Gypsy King

by Devney Perry

  She narrowed her gaze. “You don’t know that.”

  “I do,” I said gently. “I’m not saying they aren’t good at their jobs, but no matter how hard they tried, they never pinned much on the Gypsies. We’re just . . . better than they are. We don’t have to follow the same rules.”

  “What if we don’t find who took me? He can’t get away with it, Dash.”

  “He won’t,” I promised. “But we’ll have an easier time finding him if we’re not worried about Marcus in the middle of everything. If we bring in the cops, we’ll be constantly worried they’ll stumble onto something they shouldn’t. Some secrets need to stay secret. If they’re hovering over us, it’ll cripple us. Trust me. Please?”

  Her face softened. “Okay.”

  “Come on.” I put my arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go to the garage and find Isaiah.”

  Except when we got there, it was deserted. Open and empty, the way we’d left it this morning. It seemed like years, not hours, since I’d been working on the Mustang.

  “Where are they?” Bryce asked as we stood together in the office. Emmett had gone to the clubhouse to make sure nothing had happened there while we’d been gone. Leo and Dad had just run upstairs to check Isaiah’s apartment.

  “I don’t know.” I hugged her to my chest. “We’ll find them.”

  I took out my phone, calling Isaiah’s number and not expecting him to answer—and he didn’t. Boots thudded down the metal stairs at the side of the building, preceding Dad and Leo as they came into the office.

  “Nothing,” Dad said. “Leo and I are going to head back up to the mountain. You guys wait here. Stay safe.”

  “Call as soon as you can.” There was plenty of light this time of year. They had until almost nine before the dark would creep in and make a search impossible.

  “Will do. Lock down tight. Everything. Call Presley and make sure she’s home. Tell her to stay there and lock the doors.”

  “You think he’d go after her?”

  Dad’s gaze drifted to Presley’s desk. “Don’t know what to think anymore.”

  When the door closed behind them, I took Bryce’s face in my hands. She leaned her cheek into my palm. “You’re dead on your feet. Let’s go home. Get some rest.”

  “I want to be here in case they show up. Can we wait in the office?”

  I wouldn’t tell her no. Not today. “I’ll call in for some food. What do you want?”

  “Whatever. I’m not all that hungry.”

  “Well, you have to eat.” It had been twenty-four hours since she’d eaten.

  I led her into my office, where I had a couch. I made sure she was comfortable, then called for pizza. She did her best to eat two slices while I inhaled the rest. Then we sat in the silence. Waiting.

  Other than Emmett stopping in to tell us he’d found the hotel and was trying to get security camera footage, no word came. Eventually, Bryce fell asleep on my lap. I kept one hand on her hip. The other ready to grab my gun from its holster.

  The light behind the window blinds in my office faded slowly. It got dark, enough for the timed lights outside to flicker to life. And that was when the buzz of a motorcycle caught my ear. The sound didn’t belong to Dad’s bike.

  “Babe.” I gently shook Bryce awake. “Someone’s coming.”

  She roused from sleep, rubbing her eyes. “Do you think it’s them?”

  “Don’t know. Come on.” I held her hand, keeping her hidden behind me as I went to the office door. I cracked it an inch, taking out my gun. When the machine came into view, I put it away. “It’s Isaiah.”

  “Finally.” She opened the door wider, pushing past me as he pulled into the parking lot.

  His face was haggard as he shut off his bike. His shoulders slumped. When he spotted us outside the office, at the base of the stairs that led to his apartment, his frame fell even further.

  “Where’s Genevieve?” Bryce asked after he climbed off his motorcycle and walked our way. “Is she okay?”

  “She wanted to leave. I drove her to Bozeman.”

  “And you left her there?” Bryce’s jaw dropped. “We don’t know who took us. What if he got to her again? He took her from that hotel once, he could have—”

  Isaiah held up a hand. “I took her to the hotel and went in and got her stuff. Then I drove her to the airport, waited until her plane took off. She’s on her way to Colorado if she’s not there already.”

