by Wilder, L.
“Damn, you really should’ve left well enough alone.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing,” he snapped. “What’s done is done.”
“Would you like me to hold on to it until you can come get it?”
“Might as well.”
I couldn’t understand why he sounded so upset. I thought I had done him a favor, but obviously, he didn’t feel that way. I didn’t know what else to do, so I simply replied, “Okay, just let me know when you’re coming, and I’ll make sure to get it to you.”
“Um-hmm. That’ll be fine.”
Without so much as a goodbye, he hung up the phone, leaving me wondering what the hell had just happened. My stomach was growling too much to worry about it, so I took out my lunch and ate a quick bite. It seemed like I’d barely blinked, and the kids were back in the room. I did my best to push through those last few hours, but it wasn’t easy. By the time the day was over, I was completely spent. I got in my car, relieved to find a note from Smokey letting me know they’d taken care of my battery.
I drove straight home and got in bed. I had no idea how long I’d been sleeping when my phone chimed with a message notification. I groaned as I rolled over and grabbed the phone from the side table. I glanced down at the screen, and my spirits quickly lifted when I saw that it was a message from Flynn.
Flynn:
Hey Beautiful. How was your day?
Me:
Not all that great. I had a killer headache, but it seems to be gone now.
Flynn:
Sorry to hear that. Glad you’re doing better.
Me:
What about you? How was your day?
Flynn:
Not too bad. Would’ve been better if I’d gotten to spend some time with you.
Me:
I couldn’t agree more.
Flynn:
We can make up for lost time tomorrow night.
Me:
Looking forward to that.
Flynn:
Me too. Been thinking about you all day.
Me:
Oh really? And what exactly have you been thinking?
Flynn:
Oh, nothing much, just all the wicked things I would’ve done to you if you were here with me.
Me:
Hmmm. I like the sound of that. What exactly would you want to do?
Flynn:
I’ll show you as soon as you get here tomorrow.
Me:
No fair. You know how I am about waiting.
Flynn:
Yes, I know, but don’t worry. I’ll make it worth your while.
Me:
I’m going to hold you to that.
Flynn:
I certainly hope so.
Flynn:
Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Me:
I’ll be there as soon as I get off work.
Flynn:
Looking forward to it.
Me:
Me too. Goodnight, Flynn.
Flynn:
Night Beautiful.
After the day from hell, I drifted off again with a genuine smile on my face. The next morning, I woke up feeling better than I had in days. My allergies had finally started to ease up, and my headache was gone. I was able to get up and ready for work without feeling like my head was a ticking time-bomb. I made myself a cup of coffee, grabbed my things, and headed to work. I’d just gotten to the end of my road when I noticed a park ranger truck speeding up behind me with the lights flashing. I started to worry something was wrong, so I took the next turn and eased to the side of the road. Once he’d parked behind me, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw that it was Collin’s dad, so I got out and started towards him.
“Hey, Mr. Phillips.” I smiled as I continued in his direction. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“No,” he snarled. “You’ve already done enough.”
His voice had a sinister tone, and his eyes held a fierce look that sent a chill down my spine. Fearing something was wrong, I stopped dead in my tracks. I had a bad feeling, a really bad feeling, so I quickly turned and started back to my car. I’d only taken a few steps when I felt something slam against the back of my head, and then everything went black.
Chapter 11
Flynn
“Hey, Flynn.” Cass stood in the doorway with a warm smile. “How’s it going?”
“It’d be better if I knew where Lauren was.” Cass’s brows furrowed as I asked, “Have you seen or talked to her?”
“No, we thought she was with you.”
“She was supposed to be. We’d made plans to have dinner at my place, but she never showed.” I glanced behind her. “Cotton around?”
“Yeah, give me a second.” She walked over to the end of the stairs and called, “Hey, Hun, can you come down for a sec?”
“Coming.” I could hear his footsteps as he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Whatcha need?”
“Flynn’s here looking for Lauren.” There was no missing the concern in her voice as she continued, “He wanted to know if we’d seen her.”
Without responding to her, Cotton turned his attention straight to me. “She told me last night she was gonna be heading over to your place after work.”
“That was the plan, but I haven’t heard from her since we talked last night.” I’d learned a long time ago that when things were going good, not to get too comfortable because it was only a matter of time before they went south. I knew this, and yet, there I stood in Cotton’s kitchen, having no idea if something had happened to Lauren or if she was just somewhere out of reach. I could feel the panic rising up in my chest as I told him, “I’ve messaged her several times today, but haven’t heard back from her—which isn’t like her. She always messages back.”
“And you’re just now checking on her?”
“I assumed she got held up at work or maybe she had fallen asleep. Lauren mentioned having a bad headache yesterday. Thought maybe it came back. I didn’t know what was going on with her.”
“She did have a headache yesterday,” Cass interjected. “A bad one. Came home and went straight to bed.”
“Could she be at the clinic?” I asked.
