Chapter 22
Kit
Ipaced back and forth in the hallway in front of my brother's apartment.
I was going to feel so stupid when Hellfire walked in and found out I'd been panicking.
But he'd been gone for hours. It was after ten p.m. and he wasn't home.
He hadn't called. I didn't know where he was. It was all so unlike Hell.
Huffing out a breath, I knocked on Smoke's door. It didn't take long before he answered. "I'm so sorry. I know it's late-"
"What's wrong?" he asked, worry etched into his features. His eyes scanned me, checking to make sure I was okay.
"Hellfire hasn't come home."
He frowned and leaned against his door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. "Did you guys have a fight?"
"No," I answered. "He texted me and told me he had something he needed to check on and that he'd be back later." I bit my lip. "I haven't heard from him since and that was five hours ago."
Smoke shoved off the door, a scowl spreading over his face. "Did he say what he was checking on?"
"No."
"Shit." He shoved past me, not at all helping my anxiety over the situation. "I need to talk to Lock."
Rushing after him, I grabbed him by the arm. He stopped and glowered down at me. "What's going on?"
"It's...nothing."
"Smoke," I snapped. "I'm your sister. This is my old man. I swear to God if you don't tell me, I'm going to make your life so miserable you'll have to move to fucking Antarctica to escape me."
He rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It immediately disappeared as he thought about whatever it was that had him worried. "Hellfire thinks Pixie might be leaking information to someone."
My eyes widened in shock. "Why wouldn't he tell me that?"
"He didn't want anyone to know until he had proof. He didn't want to condemn her in everyone's eyes until he was sure."
My heart dropped. "You think she's working with The Italians?"
He shrugged. "Or Fremont. Both? We don't know."
"I'm going with you," I insisted.
He knew better than to argue, so as one, we went down the hall to Lockout's apartment.
Smoke knocked, and Lock answered the door.
He was in a pair of gray sweatpants and was shrugging on a t-shirt.
"What's up?" he asked, looking between us.
Smoke explained about Hellfire and I watched as Lock's scowl got deeper and deeper.
"Fuck. Okay. Smoke, wake everyone up." His eyes met mine.
"Any chance he'd be at his parents' place? "
"Possibly, but he would have answered his phone, Lock," I told him. There was no reason for him not to be answering unless something was wrong. My gut was telling me something happened.
"Yeah. Okay. You stay here and we'll go look for him."
"I want to come."
He shook his head. "Not happening." His eyes softened when he saw the stricken look on my face. Sitting here just waiting wasn't easy for me. "We'll find him, Kit. I promise."
Nodding, I stepped back so he could meet with the rest of the guys as they began filling the hallway. Following them downstairs, I watched as they made a quick plan and headed out. I sat on a bar stool and tried to shove all negative thoughts from my mind.
"You okay?" Jordan asked, coming up beside me and rubbing my back.
"I'm sure he's fine," I told her, trying to convince myself as much as her. "He's Hellfire."
She smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he is."
"What do you know about Pixie?" Gwen asked as she took the barstool on the other side of me. All of them were coming down the stairs, even Seek, holding Sawyer.
The guys had obviously filled their women in on what Hellfire suspected and why they had to leave so abruptly tonight. I shrugged. "She's Hellfire's cousin. Even though she's always been kind of a pain in the ass, I can't imagine she'd do something to hurt him."
"Not everyone is close with their family," Keely pointed out. "She sort of strikes me as the type to think everyone else is the reason for her bad luck."
Seek nodded. "You know I'm not a fan."
We all laughed. Seek and Pixie had bad blood and that dislike had only grown since she'd been living here.
"I've never gotten a good vibe from her," Sloane admitted, joining us at the bar. "There were a few women like her in the cult. They were always prodding their husbands to try to get higher in The Order and were fine with whatever had to be done to get promotions."
Dani winced, looking over at Sloane. "Whatever had to be done?"
"You don't want to know," Sloane said with a tight smile. "Nothing good."
"I'm surprised Lock let her stay," Jordan said with a thoughtful look on her face.
"He only let her stick around for Hellfire," I told them.
"But Hell doesn't even want her here," Jenny said in confusion.
"True," Susie replied, "but at least here, he can keep an eye on her."
"Exactly," I confirmed. "He watches over her for his uncle's sake. He loves his Uncle Hal and doesn't want to have to tell him that his oldest daughter was raped and beaten to death because she got caught up with the wrong sort."
"He's going to be okay," Daisha told me. The others had dragged the barstools over and now we were sitting in a circle.
"I swear someone needs to chip these guys," Keely said with a laugh.
"What do you mean?" Tori asked.
