Page 52 of Cautious

“She shed a few tears. Her voice is shaking as she talks to Mathews, and she’s wringing her hands in her lap. All signs of worry or grief, and yet, all of it feels fake. Like someone hired a two-bit actress to play Callie’s mother.”

“Okay, push her, get her to crack. If she’s hiding something, I want to know what it is.”

“On it.” He hangs up.

“So, what’s the deal here?” Reign asks from the front.

“Some asshole kidnapped my woman and is trying to force her to marry him,” I answer succinctly.

“Seriously? What the fuck! Who does that? How the fuc—” Her voice is cut off by the sound of a phone ringing.

The car must be fitted with a Bluetooth receiver because moments later, a gruff voice fills the interior.

“Yo, you’re on speaker, and my brother is in the car, so please refrain from using the words dead, murder, or alibi.”

“I don’t know how your men put up with you,” I hear muttered over the line.

“Oh, hush, we both know you harbor a secret, unrequited crush on me, Kermit, but alas, I have more penises than I know what to do with.”

Tate leans forward and bangs his head repeatedly on the dash.

“The crew is spread up and down the strip. Everyone is being sent to check out as many chapels as we can. Saint is calling the LA chapter to see if they know anything about this guy, and Bates says to tell you he’ll text you when they find something.” Then the line goes dead.

“Well, goodbye to you too, Kermit,” Reign mutters.

“Kermit? As in Kermit the frog?” Felix questions.

“Bikers and their nicknames.” Tate shakes his head.

“It’s not a nickname,dickface. Kermit is his road name,” Reign tells her brother, speeding us closer toward the famous Vegas strip.

“Do I even want to know why they gave him the name Kermit?” Tate questions warily.

“Oh, that’s because he has a thing for Muppet porn.”

Well, that was one way to get everyone’s attention.

“I’m sorry, what?” Kellen splutters.

“You know, where Kermit likes to pork his piggy? No?” Reign says when we all look at her like she’s crazy.

“I swear having a penis lowers your IQ in some way,” she mutters, making Tate glare at her. “His last name is Froggett. Jesus, tough crowd.”

Tate opens his mouth to speak when her phone chimes with a text.

“Check it for me, Tate, but don’t scroll up. Priest and I were sexting earlier,” she orders, not slowing down at all as she takes the corner.

“Why couldn’t God have given me another brother?” he asks, pained. He scans the phone. “Bate’s says they have a lead. Head to The Little Blue Chapel.” He reels off the address before turning to look over his shoulder at me. “They’re already on their way. They’ll meet us there.”

I sit up straight, my heart racing at the prospect of finding Callie, when my phone rings again, as do Felix’s and Tate’s.

A wave of sickness washes over me, a premonition telling me that this phone call will bring nothing but bad news.

“Hello?” I listen to Wade’s voice on the other end of the line, his words twisting my insides as he delivers each blow with calm detachment. I lift my head and watch Tate’s face fill with pain.

I mumble that I’ll call him back before I hang up, feeling numb.

“What? What is it?” Reign asks anxiously.

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