  “Okay.” Bryce relaxed. “But she’s all right?”

  “She’s fine.”

  “What happened? Why didn’t you answer?” I asked. “We’ve been calling.”

  Isaiah dropped his eyes to the ground, his jaw set tight. He looked awful. More haunted than the first day he’d shown up here, desperate for a job and to get on with his life.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “What happened?”

  He didn’t answer. He brushed past us to the stairs, taking each one with heavy footfalls.

  “Isaiah,” I called his name.

  He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I got her out of there. Just like I said I would.”

  Something else had happened, but before I could ask for more, he was up the stairs and out of sight.

  Bryce and I shared an anxious look.

  We weren’t going to get any more answers tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Bryce

  After Isaiah left Dash and I standing with our mouths hanging open, we went back to his place for the night. I wanted my own pajamas, a brush and clean panties, but I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready to go home, especially in the dark.

  As we drove, Dash called his dad to tell him Isaiah had returned. And it was unlikely Genevieve would ever set foot in Montana again.

  “Dad said they’re already on their way back,” he told me after hanging up. “They couldn’t get close to the cabin anyway.”

  “Because of the fire?”

  Dash nodded. “Forest service had a whole crew up there, making sure it doesn’t spread to the trees.”

  “Why do you think he burned it?”

  “Don’t know. But like Dad said, it was probably to cover his tracks.”

  Something in that cabin could have identified my kidnapper, but we’d never find it now. “I wish I had my phone to text Genevieve. Just to make sure she’s all right.”

  Genevieve and I had been through so much in a short period of time. But given what had happened, what I’d told her about Draven and her mother’s murder, I didn’t blame her for running.

  I probably would have done the same.

  “Tomorrow.” Dash took my hand from my lap, threading our fingers together. “Tomorrow I’ll get your phone and whatever else you want from your house.”

  “That’d be great.” I’d have to go back eventually, but for now, I was content to spend some time at his place. I had a feeling not many women could claim they’d spent time at Dash Slater’s home. I was too tired tonight, but tomorrow, I wanted to explore. Relax in his space.

  After I made sure Genevieve was home safely.

  “Do you think Genevieve will be safe in Denver?”

  “Might be the safest place for her. Or she’ll be an easy target.”

  “She has to be okay, Dash. None of this was her fault. I can’t help but think if I’d only stayed here, stayed away, that—”

  “This is not your fault, babe.” He tightened his grip on my hand. “If not for you, we wouldn’t know the truth. Dad would have died keeping it a secret. And it needed to come out. It’s for the best.”

  Except it had cost him his relationship with his father. I wasn’t sure what was best now.

  “What do we do now?”

  “Sleep.” Dash sighed. “Regroup in the morning.”

  If my mind kept racing, sleep would not come easily.

  Dash led me straight to his bedroom when we got to his house. The room overlooked a large backyard. Was that a hot tub? Before I could get a look at it on the patio, Dash pul
led the blinds over the windows shut.

  “Bed. Sleep. You can have free rein of the place tomorrow.”

  “Fine.” I pouted, stripping off my clothes.

  We met in the middle of Dash’s enormous bed, our naked bodies molding to one another as we lay face-to-face.

  “I don’t know if I can sleep,” I whispered.

  My mind raced over everything Isaiah didn’t say. Why would he stay quiet? What had happened on that mountain? Was it really as simple as he’d taken Genevieve to Bozeman and then come back? But why had it taken so long? Why did he seem more broken than ever?

  “Isaiah looked—”

  “Sleep, babe.”

  “But—”

  “Bryce. You need to sleep. Tomorrow, ’kay?”

  I huffed. “Okay.”

  Closing my eyes tight, I breathed in and out in a steady rhythm. It was odd, remembering that only last night I’d been at home, wondering if I would be raising this baby alone. If Dash and I were over.