“Maybe, but I’m pretty sure she would’ve called if she was going to the doctor. At the very least, she would’ve answered your message.”
Cotton pulled out his phone and dialed Lauren’s number. When she didn’t answer, he roared, “School let out hours ago. Where the hell could she be?”
“Do we even know if she made it to work today?”
“I’m not sure. Like I said, I texted several times, but she never answered me, and she always does. That’s why I’m here. Something’s wrong. I just know it.”
“Let me try her, too. Just to be sure.” Cass picked up her cell and dialed Lauren’s phone. After several rings, she looked over to Cotton and said, “She isn’t answering me either.”
“Fuck.”
“Hold on. Let me try Leigha. She’ll know if Lauren made it to work this morning.”
Cass called Leigha’s number, and Cotton and I listened in complete silence as she asked her about Lauren. I didn’t have to hear Leigha’s side of the conversation to know she hadn’t seen or heard from Lauren. It was written all over Cass’s face. After she hung up the phone, Cass turned to us and said, “She wasn’t there at all today. Everyone has been trying to reach her. They even called here, but I must’ve missed the call. Where could she be, Cotton?”
“I don’t know, babe, but don’t worry, I’ll find her. I’m gonna head over to the clubhouse and see if Big and the boys can help me track her down.” When he stormed out of the house, I followed. As soon as he saw that I was behind him, he ordered, “Go home, Flynn. I’ll let you know as soon as we find out anything.”
“No, sir. I’m not going home. Not when it’s Lauren who’s missing.”
Cotton whipped around, and the fierceness in his expression would’ve made a
ny man shake in his fucking boots. “I don’t have time for this bullshit, Flynn. This is my daughter we’re talking about.”
“I’m fully aware of who we’re talking about, sir, and that’s why I’m telling ya I’m not going home to sit idly by while you and the brothers look for Lauren. That’s not gonna work for me.”
“I don’t give a fuck what’s gonna work for you, son. I’m telling you to go home.”
“And I’m telling you that’s not gonna happen. I’m going with you,” I argued. “I need to be there. I need to help find her.”
“I get that you care about Lauren, but you can’t be around for this, Flynn. Club business is club business. No one is allowed to know what goes on behind our closed doors.”
“I already know,” I snapped back. “I haven’t lived up on that fucking hill all these years and not known the kind of things you and your brothers do. I’ve seen men walk into the clubhouse but never walk out, I’ve heard the gunshots and chaos that ensued during one of your wars, and I’ve never said a fucking word about any of it. And I’m not gonna start now—especially now.”
Cotton stood there staring back at me as he considered what I’d just said. When he didn’t immediately respond, I pushed a little harder. “Don’t you get it? I’m in love with her, sir. I’ve been in love with her for as long as I can remember. If Lauren’s in some kind of trouble, I want you to do all those things you do—right, wrong, and everything in between. Whatever you gotta do to make sure Lauren is okay.”
“I just can’t do it, Flynn.”
“You can. You’re the fucking president, Cotton.” I kept my eyes locked on his as I said, “You can trust me, sir. I’ve already proven that. Just need you to let me do it again.”
“Fine, but if you get in the way, you’re as good as gone. And if you open your mouth about anything that goes down, you’re as good as dead.”
“Understood.”
We got in his truck, and in a matter of seconds, we were in the Satan’s Fury clubhouse and making our way into the conference room. As each of the brothers filed in, they looked over at me with a mixture of confusion and anger. I wasn’t surprised. I was an outsider infringing upon their turf, and from the way they were eyeballing me, it wasn’t something that often happened—if ever. Thankfully, the second Cotton told them about Lauren, they’d all but forgotten about me.
I stood in the corner, overlooking the large wooden table where each of the brothers seemed to have their own designated place to sit. Cotton stood in front, looking over each of them, and they all listened attentively as he finished catching them all up on the situation with Lauren. As I stood there watching them interact with one another, I found myself thinking about the knights of the round table, but the men before me were no knights. With their black leather cuts, tatted arms and chests, and vicious expressions, they were the kind of men who’d reach in, snatch my very soul, and leave me for dead without giving it a second thought. I might’ve been intimidated by them but didn’t doubt that they’d find Lauren. And when they did, they’d make the piece of shit who took her pay for fucking with her. Cotton had just finished telling them all about Lauren when Stitch glanced over at me and growled, “You good speaking openly with the outsider in the room?”
“He wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”
“You sure about that, Cotton?” Guardrail, his VP, pushed.
Cotton gave him a quick nod, putting an end to the questions about me. Seeing that his president was certain about his decision, Stitch asked, “When was the last time Lauren was actually seen?”
“She came home after work yesterday and went to bed with a headache. Got up this morning at her regular time, and that was the last time any of us have seen her.”
“And what about you?” Clutch turned to me. “When was the last time you spoke with her?”
“Last night. We texted a couple times around eleven. I’ve messaged and called her countless times today but never got any response.”
