Page 26 of Festive

Furrowing my brows, I shrug. “You don’t need my permission to answer calls, Amber.”

She nods and ducks off to the other side of the room to take her call while I turn back to Rebel. “How long have they been gone?” I question.

“About an hour, we think, since the last person saw them.”

“They’re probably just playing hide and seek and have found a really good hiding place. You know what Kenna is like.”

Rebel finally smiles. “Yeah… I do.”

Pulling her to me, I plant a kiss on her lips. “We’ll find them, Rebel. I know we will.”

“God, I hope so.”

I press my lips to hers again as Amber comes rushing back over. “Sorry to interrupt, Pres, but my cousin is having an emergency. There was a storm in New Orleans, and her roof caved in, and her whole house was flooded. I know this is bad timing, but she needs some help. She just broke her ankle, and her husband has diabetes. She worries that it might be too much for him to do on his own. I’m so sorry to bail on you right now. I’ll be back in a few days, tops.”

I wave her off.

Honestly, it will be good not to have to worry about her right now. “Go, it’s fine. Family first.”

“I’ll obviously have my phone with me, so can you please let me know what’s happening with the girls?”

“Yeah, will do. Drive safe,” I tell her when she spins and rushes for the exit.

I turn back to Rebel, and she shakes her head. “Do we need to call the police and file a missing person’s report?”

“What help are the heat gonna give us?” I reply honestly.

“Then I need you to go out and ride, see if you can find them on the streets. I can’t just sit around here doing nothing.”

“Okay, but you gotta take care of yourself while I’m out. Promise me?”

“I promise. Please, Koda…go.”

Exhaling, I press my lips to her forehead, then turn, signaling to my guys, and they follow me outside.

“We riding, Pres?” Wraith asks.

“We gotta go off in different directions, roam the streets, andsearch. I want no stone left unturned.”

Everyone nods, and we hop on our rides and head out.

As I hammer down, I can’t help but feel hopeless, knowing my girls are somewhere, I just don’t know where. All I know is if it takes me all night, I will keep searching until I can’t feel my ass and my fingers turn numb.

***

It’s the early hours of the morning when I get back to the clubhouse. Rebel is exhausted, physically and mentally. She needs to rest, but she refuses to go to bed. She’s stayed up all night waiting for me to come back in case I found anything—which I didn’t.

Same with everyone else.

Sitting next to Rebel, I keep her tight in my arms, feeling her tremble against me. My own thoughts are racing, but I’m doing everything I can to keep it together, to keep her grounded while everything spirals out of control. The room is tense, thick with fear and desperation, and neither of us has spoken in what feels like hours, both too wrapped up in the terrifying unknown.

Then suddenly, my cell rings, breaking through the deafening silence.

I jerk upright, my heart pounding in my throat as I pull it out. The number is unrecognizable, not a contact I know, and a cold shiver runs down my spine.

Could this be it?

A ransom call?

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