Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
I pace back and forth while Colt’s fingers race across the keyboard and then come to a halt. This has been going on for a couple of hours, and I have no idea if he’s making any headway. I don’t have a clue what the codes on his screen mean.
Brooks sits in the corner of the sofa with his legs pulled up, his hands folded over the bridge of his nose and he stares into space. A foot away, Pax taps his feet on the floor.
“Shit, I can’t work like this,“ Colt grumbles, pushing the keyboard away from him. ‘Someone, grab something to eat. Pax, quit tapping your feet. It’s driving me crazy.’
“Did you find anything?” my little brother mumbles.
My gaze remains fixed on Colt, but when he pulls his keyboard toward him without answering, I grab my phone to ask West to order food for us.
My fingers fly across my phone to send the text.
As soon as I put my phone away, I sit down next to Paxton on the couch and rest my head on the backrest behind me.
I close my eyes and Layne’s face appears in my mind’s eye.
Not the image of what she looks like now, but fifteen-year-old Layne.
I recall a pleasant afternoon at Folsom Lake with Pax, Jack, Brooks, Ash, Lizzy, and Layne.
That army-green bikini, her black hair pulled back tightly in a ponytail that fell to her shoulder blades.
The carefree smile on her face that I haven’t seen since she came back. I want that smile…
“Got something.”
Colt speaks softly, but I jump to my feet. With a few steps, I’m standing next to him. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure yet.” His frantic typing is driving me crazy.
“Colt, come on. What is it?” With raised eyebrows, I stare at the screen, following his movements. “Is that someone else’s computer?”
“Uh, yeah.” He leans closer to the screen.
Meanwhile, Pax comes up behind me and bends down, resting one hand on the desk where Colton’s sitting.
“Fuck, is that…”
“Yeah.” The tip of Colt’s tongue appears in the corner of his mouth.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Frustrated, I throw my hands in the air.
Pax points at the computer screen. “Our nerd has access to Vanderberg’s email account.” A broad grin spreads across Paxton’s face.
“What?” My jaw drops. “You’re in his email? You can read everything?”
Unconcerned, he continues clicking. “Okay, I’ll print out a few emails, but I believe it’s some kind of code. And I’m still waiting on Dragonfly to answer a question.”
“Dragonfly?”
Without taking his eyes off the screen, he nods and says, “It’s a code name. We don’t use real names online.”
Makes sense. I don’t really care, as long as I know he’s looking for information. “What’s your code name?”
After a sigh, he mumbles, “Lone wolf.”
“Lone wolf?”
“That’s what I said.” He pulls the beanie off his head and puts it on the table. “Is dinner ready yet?”
We silently eat the pizza West had just brought. Pax drops some tomato sauce from his pizza onto the paper in front of him.
“Shit.” Sighing, he grabs a napkin and starts wiping. “Not that it was anything important, but still… shit.”
“Is it those emails?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
“Yep. They’ve ordered a ship, but haven’t specified when it will arrive. So not much intel.” He rubs his forehead with his free hand and brushes a stray strand of hair behind his ear.
“The Kid.” An hour has passed, and Brooks hasn’t moved from his spot in the corner of the couch; if he hadn’t spoken, I would have forgotten he was there. I turn to him with a questioning look. “He needs to know more. We have to go to him.”
I’m already getting up to go with him.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Pax deadpans. “You’re going to see two kids who are with my mom, not their mother.”
“Damn it, Pax, she’s my wife. I have to—”
“I’m going with Ash to see The Kid.”
“No way,” I say, clenching my fists.
My little brother blocks me, arms folded. “It’s too personal and you’re emotionally involved. Trust the club. Let us do our job.” He points at Colt. “He’s waiting for Bumblebee and the information, and you’re going to see those kids. Do you hear me?”
“Dragonfly,” Colt mutters.
Deep down, I know he’s right, but damn it… I gotta do something.
“Forget it, Pax. We’re goin’ ourselves.” Brooks starts toward the door, but Paxton grabs his arm.
“Think about it!” he roars, pulling my best friend back. “You have zero leads, and your son is terrified at my mom’s house, a woman he barely knows. You go to him, and I’ll get the information we need to find Jen and Layne, Brooks.”
Brooks puts his hands on Pax’s chest and pushes him away. “Goddamn it, man.”
Paxton’s right, I know, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. I put a hand on Brooks’s shoulder. “Call me if you find anything. I don’t care what time it is.” I almost poke Pax’s eye out with my index finger. My little brother nods. “I’m counting on you.” I pull Brooks with me.
“I can’t believe he’s forcing us to sit on the couch while Jen…” he starts.
“Pax’s right,” I sigh, “Brandon needs you, man.” Shaking my head, I walk briskly toward my parents’ house on the other side of the property.
“As if he can’t manage on his own.”
