“Do you know Darlene Harper?”
“I don’t recognize the name,” Bella replied. “But I met quite a few people when I was out with Carrie. She might have been one of them.”
“Don’t wait around,” Samuel told his daughter. “Call her right away.”
Bella nodded her head and dialed the number. All she got was ringing before the connection went to the voicemail service. She left a message giving her name and number and asking Darlene to get in touch as soon as she could.
“This is torture,” her mother said and shook her head. “What is Carrie playing at?”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Bella replied. “If she’s making up stories to get out of college, then she obviously has a reason for doing it. It’s not like she just disappeared.”
“She won’t be fine when I get my hands on her,” Samuel said when he got to his feet.
He walked across to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a healthy shot of brandy then lifted the glass to his lips.
“At least give her a chance to explain before you fly off the handle,” Bella urged and got to her feet. “I’m going to bed, but I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
She got fed up of her father’s intrusion into her bedroom every thirty minutes or so asking her if there was any news and eventually locked the door to keep him out. The hours ticked past with no reply and the two times she tried calling again just got her through to the voicemail service. She eventually fell asleep and it was six in the morning when she woke up and tried the number again. On this occasion the call was answered.
“Hello, Darlene speaking,” a sleepy sounding voice said.
“Hi, it’s Bella Nelson here.”
The voice of the girl on the other end of the line became cautiously alert and it was a sign that she knew something.
“Oh yeah, I saw you were trying to get in touch with me, but I didn’t get the chance to do it last night,” Darlene said. “I was going to call you this morning.”
It sounded like a lie, but Bella ignored it to go on speaking.
“I tried to get in touch with my sister yesterday, but found out she made an excuse to leave college and isn’t there now. There was no point in landing her in trouble with her student counselor, so I was contacting her friends to see if they could shed any light on what she is doing. I spoke to Carmen Hopkins and she suggested that you were close with Carrie and might know something.”
“Well… no, I…”
Bella picked up on the hesitation and growing nervousness of the girl on the other end of the line straight away. She was suddenly in no doubt that Darlene knew something, so she interrupted her.
“Please,” she said. “If you have any information about what Carrie is doing, just tell me. We just want to know that she’s OK.”
There was silence for a few seconds before Darlene let out a sigh and started speaking.
“Yeah, she’s OK.”
“Do you know where she’s gone?” Bella asked.
“It’s more that I know who she’s gone to see rather than where,” Darlene replied.
“And?” Bella encouraged.
“We went out to a nightclub a couple of days ago to celebrate a friend’s birthday and got talking about how everyone has someone they really want to be with,” Darlene went on. “She told me a story about an older guy she had a crush on when she was a teenager.”
“Oh fuck,” Bella let out in a surprised tone. “Carl McCallister.”
“She never actually told me his name,” Darlene said. “But I got the impression that she still harbored feelings for him from the way she spoke. I guess I have to take some of the blame for what she did because I told her if she was still thinking about him after being apart for a few years, then maybe she wasn’t over her crush.”
Bella let out a groan.
“Sorry,” Darlene went on. “It was drunken chatter in a nightclub to be honest. I didn’t really think she would do anything about it.”
“But she did,” Bella let out.
“She came to me yesterday morning and told me she found some websites that can be used to track people down,” Darlene admitted. “She got an address for this guy in San Francisco and…”
“Ah fuck,” Bella spat out. “My dad is going to bloody kill her. Do you know the address?”
“I don’t,” Darlene replied. “She didn’t tell me. All she said was that she was planning to go and see him.”
“I can’t believe her,” Bella let out and shook her head. “Did she say anything else?”
“No,” Darlene answered.
“OK,” Bella said. “Thanks for your help.”
“She’s going to kick my ass for dropping her in it,” Darlene commented.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Bella said and let out a humorless laugh. “After my dad is finished with her, what’s left of her sorry carcass might return to college.”
“That sucks,” Darlene said.
“Tell me about it,” Bella said. “If she gets in touch with you, tell her my dad is on the warpath and that she and her crush better find somewhere good to hide.”
“I’ll do that,” Darlene said.
Bella ended the call and threw her head down on the pillow.
“Stupid fucking idiot,” she mouthed quietly, but to be honest her sister’s actions didn’t come as a complete surprise.
