Making my way up the steps, I pushed the doors open and stepped inside. I saw cuts from two clubs I hadn’t met before, and more than one pissed-off look was thrown my way. I rubbed my hands on the ass of my denim shorts, and wished I’d put on something else. When I’d gotten dressed, I hadn’t intended to leave the house. I tried to wear more out in public than I currently had on, and the way a few of the men looked at me made my skin crawl.
Teller came from behind the bar and hurried toward me, gripping my arm and tugging me into the shadows.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I was looking for Rocket. He left this morning to get breakfast and he’s not back yet. I thought maybe Spider had called Church, and I was going to wait here for him.” I looked around again. “What’s going on, Teller?”
“Wait. Rocket isn’t with you?”
“No. I thought maybe he was here. Are you saying no one knows where he is?” I asked, feeling panic start to well inside me. If they thought he was with me, and I didn’t know where he was, what had happened to him?
Spider came through the crowd and frowned when he saw me and Teller in the corner of the room. He stopped to talk to a few men as he made his way over to us. Then he folded his arms and stared at me.
“Rocket’s missing,” I said, and damn near broke down just saying the words. I felt the tears well up and couldn’t hold them back. “He went for breakfast and didn’t come back. I thought he was here.”
Spider’s back went ramrod straight and he held Teller’s gaze a moment before turning to face the room. He cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice, then yelled out, “Anyone seen Rocket today?”
The Hades Abyss members shook their heads and looked at me uneasily. If they hadn’t seen him, who had let him out of the compound? How did he leave with no one knowing he was even gone?
“Spider, what’s going on?” I asked. “Where’s Rocket?”
He looked at Teller again. “Philip is on the gate. Go find out when Rocket left and which way he went.”
“He was just getting breakfast,” I said again, hoping if I repeated it enough that maybe Rocket would magically return with bags of food, and without a scratch on him.
Spider put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side. I grabbed onto him, fearing that if I didn’t, my legs would buckle. Had the club who’d taken me seen Rocket and decided to get revenge? Was he hurt somewhere? Maybe even dead? I didn’t want to think about living without him. He was my everything.
Two of the men wearing different cuts made their way over to us, distrust in their eyes as they looked at me. I didn’t know who they were, or why they were here, but they made me nervous. They appeared hard, cold, and didn’t seem like the type of men to care for the tears currently slipping down my cheeks.
“What’s going on?” one of them asked. I read the stitching on his cut. Crow. Reckless Kings MC.
The other man was even more intimidating as he gazed at me. His cut said he was the President of Devil’s Fury MC. I hadn’t heard of either club before and didn’t know why they were here. Had they done something to Rocket? Were they allies of the Hades Abyss or did they intend to harm my newfound family?
“Crow. Grizzly. This is Rocket’s old lady, Violeta. She said he went to get breakfast for them and never returned.”
The younger one, Crow, studied me. “Is she part of the trouble we were told about?”
I tried not to wince. They made it sound like I’d caused the problem with the Chaos Killers, even though I hadn’t. Yes, because they’d kidnapped me, Rocket had hurt them, but that was their own damn fault. Rocket hadn’t gone looking for danger, not until I’d been taken. Now I didn’t know what he was thinking, other than he wanted them all wiped from the face of the earth.
“The Chaos Killers abducted Violeta when she and Rocket were celebrating at a nearby hotel. The men who took her were killed once we located Violeta. It’s the same crew who shot me earlier this year. I’m not quite sure what put us in their crosshairs, but I’m ready to end it,” Spider said. “At first, I’d thought they were just after our business or the cargo we were carrying that day. Now it seems like something else is going on. That’s why I called the Devil’s Boneyard and Dixie Reapers, and in turn they called you.”
“Could Surge find him with his computer?” I asked. “Maybe there’s a way to track Rocket?”
Crow rubbed a hand along his jaw. “If he has a cell phone with him and the GPS is turned on, it’s possible he could be tracked that way. Then again, if he found trouble when he left here, he may not have a phone with him anymore. Wouldn’t hurt to try and see what Surge can find.”