“Damn it, Brooks, he’s eight years old and probably scared to death to lose his mother. Just like you’re scared to death to lose your wife. He’s your fucking son, and you’re going to watch a movie with him, so he knows you care. You’re letting Pax, Colt, and Ash do their jobs. He’s right!”
“They can’t—”
“Shut up, man. Ash knows what Jen means to you, what she means to Brandon. So do Pax and Colt. Your son comes first right now.” I climb up the small steps to the porch, open the door, and give him a friendly pat on the cheek. “Show him that special smile, will ya?”
We go through the doorway, down the hall, and into the living room, where Rebel and Brandon sit on the sofa. As soon as they hear us, Brandon jumps off the couch.
“Dad,” he exclaims and runs toward Brooks. Thankfully, his father catches him and a small smile appears on his face.
“Hey, buddy. How are you?”
Brandon shrugs when Brooks lets him go. “Okay. We’re just hanging out with Abby. I think we’re driving her crazy.” He tries to smile, but can’t quite manage it. Behind him, Rebel’s round face appears. She looks up at me hopefully, but I shake my head.
“Hey, Shorts,” I breathe. Before I can finish, she throws her small body against me and her little shoulders shake. I immediately lift her off the ground. “Hey, it’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
Sobbing, she straightens up and says, “You can’t say that. What if it will not be okay?”
Damn. That little girl is smarter than me. “You’re right, but we’ll do everything we can to try, okay?”
A watery smile appears on her face. “I know.”
I pull her close to me. “Want to watch a movie?” Nodding, she buries herself in my leather vest.
The four of us walk to the couch and plop down. Grabbing his phone, Brooks places it on the armrest, keeping a watchful eye on it before giving me a significant look.
Brandon grabs the TV remote, and within seconds, he’s got a movie playing.
Long live the digital age in which today’s children are growing up.
I lean back against the cushions and Rebel snuggles up under my arm.
Somehow, it’s an incredibly satisfying feeling.
The warmth of her little body does me good, and I peek at Brooks, who, amazingly enough, has his arm around Brandon.
In his other hand, he has his cell phone, on which he is typing furiously.
My thoughts are with Layne and whether Colt has found anything yet, or if Pax has gotten anything out of The Kid, even though I know I have to trust the club.
We’re short on time, but teamwork will get us there.
We need to get them back as soon as possible, because there’s a good chance that both Layne and Jen will disappear into the clutches of human traffickers, and I don’t even want to think about what will happen to them then.
My eyes remain fixed on the group app the whole time, while my leg bounces involuntarily.
When the movie ends, we get up and change the kids’ clothes.
“Why can’t I sleep at home, Dad?” Brandon asks as he puts on his pajamas.
I urge Rebel to pull the top of her pajamas over her head and then lead her to the adjoining bathroom.
“Because I might hear something about your mother tonight, and then I’ll go after her right away, buddy. If you’re at home, I’ll have to leave you alone, and I can’t do that.” Brooks replies with no emotion in his voice.
In the bathroom, Rebel steps onto the stool so she can reach the sink and puts some toothpaste on her toothbrush while I lean against the doorframe.
Behind me, Brooks says, “I’m doing everything I can to get Mom back, kid. You understand that, right?”
Brandon nods. Tears well up in his eyes as he says, “But what if it doesn’t work, Dad? What if Mom—”
“Stop,” Brooks says abruptly. “For now, Mom’s still alive, and I’m doing everything I can to find her. Do you understand? If that’s not the case…” He rubs his forehead and takes a deep breath. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes, okay? For now, there are still three of us.”
Brandon nods and steps onto the stool next to Rebel. My gaze wanders to the floor and I notice how Rebel takes Brandon’s hand and squeezes it gently.
It’s a good thing those two have each other.
Once they’ve brushed their teeth, we put them to bed. I kiss Rebel on the forehead and say, “Sleep well. I’ll let you know if there’s any news tomorrow, okay, Shorts?” She nods at me. “If there’s anything, you can ask Abby.” She nods again, and I squeeze her shoulder before leaving the room.
Mom’s sitting at the kitchen table. I walk over to her and kiss her on the cheek. Just then, Brooks comes out of the bedroom.
“Be careful, son,” Abby says softly.
Nodding, I walk to the door. “Take good care of those two.”
Mom winks. “I will.”
Then I leave the house, Brooks following close behind.
“Are you sleeping at my place or at home?” I look at my best friend, who avoids my gaze. The only answer is a nod toward where his house roughly stands.
“If I get a call, I’ll be on my way. See you there.”
We go to the front of the property together. Then he hops on his motorcycle. “I’m sure we’ll hear something soon. See you later, man.”
Once he’s started his motorcycle and driven away, I walk up the stairs to the apartment with a heavy heart. I lean my head against the wood and sigh deeply. “Where the fuck are you, Layne?” I mutter before going inside and closing the door behind me.