by Linda Oaks
“That’s Miley’s mom,” Cecil said, but I paid him no mind.
The Rover’s windows were tinted, making it impossible to see inside. The door opened and a slightly older version of Miley emerged and began walking across the yard toward the house. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. The years had been kind to Rebecca Triton. She was as slim as I remembered. Her stylish strawberry blonde hair brushed the tops of her shoulders. Familiar blue eyes met mine through the wire mesh of the screen door.
I turned, my attention now focused on the little girl lying on the floor beside Hank. “Your grandmother is here.”
Sierra sat up, pushed herself up from the floor, glanced at Hank, and then headed straight for me. Seeing the concern on her tiny face had me kneeling down in front of her. She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I want my mommy,” she whispered.
“I’ll find her, Sierra, I promise,” I vowed, fighting to speak against the sudden lump in my throat. Already an hour had passed, an hour in which Ryder could have spirited Miley that much farther away from us or worse.
“I want to stay with you, Nate. I want to help find my mommy.”
Brushing my lips along her forehead, I hugged her tighter. “I need you to go with your grandmother for now.”
Sierra pulled back staring up at me. She was so much like her mother, tiny but determined and loyal to a fault. From behind me, I vaguely caught the tail end of the conversation Cecil was currently having with Rebecca Triton, who now stood in my living room watching us. “I don’t know her,” Sierra argued, her eyes were wide as she glanced at her grandmother. “Please, Nate, keep me with you,” she begged.
Her words tugged at something deep inside of me and twisted around my heart. I pulled her back into my arms, hugging her a second time. “I need to know that you’re safe. As soon as I find your mom, I will come for you. I promise. I need you to do this for me, for now.”
“Okay,” she said, and at the slight press of her lips against my cheek, my eyes watered. I stood and she took my hand in hers. Side by side, we walked toward the elegantly dressed woman waiting with Cecil.
“Mrs. Triton.”
She smiled at me. It was a cool but gracious smile. One of those smiles that didn’t quiet reach the eyes. Rebecca Triton had always had a chilly demeanor. With the aid of her high heels, she was tall. We stood almost eye to eye. Her makeup was flawless, not a single strand of hair was out of place. Perfume teased my nostrils. Hers, though, wasn’t pleasant like Miley’s. Everything about this woman screamed wealth. She was the perfect picture of a doctor’s wife and socialite.
“I’m Nate Lucas,” I said, introducing myself and taking the hand she had extended. I wasn’t sure if she would remember me or not. It had been a while.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Lucas,” she said, taking me by surprise. Her blue eyes flickered from mine and her attention became entirely focused on her grandchild. “I’m sorry we have to meet under such dire circumstances. Hello, Sierra.”
“Hello,” Sierra echoed woodenly. She pressed against my side and her grip tightened around my hand. The kid was scared, but who in the hell could blame her.
“She looks exactly like Miley did at her age. Do you have any leads on who has taken my daughter?” Her voice turned brisk and frosty. Her tight smile faded with her question. “Miley’s father would have been here, too, but he’s tied up in surgery at the moment,” she explained with a nonchalant wave of her hand.
“We have a lead,” I informed her, and those steely blue eyes of hers were now entirely trained on me. “Is there anything you can tell me about Ryder Blade?”
She briefly appeared taken aback and repulsed at hearing his name; a sour look registered on her otherwise serene face. She glanced at Cecil whose cheeks had suddenly turned a dull red.
That son of a bitch looked as guilty as hell about something, but what? I didn’t have a fucking clue.
“He’s trouble, Mr. Lucas,” she stated, flatly. “I haven’t heard that name mentioned in years. I really don’t know anything about him. Please keep me informed about Miley. We haven’t always been on the best of terms these past few years, but she is my child and I love her despite our differences.”
For what it was worth, she appeared sincere, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she did in fact love Miley, but I wanted to ask about those differences. Now wasn’t the time or the place to get into it. I had to find Miley. She was out there somewhere with Ryder Blade, and he was one dangerous, manipulative bastard.
