by Ambere Sabo
Rolling over, I swing my legs around to get up from the bed. Every muscle in my body protests. Damn near twenty-four hours on the road will do that to a girl. And the thought of getting back in my car right now makes my stomach churn. Who knew it was possible to be this sore from just sitting? Maybe one more night here isn't such a bad idea.
Grabbing the keycard from the desk, I make my way out of my room. Turning, I glance at my door. Room 226, so I'm on the second floor. Heading downstairs I head to the front desk. I barely remember any of this from last night.
Note to self: never let yourself get that exhausted again. I'm lucky I didn’t wreck last night.
“Hi,” I tell the girl behind the front desk, as she peers up at me. “I’m in room 226. Is it possible to book another night?”
“Let me see. I think we're almost booked tonight with the festival,” she explains as she begins typing away at her computer.
“Festival?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
“Um hmm,” she says without looking up at me.
“Looks like you're in luck,” she says with a smile. “We still have a few rooms left. Do you want me to charge the card on file?”
“Yes, please.”
She charges my card and makes me a new room key. “This weekend is Flagstaff’s Hullabaloo Festival downtown. It can be a pretty good time if you're looking for something to do.”
“Um, I'm not sure right now. All I can think about is food,” I tell her as my stomach starts to make itself known.
“If you’ve got a good appetite, head across the street to The Country Host. They know how to do breakfast right,” she says with a smile handing me the key.
“Thanks! I’ll give it a try,” I say to her as I grab some brochures on Flagstaff. Apparently, I’m in Northern Arizona. Thank God for hotels and all the junk they stash in their lobbies. Asking where I was might have come across as a bit odd.
Heading back upstairs, I change into some capris and a tank top. With quick fingers, I throw my hair in a messy bun then head back downstairs in search of the only thing that matters right now, food.
The weather outside is nice. If not a bit chilly for May. I always thought Arizona was mostly desert, but this is definitely not the desert. Looking around before I cross the street, I can see a few mountains in the distance. It makes for a beautiful view.
Breakfast is delicious. Not only is the food the epitome of comfort, but the staff really makes the place. I can’t help but giggle when my older waitress starts giving the table of boys beside me shit for coming in hungover. They don’t look like they’re even be out of high school yet. Her main concern is that they weren't driving drunk.
I haven’t seen much of this quiet, little city yet. But if this place is an accurate glimpse of the people here, maybe I can hide here for a bit. Who’d even think to look for me here, anyway?
Back at the hotel, after a much needed food-baby induced nap, I start looking through the brochures. Apparently, this is where they first discovered Pluto and is one of the world’s first dark cities. Whatever the hell that means. I’m also not too far from the Grand Canyon.
I was supposed to get to see all of this after I graduated high school. Ma had this whole trip planned out. We were going to head to NOLA to celebrate first. I've loved that city since the first time I laid eyes on it at six years old. Then we would’ve been off to Carlsbad Caverns, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, all of it. Instead, I decided to start at UT over the summer and all we had time for was NOLA.
I always thought I’d have all the time in the world to see things, to travel, to spend time with Ma. I wish more than anything right now I would’ve taken that trip with her. Made the memories I should’ve.
Thinking about her now makes my heart hurt. She’s probably worried sick. Leaving a note wasn’t really on my mind when I left. I need to call and let her know I’m okay, but I have to get a phone first.
Later I find myself wandering the Hullabaloo Festival, watching the families with their children. All of them smiling as they mill about getting their faces painted, shopping the local vendors, grabbing a beer, or just spending time together. For just a moment, I envy the normalcy of it all. I doubt any of them have ever had to worry about being snatched from their homes to be forced to become someone's bride.
Grabbing a burger and a beer, I find a spot to sit and eat, completely content to people watch. I make up stories in my head about what they do for a living, how they live their lives, who they love. Long after my food is gone and the sun has started to set, I still sit just watching.
“This seat taken?” a voice draws my attention to my left.
“Oh, um, no. Go ahead,” I tell the tiny woman in front of me.
“You here to see The Boombox Bros?” she asks.
“The who?”
“The Boombox Bros,” she says, pointing at her tank top. “They’re about to perform.”
“Oh,” I exclaim, understanding dawning on me. “No, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of them. I’m not from around here.”
“Well, you’re missing out. They’re amazing. I’ve never seen them live, so this is a treat for me. Getting to see them is the only reason I’m not kicking your ass for running right now,” she casually throws out.
My heart stops in my chest and breathing just isn't happening. What the fuck did she just say?
“Come on, Lilly, how far did you think you’d get before someone found you?” she asks, giving me a side-eye.
I don’t even hesitate, I’m up, trying to get off of the bench and as far away from here as possible before she can blink. She grabs my wrist. “ If you make me miss this show, I will not be pleasant when I find you again. And I will find you again, Lilly. There is no question about it. Now, sit. I’m an ally. There's no need for you to run from me.”
My mind races. Enterrador would never send a woman to come for me. Looking over the small woman, I don’t think there’s any universe where she’d run in his circle. Her light caramel skin tells me she’s probably Hispanic, but the vibrant blue hair she’s rockin’ definitely doesn’t scream cartel.