  “You rescued me,” I whispered, bringing a hand up to push a lock of his hair off his forehead.

  His lashes lifted, and even in the dark, his eyes were shining bright. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. You and me. The baby. And we will.”

  “Are we going to be okay?”

  He pulled me tighter into his arms, holding me safe. “Swear it on my life.”

  Tomorrow came and went without the answers we’d hoped for.

  Because when we went to find Isaiah at the garage the next morning, he was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Bryce

  “I need to go to work.” I pulled a tank top over my head.

  “Can you wait a few hours? Please? I need to get to the garage first thing and make sure we have everything covered for the day in case Isaiah doesn’t show again. Then I can drive you to the paper.”

  “I could go alone. Other people will be there.”

  “Not an option.” Dash pulled on a pair of jeans. “Until we find out what the hell is happening and who took you, you’re not going anywhere without me.”

  This was not an argument I was going to win. “Fine.”

  It had been two days since he’d rescued me from that mountain and he’d only left my side once. And that was to go to my house yesterday and pick up some things so I could stay at his place for a bit. Even then, he’d called Emmett to stay with me while he was gone.

  “How you feeling?” Dash, dressed in jeans and a gray T-shirt, came over and ran his hands up and down my arms.

  “Meh.” I’d been sick this morning. Yesterday morning too. I hoped it had passed because if we were going to the garage, I was nervous about getting up close and personal with the shop’s toilet. “Will you grab me some crackers?”

  “Sure.” He kissed my forehead, walking out as I finished getting dressed. When I found him in the kitchen, he had a box of saltines on the counter and a travel mug of decaf ready for me. It wouldn’t be until noon that I’d be able to stomach anything else.

  Picking up my laptop from his dining room table, I loaded it into my purse, then followed Dash to the garage. He looked longingly at his bike, parked next to his truck, but knew I wasn’t ready to get on it yet.

  Soon. But not yet.

  When we got to the garage, three bikes were already lined up against the fence in the parking lot.

  “Since when does everyone beat you here in the morning?” I asked Dash. The clock on the dash said seven thirty.

  “Since never.” He pursed his lips. If Draven, Emmett and Leo were here already, it meant trouble.

  All three men were waiting inside Draven’s office when we got inside, Emmett and Leo across from his desk, Draven behind it. The moment he spotted me, Draven leapt up and offered me his seat.

  “Thanks.”

  He nodded, standing against the wall next to Dash. He didn’t get a good morning or hello from his son.

  “What’s up?” Dash asked.

  “Got some news from the DA,” Draven announced.

  “And?” My article had been printed on Sunday, showing a man breaking into the clubhouse and exposing Genevieve and the reason Draven and Amina had been at the Evergreen Motel in the first place. Had it worked? Had we planted a seed of doubt that might make the prosecutor delay?

  “It’s not enough.” Draven gave me a sad smile. “The photo of the guy. The speculation that the knife was stolen. It’s not enough. They’re going to proceed with the trial. Starts within sixty days.”

  “No.” My heart sank. If only I could have told them about being kidnapped. I trusted Dash and his reasons. The last thing I wanted was for Marcus to find something that might land Dash in prison alongside Draven. But I couldn’t help feeling that had we reported the kidnapping, Draven might have an easier time being acquitted.

  “We’ve got time,” Emmett said. “Two months to prove you’re innocent.”

  “More than that,” Dash said. “Trial will take a while.”

  Except we were at yet another dead end. Unless we could find my kidnapper, we had nothing to go on.

  “I have some news too,” Leo said. “Cops are releasing it today. My source says they found a burned body in the cabin.”

  “No,” I gasped. “Who?”

  “Could it be our guy?” Dash asked.

  Leo shrugged. “No idea. Body was burned to a crisp. They’re going to have to do dental records to identify him, but I’m guessing it was our guy. Maybe he ran up there, circled back and holed up inside. Started the fire, who the fuck knows. But if he was our guy, the chances of proving he murdered Amina without a confession are dust.”