“I brought Outlaw with me,” Grizzly said. “He can help Surge. Between the two of them, they should be able to figure out something, or at least give us a direction.”
Spider’s arm tightened around me. “Sweetheart, I don’t think you should stay at the clubhouse. This crew might get rowdy in a few more hours. If anything happened to you, Rocket would be ready to take some heads and kick everyone’s ass. Not to mention Luciana wouldn’t be too happy either.”
“Your wife?” Grizzly asked.
Spider nodded. “Violeta is my wife’s younger sister. The baby of the family. Their other sister, Sofia, is with Saint at the Dixie Reapers’ compound.”
Understanding lit Grizzly’s eyes. “The girls who Casper saved from Mateo Gomez in Colombia. We heard about them, but until now I didn’t realize they’d been claimed by any of the clubs. I only knew you were watching over them.”
“What is with all of you taking in strays?” Crow asked. “The Devil’s Boneyard and Devil’s Fury both have rescues from human trafficking at their compounds, or did until the women were settled elsewhere. Except the ones you decided to keep for whatever reason, like Cinder’s wife.”
My back stiffened and I glared at the man. Beautiful or not, scary or not, he was an asshole. “I don’t like you much.”
He arched an eyebrow and stared at me.
“You’re an asshole. I’m not a stray, and neither are my sisters,” I said.
Grizzly chuckled, but Crow didn’t look too amused.
“Stop being a dickhead,” Grizzly told him. “You know damn well that you’d have taken them in too if someone had asked. Your club helped Meg, and you’d take in any other woman who was in distress.”
“Women are too much fucking trouble,” Crow muttered.
I leaned a little heavier against Spider and studied the men in front of me. Grizzly seemed like a good enough sort, now that I’d gotten over my fear as he’d approached, but there was a sadness in his eyes. Crow, though, was brimming with anger, and I had to wonder if a woman had recently hurt him in some way.
“I’ll get Outlaw and send him to Surge’s place,” Grizzly said. “And, sweetheart, Spider is right. This clubhouse isn’t going to be the right place for you once these guys start letting loose. Your man would want you somewhere safe. I’d trust my brothers with my life, but once they start drinking or women show up, then they tend to act a bit stupid.”
“If you’re Rocket’s old lady, where’s your property cut?” Crow asked.
“I didn’t get it out of the closet. I was just worried about Rocket and didn’t really think past the fact I had on clothes and needed my shoes. He’s been gone probably an hour or more. I know a half hour passed while I sat in the kitchen waiting for him, but I don’t know how long he was gone before that.”
“I’ll get Teller to walk you home and stay with you,” Spider said. “He’ll keep you safe until we figure out what’s going on with Rocket. Don’t leave the house, Violeta. Not even to come here or go anywhere else in the compound. Those bastards got someone inside our gates once and they could do it again. Surge has done his best to make sure the other Prospects are legit and haven’t been turned, but I can’t say for certain that I trust them.”
“But you’ll send one home with her?” Grizzly asked.
“T
eller is my friend,” I said softly. “He’d never hurt me.”
Crow snorted. “Honey, there are a lot of reasons a man would turn on those who trust him. And if you aren’t his woman, then I don’t see him being loyal to you if a better opportunity presents itself.”
“Teller’s a good kid,” Spider said. “I thought the same of Marcus, but he got in over his head. I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do with him whenever he’s found. But I’d trust Teller with Violeta or my wife. He’ll defend them with his life if need be.”
Crow glanced out over the crowded room. “You going to tell anyone else what’s going on?”
“Not until I know more,” Spider said. “Depending on what Rocket’s gotten himself into, I may need the help of both your clubs. No sense riling everyone up until we have more details, though.”
“Forge is here somewhere,” Crow said. “He’d be your best bet from my club as far as getting your brother back. Maybe he could coordinate with Bear. I didn’t bring Shield, but they could always call him if they need more help with the computer shit.”