“Explain,” is the only indication I give that I’m not running.
She huffs out a breath, “I’ll keep it short and sweet. I’m a hacker, Lilly. I’ve been helping Snoopy gather information on Enterrador. The only reason the cartel and the Sons don’t know you’re here right now is because I took care of your papertrail. Debit cards are not the way to go if you're trying to stay hidden, by the way. Now, can you please sit so I can watch the show? I'll explain everything else when it’s over.”
I sit back down for one reason only, if she found me once I have no doubt she can do it again. Why did I think it would be as easy as just running away?
Chapter 8
Gunner
“What do you mean, she’s just disappeared,” Havoc growls, holding Snoop up against the wall by his shirt.
“Eric, you will put him down right now,” Vic scolds as she comes running down the hallway.
Cessy must have gone to get her because Angel and I aren’t having any luck talking any sense into Havoc right now. Everyone’s been on an emotional rollercoaster since Lilly left two days ago. Havoc is leaning more toward rage than anything else.
“People don’t just disappear, Ma,” Havoc tells Vic, still holding onto Snoopy.
“I know that, Eric,” she tells him softly, reaching up to put her hand over his. “But this isn’t Snoopy’s fault. He’s doing all he can to find her. Lilly did this. She ran. You can’t fight everyone in this clubhouse until she’s found.”
Most of the brothers are avoiding Havoc at all costs right now. He took a swing at Prez this morning, showing just how unstable he is at the moment. He’s lucky Prez didn’t beat his ass.
Havoc unclenches his fist from Snoopy’s shirt, freeing him. His hand falls limply to his side. Hanging his head, he says what we all fear, “What if he finds her before we do? What if she hasn’t disappeared, but instead Enterra
dor got to her before I could?”
I may not be lashing out like Havoc is, but I can't fault him for it right now. I’ve been thinking the same damn thing ever since Snoopy told us her trail went cold. She got gas in Amarillo then nothing.
She has to have stopped somewhere to sleep by now, but there's no activity on her debit cards. And she didn’t pull any money out of her accounts. Running or not, I don’t see my baby girl sleeping in her car. No way, no how.
“If Snoopy can’t find her, son, what makes you think Enterrador can?” Vic asks as she reaches up to turn Havoc's face to hers. “We don’t even know if he knows that she’s missing. You can’t keep thinking the worst. None of us can. It won’t do anyone any good, least of all Lilly. Take me to the house. Maribel and I need a few things,” she tells him as she takes his hand and leads him to the door.
Vic hasn’t left since she came to tell us Lilly was gone. She and Maribel have been sleeping in Prez's room, and he’s been taking the couch. She probably can’t stand to be in her home with Lilly missing. The only reason she's going there now is to get Havoc away from here for a bit. She knows her son needs to feel like he’s doing something.
Havoc is supposed to be in El Paso helping the Dominion with a raid on another set of cells the taskforce found, but he refused to leave. He and Angel aren’t going anywhere until Lil is home safe and sound.
We all know how important it is to shut down as many of the cells as we can though. Those women deserve all the help they can get. Jekyl and a few of the Reapers went in his place instead. It's easier if the clubs handle the raids. We don’t have to abide by all the same rules the taskforce does.
Right now though, I’m wondering if it might have been better if Havoc had gone. He’s a ticking time bomb of rage sitting here. At least if he went, he could take his anger out on someone other than us.
There's so much tension in the clubhouse it’s suffocating. Without any kind of paper trail and no word from Lilly, we may as well be standing around holding our dicks. I hate feeling like this, so I do what I do best.
Heading outside to the shop, I walk over to Beauty. When I was in the Marines, I cleaned my guns when I needed to get out of my head. Anytime there was a mission I didn’t feel right about, or we lost one of our brothers, everyone knew where to find me. Now the only difference is I traded guns for bikes. Beauty hasn’t been this clean in months. Maybe it’s time to start on the guns.
We know Enterrador has someone watching Lil. Hell, he probably has surveillance on the club too. So, everyone's been trying to keep to their normal routines. Trying to make it seem like Lil and Vic came here for protection nothing more. The longer it takes for him to realize she’s missing the better. No one has any idea what he’ll do when he finds out, but I can bet it won’t be pretty. We need to be prepared for whatever that bastard sends our way.
Chapter 9
Lilly
I didn’t know how everything would play out a few nights ago when Mythic found me. I demanded she prove she knows Snoopy and has been helping him before I agreed to stay close to her. The conversations between the two of them proved not only does she know him, but she’s the one who gave us almost all the information we have on Enterrador.
She is somewhat of a mini shadow now. She’s in the room next to mine and is letting me have a few days to explore this little city. Even when I go to Sedona to get my palm read and future told, she tags along. Though she’s whined about me using brujeria the whole time.
Aside from the fact that she's in her thirties and has a major vendetta against Enterrador, I don’t really know much about her. Hell, I don’t even know why she hates him to begin with. But having her follow me around is better than the lockdown I’d have been under back home when they saw Enterrador’s latest note.