“Sierra, are you ready?” Mrs. Triton asked. It was time to go.
My gaze was drawn to the little girl who was now desperately clinging to my hand. Unwanted emotions squeezed my heart as she stared up at me with pleading eyes. Without a second thought, I bent down and scooped her up into my arms.
“I’ll walk you out.”
Miley’s mom nodded and turned for the door. I saw her and Cecil briefly exchange words. I couldn’t hear what was said. Cecil held the door open for us. I looked at him as I walked past and he averted his gaze. Something was up with him? But what? Sierra buried her face in the crook of my neck. She was scared. It was a given.
I followed Mrs. Triton across the yard to her SUV. She smiled politely at me as she opened the passenger door and stepped aside so I could place Sierra inside. I fucking hated this. I kissed Sierra’s cheek and, when I was pulling the seatbelt around her waist, I happened to glance up meeting her eyes. She was on the verge of tears.
“I’ll be after you soon,” I promised her and clicked the lock into place.
“She’ll be taken care of,” Mrs. Triton commented from behind me. I shut the door and tried to forget about the small pleading face of the child sitting in her back seat.
“I’m anxious to spend time with my grand-daughter regardless of what you may think, Mr. Lucas. I’m well aware that my daughter has probably already painted her father and I in an unpleasant light, but we only wanted what was best for Miley and for her child.”
Really? I thought snidely as I took in her fancy clothes and her expensive SUV. What was best for her? I wanted to laugh. As I recalled, she’d always been such an uppity bitch thinking she was better than everyone else, obviously even her own child and grandchild. “Is that why Miley and Sierra were living in a dump and driving around in a piece of shit?”
For a second, she appeared appalled but quickly recovered schooling her features. Her face was a pleasant mask of calmness. “Mr. Lucas, there are two sides to every story,” she curtly informed me.
“I’m well aware of that.” But right now, I didn’t give a shit about her side or her stories. “I’ll keep you updated on Miley,” I said, and walked past her.
“Nate!”
I stopped turning back around. What in the hell did she want now? “Your guest may know more about Mr. Blade than he is stating,” she informed me. Her gaze flickering from mine to the house where Cecil stood inside the screen door watching us.
“How so?” I asked, curiously.
Time was wasting, and, whatever this woman thought she knew, she needed to just spit it out.
“He is Mr. Blade’s brother,” she said matter of factly, and without another word she climbed inside of her Range Rover and closed the door.
My hands were clenched at my sides as I stood there watching her turn and drive away. A murderous rage consumed me. My blood boiled hot, hotter than any lava in any frigging volcano.
That fucking lying ass Cecil. All this time and he was that cocksucker’s brother. He’d never said a word, not one damn word.
I stomped across the yard, ignoring Sheriff Burke when he called my name. Cecil had left his perch by the door, and I hurried up the steps intent on one thing and one thing only. I yanked open the screen door and found Cecil now sitting in a chair not far from Hank.
“You sorry son of a bitch!” I headed straight for him. Surprise flickered across his features. He stood, but before he had the time to react, my fist connected with his jaw
, knocking his head back. He landed hard on his ass in the chair behind him.
Shit, he had a motherfucking jaw like a brick! My arm tingled. My knuckles throbbed. I’d felt that punch clear up my fucking shoulder.
“What in the hell did you hit me for?” he roared from the chair, rubbing his injured jaw as he gazed back at me through narrowed eyes. If he tried anything, I’d be on him in less than a second flat.
“I believe you know,” I yelled, glaring back at him. I wanted to snap him like a twig. “While I was outside becoming reacquainted with Rebecca Triton, she just happened to mention that you had a brother,” I informed him.
Cecil’s eyes widened. “It’s not what you think.”
“What do I think, you lying motherfucker?” I drew my fist back once more. A hard hand clamped over mine, taking me by surprise, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Sherriff Burke standing right behind me.
