Chapter 24 #2
Lockout studied me for a long minute before saying anything. The whole table was quiet, no one dared chime in. They were waiting for him. “No one is going to touch that little girl. We will solve this before they get the chance.”
A glance around the table was all I needed to see that everyone was wearing the same determined, eager expression I was.
I wanted that cult gone and Caitlyn safe.
They’d mentioned that there were women and children out there, who may not be there by choice.
We’d help as many as we could, but the guys were going to take out the rest. Considering they may have killed people to keep their awful community a secret, I didn’t feel guilty about that idea in the slightest.
* * *
“Taz?”
I smiled over at Taylor as she and her three sisters approached me.
“Yeah, Sweetie?” The girls had taken to calling me by my nickname as well and I didn’t mind.
Given how horrible the past month was, they could have treated me like an evil stepmother.
Instead, they’ve treated me like part of the family. Well, most of them did.
It’d been a little over a week since we’d found out about the cult. Riptide and Dash were doing their best trying to track down information about the cult. They’d even called over to Texas and enlisted the help of Rat and his wife Ari. So far they’d all come up with nothing but giant goose eggs.
How could these guys be hiding so effectively?
We hadn’t been able to figure out pseudonyms they were living under or even where they were going to get their food and water.
Of course, as Rat pointed out, you don’t exactly post your cult activities to social media.
While the mystery of disappearing hikers was mostly solved, who the cult members were was another story.
Even if they tracked missing persons reports from across the country, without pictures of the people there it would be pointless.
And that's assuming that missing persons reports were even filed on them.
If they joined willingly, then they could vanish without a trace.
Lockout had decided after a few days that the guys needed to start staking the compound out.
It was dangerous. If they found out we were on to them, we lost the element of surprise.
Luckily the MC was used to this kind of thing and they’d managed to stay off the cult’s radar so far.
If they could gather faces or names, that would give our techies something to work with.
No one had left the compound in over a week, but they’d have to restore their food and water supplies soon enough.
Priest was going out on the day shift to keep an eye on them.
He let the others take nights. He knew he needed to be here for his girls in the late hours.
It was when missing their mom hit them the hardest.
Taylor gave Gabby a pleading look. The younger girls had taken to me right away.
They just saw an adult who obviously loved them and clung to that.
Gabby was a bit tougher. She was old enough to have doubts plague her about my intentions.
I’d already spoken with her a few times about the fact that I didn’t want to take her mom’s place, and I think—despite herself—she was starting to welcome me in as well.
It was a struggle. Though I understood it, it was hard because I just wanted us all to be a family.
“We have a favor to ask,” Gabby said, taking over.
I faced them, giving the girls my full attention. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“We want to go to Mom’s house.”
I wasn’t sure what to say at first. They’d been handling Wendy’s death as well as could be expected, but this took me by surprise. Priest had talked about selling the house later on, but for now he still owned it. It was sitting, fully furnished, though no one was living in it.
“May I ask why?”
Gabby swallowed, her eyes misting over, and I had to blink to hold back my own tears. It pained me to see them hurting. “We just want to spend a little time where…” She didn’t seem to know how to explain.
She didn’t need to. I understood it. Hanging out in Grams’ house after she was gone had given me comfort.
I nibbled my lower lip as I considered their request. Any other time, I’d pack them up and bring them over, but with everything we’d learned about Caitlyn’s father and the cult—granted it wasn’t much—I wasn’t sure if it was safe.
“I’ll ask your father,” I promised them.
They nodded and went back into the living room to continue reading.
School had started up for them, but Priest hadn’t made them go yet.
He’d talked to the school and gotten permission for them to take time off and considering what they’d gone through, the school had agreed.
But they’d be going back in another week or so and I’d been working with the younger girls on things that would help them with the upcoming year.
Pulling out my phone, I texted Priest, asking him to call me. I smiled when the phone immediately rang in my hand. “Hey.”
“Hey, Gorgeous. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m so sorry to bug you while you’re busy.
” He was out with Hush and the others watching the compound, which was why I hadn’t called him.
The last thing I wanted was to distract him or have someone hear his phone ring if he forgot to silence it.
“The girls want to spend some time at the Oro Valley house.”
There was silence on the other line for a long enough period that I pulled the phone away and looked down at it. Still connected. I brought it back to my ear.
“Okay. The key is on the ring hanging on the hook above the microwave.”
“You think it’s safe?”
“It should be. If Chet had any idea where Caitlyn was, you would know. You handled her case, any inquiries should go through your office. If anything he’d come looking at the clubhouse.
But I’ll send you a few phone numbers of the guys who are going to be around just in case you need something. Maybe take Seek with you.”
“She got called out for a rescue job.” It would still be hot for a few more months, but Seek had explained that things started slowing down for her now and wouldn’t pick back up full time until next summer.
She’d have a few rescues over the winter months versus a couple a week during the hottest parts of summer.
She’d only grinned when I asked her how she managed her bills with such an unsteady schedule, and said, “I get paid really well by the state for each rescue and it’s more than enough to live comfortably.
Besides, then I get a bunch of time off and I train with my dogs. ”
“Okay, well, that’s fine. I don’t think it’ll be an issue. Are they okay?” The worry in his voice floated over the connection.
“I think so. They miss her. They miss you, but they understand that you’re working.”
He sighed. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time off to give me a hand with them.”
I was using more of my annual leave with work.
I was grateful that they were so understanding of my recent absence, but I needed to be here for the girls and for Priest. There was no way I was going to go to work only to be distracted and miserable while there when I wanted to be here.
Priest had been shocked, but thankful when I’d offered to watch the girls while he dealt with The Silverbells situation.
“It’s my pleasure,” I told him. “It’s giving us a chance to get to know each other.”
I heard someone nearby say something to him, though it was too soft for me to make out much.
“Well, still, I appreciate it. Look, I have to go. Let me know if you need anything, but I’ll be home around eight. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I hung up and walked into the living room. “Why don’t we have dinner over at your mom’s place?”
Four faces lit up with smiles and three of them started talking excitedly. Grinning, I started to gather the food I’d need to take with me so I could cook it over there. That way the girls got to spend a decent amount of time at the house.