by Sophia Gray
Because, the thing was, I was starting to think maybe I did want it to last. It was something I hadn’t even considered with any other woman.
And it terrified me almost as much as I was terrified for Trenton and Sage.
Chapter 11
Victoria
I was a bundle of nerves. Working out the kinks with the restaurant made me feel like things were almost back to normal. I even went ahead and did some scheduling for items for next week just for a little peace of mind. Because I honestly felt like I was going out of my mind. All I wanted was my daughter back, safe and sound, without any injuries or drug addictions or anything else. Was that too much to ask?
Seeing the extent to which Grant’s guys were willing to go, the lengths they would take to try to find their boy and my daughter warmed me up to them. I never thought I would be here, in their headquarters. I always rolled my eyes whenever Trenton had talked about Devil’s Horns. Now I understood why people joined motorcycle clubs. It really was like a second family. And in between my phone calls, a few came up to ask me if I needed anything—water, beer, food—if they could get me a chair—I was pacing, too anxious to sit down—and if I was all right. It made me feel welcome, like they thought I belonged. A few girlfriends or wives were over, so I wasn’t the only female around, and everything just helped to settle me down a little.
After learning about the guards having guns, any sense of ease that I might’ve had was shattered. I had given those same guards lip. I had talked back to them. I hadn’t been threatened, but I had come close. If Grant hadn’t showed up, what might have happened? I definitely dialed it back a bit when he came over.
I might’ve gotten myself killed.
I was trembling the whole ride back to Grant’s place, and I needed him. Bringing him to the bedroom had been an impulse. My intention had only been for us to sleep together—as in sleep together, actually sleep—but then I wanted a good night kiss, and one turned to three, turned into a make-out session, turned into something more.
Was it just sex? I wasn’t so sure anymore. It wasn’t fucking, that I knew. It was more than that. It set my soul on fire, made my body all tingly. It was amazing, mind blowing.
It made me feel safe.
Which I desperately needed. I so needed to feel safe.
But it also made me feel guilty. What if Sage was in danger? What if she was hurt? What if she was somewhere, right this moment, crying and calling out for me?
And here I was, having sex.
In a way, the sex felt life affirming. After the danger I had unknowingly walked into—the armed guards—I wanted to do something that put my stamp on my life, that proved I was the one in charge.
We fell asleep in each other’s arms, and I woke up a few times during the night to find his arm still wrapped around me. And for those brief moments, when I first stirred and felt his embrace, I felt happy. Not just safe. Happy.
The guilt kicked back in again. I liked this man. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to see who exactly he was outside of the crazy frantic bustle to find our people. What did he want out of life? What were his hopes and dreams? Would he ever settle down?
Somehow, for me, he had already come to be more than just a one-night stand. I had only fancied myself in love once. The guy had seemed like a keeper at first, but then, the closer we became, the more he relaxed around me until he finally let his true colors show, and, man, were they ugly colors.
Love. What was I thinking? I was moving way too fast! I didn’t love Grant, but the thing was, I could see myself falling for him if I wasn’t careful.
Should I be careful, though? If Sage’s disappearance showed anything, it was that life was short, and you should do what you could to be happy for as long as possible.
Life was short.
My cell buzzed, and I stirred, reaching for it. Grant was still asleep, so I slipped out of the covers and left the room, not wanting to disturb him.
It was early, very early. I blinked a few times to be able to see who was calling. Georgia Henderson.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Victoria? You still looking for your girl?”
“Yes, I am.” I gripped the cell phone until it dug into my palms. “Have you seen her?”
“No, I haven’t, but there is a black car here.”
“Okay…” I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.
“I’ve seen it before a few times. Always late at night. I don’t sleep a lot. I have insomnia, and sometimes I like to look out my window at the stars. Well, like I said, I’ve seen that car before, and I know I’ve seen Trenton go on down and talk to whoever is in the car. I’ve never seen the people in the car, and they just pulled up now. Not sure what exactly they’re doing. Should I call the police?”
“Can you see the license plate?”
“The car is backed in. I can’t see the plate.”
“Can you take a picture of the car? What year and make and model is it?”
“Oh dear. Hold on.” There was fumbling. “Okay. I took a few pictures. Without the flash. I don’t want them to see me. And I can’t tell the year and everything just by looking at a car. Sorry. It is black, though.”
“Thanks.” I grimaced. Not a whole lot to go by.
“Should I call the—oh, wait. They’re leaving. Strange. They didn’t get out of the car or anything. Just parked, took a look, and now they’re gone.”