Carrie had been doing unexpectedly crazy things since she was old enough to appreciate the opposite sex, and Carl McCallister was her one real weakness. She’d spent her teenage years following him around like a lovesick puppy and cried her eyes out when he started dating then married another woman.
The rumors flying around at the time were that Carl got together with Sally Connolly as a distraction to Carrie, although Bella was never altogether convinced of the truth of it. She never got the impression that he was the type of man that would take advantage of the infatuation of a teenage girl and she guessed that Sally was just more his type. In the end it didn’t really matter because he quit the army not long after the marriage and disappeared from their lives.
It appeared that Carrie wasn’t over her teenage obsession though and was on her way to find out if Crash really did have feelings for her. That was bad news as far as Bella was concerned, and she groaned at the thought of telling her mum and dad. There was really no other option now and she got out of her bed to have a quick shower then got dressed. Her parents were sitting in the kitchen already when she got downstairs and she felt the glare of her father on her as soon as she walked in the room.
“Well?” he asked in an ominous tone.
She walked across to the table to sit down beside them before she started talking.
“Promise you won’t get mad,” Bella started.
“Just tell us,” her father let out.
She let out a sigh before going on.
“I got hold of Darlene just a few minutes ago.”
“And found out what?” her mother asked.
“Carrie made her excuses to leave college because she wanted to visit someone,” she answered.
“Who?”
“The guy she had a major crush on when she was a teenager,” Bella said.
“Carl McCallister?” her mother let out in a shocked voice.
“I assume so,” Bella said. “Darlene didn’t actually know his name, but we’re all fully aware that there was only one guy Carrie was fascinated with in her teens.”
“I’ll bloody kill him,” Samuel let out through clenched teeth.
“To be honest,” Bella went on, “from what Darlene told me, I’m sure that Carrie’s visit is going to come as a huge surprise to Carl. I don’t think he knows about it or encouraged it in any way. It seems my sister just got the idea in her head after a drunken conversation, and you know what she’s like when she gets the bit between her teeth. There’s no stopping her.”
“Far too headstrong for her own good,” Samuel let out.
“Yeah, well… dete
rmined, head-strong parents do tend to pass on those characteristics to their kids,” Bella pointed out.
Samuel ignored the barbed comment as he went on speaking.
“Did Carrie tell Darlene where she was going?”
“Only that Carl supposedly lives in San Francisco,” Bella answered.
“Are you sure she was telling you everything she knew?” he insisted.
Bella lifted her arms and shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t see any reason for her to lie to me and didn’t get the impression that she was,” she replied. “Carrie told her she was going to San Francisco to visit the man she had a crush on when she was a teenager. I think that’s as much as Darlene really knows about what is going on.”
“He was a good man,” Samuel let out and shook his head.
“Do know anything about his whereabouts now?” his wife asked.
Samuel pursed his lips as he shook his head.
“It must be what… four years since he left the army and returned to civilian life,” he said. “It’s not like I keep in touch with everyone that was under my command.”
“Do we need to find him?” Bella queried. “I mean, Carrie will likely get to San Francisco and find he’s still married then return to college with her tail between her legs. If I remember rightly, she did have it really bad for him. Maybe this will let her move on and forget about him. You said yourself that Carl was a good man and it’s not like she will get in any trouble. She’s a big girl that can look after herself now.”
“I’m not prepared to take that chance,” Samuel said.
“So what do you suggest we do?” Kath asked.
“I might not know where Carl is,” Samuel said. “But I still have plenty of contacts in the army. I’m sure there’s someone that knows where he is and what he’s doing these days. I plan to find out, and if that girl hasn’t returned to college in a couple of days, I’m going to hunt her butt down and bring her home.”
“Good luck with that,” Bella commented. “Your youngest daughter is just as strong minded and stubborn as you are.”
“We’ll see about that,” Samuel replied in a determined voice as he got to his feet. “You keep in touch with her friends and let me know if she shows her face at college.”
Bella nodded her head to show that she would do as he asked. He walked out of the kitchen and returned to the bedroom to get his phone then began making calls to the army colleagues he thought might be able to help.
It was going to be a long day, but he fully intended to get the answers he wanted about Carl McCallister and wouldn’t let up until he did.