  Draven’s frame slumped against the wall. “Shit.”

  The room went quiet.

  “It might not be him. The guy who took me. Maybe he had another friend up there. Maybe someone he’d already killed. Who knows? I think he’s probably dead but we don’t know for sure.”

  “Bryce is right.” Dash pushed off the wall. “Everyone watch their back. Something about this doesn’t sit well. It’s too clean. He was smart enough to take Bryce and Genevieve but then killed himself in a fire? Doesn’t fit.”

  “Agreed.” Emmett stood from his chair. “We’ll keep looking. Keep thinking. Something will come to light.”

  Leo stood too. “Fuck, I hope so.”

  “Until then, let’s get back to work,” Dash said. “Show whoever this fucker is that we’re moving forward.”

  He nodded for me to follow him into his office. The desk was cluttered and he gathered the paperwork up, making one large stack in the corner. “It’s all yours, babe. Unless you want to come hang out in the garage with me. I can set you up on a tool bench.”

  I grinned. “We did that before, remember? Pretty sure that’s how you knocked me up.”

  He chuckled, sitting on the edge of the desk. Then he motioned me into his arms, into the only place I felt safe at the moment.

  “Eventually, all this will end, right? Life will return to normal?” Or a new normal. I didn’t want to go back to the days when he wasn’t in my life.

  “One way or another. Either we find out who killed Amina or . . .”

  Or Draven lost his freedom.

  One week later, Dash and I were already finding a new normal.

  We were at the garage, working. That was how we functioned now. In shifts. We’d come to the garage when he had to work. I’d sit at his desk, writing at my laptop. And whenever I needed to work at the newspaper or go somewhere in town for an interview, he’d be my silent sidekick.

  Dash wouldn’t let me out of his sight, and oddly enough, I didn’t feel smothered. I felt protected. Cherished.

  Loved.

  If my new schedule bothered Dad, he didn’t comment. He and Mom were so happy they were getting a grandchild, he didn’t care what I did all day as long as I was growing his future reporter.

  After a long talk, Dash and I decided not to tell my parents about the kidnapping mostly because it would terrify them. They’d wo
rry it might happen again, and we didn’t need any extra attention. Which included deleting my story about the Tin Gypsies.

  My backup file—the one I wrote in case Dash betrayed me—had been trashed for good. The ghosts of the former Tin Gypsy Motorcycle Club would rest in peace.

  And I was going to print fun stories for a while. I’d let Willy tackle the weekly police press sheets for a couple months. At the moment, I was working on a story about one of Clifton Forge’s high school graduates who was off to Harvard in the fall. Exciting news for our small town. The boy’s face on the front page was full of hope and wonder.

  I clicked save on the final draft, uploading it to the shared drive, as my phone rang. When Genevieve’s name flashed on the screen, I blinked twice, not believing it was really her.

  “Hey,” I answered, standing from the desk because I couldn’t keep still. “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried.”

  Not a day had gone by when I hadn’t sent her a few texts and called at least twice. All had gone unanswered.

  “Yeah. Sorry.” She sighed. “I’m okay. I just had to get out of there.”

  “I can certainly understand that.” Except you could be in danger. I held back the lecture I really wanted to give her. “I’m really glad to hear from you.”

  “Yeah. Listen.” She paused. “I-I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m here, in Clifton Forge.”

  “What? You are?”

  “There are some things happening. Some, uh . . . changes. Anyway, before it gets crazy, would you meet me somewhere?”

  “Sure.” I didn’t have a car but I’d figure it out. “Where?”

  “The cemetery. I’m sitting here in my car and I can’t seem to get out.”

  “Oh, Genevieve.” My hand flew to my heart. “I’ll be there. Just wait.”

  “Thanks, Bryce.”

  I ended the call and groaned.