by Erin Osborne
“Don’t know, but I have to call Raine and let her know what’s goin’ on. She’s goin’ to be losin’ her shit and I don’t want her to wait any longer,” he answers.
Satan walks away to call his wife as I continue looking around the house for any clues. Walking into the bathroom, I see it looks about the same as her bedroom. She grabbed what she needed in a hurry and left the room as is, a complete mess.
I hear Satan talking to Raine and I know he’s trying to calm her down. At the same time, I pull out my phone and call Torch. He answers on the first ring.
“What’s goin’ on, Capone?” he asks.
“Need you to see if you can track Hollie’s phone,” I tell him.
“On it,” he answers, hanging up on me.
With my phone already out, I pull up Hollie’s number and try calling her again. Still going straight to voicemail. I’m not leaving any messages because I don’t want to fill her mailbox. And the way I feel right now, I’m liable to take my mood out on her when we don’t know what’s going on with her.
Before I can put my phone back in my pocket, it rings. I answer without bothering to look at the caller ID.
“Hollie?” I ask, waiting for her voice to fill my ears.
“Why the fuck would you call me Hollie?” NeNe’s voice asks, irritation filling the phone.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I need money,” she says like we haven’t had this conversation a hundred times already.
“Not gonna happen. How many times do I need to tell you that?” I ask, letting my anger out on the bitch.
“And if you want to see this baby take its first breath, you’re gonna give me money,” she threatens.
“Fuck you, NeNe. You’re done threatenin’ me with the baby. When the fuck are you gonna learn this shit? And how the fuck did you get out of the house last week to spew your venom and lies to Hollie?” I ask her.
“Oh, I see the little bitch is a snitch. Had her pegged as one all along,” she taunts.
“No, she really didn’t snitch on you. I made her fuckin’ tell me what was goin’ on after she smacked the shit out of me. Your games are done NeNe. Told you, you won’t like me if you keep pushin’ me. No money for you. I’ll see you in a few days for your appointment. If you need groceries before then, I’ll send some over to you. That’s all your gettin’ from me.”
As I hang up the phone, I hear the bitch let out a shriek of frustration. I’m not bending to her will and she can’t stand it. She’s pregnant and hating that I’m not making her my ol’ lady like she thought I would. Now, I won’t let her walk all over me and make demands on me or my time. NeNe isn’t getting what she thought she would from me and I’m not going to give in to her either.
My only concern right now is finding out what’s going on with Hollie and where the fuck she is. Once I find out who took her, I’m going to gut them like the asshole they fucking are. Rage is filling me at the thought of someone putting their hands on my woman. Again. Hollie doesn’t need this shit and no one was watching over her. If one of the Prospects had been here, none of this would’ve happened. Fuck!
“Raine is losin’ her shit. I gotta get back. She still hasn’t heard from her and it’s still goin’ directly to voicemail. You okay?” Satan asks, walking back to me still standing in the hall.
“I’m not. NeNe just called wantin’ money. Somethin’ is goin’ on with her. First, she got out of the house and away from the Prospect to confront Hollie. Now, she’s always tryin’ to get money from me. It’s not the first time. She’s gettin’ more pissed when I refuse too. I don’t like it,” I tell Satan. “I got Torch tryin’ to track Hollie through her phone.”
“Okay. You keep an eye on NeNe and try to find out what’s goin’ on. I’m goin’ to be with my wife and hope we figure somethin’ out soon,” he tells me, leaving the house.
I walk around for a few more minutes, trying to find something before leaving the house. After locking the door behind me, I get on my bike and ride back to the clubhouse. There’s nothing I can do at Hollie’s house. And I’d rather be at the clubhouse. If Raine hears from her, I’ll be there. Or if Torch finds something, I’ll be there.
No one will have to call me back. I’ve got nowhere to be until later on tonight when I go to Blazing Babes. I don’t want to go there now, not when the situation with Hollie is up in the air. The only thing I want to do is be out looking for her.