“I brought Demon with me,” Grizzly said. “With three Sergeants-at-Arms and two Presidents, we’ll find your man and bring him home.”
Teller came back inside, a frown tipping his lips down at the corners. When his gaze met mine, I knew it wasn’t good news. I waited, hoping I was wrong, but the first words out of his mouth weren’t exactly reassuring.
“Philip said that Rocket left nearly two hours ago. He didn’t say where he was going or when he’d be back.” He hesitated. “He didn’t head toward town. Philip said Rocket pulled out and went the opposite direction. Toward the highway.”
What? Why would he do that? If he was just getting food, he wouldn’t have gone to another town, would he? I looked up at Spider and saw resignation there. My stomach knotted and my skin turned clammy. I broke free and hurried toward the front doors, barely reaching the edge of the porch before I threw up until all I could do was dry heave.
He’d left me. Rocket had left and lied when he’d walked out this morning. He’d promised to love me, to protect me, and now he’d abandoned me? I didn’t understand. Had everything been a lie? Or had he gotten a message that made him leave the way he had?
I felt a hand run up and down my back and looked over at Teller. I broke down and cried again, curling against him as he held me. I wanted Rocket. I couldn’t remember even being this scared and worried when the Chaos Killers had taken me. If Philip was right, and Rocket hadn’t gone into town, then it was doubtful someone had taken him. He’d gone voluntarily. I just didn’t understand his motivation for leaving.
“We’ll find him, Vi,” Teller said. “I don’t know where he went or why, but I’m sure he had his reasons. Anyone with eyes can see how much he loves you.”
“He left,” I said, my voice cracking. “He left me.”
“Take her home,” Spider said from behind Teller. “I’ll send Dread over to check her out, maybe give her something to calm her stomach.”
“Come on, Vi,” Teller said, leading me toward the steps. “We’ll binge-watch all those eighties movies you like, and I bet Rocket is back soon.”
I let him walk with me to the house, then sat on the couch while he turned on a movie. I got up and went to the bathroom to rinse out my mouth and brush my teeth, splashed some water on my face, and tried to pull myself together. Rocket was always saying how strong I was, but I wasn’t acting like it right now. For him, I needed to believe that everything would be fine.
When I got back to the living room, Dread was waiting for me. He folded his arms and looked me over from head to toe, then dropped a bomb on me.
“When was your last period?”
I blinked, glanced at Teller who had just turned three shades of red, then focused on Dread again. I tried to remember when I’d last needed tampons, and I knew it was at least a week or two before Rocket had asked me to marry him. Possibly longer. I never really kept track. The cramps usually hit about two days before I started to bleed so I had enough warning to get supplies.
“At least three or four weeks? Possibly five. I don’t really remember for sure,” I said.
“Has Rocket been using condoms?” Dread asked.
“No. He said he wants to have kids with me,” I said. “Do you think I’m pregnant? Because I think I threw up from the stress of Rocket being missing. I doubt I’m already carrying a baby. We’ve only had two nights together with everything else going on.”
Dread smiled faintly. “It only takes once. You could very well have conceived the night you stayed at the hotel with him.”
He reached behind him and pulled out a small white box, then handed it to me. A pregnancy test. Then the humor of him carrying that around in his back pocket hit me and I smiled.
“Do you keep these on hand for a reason? Make all your dates pee on a stick?”
He scowled at me. “No. Once Rocket claimed you, I bought a few of those to have on hand just in case. Spider can’t have kids, so I didn’t have to worry about it with Luciana. Although, maybe I should start testing the club whores randomly. The last thing we need is that kind of surprise. I think it’s time to dump the bowl of condoms in the clubhouse too and get a fresh batch. Who knows how old those are.”
“I’ll take care of it once Rocket’s back,” Teller said. “Spider wants me to stay with Violeta for now.”
Dread nodded.
“Fine. I’ll take the test, but I don’t think I’m pregnant.”
I stood and snatched the box from him, then went to the bathroom, trying not to think about the fact there were two men in the living room who knew I was peeing on a stick. Men who weren’t my fiancé. If anyone should be here for this, it was Rocket.
