Page 47 of Hollywood

The guys who’ve been after me have figured out a way to get to me. Lu. They have her and she’s a sister to me. I love you and I’m not sure if you feel the same and I might never know because I can’t let Lu get mixed up in this. They said they would kill Lu if I don’t come and take her place so that’s what I’m going to do. I can’t let Dad’s bad decision cost me my best friend. I understand why you don’t want to tell him about us. You’re not sure about me or us and you don’t want to risk that friendship for a fling. I get it. It hurts like a motherfucker, but I get it. Maybe I’ll see you again. Maybe I won’t. Either way, I love you.

My fucking legs gave out and I dropped down on the bed in front of half the damn MC.

“She left,” I said. I wanted to be mad that she hadn’t given me more time, that she hadn’t trusted in me, but I couldn’t because I never gave her a reason to.

“We’ll find her,” Gio promised. “T-Bone and Pike are already out on the streets to see if they can find her. She couldn’t have gotten too far.”

I knew what he was trying to do, and I appreciated it but other than Winter, there was someone else on my mind. “I have to let Winston know.” He might hate me forever for this, but he had to hear the words from me. I picked up her note again and stared at it like it held all the answers in the world. Turning it over I saw the writing on the back, “Hey! There’s an address here.” I relayed it to Gio and before I knew it, he was on the phone to T-Bone.

Ending the call, Gio turned to me, “Okay, they’re gonna check out that place.”

“I need to go—” I started.

“Hang tight, brother,” Diesel said. “That warehouse is ten minutes from here, once T-Bone and Pike get there they’ll let us know what we’re up against.”

It took all my strength not to run off half-cocked. That ten minutes was the longest ten minutes of my damn life. When Gio’s phone rang I almost jumped out of my skin.

I knew something was up when I saw the look on his face. “What is it?” I asked.

He ended the call and fixed me with his dark eyes, “Pike said the place is empty. No sign of the Jade Devils. Nothing.”

“Dammit!” I exclaimed.

“They wanted to lure her out,” Rocky added.

I was spiraling as I paced the length of my room, “They must have been waiting for her, she’s been gone, what? Half an hour max? They could be anywhere now. We need to get on the streets!”

“I feel you brother, but we can’t just ride off without any idea where they’re going,” Diesel insisted. “Let’s figure out where she is and how we’ll get her back first.”

“I can’t. If something happens to her… I have to talk to Winston. Now.” I looked up and I hated what I saw, all of my brothers looking at me with pity in their eyes. “I owe him that much.”

“Nobody’s judging you, brother. We’ve all been there.”

Rebel cleared his throat.

Rocky threw him an annoyed look. “And those of us who haven’t, will be sooner or later.” He could see that his words hadn’t had the desired effect and nodded. “Gio and Rebel will go with you. Slate, can you check the road cameras and see if we can get eyes on whoever took her?”

“On it,” Slate replied. “Good luck, brother.”

***

Everything was a blur as my club brothers all jumped into action. I took a minute to get myself in check and then got back on my bike and headed to Winston’s house. Everything had happened so fast that we hadn’t even had a chance to put our plan to get him into a hotel in action. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to tell him that he misplaced his trust in me in somany fucking ways, but when I knocked on his door and saw the confusion on his face, I couldn’t find one fucking word.

“Hollywood, what’s going on? Where is Winter?”

I shoved my hands through my hair. “Can we come in?”

“Yeah,” he nodded looking at me, and then at Rebel and Gio. “Of course. Just tell me what the hell is going on?”

I looked into the eyes of my oldest friend, and I fucking froze. Again. His phone trilled in the living room at the same time mine buzzed in my pocket. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what we would find. “Fuck!” The word roared out of me and anger took over the fear and the hesitation.

“This can’t be.” Winston’s voice was full of emotion and when he returned to us, he was pale and confused. “Hollywood?” He held up his phone to confirm that he got the same message I did. “Pay up or you’ll never see her again.”

“We’re going to get her back,” Rebel assured him. “They took her friend Luisa,” he explained the story. “She snuck out while we were trying to make a deal with them.”

There was no anger or blame on his face, just disappointment and fear.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Winston.”

---