“Let the man speak,” he warned, but I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
I tried to calm down and walked over to check on Hank as Cecil spoke with Sheriff Burke. I bent down to pat Hank’s head and noted his breathing. It seemed somewhat normal now. At my touch, Hank’s eyes flickered then closed. I glanced up to find Sheriff Burke now standing beside me. I stood and eyed him warily.
“Officer Ballard is heading back to the station and taking along with him the evidence we’ve gathered. As soon as we run those prints we lifted and match them to Blade’s, we’ll issue an ABP. We will find her, son. They couldn’t be far.”
I nodded, and he patted me on the back before he walked past me. From behind me, I heard Burke’s phone ring. My eyes landed on Cecil. He rose from the chair and came toward me. I kept my gaze on him the entire time. I didn’t consider Cecil a threat, not him nor his low life brother. I couldn’t believe Miley had trusted him, the brother of the low life piece of shit who was holding her hostage. I should have followed my gut and run a background check on him regardless of what she’d said.
This was all my fault.
Hank whined, drawing my attention. I would need help moving him. I glanced over my shoulder to find Sheriff Burke currently slipping his phone back into his pocket. Hank was still hanging in there, but I needed to get him to the vet. He needed x-rays to determine the extent of his injuries.
“Sheriff Burke, will you help me load Hank in my pickup?”
I didn’t bother to look at Cecil. I wouldn’t ask him for help if I was dying. Sheriff Burke’s nodded his head and moved around me to pick up the ends of the comforter on the other side. “Thanks,” I said. Cecil stood nearby watching us.
“Don’t you even want to hear what I have to say?” he asked, and I shot him a murderous glare. No, not really.
“Ready?” I asked Sherriff Burke, completely ignoring Cecil.
We lifted the comforter with Hank and moved for the door. It was all I could do not to go after Cecil. The son of bitch stepped past us and opened the front door. Well, wasn’t that nice of him. Burke thanked Cecil. I, on the other hand, had nothing left to say to that rat bastard. We made our way outside onto the porch with Cecil following close behind.
He had some nerve.
“Cecil, I’d like you to come down to the station,” Burke requested, and my jaw clenched so tight it was a miracle I didn’t crack a tooth. It was for the best. Besides, I didn’t want to be anywhere around that lying piece of shit.
“I think I might know where he has taken her,” Cecil stated.
My steps faltered. My grip tightened around the material in my hands. I came to a stop, causing Sheriff Burke to pause in mid-stride. We stood in the middle of the yard and I stared at Cecil with my mind racing.
So help me God, if something happened to Miley because of him…
“Where?” I asked, knowing anything that came out of this man’s mouth was more than likely a lie, but as of right now, we had no leads. A possible lie at this point was better than nothing at all. After I dropped off Hank at the vets, I’d planned on running by Miley’s house to check with her landlord and all of her neighbors. It was probably a dead end, but it was all I had.
“This matter needs to be handled by local law enforcement,” Sheriff Burke reminded us, interrupting. I kept quiet despite silently disagreeing. What was I supposed to do, idly twiddle my thumbs? I didn’t fucking think so. I eyed Cecil as we made our way to the truck. Whatever he’d been about to say had been quieted by Sheriff Burke’s words. Cecil opened the passenger side door for us and we loaded Hank into the cab.
“I expect you both at the station.” Burke eyed us sharply. His phone began to ring. “Damn, I have to take this. I’ll see you two later,” he said, dismissing us and reaching into his pocket as he turned and headed for his patrol car.
I had no intention of going anywhere near the station. The good sheriff climbed into his car and hit the lights. In a matter of seconds, he was barreling back down the driveway heading toward town and leaving me alone with Cecil who stood nearby silently watching me.
“If anything has happened to Miley, there won’t be anywhere you can run or hide. There won’t be anyone who can save you from me.”
“I understand,” Cecil replied flatly, but instead of walking to his own truck he opened the passenger door of mine.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“I’m going with you,” he said, then began maneuvering Hank around. Hank issued a low warning growl, but Cecil managed to fit his big frame down into the seat with Hank’s body now lying half in his lap. He looked over at me and grinned.
