With a promise she will, she ends the call.
Damn it, Cas, why now? I’d been looking forward to getting his room ready, having him move here and us becoming a proper family unit. Getting a new home, building a new life. Liz and I are making a real go of it and successfully too. Now my son’s put a spoke in my wheel of happiness. Huh. I suppose it throws Liz straight into the deep end of parenting a teenager.
I’m wasting no time, already scrolling through my contacts as I mentally berate Cas.
“Hi. It’s Cas’s mom, have you seen him? Is he with Jordan?”
The answer is no, and Jordan’s at home playing on his Xbox, he’s definitely not there. I get a negative response from Ryan’s mom and Davy’s. Scott’s a bust as well. I ask them to check with their sons whether they saw him go off with anyone, or whether he has recently made a new friend who I’m not aware of, or if he’s met a girl, he’s taking a liking to. The answers are all negative. Cas got on the school bus as normal, left at his stop, and that’s the last anyone saw of him.
I’d expected finding him would be easy, having assumed one of his friends would know where he’d gone. I hadn’t expected all replies to be negative. What do I do now?
Has he run off? But why should he? Have I been reading him wrong, and he doesn’t want to leave Denver? When I spoke to him yesterday, he was still full of the weekend at the compound and telling me how much he was looking forward to moving here permanently. He’d given me no inkling he was thinking of running away.
I start to grow very worried. What could have happened to him?
Other moms might have immediately informed their husbands, in my case, Liz is the person I hesitate to call. Other moms don’t have men who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries, a tumour or recent surgery. Although his progress is coming along in leaps and bounds, I hate that I’m going to worry him now. My first thought was I could resolve it alone, as that’s what I’ve been doing for twelve years. But now I’ve exhausted all the possibilities I can think of, I know I must involve him.
“Whoa. Trouble?” Jonah walks back carrying a cup of coffee, stopping dead when he sees the worry lines on my face.
“Could be,” I agree, my teeth worrying my lip. “I’ll go into the office and make a call.”
“Anything I can do,” he calls after me, “just let me know.”
I close the door behind me, then take a deep breath and dial Lizard’s number.
“Hey, babe. You okay?”
“No Liz, I’m not.” I think some of my anger must go down the phone line, as I hear an intake of breath as though he’s readying himself. “Cas is missing.”
At his sharp intake of breath and demand to know what’s happened, I run through what I already know. Yes, I’ve called his friends, no, nothing seemed odd. He’s just disappeared into thin air.
“Come back to the compound.”
“I was going to go straight to Denver.” I need to be where Cas is to search myself.
“Babe, you’ve got me now, and the brothers. By the time you get here, I’ll have briefed everyone. If we need to go to Denver, then we’ll both go. Together.” There’s a pause, then he sighs and adds, “Teenagers are thoughtless assholes, Van. He probably got distracted and forgot the time. Could have seen a bit of tail and started chasing it.”
I’m not alone anymore, I’ve got people who can help me. That’s hard to get used to. Liz must be right. There has to be a simple explanation and Cas has neither been in an accident nor up to something he shouldn’t. Moms always think the worst first, we’re programmed to worry.
Outside, I’m not surprised to see Dirt’s waiting by his bike and I give him a wave. It must be as boring as anything, but for the last few weeks all the old ladies have had escorts wherever we go. I’m unaware there’s any threat to the club but seeing how they go out of their way to protect us women, even if there is, I feel no sense of danger, just amazed at the level of precaution they take.
Liz is waiting for me when I park the car. “Any news?”
“Lindy’s not called, so he’s not gone home. She’d not leave me hanging.”
“Come inside.” He stands back to let me precede him and I hear the confident click of his stick as he follows behind, easily keeping up with me. He waves me on through the kitchen and into the main room.
Mace stands as I approach, Pyro’s with him as well as Ink and Judge. They’ve pulled a couple of tables together. Cad’s there as well with a laptop in front of him.
The computer guy doesn’t even let me sit down before he starts with his questions. “What’s your friend’s address? You say he was seen getting off the bus, but didn’t arrive at her house?”
When I rattle off where Lindy lives, he quickly calls up a map. “Give me the location of where the bus would have dropped him.”