I still haven’t called to tell them I’m okay. I wanted to my second day here. Mythic offered to help conceal the phone so the call couldn’t be traced, but I just don’t know what to say to them. I'm not ready for the wave of questions I'm bound to get about where I am and why I left. It’s selfish as fuck, but I just need some time to get my head on straight.
Pounding on the door pulls me from my thoughts of home and how much I fucked this all up.
“What did you do,” Mythic hisses before I even get the door fully open.
I can’t help the look that crosses my face as she barges past me into my room, clutching her laptop to her chest. Huffing out, she scolds, “Don’t give me that deer in the headlights look, Lilly. He knows you’re here. So, again, what. Did. You. Do?”
My heart is in my throat. What did she just say? He knows I'm here? How the hell does he know where I am?
“I… I… I don’t know,” I stammer out. “I haven't done anything with my debit cards. I don’t know how he could know where I am.”
Placing her laptop on the desk, she points to the screen, and I can see him. The screen is grainy, but the man I see pacing is definitely Enterrador.
“How do you have this?” I question, leaning in to get a better look.
“Now is not the time to worry about that, Lilly. Listen to what he’s saying.” She points at the screen, tapping her foot impatiently.
It only takes me a second to know where I fucked up. Bringing a hand to my mouth, I gasp, “How would he know about that?”
“What bracelet, Lilly? How would they know we’re in Flagstaff because of a bracelet?”
“Shit,” I exclaim. “You said no cards,” I tell her as I begin to pace back and forth across the room. What the fuck are we going to do now? How could I be so stupid?
“Lilly,” she yells grabbing my shoulders as I pass her. “What. Did. You. Do?”
“I was out of cash, and you said no cards, “ I whimper.
“Okay, I need more than that.”
“Enterrador’s been sending me gifts. Well, he was before I ran away.”
“Snoopy told me. What of it?”
“I brought them with me.”
She lets my shoulders go as realization crosses her face, “Damn it, Lilly,” she yells throwing her hands in the air. “You pawned one of the gifts?”
I nod in response. “Just this morning.”
“Well, your little break from reality here is over, Lilly. Pack your shit,” she says as she snatches her laptop from the desk and heads to the door.
“Where will we go?” I whisper, tears flooding my eyes.
When she glances over her shoulder at me, her anger subsides a bit as her shoulders fall. “He’ll find you just as fast if we go back to Texas, so you’re coming with me. I have a place in California we can stay at.” Walking back to me, she pulls me in for a hug.
“We’ll leave your car here. I don’t know who the cartel has in California. It's not worth the risk. Besides, it might slow them down long enough for us to get out of the state.”
Stepping away from me, she looks me in the eye. “I won’t let him get you, Lilly. He’s ruined too many lives already.” With that, she strides out of my room.
I don’t know what happened to Mythic or if Enterrador was even the one to do it, but for just a moment her eyes held nothing but pure regret. Every time I ask her anything about who she is or why she’s helping me, she evades the questions. Questions I think it’s time she starts answering.
Chapter 10
Enterrador
“So, she still hasn’t returned to the room?” I bark into the phone.
“No, sir. Her car’s still in the parking lot, but I’m beginning to think she isn’t coming back.”
“You don’t say,” I scream at him before hanging up.
Looking up, I observe as three of my most trusted men surround me and another five comb this damn town. We made it to Flagstaff within hours of her pawning the bracelet, but she’s nowhere to be found.
“Someone had better give me something soon, or you won’t all be returning to your families,” I scream as Evaristo comes through the door. This is his chance to prove he’s still loyal to the c
artel and me. After we sent that damn woman away with her brother, he hasn’t been the same.
“Well, where have you been?” I ask as my eyes narrow.
“Sir,” he says with a bow of his head. “We finally found the front desk clerk who was working two days ago when she extended her reservation a second time. I was handling the extraction of information.”
“And… What did they say?”
“He said Lilly came down the morning after she checked in to extend her reservation., The next time he saw her she was leaving with a blue-haired woman. They both had bags, but he thought nothing of it. She’d told him the day before that she was interested in going up to the Grand Canyon. He said he gave her some information about the lodge at the bottom. When he saw her leaving, he assumed she was going to do that. But since he’s been off the last two days, he hasn’t seen her since.”
“Blue-haired woman?” I ask incredulously.
“Apparently, he saw the woman a few times with Lilly but never spoke with her. Aside from the hair, he knew else about her.”
Evaristo’s phone dings, and he pulls it from his jacket pocket. “There are no reservations in Lilly's name at the lodge in the canyon. But they won’t tell Javier if she has already been there and left.”
“Send him. He can find out if she’s been there or not better in person.”
“Yes, sir. The clerk can let you into Lilly's room if you wish.”
“Good, I’ll be there in thirty minutes. I have a call to make, leave me.”
After the men move into the sitting room of my suite, I take a seat on the bed. This damned woman had better have found out something.
After three rings she answers the call in a whisper, “Sir?”
“What have the Sons found?” I snap.