"Well, first they lose Butcher, now Hellfire. Gwen, you're a vet tech, would an animal chip work?"
Gwen threw her head back and laughed. Everyone else joined in. "Only if someone found them and wanted to figure out who they belonged to. I think a wedding ring is more effective for that."
My ears began buzzing as my eyes widened. "A tracker."
"What?" Seek asked, frowning at me.
"A tracker! Keely! You're a freaking genius," I muttered the last as I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. "Who knows how to use this stupid find my phone app?"
"Give it," Jenny said and grabbed my phone out of my hands. By the time she handed it back there was a mark on my GPS map.
I hit a number in my contact and ground my teeth together as I listened to Smoke's phone ring and ring and eventually go to voicemail. I had the same luck with Lock's phone. The other women were trying their own guys and I sighed when no one answered. "I'm going to check it out."
"Wait," Seek said with a worried look. "You can't go alone."
"For all we know he's in the hospital," I told her.
"Or jail." Those were probably the best case scenarios, though almost as concerning.
"Or on the side of the road needing help.
I have to go check. Keep trying to get a hold of the guys.
" I took a screenshot of the map and sent it to Smoke and the other women.
"They're going to be pissed if you go alone," Daisha said with a shake of her head. "Bring Mel with you."
"He's supposed to be here to help guard the clubhouse," I told her.
"We still have Bear, Hush, and Breaker," Seek said.
"Have us for what?" Hush asked, coming in the front door.
"Kit knows where Hellfire is."
"Where his phone is," I corrected.
Hush's eyes narrowed and he too pulled his phone from his pocket and tried to call the others.
"Hush," I said when he hung up with a scowl. His eyes met mine. "I'm going to go find him."
"The fuck you are."
"I'm not waiting around when he could be hurt, or in trouble."
"I'll go," Hush said.
"No one is supposed to go anywhere alone," I reminded him. "I'm going with you. Let me go grab my gun."
His curses followed me up the stairs, but I knew Seek wouldn't let him leave without me. By the time I came back downstairs, my gun holstered to my belt, he had already gathered the other men who remained behind. "Keep your eyes open. Who knows what this means. With both Butcher and Hellfire missin’, this could be Amato holdin’ true to his threats," he warned.
They all turned to face me when I approached.
I'd changed into jeans and one of Hellfire's t-shirts to cover my weapon.
It hung down to my thighs and looked ridiculous, but it covered my gun and enveloped me in his scent.
It soothed my nerves. I didn't actually need to cover my gun, Arizona was an open carry state, but it was always better if your enemy didn't know what you had on you.
Which was why my switchblade, that Dad had given me for my twelfth birthday, was concealed on the inside of my boot.
I was dressed for a fight. As much as I was hoping to find Hellfire broke down on the side of the road, deep down, I knew something was wrong.
"No one else is goin’," Hush barked as the women started to make their offers. "You're stayin’ here where it's safe," he added, looking at his wife and newborn son.
"We'll stay, Hush," she told him, then shot me an apologetic look.
As if I wanted her or her baby to be in harm’s way. I didn't want any of them to be in danger. "I love you all so much," I told them. "The fact that you're offering to go just shows me how much you love me, too. But you can't go. You need to stay here and help protect the children."
Hugs were given and Hush and I strode out into the night. "We can take my car," I told him.
He acknowledged that with a grunt and caught the keys I tossed his way. He drove while I navigated and before long we pulled up in front of a house. "Do you know who lives here?" Hush asked, voice low.
"No." A hard lump formed in my throat. "If we walk in there and he's cheating on me," I told Hush, "I'm going to need you to step back so I can kill him."
"He wouldn't."
I let out a soft laugh. "I know, Hush. I was joking.
Mostly." Nerves were fluttering so hard in my stomach, I had to swallow back bile.
I was so scared about what I would find.
Hellfire wouldn't cheat on me. I really did know that, but what if he was dead?
What if I walked in that house and found him lying on the floor with blood everywhere? A sob broke free of my throat.
"Hey." Hush turned in the seat and grabbed my shoulders. "Breathe, Kit." I sucked in a shaky breath. Losing it here in the car wasn't helping Hell. "Stay here," he said.
"No. I'm fine. I promise." Pulling myself together, I got out of the car, careful to close the door quietly. We'd parked across the street a few houses down so as not to be so suspicious.
"You know how to use that gun, right?"
I snorted out a laugh. "My dad had me shooting and learning to fight right along Smokehouse," I promised him. "I may not be able to take on a man in a fair fight, but I wasn't taught to fight fair to begin with."
Hush chuckled. "Good. I'm goin’ around back to see what I can find. Wait here until I get back."