Chapter 6
Carrie woke the following morning to bright sunshine streaming through the gap in the curtains and she got out of bed straight away. She was in and out of the shower in seconds then quick to get dressed in her army surplus gear afterwards. The place was quiet and a quick search showed she was alone. There was a pot of coffee bubbling when she went in the kitchen, so she suspected Crash couldn’t be too far away and wondered if he’d gone to the store. She walked across to the window to look at the scene outside and a glance down got her a sight of the man she was staying with sitting on the front steps of the building. In a matter of seconds, she was out of the door of the apartment and walking down to where he was.
“They’re bad for your health,” she said with a grin when she crept up behind him.
Crash sucked in the smoke of the cigarillo then slowly exhaled to release it. He looked at the half-finished length of tobacco when he removed it from between his lips before turning his attention to Carrie.
“I’ve survived worse,” he said with a smirk.
“Like Afghanistan,” Carrie went on. “How is the limp these days?”
“Not too bad,” he replied. “It can get a bit sore occasionally, and I’ll pass on playing any sports that involve running, but I get by.”
“Is that yours?” she asked and motioned her head to the truck parked opposite the apartment building.
“Yup,” he replied.
“One a mechanic, always a mechanic then,” Carrie said and laughed. “Is that how you earn your living these days?”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied, but said no more.
“What time do you need to get to work?” Carrie asked.
“I don’t have to go in today,” Crash answered.
She smiled as she sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“So… you have all day to show me some of San Francisco,” she said and laughed.
“No chance!” Crash exclaimed as he dropped the butt and extinguished it with the sole of his boot. “I’m not a fucking tour guide.”
“Come on,” Carrie urged him. “It’s my first visit here. You have to show me some of the sights.”
“Fuck me,” Crash let out under his breath then raised his voice. “Could you not just have been a good girl and stayed in college?”
“I prefer being bad,” she teased him then put on her best begging voice. “Please. You know you want to.”
Crash hung his head and tried to come up with any excuse that would get him off the hook. He was already regretting telling her he wasn’t working and wished he could just get in his truck and drive off. It was too late for that, though, and Carrie’s continued pleading eventually got to him when he couldn’t come up with a reason not to do it.
“OK,” he said to make her stop. “What do you want to see?”
“I don’t know,” she replied and shrugged her shoulders. “You’re the local resident. Just take me someplace nice.”
“You’re still a pain in the ass, I see,” he commented as he got to his feet.
“Yeah, but it’s a nice ass, don’t you think?” she joked and laughed.
“Wait here,” he told her and walked down the steps.
Carrie watched as he headed along the sidewalk then disappeared inside a nearby store. Five minutes later he was by her side again and she glanced down at the bag he was holding.
“Are we going on a picnic?” she asked.
“Have you eaten breakfast yet?” he responded and handed over the bag.
She looked inside to see sandwiches, soft drinks and beer and when she looked up from it saw that Crash was walking inside the building.
“Wait for me,” she said.
“Just stay there,” he replied. “I’m just going to get the keys for the truck.”
Carrie stopped climbing the steps and sat down to enjoy the early morning sunshine. She turned her face up to it and knew that it would likely bring out more of her freckles, but wasn’t particularly bothered about that.
“Enjoying the weather?” Crash asked when he returned and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her.
“It’s nice,” she said and smiled. “I could get used to this.”
“Come on,” Crash told her and she got to her feet to follow him down the stairs and across the street.
He unlocked the truck to get in the driver’s side door and she walked around to get in the passenger seat.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Not telling,” Crash replied. “Just sit there and relax.”
“OK,” she agreed and did just that as the journey started.
She stared out of the window for a couple of minutes to watch the passing scene before turning her attention to the man she was sitting beside.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Would it make any difference if I said no?” Crash replied.
“Not really,” Carrie said and laughed. “Why did you and Sally break up?”
Crash was silent, as if he was mulling over the question before he finally answered.
“We should never have got married, to be honest.”
“Did you love her?” Carrie went on.
“I thought I did,” he replied. “But things quickly fell apart between us when I left the army. Too many arguments and fights that showed we weren’t really suited. It ended up being brutal living tog
ether, and in the end we couldn’t do it, so we decided to go our separate ways.”
“Sorry,” Carrie said.
“It wasn’t your fault,” he said.
She couldn’t stop herself teasing him.
“Not even a little bit?”
“Shut up,” he complained.
Club Property: Adults Only Motorcycle Club Romance: Roadrunners MC Page 5