Walking into the clubhouse, I see Satan and Raine sitting at a table. Raine is in her husband’s lap while Wrath and Gunner sit with them. I take the last empty seat as Axel sets a beer down in front of me. I look at him and can see the concern on his face about Hollie. It’s safe to say the club now knows she’s missing and is waiting to hear what we’re gonna do about it.
“As soon as Torch finishes his thing, we’ll make a plan of what to do,” Satan says as Axel walks away. “I want to send men out searchin’, but we can’t if we don’t know where to look. That’s the hard part right now— no one’s heard anythin’.”
We sit in silence while Raine buries her face in Satan’s neck. She’s crying and I know this isn’t easy on her. Hollie was just starting to come out of her shell and now she’s been put in a similar situation again. This isn’t going to end well for anyone. I’m done playing games with her. I want her and she’s going to be mine. The rest we’ll figure out as we go.
Torch comes running into the common room with a stack of papers in his hand. I stand up along with the rest of the guys in the room. We’ve all been waiting on him for information and now it looks as though we have it. Satan calls for church before whispering something to Raine and setting her back down in the chair he vacated.
We all head to the room. I give up my weapons but not my phone. There’s no way in hell I’m giving it up in case Hollie tries to call or whoever has her does. The one thing I didn’t find in her house was her phone. I didn’t go digging into things just yet, but it’s usually on her or sitting on the nightstand while she sleeps. She’s worried something is going to happen to her family and always has it on her for that reason.
“In session,” Satan growls out, slamming the gavel down on the table. “As you know, Hollie’s missin’. Not sure when she got taken or where she’s at. I’m hopin’ Torch can shed some light on that for us. All we found at her house was a busted window and what looks to be her packin’ things in a hurry. What did you find, Torch?”
“Well, I got a ping on her phone hours ago. She was at a bus station the next town over. When I hacked into their surveillance, I got a picture of her. She’s at the counter purchasin’ a ticket to somewhere, but I couldn’t zoom in enough to get a clear idea of where she’s headin’. She has a duffle bag and her computer case as you can see in the pictures,” Torch answers, handing out pictures he’s printed.
I look at the picture. Her hair’s a mess and she looks to be in her pajamas still. Other than looking worried, she doesn’t seem to have any apparent markings on her skin. No bruising or anything like that. She looks sad too as I study her face in the picture. Like she knows her life is about to change and she’s going to be leaving her sister behind. What the fuck?
“In this picture, I got a blacked-out car with a man standin’ by it. He never once seems to take his eyes off her. Can’t make out a plate or anythin’ because it’s got covers on the plate. When the bus she gets on leaves, the guy does too. He follows the damn bus. I’m not sure how far or anythin’ other than that. I got the bus number, so we can try to figure out where it’s headed, but I couldn’t pull up the schedule,” Torch tells us, handing out the rest of the pictures and papers he has in his hands.
“Okay. I want Gunner, Wrath, and Capone to head to the bus terminal. Find out any information you can. Torch, keep workin’ things on your end. Why can’t you track Hollie farther than that bus terminal?” Satan asks.
“She had her phone on at that point. It’s marked on the paper what time it is. She must have turned it off befor
e leavin’ the station. I’m not gettin’ a ping on it anymore. That’s the only reason I wouldn’t get one,” he answers.
“Okay. Get out there and search. I’ll have the rest of you on standby when they find somethin’ out. I’m gonna be with Raine because she needs me right now. This shit is bringin’ back all sorts of fucked up thoughts for her. No one better say a fuckin’ word to her about this. I’ll beat anyone’s ass who fuckin’ talks. Capone, take Axel with you. He’s goin’ to search just as hard as you will. That girl is like a sister to him,” Satan says, slamming the gavel once again and dismissing us.