I tell him. It stops near Davy’s house and he just has to walk a block to Lindy’s. While I’m still anxious, that I’m no longer dealing with this alone and not just Lizard, but his brothers are there for me gives me confidence we will find him, and there’ll be a simple explanation for him disappearing. At least they have more ideas where to start than me.
Intrigued, I watch as Cad’s fingers fly across the screen, but then he shakes his head. “No fuckin’ CCTV cameras in the area. It’s all residential.”
“Any private feeds you can hack into?” Mace quickly asks.
“Not easily. Not without researching who’s got them and who lives where.”
“Just as fuckin’ fast to go ask them,” Pyro remarks.
“Should I call the police?” I ask.
“Won’t do anything, sweetheart. A teenager’s not where he’s supposed to be? They won’t put out an alert on him until he’s been gone a few more hours. Waste of manpower if he simply turns up home.”
“Home!” I scramble for my phone. “Lindy, my house… Oh. Okay. Thanks.”
At Liz’s quizzical gaze I enlighten him. “Lindy had the same thought as me, that he might have gone back to our home to get something. But she’s got my neighbour looking out for him, and there’s no sign, nor has been any of him.”
“What’s up?”
I glance up at the deep voice to see Beef.
“My son’s disappeared,” Liz tells him, his lips firming. “Fuckin’ kid may have gotten himself into trouble again.”
Beef looks at me carefully. “Is that what you think, Vanna?”
“I don’t know,” I wail. “He’s not answering his phone. I’ve rung all his friends that I’ve got numbers for. He never said who was with him when he took that car as he didn’t want to drop anyone in it, so he could have arranged to meet someone I’ve not met.”
“He’s been behaving himself though, hasn’t he?”
I nod at the VP. “He has.” I turn to Liz and pick up my purse which I’d laid down when I arrived. “I need to get to Denver, see what’s happening.”
“Yeah, we’ll get ready to roll.” Mace nods.
My eyes widen. I expected Lizard to come with me, but it seems like others are coming as well.
“Lizard! Mace! Beef! Cad! My office now.”
“Prez, we were just…”
“You need to hear this, Lizard.” Demon’s standing in the hallway, his face set and grim. “Before you go anywhere.”
“My son…”
“My office now.” It’s not a request, it’s a demand.
“Wait for me,” Liz pleads. “I won’t be long. Just got to sort out some club business.”
“I’ve got to go find him, Lizard. Before he gets into trouble again.” Nothing takes precedence over this. I’m angry at any delay. I start to stand, pulling my purse and car keys to me.
“Vanna. Wait for Lizard before you go. Dirt. Don’t let her leave.” My anger rises at Demon’s abrupt instructions, but he’s gone before I can protest.
Liz holds up one hand. “Give me five, please, Vanna. He’s my son, too.”
He, Beef and Mace disappear in the direction of Demon
’s office.
I’m torn, half just wanting to run out of there, half believing it’s best to wait for Lizard to come with me. A mother’s instinct tells me there’s something wrong, that if I’m too late, Cas will have done something stupid, maybe put himself into the sights of the law. Or maybe he’s been in an accident and is lying unconscious in the hospital… I take a step toward Dirt, preparing to push him out of the way.
“Vanna, wait for Lizard,” Pyro calls out. “You go down there, what are you going to do? Where will you start?”
His direct question pulls me up. Go to Denver, and…? “I don’t know,” I wail. “I just need to be close by in case he needs me.” My hand covers my mouth. “Anything could have happened to him.”
“Cad’s already run traces in the local hospitals’ databases, no one of his name has been brought in. And so far, no one called Castiel James has been charged with anything.”
I don’t ask how Cad can work such magic, just hope that he’s right.
“He’ll be fine,” Pyro tries to reassure me. “Christ, when I think back to how I was at that age, it’s likely he’s gone somewhere on a whim without giving one thought to people worrying about him.”
“You’ll have one of your own soon enough,” Judge points out.
Pyro grins. “Yeah, but I’ll be able to enjoy them being a baby first. Got years until it gets to the teenager phase.”
It was easier when Cas was a babe in arms. I didn’t have to worry about him disappearing then.