I hoped like hell that Hank took a bite out of him. I wouldn’t lift a finger to stop him.
“Your funeral,” I replied, and slammed the door. I was walking around to the driver’s side when I realized I’d slammed my own damn truck door. Shit, I gritted my teeth, climbed inside the cab, and started the engine. I glanced over at Cecil. He was petting Hank. Hell, I didn’t want to be stuck with him. As if sensing my gaze, his eyes met mine. His expression was one of concern.
“There’s an old abandoned warehouse that the Retribution MC occasionally uses on the outskirts of town. Off Highway 180. He might have her there. It’s the only place I can think of. He wouldn’t have gone far. He’s got more sense than to travel in broad daylight. He’ll wait until dark to move her.”
“For your sake, I hope you’re right.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AFTER DROPPING OFF Hank, Cecil and I were on our way to the abandoned warehouse where Ryder may or may not be holding Miley hostage. One thought kept running over and over in my mind; it was a trap. But with no leads of my own, I had no other choice. During the drive, I decided to call Sheriff Burke. He informed me the prints they’d lifted were, in fact, an exact match to those of Ryder Blade’s.
That was no big fucking surprise.
“Are you on your way to the station now?” Burke asked, and I glanced over at Cecil sitting in the passenger side seat. Hell no, we weren’t going to the station. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I told the sheriff, and quickly ended the call before he had the opportunity to ask me anything else. It wasn’t really a lie. I planned to go eventually; just not right now. I didn’t have time for bullshit. Less than a half a minute later, Cecil’s cell began to ring.
“It’s the police station,” he stated, but he didn’t answer the call.
“If Ryder has harmed one strand of hair on Miley’s head, I’m holding you accountable.”
The sound of Cecil clearing his throat had me gripping the steering wheel tight. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my fingers around his thick neck. “Miley doesn’t know that Ryder’s my brother.”
“Have you been spying on her all of this time?” I asked, barely able to keep my temper under control. Unfuckingbelieveable. The urge to pull the truck over and pound the hell out of his ugly mug with my fists was almost impossible to resist.
“No,” Cecil stated. “I wouldn’t spy on her, not for Ryder. I came to Crawley wanting
a new life for myself, one away from my brother… away from the MC. I didn’t even know she was his until a few months after she started waiting tables at The Eight Ball. I’d been trying, well hoping, that someday… Miley might give me a chance. Hell, what man in his right mind wouldn’t want a woman like her? We were never more than friends.”
I don’t think I could have stood it if Cecil had told me otherwise. The thought of the two of them together had me cringing. Lucky for him, she’d turned his ugly ass down. “I had no idea Ryder had a child, but I eventually put two and two together.”
“Does he know?” I asked.
“No, I never told him. I didn’t want Miley to have to live a life like our mom’s or for Sierra to grow up like my brother and I had. It was the best for everyone involved. Ryder’s not a good man.”
I laughed out loud. My eyes flickered briefly to him before returning to the road.
Was he for real?
“So you expect me to believe you kept a secret like this from your brother? That you stuck around to keep an eye on Miley and Sierra out of some family loyalty bullshit.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you believe, man.”
When I glanced back at him, he was staring straight ahead. Hell, I’d offended him. “At that old barn, take a right. Next, you’ll come to a fork in the road. We should park and walk from there so he won’t hear the truck.”
Giving my signal, I turned off the highway and onto a graveled road. Fuck, I wasn’t stupid. Did Cecil really believe I was? “You think I’m going to listen to anything you have to say? That I believe your bullshit for a second?”
For all I knew, he was leading me straight into a trap; one set by him and his brother. Miley might not even be here. I was going by faith and faith alone, and I didn’t like it, not one damn bit.
“I think you have to,” Cecil stated, matter-of-factly.
Regardless of the outcome, I had to see this through. I pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, parked the truck, and, without saying a word, I opened my door and climbed out.