Walking out of church, I take my weapon back from Shane. As soon as I’m in the common room, I look at Axel and nod my head. He follows us outside and we leave the clubhouse. I’m ready to be at the bus station to find out anything more we can. The sooner we find Hollie, the sooner everyone will be better. Especially Raine.
Chapter Twenty
Hollie
I’VE BEEN IN Steel Mills for a day now. The second the bus pulled into the bus station, I found a hotel and crashed. I couldn’t really sleep on the bus, so I crashed when I found a room at a cheap hotel. It’s not a dump, but it’s not the best place I could be either.
After going to get food and a few things for the day, I go back to the room and take a look around. I’ve got a Queen-sized bed, a small table, a dresser with a flat screen TV on top, a mini fridge, and a small countertop with a coffee maker. The bathroom has a larger than normal bathtub in it, a single counter with a sink, and a toilet. There’s fresh towels on a small shelf above the toilet and extra toilet paper and toiletries. It’s decent, but I won’t be staying here for very long. Just long enough for me to find a place to call home.
See, the time on the bus gave me the time I’ve needed to think. Other than letting Raine know what’s going on and that I’m okay, I think I need to leave Willow Creek behind. There’s nothing there for me other than my sister. We both need to live our lives and I feel as if I’m living in the past because there’s times people still tiptoe around me like I’ll crack and break at the slightest thing. It’s not the case. I’m stronger now.
I want to be close to my sister, but at the same time, I think it’s time for me to live my life alone. Away from her shadow and mother hen tendencies. She’s never going to let my kidnapping go because it happened and is still fresh in our lives. Especially now that it’s happened again. This time may be vastly different, but it still happened.
Tossing my bags down on the bed, I pull out my phone and turn it back on. Before I can pull up my sister’s name to call her, alert after alert sounds off to tell me I have messages I need to read. So, I go into my text messages and see they’re all from my sister, Capone, Satan, and Axel. Well, I don’t need to read them now. I’m going to call my sister so she’ll know I’m okay. Then I’ll be shutting my phone back off.
I’m not stupid enough to think Torch isn’t going to track my location. It’s his job to do that shit. I’ve learned that just from watching over things while I’ve been at the clubhouse. And he’s always the one to do anything security related. So, I’m sure he’ll have my location in no time at all. Which is fine. But Raine has to understand I’m not ready to go back. I can start over here.
The phone barely rings one time before my sister’s voice fills my ear. She’s crying and my heart hurts for her. I know she’s worried about me and I should’ve called before now.
“Hollie! Where are you? Are you okay?” she asks.
“I’m okay. I’m in a small town called Steel Mills,” I answer her.
“What happened?” she asks, putting the phone on speaker.
“Well, someone broke in during the middle of the night. Let me pack some things and then drove me to the bus station. Told me not to come back or I’d be beaten and worse,” I tell her the short version.
“Hollie, are you sure you’re okay?” Satan asks.
“Yes. Other than making sure I didn’t fight him, the man never touched me. Just dropped me off and made sure I got on the bus. I think he may have followed us for a while, but that’s it. I would’ve called sooner, but I crashed when I got here yesterday. I’m sorry, Raine,” I tell her honestly.
“I only care that you’re okay. When are you gonna be back here? I can send someone down to get you,” Raine tells me.
“No, don’t do that. I think I need some time, Raine. You have a family to look after. I’ll call you every day and no one here is going to hurt me. I’m going to be fine,” I tell her.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You can come home. No one is going to touch you here,” she says.
“It’s not me I’m worried about. He told me if I come back, while the beating I get may be bad, he’ll also come after you and the kids. I’m not willing to risk anything happening to you. You’re my only family and this is how I can protect you,” I tell her.
“I got your sister and our kids,” Satan growls out. “No one is goin’ to touch any of you. Should’ve moved your ass into our house when I moved your sister in.”
“Satan, that’s not going to solve anything either. I’m not going to come back just yet. I’m fine here. Like I said, I’ll call every day and check in. Other than being told to get on the bus, nothing else was said or done. Let me have this time to decide what I want to do,” I plead with my sister and brother in law.
