Page 52 of Raptor

"Aw, poor boy. Teething is the worst. Is everything okay?" she asks with genuine concern.

"Just wondering if Ma’s there. I haven't spoken to her in a few days," I say hesitantly.

Silence spreads through the line and I can feel my anxiety rising. "Mal, sweetie, I haven't seen your mam in a couple of days. She left three days ago, saying she wanted to go home and be with you. It didn't surprise me, seeing as you two are so close. She also mentioned wanting to set up a spa date with me," Nichola explains.

My stomach drops and my heart shatters at her words. "I haven't seen her," I say, trying to remain calm but feeling a sense of panic creeping in. My mind races with thoughts of where my mam could be. One name just keeps popping into my head. Micah.

"I'll call Jerry. Sweetie, we'll find her," she promises me. "Don't borrow trouble, Mal. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation."

"Okay," I breathe, my gaze meeting Shane's. His brows knit together as he watches me, his face filled with concern. "Let me know if you hear anything."

"I will," she promises me. "You do the same, please."

We end the call and I stare at Shane, gripping hold of my cell as I do. My heart is racing as a knot forms in the pit of my stomach.

"Talk to me, darlin'," Shane says, his voice low. "Baby, what the fuck's happened?"

I swallow hard. "Nichola hasn't seen Ma in three days, Shane. Three fucking days."

His eyes darken and he glances down at Shay before turning back to me. "We're goin' to find her."

I gasp, my heart breaking. "He has her, doesn't he?"

"No, baby," he says thickly. "We don't know that."

I don't respond. There's nothing to say. I can feel it in the pit of my gut. Micah has Ma. I should have called Nichola yesterday when I first grew worried.

I close my eyes. My mam... God, what is that animal doing to her?

Chapter 22

Raptor

THREE MONTHS LATER

It's been three months and there's no sign of Jayne. The woman has vanished. Mallory's devastated. As each day passes, she loses hope that we'll ever see her mom again. I can't lie; I'm relatively certain Micah has taken Jayne. It's fucked up. We should have found that motherfucker long before now. That cunt should be six feet under with his brother.

"You good?" Pyro questions.

We're on our way back from Belfast. We found Fintan O'Leary—Micah's father. The fucker's been holed up in Belfast, and no matter how many times we've beat the cunt, he hasn’t given up his son's whereabouts. The fucker's not talking at fucking all.

We got a call from Maverick. Stephen's wife, Jess, has been kidnapped. Not only was she taken, but Callie, who was with her, has been too. Not only were we called in, but the New York Chapter was too, along with the Gallaghers and Gallos. Everyone is on the hunt for Jess' dad, Thomas. That fucker's finally gettinghis comeuppance and it's about damn time, but my mind isn't focused on Thomas and Jess. It's on Mallory, Shay, and finding Jayne. But with the club having such close ties to the Gallaghers, and with Jess being Mallory's best friend, this wasn't something I could walk away from.

"About as good as I can be," I say through clenched teeth.

"Mallory and Shay are safe," he assures me. "Both Tank and Bozo are with them. They're at home and secured."

"I know," I say, but it makes no difference to me. I want to be home with them. I want to be the one to keep them safe. But I'm needed to be with my brothers right now and that's all I should be focusing on.

"How is she?" Wrath asks.

We’re in the truck. Fintan is tied up in the trunk and we're heading toward Maguire's farmhouse, where he takes care of business.

"She's tryin' to put on a brave face, but she's strugglin'. She keeps thinkin' about all the shit that cunt Micah has done to her, and she's thinkin' that's what he's doin' to Jayne."

"It's fucked up, brother," Wrath sighs. "But we're goin' to find them."

"You think she's still alive?" Py asks.

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