As conversation falters, I tap my fingers impatiently against the side of my chair I’ve dropped down into again, anxious to get where I want to go, but what I’ll do once I get there, Pyro’s right. I really don’t know. At least these men seem to know what they’re doing, whereas I don’t have a clue.
Cas, where are you? What have you gone and done now?
Chapter Forty-Five
Lizard
“Prez, Vanna and I need to go to Denver…”
“Because Cas is missing.” The tirade I had planned dies on my lips and my eyes widen as Demon fiddles with his phone, then holds it up so the screen is facing my way.
Squinting, I lean forward, forgetting to breathe when I see it’s a picture of my son. It looks like he’s handcuffed and tied to a chair. What the fuck? I hastily revise my initial thoughts that old as he is, I was planning on tanning my son’s backside for worrying his parents. Seems it’s not his fault now.
“Any message?” I snap, unable to believe what I’m seeing.
Demon swipes the screen and hands the phone over.
Unknown number: You missing something? Well so am I. I’ll send you instructions on where and when we’ll make the exchange. Major.
The sound of blood roars through my head as I fill with rage. My hands clench.
Mace makes a grab for the phone. “Fuckin’ hell!” he shouts. “No fuckin’ way is he getting his hands on Shayla.” He slams the phone down on the desk and turns to the wall, his hands raking through his hair.
“Send it to me,” Cad says tersely, his own phone pings, then he rushes out of the room.
“He’s got Cas,” I say, unnecessarily, then my voice rises. “Fuck, Prez. He’s got Cas!”
Beef’s looking between me and the enforcer. “So,” he says gruffly. “We get Cas back and we’re not making any fuckin’ exchange. What have you told him, Prez? I suspect you’ve responded.”
“I told him we have no fuckin’ idea what he’s talking about,” Demon responds. “I demanded he give the boy back without harming a hair on his fuckin’ head.”
“You didn’t think to say he wasn’t ours?” Mace asks. “Kid lives in Denver, could have denied any connection. He might have thought there was no value holding him and let him go.”
Prez gnashes his teeth. “Thought of it, dismissed it. Major’s stable might include boys. Thought it best to let him know he was under our protection.”
Jesus Christ! I feel the blood drain from my face as I process what he’s suggesting. Not Cas. No!
Demon stares straight at me. “We’ll get him back, Lizard. I fuckin’ swear to you. We’ll get him back.”
“Ball’s in Major’s fuckin’ court at the moment though, isn’t it?” I hit the desk with my left fist, vibrating with anger and fear. That’s my boy out there. Alone, unprotected, and in the hands of a man who doesn’t give a fuck about people ending up dead. How the fuck am I going to tell Vanna?
The door opens. Before Cad’s fully inside, he’s shaking his head. “Can’t get a fix on that phone, fucker’s using some kind of blocker.”
I ask the question no one has asked yet. “How did he know, Prez? How did he fuckin’ know Shayla is even here? How did he know to take one of ours to get her back? How did he know about Cas?”
“Questions are a distraction right now, Liz. Fact is, he knows, and we’ve got to deal with it. Could have been anything, she’s got his fucking tat on her back. Maybe one of the civilians saw it when she was working on a car, maybe Whale or Jonah said something. We’ll find out if we’ve got a leak once we’ve got him back, okay?”
“He’s had eyes on us. Had to have,” Cad says tightly. “We’ve kept our women safe in Pueblo, and there’s been no chance of him getting his hands on Theo. He must have been watching for a while. Must have noticed Cas visiting, followed him back to Denver.”
Why, why the fuck did I not think of that? I’d worried about Vanna, made sure she never went anywhere alone, while I’d left my kid alone and unprotected. Abruptly, I stand.
“Where are you going, Liz?”
“Denver.” I snap out the obvious.
“Sit,” Demon barks. “Use your fuckin’ head, Liz. How’s running off blind going to help? He might be far away from Denver by now.”
I retake the seat. Never in all of my life have I felt so totally useless. My body vibrates with a rise in adrenaline which has nowhere to go.