“Okay.” My mind raced. What could I do? What should I do with this information? “Do you feel safe?”
“Oh, dear, no one is gonna bother little old me. If you don’t want me to call the police, I won’t. It won’t bother me none. I try to keep out of messes.”
As long as she knew what the mess was. She was a gossip, that was for sure.
“I’m gonna stop by,” I said, making up my mind on the spot. If they came back, I could tail them. At least it would give me something to do. I felt like I was going to go stir crazy if I had to have an unproductive day. As a restaurant owner, I never had a moment to myself, and even when it was off hours, there was still plenty to do. This sitting around, hoping, and waiting thing was wearing on me.
“Are you—”
I hung up. Grant was still sleeping, and I glanced at the time on my cell. It was even earlier than I thought it was. Four in the morning. Ugh.
After leaving a note for Grant, I got in my car and hightailed it over to Trenton’s apartment.
I called Georgia the moment I parked to make sure the car in question hadn’t returned.
“No. I honestly thought the car wouldn’t show up since Trenton’s gone away, or else I would’ve mentioned it to you earlier,” she said.
“No worries,” I assured her.
“I’m gonna call you right back if I see them.”
“Thank you.”
She hung up first this time.
It only took me five minutes before I was bored already. Guess I wasn’t meant for a stakeout. Having nothing else better to do, I went to Trenton’s apartment. Really, it was silly to, since I was pretty sure Grant had locked it, and I didn’t know how to pick a lock.
But the door was ajar.
My mouth dry, my chest tight, I pushed open the door.
The place was wrecked. Ransacked, clothes all over the place, table and chairs upturned.
The bathroom was even worse. No one thing remained in the cabinet under the sink. The cabinet behind the mirror had also been emptied, the contents of both scattered all over the floor. A shampoo bottle had broken, and the soap drenched the floor.
Someone had come here. Looking for the drugs? Or looking for money?
Freaked out, I started to call Grant as I left the apartment, but then Georgia was calling.
“They’re out front again,” she hissed.
I dashed back to my car, a hand up to help cover my face so they couldn’t see me. Before I could climb in, though, they were already driving away. They hadn’t parked this time—just a drive by. I did manage to g
et a look at the passenger, and I could’ve sworn he was one of the guards who gave me lip at the bar.
I tried to tail them, but as soon as they slowly drove through the parking lot, they took off at a blazing speed. Traffic laws be damned, I tore after them, but the town was starting to wake up, and I got caught behind traffic, and soon their taillights disappeared from view. I tried to find them again, but I had lost them.
Feeling defeated, I started back toward Grant’s loft. I was still a few miles away when my phone dinged from a text. Probably about the restaurant.
I pulled over just in case, and thank fuck that I did.
I’m safe, Mom, but I wanna come home.
Tears filled my eyes, blurring the words. I cried and cried and cried, the hardest I ever cried in my life. My girl was alive. She was safe.
But why couldn’t she just come home if she wanted to?
I wiped away my tears and did my best to compose myself, reading and rereading the text a hundred times.
Only once I was sure that I had myself together did I call her. Maybe she couldn’t talk. Maybe she wouldn’t answer. Maybe she had texted instead of calling me for a reason.
But she picked up.
“Mom?”
Hearing her call me that almost made me burst into tears again. “Sage. Honey. Are you all right? Where are you?” My voice shook, but I sounded comforting, at least I thought and hoped I did.
She burst into tears.
Oh no. It took everything in me not to cry, too. Was she hurt? Had Trenton hit her? Had bad guys come after them? I had so many questions, but I bottled them all up inside. The last thing I wanted to do was to make her stressed out. I wanted her to feel safe while talking to me. I wanted her to take her time telling me what happened. I wasn’t going to demand answers.
So I made comforting noises and whispered to her that it was all right, all while hoping I was helping her feel better and praying I wasn’t lying to her.
“You’re all right,” I repeated for the twentieth time. “You’re all right.”
“Mom…” She sniffled.
“Take your time,” I said. “Take a deep breath.”
She listened.
“Another one,” I coached.
She did.
“Do you feel any better?”
Fresh tears all over again.
Damn it. Me and my big mouth.
It took me even longer to get her to calm down again, but that didn’t matter. I was just thrilled to hear her, even if she was crying. Sage was alive! She might not be happy, but she was all right!
When she seemed to be calming down once more, I ventured asking, “Where are you?”
“Douglastown,” she said, still sniffling but not outright crying anymore. “Moonshine Motel. Mom, you can’t tell anyone where I am, though. It’s not safe. I…I have to go.”