“So, these messages from last night ... Were they cordial, or were you two in a disagreement of some kind?”
“You implying I had something to do—”
“Not saying that you did anything to her, Flynn,” Clutch interrupted. “Just asking if she might be lying low because of some dispute the two of you might’ve had.”
“No.” It was impossible not to feel like I was on the defensive as I told him, “We didn’t have any kind of dispute or argument. Things were good. We just talked about our plans for tonight, and that was it.”
“We’re wasting time with this bullshit,” Cotton growled. “We need to find her, and we need to find her now.”
“I’ll track her phone and see if I can get a location.”
Big got up and stepped over to the computer across the room. After a few keystrokes, he turned back to Cotton with a distraught expression. “It’s not far from here.”
“What?”
“I’m telling ya. The coordinates are showing the phone is less than five miles from here.” He glanced back at the computer screen. “It’s showing right off the main road ... on the corner of Maycomb Hill.”
“Fuck, we need to get out there and find out what the hell is going on.”
“On it.”
Two Bit and Stitch stood up and started rushing towards the door. They hadn’t gotten far when Cotton looked over to me and asked, “You coming or what?”
“Absolutely.”
I followed them out to the club’s parking lot, and Smokey and I got in the SUV with Cotton and Stitch while the others piled in with Maverick and Clutch. I could tell by their side glances that some of the brothers weren’t thrilled about my being there, but unfortunately for them, I wasn’t going anywhere—not until we found Lauren. We all rode in silence as we drove towards Maycomb Hill. It was a road we’d all been on a hundred times, but tonight, our eyes were trained on the road like we’d never seen it before. It was dark, making it difficult to see, but there was no missing Lauren’s bright red Beetle parked on the shoulder. The second Cotton spotted it, he hammered down on the accelerator and pulled up next to the driver’s side door. Maverick pulled up right behind us, and I could practically feel the tension radiating off of Cotton and Guardrail as we got out of the trucks and rushed over to her car, only to find it empty. Her purse and school bag had been dumped all around the passenger seat and floor, making it look like she might’ve been carjacked, but her wallet and phone were sitting right on top of her things. A carjacking just didn’t make sense.
When he saw that her keys were still in the ignition, Smokey looked over to Cotton and said, “Maybe this has something to do with the battery.”
“I thought you and the boys fixed it yesterday.”
“Yeah, we did, but maybe it wasn’t just the battery. Maybe it was the alternator or—”
“She would’ve called. At the very least, she would’ve tried walking back to the house.” Clearly troubled, Cotton turned to Stitch and asked, “What do you think?”
“Hard to say, Prez.” Stitch took a step back, studying the body of Lauren’s vehicle and then the tire tracks behind it. As he knelt down to get a better look at them, I could see the wheels turning in Stitch’s head before he said, “These tracks came from a dually pickup truck. There are double rear-wheel tracks, and that slick patch in the back indicates some balding on the left rear tire.”
“That’s all well and good, but it isn’t telling me what happened to Lauren.”
Stitch stood up and looked over to Cotton as he said, “From the way those tracks lead up to the back of her car and how her things are strewn all over the place, I’d say someone took Lauren against her will.”
Before Cotton could respond, I stepped over to him and said, “But that doesn’t make any sense. Who would just take her ... out here in the middle of nowhere? It’s Lauren. She’s a schoolteacher for Christ’s sake.”
“She’s not just a schoolteacher, kid.” Stitch glanced over at Cotton as he said, “She’s an
MC president’s daughter, which, like it or not, makes her a target.”
I finally got it. No matter what Lauren did with her life, she would always be Cotton’s daughter, and that came with a price—one none of us wanted her to pay. “That doesn’t answer my question. Who would’ve taken her?”
“That’s the question of the fucking hour.” Cotton ran his hand over his beard, then looked over to the brothers behind him and said, “Let’s get the car back to the house and figure out our next move.”
Smokey and Clutch got in Lauren’s car while the rest of us piled in the SUVs, and then we headed back to the clubhouse. As soon as we were back in the conference room, the guys started talking amongst themselves, but none spoke loud enough for me to hear. I wasn’t stupid. They were trying to be careful not to say anything I didn’t need to hear. If I had to guess, they were discussing all the people who might want to make a statement by taking their president’s daughter. Maybe an old adversary or a new one. Either way, they weren’t letting me in on the topic of conversation. I’d hoped Cotton allowing me to be in the room was enough for them, but clearly it wasn’t. As much as I wanted to say something to assure them that they could trust me, I knew it wouldn’t do any good. I was an outsider, and I’d have to prove myself before they’d consider letting me into their fold.
They’d all been talking for several minutes when I asked, “What about her phone records? Can you access those?”
“Why?” Sounding like a complete dick, Q asked, “You think whoever took Lauren gave her a call to say he was on his way?”
“Not in so many words, but yeah, it might give us some idea of where she is or who might’ve taken her.”
