, none of that matters more than getting those girls out.
I stand, giving her a moment to breathe, then head for the door.
Ty’s safe for now. That’s all I need to keep this moving.