“How we going to play this, Prez?” Mace sounds broken. “I don’t want Shayla anywhere near that fucker. I don’t even want her to fuckin’ know that Major’s made contact or that he’s got Cas. Fuck, the way she protected Esme, she’ll be all over this, offering to give herself up for Liz’s kid.”
Demon eyes him. “That’s the way I read her as well.”
I look from one to the other. “Shayla’s a grown woman, Cas is just a kid.”
Mace’s eyes go cold. “You saying you want to make the exchange, Lizard?”
“I don’t know,” comes out of my mouth as a wail. “Cas is just a kid. He’ll be scared. He doesn’t deserve this. He won’t know what the fuck’s going on, or why he’s caught up in something that’s got fuck all to do with him. His only crime being he’s my fuckin’ son. What the fuck am I going to tell Vanna?” There’ll be no drawing her into the club after this, not when it’s put her child in danger. I don’t want to be in the club if these are the ramifications for Cas. “I’ve got to go find him, Prez. Denver’s got to be the place to start. I can’t sit here doing nothing.”
“We’ve no fuckin’ idea that’s where he is,” Beef growls. “Fuck, Major could already have him on a plane heading to Vegas.”
“Not if he wants to make the exchange. He could be close,” Cad sensibly notes.
Prez’s forefinger and thumb press the top of his nose. “That’s if he’s even going ahead with this. Major might decide he wants both Shayla and Cas. I’ll call Red. See if he’s come up with any of Major’s bases. Get him on board with pulling apart his town. I’ll also call Drummer. Get him to put feelers out. That Devil chap he knows who owns Grade A Security might have heard of Major.”
The VP’s brow creases. “What about Snatcher and Lost? Want to alert them?”
“Lost’s too far south to help in a hurry, but I’ll give him a heads-up. Snatcher? Yeah. If we need bodies to help search or men to protect the compound.”
Snatcher, Prez of the Utah Chapter helped us out once before when the mafia knocked at our door, rode back to Utah a man down.
Lost, I don’t know much about, as he’s prez down in San Diego and as Demon noted, there are too many miles between our chapters.
“What about RIP?” Beef asks. “Want me to have a word?”
“Good idea.” Prez nods at him. “Be good to have the Wretched Soulz on board. They might help when it’s one of our kids who’s in danger.” He pauses and looks at me and then Mace. “Can’t do much more until Major gets back into contact.”
“He’s fuckin’ toying with us,” I cry. “Why didn’t he give the instructions with the first message?”
“Because he wants us to suffer. He wants us to hurt, to worry.” Prez rubs at his nose. “He’s giving himself time to set everything up in his favour.”
Cad raises his chin at me. “He’ll give us a while to digest the implications, then hit us with where to take her.”
Mace slams his fist into the wall again. “Not taking her anywhere except away from here. Prez, I’ll take Shayla to one of the other chapters. Tucson would be best if Drummer gives the okay—”
“Listen to yourself Mace and fuckin’ think for a minute,” Beef roars. “Major has to have eyes on us. What d’you think he’ll be fuckin’ looking out for?”
Mace slumps into a chair, and his eyes meet those of the VP. “He’ll snatch her as soon as we try to move her.”
Demon nods. “That could well be what he expects us to do. Then he’ll end up with both her and Cas.”
“If that’s what he’s planning, keeping her here might risk a direct hit on us,” Cad says.
“He wants Shayla back, not dead,” Beef reminds him. “I doubt he’ll come at us with a frontal attack.”
“You want to stake your woman’s life on that, Beef?” Demon asks.
Cad stands. “I’ll get Dirt and Nails keeping a real-time eye on the feeds from the cameras. I’ll ask Pal to get the drone up to check whether anyone appears to be hanging around.”
As conversations go on around me, I’m finding it hard to concentrate. It’s my son that’s in Major’s hands. Even in the depths of my heartache, I realise my brothers are right. Going off half-cocked isn’t the answer. Major doesn’t just want Shayla, he’ll want to punish us, especially when he finds we’ve covered her property tat. It’s more than likely he’ll not give up Cas, even if we’d consider for one fucking moment exchanging one for the other.
Devil's Spawn: Satan's Devils MC Colorado Chapter #6 Page 39
