Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
I’m sitting on one of the couches at the back of the club bar, staring into space.
In my hand, I hold a glass of whiskey that I haven’t touched.
I can’t stop thinking about yesterday’s meeting.
We’re bound to find valuable information.
There has to be. Nowadays, everything is done via computers and the internet.
It’s only logical that there’s some kind of trail to be found. My head is spinning.
“Kyler.” The panic in Colt’s voice makes me look up at him. I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip. Meanwhile, he gestures frantically toward the door. “Layne.”
“Layne?” I raise my eyebrows.
His hand movements become more frantic. “She got into Crusher’s truck and drove away.”
“What?” I tilt my head and frown. I must’ve heard him wrong.
“Layne drove off in Crusher’s truck.”
The glass slips from my fingers and shatters on the floor. I jump up and run to the door, just catching sight of the truck turning onto the road with screeching tires. Fuck. What is she doing? What…
I have to go after her. I turn on my heels.
Without thinking, I run to my motorcycle and put my helmet on. My heart’s in my throat and my hands are clammy. In my haste to leave, I rev the engine too quickly and stall my Indian motorcycle. Damn it. Come on, Ky.
I take a deep breath, and try again. When it starts, I shout to Colt, “Call Brooks for Rebel and get Pax.”
Without waiting for an answer, I turn the front wheel of the bike onto the public road and open the throttle. Where are you going, Layne? My throat tightens and I try to concentrate on what I’m doing.
When I turn onto the road, I can’t see her anymore. I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Knowing she’d never leave Rebel, I focused my efforts in that direction. School.
Please let me get there in time.
Shit, shit, shit. She knows damn well she’s not safe, and yet… What’s her plan? What’s going through her head? My Indian racks up the miles as I keep looking for her. Where the fuck is she? Why can’t I see her yet?
I should see her when I round the corner, I have to. Looking as far as possible around the bend, I spot a van parked before a truck.
Tats’ truck.
Right in the middle of the road.
My stomach drops. My chest feels like it’s being crushed and I have to concentrate on my breathing to get any air into my lungs. I open the throttle a little more, hoping I’ll make it in time. That I can get her out. That I can catch one of those bastards.
Then the black van moves. It reverses and turns around.
Come on, come on.
With my right hand, I grab the gun I always keep in my waistband. My fingers close around the butt, but before I can pull out my Glock, someone leans out of the passenger window and points a gun at me.
Fuck.
I duck, the bullets whizzing past. While braking, I let go of my weapon and come to a stop next to the truck.
The door is open and, as expected, the cab’s empty. There’s a trail of blood on the steering wheel.
Shit, Layne.
I immediately open the throttle again and put my feet on the footrests. Please, let me catch up with them. My gaze sweeps across the road, but the van is nowhere in sight. I should never have stopped.
Goddammit.
I drive aimlessly, turning into the first side street, hoping to see a glimpse of the black van. I only stopped briefly, so they can’t be far.
I felt my pulse quicken with every quiet residential street I passed. Every palm tree, every bush. I slow down at every face, then speed up again. There is nothing to be seen that could lead me to the van or Layne.
Defeated, I pull over to the side of the road and slam my fist on the steering wheel. She’s gone. Gone. They’ve got her.
I take my phone out of my pocket. Brooks must be back at the clubhouse.
If they have Layne, they were waiting for her there.
It’s the only way. Unless she was contacted, but I don’t think so, because I would’ve noticed something, right?
I wonder what she was thinking when she got into that truck.
If they were waiting for her, who else are they waiting for?
What if Rebel… or Jen… Everyone needs to go to the clubhouse.
Brooks: Rebel is at your mom’s. Where you at?
I pull up his name and swipe across my screen to call him.
The phone barely rings before he picks up.
“Ky.“ He’s short and tense.
“You need to get back to that school right now. I’m pretty sure it’s been a set up. Go get Jen and Brandon and go to the clubhouse. Now.” I put my phone back in my pocket and drive off.
When I get to the main road, I spot my little brother and Colt. I raise my hand and point to a parking spot along the road. I drive over and come to a stop.
When they arrive, I tell them what happened.