I read the instructions before taking the test. When I finished, I set the test on the counter, then flushed the toilet and washed my hands. While I waited the three minutes, I changed the sheets on the bed and picked up Rocket’s dirty clothes, tossing them into the hamper. By the time I’d picked up the laundry from the floor, I realized my hands were trembling. Looking into the bathroom at the little white stick, I had to admit I was scared. Having Rocket’s baby would be amazing, if I was sure he’d return to me. Slowly, I approached the counter, holding my breath as I stared at the little test.
Positive.
Holy shit.
I pressed a hand to my belly and closed my eyes a moment. It seemed Rocket had gotten his wish. We were going to have a baby, which meant it was even more imperative that we find him. I wasn’t raising this kid on my own, having to explain their daddy vanished one morning. I had no doubt that Spider would watch over us, let us stay in this house, but I wanted the man I loved to be by my side through the pregnancy, and help raise our child. I wanted Rocket.
Walking back to the living room, I faced Dread and Teller. “You were right. I’m pregnant. I still don’t think that’s why I threw up, though.”
“Maybe not, but at least we now know. I’ll pick up some prenatal vitamins for you and make sure a healthy breakfast and lunch are delivered,” Dread said. “And as much as I know this is an impossible thing to ask you right now, you need to be as stress-free as possible, and even if you don’t have an appetite you need to eat. Your sister lost her baby because she’d thought Spider was dead, and it’s possible your previous miscarriage was also due to stress. For the sake of your baby, I need you to calm down.”
I nodded, knowing he was right. It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d try. The thought of losing Rocket’s child made my heart ache.
“I’ll do whatever I need to, just please bring him back to me,” I said.
“We’ll find out where he is, then we’ll go after him,” Dread said. “If you need anything, let Teller know. Even though he needs to stay here with you, he can contact one of the other Prospects.”
“Spider doesn’t trust them,” I said.
“Then call me or Spider. If you can’t reach us, just work your way down the list of every patched member
in the club. Someone will get whatever you need,” Dread said.
“I’ll take care of her,” Teller said. “But if Rocket was going out for food, that means she hasn’t eaten and will definitely need the meals you mentioned.”
“I’ll grab breakfast when I pick up the vitamins,” Dread said. “I’ll be back in a half hour. Lock the door and keep the other Prospects out. If Spider doesn’t know that he can trust them, then I don’t want them near Violeta, and I know Rocket wouldn’t either.”
“No one is getting to her while I’m here,” Teller said.
I didn’t want to point out that we’d been hit with some sort of dart previously when we’d been together in the living room. I just wanted all of it to be over. If Rocket had gone after the Chaos Killers, then I hoped his brothers found him before he got himself killed. Either way, the other club needed to be stopped. I only prayed that I didn’t lose Rocket in the process.
Chapter Ten
Rocket
I’d lied to her. Lied to the woman I loved, the one I wanted to marry. She was probably scared out of her damn mind, or pissed as fuck that I’d vanished, but I needed to handle this. Spider meant well, but this wasn’t the type of thing you handed off to someone else, even if it was Specter who promised to remove the threat. The Chaos Killers had come after my woman, and I wanted to make damn sure every last one of them was dead. My computer skills weren’t anywhere near as good as Surge’s, but I’d managed to track down the nearest Chaos Killers, and I was going to take the fuckers out. I might not have Spider’s military background, but I had street smarts that had served me well, not to mention every trick I’d learned while handling club business over the years. But I needed to handle this shit before my club figured out what I was doing. I had no doubt Spider would rip into me when he found out.
I’d already wiped out one nest of the assholes, and a nest was the only term I could think that suited them. They were like fucking poisonous snakes or rabid sewer rats, and I was going to exterminate them. The second hideout was a few yards from where I was hiding in the trees and shrubs, watching for any patterns so I could make my move. When I realized they left the back door vulnerable every fifteen minutes, I waited until the coast was clear, then ran to the building.
Rocket (Hades Abyss MC 2) Page 11