And she hung up.
I immediately dialed her back, but she didn’t answer. I sent her text after text, but she didn’t reply.
Douglastown, huh? Moonshine Motel.
I sent Grant a few texts. I’m all right. Then, Sage texted me. She’s all right…for now. And then, She’s at Moonshine Motel in Douglastown. Going now.
I was near the highway. There wasn’t a point in going back to his place to get him. He could meet me there. I couldn’t wait. I had to get to Sage.
Chapter 12
Grant
When I woke to find my arms empty, I shot right up out of bed. Where was Victoria? My bed felt so cold without her.
I checked the bathroom, calling out for her, feeling like a fool. I wasn’t the kind of guy to be whipped, but with Trenton and Sage being gone, maybe hurt or even killed, I wasn’t about to take any chances.
I was just about to enter the kitchen when my phone rang.
Hank.
“What did you find?” Hell, did he work fast. Had to love that about him.
“I went around to just about every fucking hotel and motel there was. Even scoped out a few shacks in case they were laying up in one of ’em.”
“And?” I demanded. Was he only calling to say it had been a dead end?
“The girl was seen at a motel called Moonshine Motel.”
I exhaled a sigh of relief. “What about Trenton?”
“No one mentioned him.”
“Stick around but lay low,” I ordered. “Don’t put your neck out on the line. We’ll be up quick as we can.”
“Will do.”
I hung up and continued into the kitchen. There was a note from Victoria. She’d gone over to Trenton’s place.
I tried calling her, but my phone was acting up, and the call wouldn’t go through. Texts wouldn’t either. Great. My cell did this every so often, and I always meant to get it looked at but never made time for it.
I hightailed it over to Trenton’s. I’d just tell her in person, only Victoria’s car wasn’t out front. Didn’t matter. I still ran up to Trenton’s apartment anyway. The sight of the place being ransacked made my blood run like ice through my veins. Had Victoria been here when the fuckers who messed with the place still been here? Had they taken her? Was she all right?
As if by magic, a text came through form Victoria. I’m all right.
Thank God.
I kneeled down in all of the crap on the floor. She was all right. All the worry and dread in my stomach just let go. I didn’t know how Sage and Trenton were doing, but at least Victoria was all right because if she hadn’t been, heads would roll.
She had found a way beneath my defenses. She wasn’t just a one-night stand. She wasn’t just a woman I wanted to fuck a couple of times before sending her away. Victoria wasn’t meant for that. She was meant for something more. I wanted to be a part of her life—a major part.
I tried calling her, but my phone began acting up again. That was all right. I’d get ahold of her.
The rest of the apartment looked the same—like someone had unleashed a tornado inside of it. I had no idea if anything had been taken, but if someone had been looking for the drugs, they wouldn’t have found it. Unless Trenton had stashes in other hiding places. Which wasn’t exactly smart. Honestly, the amount I had found hadn’t been as big as it could’ve been. A little more than for recreational use, but not enough to go out and sell. Just what was Trenton’s endgame?
The puzzle was missing way too many pieces. I had a feeling Trenton was just a pawn in someone else’s game, and if I could find the kingpin, I would have the complete picture.
Fleetingly, I thought about calling the police and telling them they might want to scoop out the bar, but if I were wrong and the bar was mixed up in something else altogether, it might just complicate things further, and if they were involved, I didn’t want to make them go underground. What if Trenton had ditched Sage, and that was why he hadn’t been seen at the motel? But why wouldn’t Sage have come home? Then again, if he stranded her without money or a cell, she’d have no way to get back home outside of hitchhiking. Yet she was at a motel. If she were staying there, that meant money, right?
Man, I was giving myself a headache.
I walked over to the window and glanced out. A black car turned into the parking lot. I didn’t think much about it, honestly, not until I walked out of Trenton’s apartment and spied a woman staring at the car outside a window.
She turned toward me, eyes wide, her gaze shifting from me to the room I just left. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“A friend of Trenton’s.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I could see her mind churning.
“And a friend of Sage’s mom.”
Her gaze relaxed ever so slightly. “What’s the girl’s mom’s name?”
I had to suppress a laugh that she was quizzing me. “Victoria.” Just saying her name made me want to smile.
She snorted and turned back to the window, nodding at the car. “Seen it a few times, like I told Victoria.”
“Connected to Trenton?”
“Seems to me. They give me the
creeps. Always coming at night.”
“It’s not night now.”
“No. Makes me even more nervous.”