“Those fuckers were watching us,” Pax growls.
I don’t respond because I’m thinking the same thing.
“We need to make sure everyone who could be threatened through us is at the clubhouse. The women, children… you know, complete lockdown,” I say. ”Brooks is picking up Jen and Brandon.”
“Let’s go back and check if everyone’s there.
I nod to Colt and put my helmet back on.
It doesn’t take long before we drive back onto the property.
I quickly park my Indian and race up the stairs to my apartment, hoping to find a clue as to what Layne was doing.
When I put my hand on the doorknob, I notice the door isn’t locked.
I walk in. Her cell phone is sitting on a note on the kitchen island.
Goddammit. I hit the fruit bowl, sending it crashing into the wall near the television. If she doesn’t have her cell phone with her, there’s no way to track her.
I grab the sheet of paper off the counter and sit on the stool. My eyes sweep over the letters, the words in which she explains….
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Airline tickets. Seriously? I stare at the ceiling. Where the fuck did she want to go? I clench my hand holding the letter into the fist and throw the paper back onto the kitchen island.
I bound down the stairs, taking two steps at a time.
When I walk into the bar, my father nods toward the chapel. The doors are closed, but everyone is here. Everyone except Brooks.
Fuck.
With a nod to my dad, I walk through the door without pausing.
Brooks’s sitting at the table, his elbows on the tabletop, his head between them and his hands folded behind his head. All the other chairs are knocked over and a number of photos that were hanging on the wall are now scattered across the floor.
Carefully, I pick up one of the chairs and sit down next to him. We sit there for a while without saying a word. It’s obvious that something’s wrong, but I don’t know what exactly until he says “Jen," voice breaking.
“They were waiting for her?” I ask. Goddamn it.
Defeated, he shrugs his shoulders. ”Don’t know.
They were there when I got there. She was standing by their car and when I got closer, they showed me they had a gun pressed up against her ribs.
All I could do was watch helplessly as they threw my wife into the back of a van.
” He pushes his head further down onto the table with his hands.
“I couldn’t do a goddamn thing.” He sounds choked up.
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Brandon?”
“At your mom’s. Together with Rebel.”
“Okay. Meeting. We gotta get them back, bro. That’s the only option. Without saying a word, I straighten the other chairs, put the paintings back up without checking if they’re broken, but judging by the crunching sound under my shoes, something definitely needs to be replaced. That’s for later.
I open the doors and gesture to my father, who immediately calls out, “Chapel.”
Once everyone is seated and the doors are closed, Dad looks at me.
“Layne and Jen were both kidnapped. Since Layne was caught around the corner, I suspect someone was watching. Brooks?“ I look at my best friend, who’s still sitting at the table in the same position I found him in.
“Black van,” he mumbles.
I nod and say, “They were probably on the lookout, but I’m not a hundred percent sure.
It seems like the most logical explanation, else it would be too much of a coincidence.
She wasn’t contacted, ‘cause I would’ve known.
” I don’t mention the letter that confirmed my suspicions, ‘cause it’s too personal.
My gaze shifts to Colt and I silently ask him for permission.
When he nods, I continue. “I think our best option is to see if we can hack the computers of both the Knights and Vanderberg.”
“Hack? Computers?” Dad raises an eyebrow. “Sorry, but I’m not a techie, and last time I checked, you weren’t much good with those things either.”
“Colt can do it.”
Every pair of eyes at the table turns to him. Colt shrugs sheepishly.
“Okay, great. I didn’t know that. Get started right away.
We need them back before God knows what happens.
Call me when you have updates, and then we’ll regroup.
The kids are at Abby’s, and the rest of you can use the rooms here.
Is anyone else missing a family member?” Dad’s gaze sweeps across all the members, but they all shake their heads.
"Good." Then he bangs the gavel on the table.
Colt, Pax, and I linger. Brooks barely moves. Ash lingers in the doorway, staring at his brother.
“Gonna kill ‘im, Ky. And he better not touch her. I’ll gut him like a fish.” Brooks slowly looks up, and I’ve never seen that look in his eyes before. Honestly, I’m glad I’m on his side.
“Fine. Let’s go. We’re going to Colt’s house.”