“I don’t like it,” Raine says. “I’d rather you just come home.”
“Well, Raine, it’s not your decision to make,” I tell her honestly. “You’ve done an amazing job taking care of me and making sure I have everything I need to live my life. Now, it’s time for you to focus on your own children and your husband. On the club and getting the new house bunnies in there. You’ve got a lot to focus on. Let me have this time I need and I’ll be back with a decision soon.”
“Are you sure?” Raine asks.
“Yes. Raine, you’re my sister and I love you to death. It’s time to let me go,” I tell her.
“Holls, we have a chapter of the club there. If you need anythin’ I want you to call the President. His name is Bender. I trust him and you can too,” Satan tells me. “I’ll message you his number and then call him to let him know you’re in town. You won’t see them, but they’ll probably keep an eye on you while you’re there.”
“Okay. I’ll compromise with that because I know you’re going to send someone here if I don’t. I’ll talk to you guys soon,” I say, hanging up the phone.
I turn my phone off because there’s no way they’re not going to share the news of where I am or that I’ve been in contact with them. I don’t want to talk to Capone right now. I’ll check in with Axel later on because I know he’s probably just as worried as my sister is.
Taking the bags off the bed, I put my food away and turn on the TV. There’s not much to do in this hotel room, but I can read some more. Reading Keira’s books have made me addicted to the genre and I want to read more and more. So, I’ve downloaded several books by author’s I’ve never heard of before. I pull one up and start reading because I still haven’t heard back from Keira about her cover. As soon as I do, I’ll get back to work.
Tomorrow I plan on looking around town some to see what’s here and then trying to find a place to live in permanently. I told my sister I’d be back home, but I think it’s time to move on. She can’t be the only reason I’m in Willow Creek and that’s the case now. No matter what Capone says, I know things aren’t going to work out the way he plans. It’s just a matter of time before NeNe does something she can’t take back and someone innocent is hurt. That won’t be because of me.
No, I’m not going to share my thoughts about NeNe being behind me being taken either. That’s just going to lead to a whole shitload of trouble and I don’t want to be the cause of it. Even if she’s dumb enough to pull this shit with the club in town. It’s not like any of them were away from the clubhouse on business or anything.
The only thing making it easier on her is that she doesn’t ac
tually live at the clubhouse. There’s a Prospect on her, but other than that, no one’s there to watch over who she talks to or what she does. I mean, she managed to get out of the house long enough to confront me, so who knows what else she’s been doing behind closed doors?
After spending a majority of the day reading and lounging around the room, I’ve decided it’s time to go get some dinner. There’s a small restaurant just across the road from the hotel. I saw it earlier when I went to the store. There’s no time like the present to check it out and see how the food is.
Grabbing my purse, I make sure I have my hotel key and head out. The restaurant is busy as I walk through the door and see a sign telling me to seat myself. I choose a table in the back as a waitress comes over to me. She sets a menu down on the table and asks what I’d like to drink.
The waitress is an older lady and her face is kind. She looks like she’s being run off her feet as she bounces from one table to the next. So, I tell her I’d like a chocolate shake as she makes her way to the next table on her way back with my drink order.
Picking up the menu, I notice a few guys across the restaurant from me. They’re wearing cuts, but I can’t see what club they belong to. I’m going to guess they’re the guys Satan told me about. But, I’m not going to go introduce myself or anything crazy like that. He may trust them, but I don’t. It’s not easy for me to trust people after everything.
If they come over to me, I’ll be nice and talk to them. But, I won’t be open to anything more than that. I certainly won’t be working with them the way I have been with Satan and doing the ledgers. I’ll find a job here, just not with them.
“Have you decided what you’re gonna order?” the waitress asks, walking back over with my milkshake.
“Oh, um, yes. I’d like a cheeseburger and fries please. Can I get some gravy in a small dish on the side?” I ask.
