Page 91 of Devil's Due

“On it, Prez.” Thunder circles his hand around his head. Without waiting to be asked, Liz, Ink, Pyro, Skull and even the newly patched members, Wills and Dan follow him outside. Within seconds a roar of bikes can be heard as Wills comes running back inside.

“No sign of Lennox or Stevie. Brothers have gone out to see if they can pick up the trail anywhere.”

“Who’s on the fuckin’ gate?”

The two prospects behind the bar exchange looks and bow their heads. Not trusting myself to speak to prospects I’ve no authority over, I turn my back on them.

“Didn’t anyone stop him leaving with her?” I’m incensed. Anyone spotting her leaving should have come running to me.

“Hey, I’ve been here all the time,” Bomber objects fiercely. “Your girl didn’t come down this way.”

“The fuckin’ fire escape.” Paladin swears loudly. “Always said we should keep that locked after what happened to Jay.”

“It’s a fuckin’fire escape.” Rusty slaps him around the head. “Can’t lock it.”

I don’t give a damn whether we all burn to death. Right now I’d prefer it to that feeling of dread settling in my stomach.Stevie’s gone.I might never see her again. The room’s spinning around me as all the implications set in.She’s gone.That night I had planned when my cock was going to show her how good we could be together?Gone.The loving I’d planned to do to her.Never get a chance now.

The implications cause my brain to misfire. I stare without seeing, hear sounds without listening, the rushing in my ears almost too much for me to bear. I let out a scream like a wounded animal and sink to my knees, bending my head and bowing, praying to a God I’ve no faith in to keep her safe.

“Beef, man. Brother. We’ll find her. We’ll fuckin’ find her.” It’s Pal who’s one side of me, little Jay the other. It’s her arms, her touch, I lean into and take comfort from.

“Beef, I’m so sorry. She will be okay. I feel it. I know it. She’ll come back to you, Beef.” She repeats the words, rearranging the order, then voicing her platitudes once more.

After a couple of minutes, I feel like I can function. “You can’t know it, Jay. You, we, can hope. That’s all.”

Tears are pricking in my eyes, I swipe them away.I won’t give up.If it would do any good I’d be out searching, but the local brothers know more about the routes out of town that Lennox would take. That’s where he’ll be heading. He won’t be hanging around. Now he’s got her in his clutches again he’ll have her far away, over the state line as fast as he can.

I’ve no idea of what direction he’ll be heading, no clue where to start searching.

My hopes can only be pinned that he’s honest, that he’s genuinely doing what he hopes is right for her and that he’ll do what he can to keep her safe.

What hope do I have of ever finding her?

I won’t even know her name.

“Church,” announces Demon, “as soon as the others return.”

I don’t need to ask if he thinks they’ll have caught up with them. We don’t know what start they’ve got, they could be miles away already.

Max. She left her dog.She left me.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Men all talking loudly enter church. As they pass by me their voices falter and looks of commiseration are passed my way. In between discovering Stevie missing and finding my seat at the table, a myriad of thoughts have run through my mind.

I had thought that, finally, I’d found my one, the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Fuck, I didn’t care if I didn’t end up with a family, just Stevie would have been enough to complete my life. Now I’ve got to face that what was in my head can’t have been in hers. If it was, she wouldn’t have left without a word. That note, written by a third party, doesn’t count.

As Demon takes his place at the head of the table, the last man wanders in, but the door pushes open once more.

Hellfire laughs loudly, the seriousness of the atmosphere broken as a furry head appears, and the body follows to take its place at my feet. I reach down my hand and stroke Max. He must be feeling abandoned just like me. My eyebrow raises in challenge at the prez.

Demon stares back, then shakes his head. “Fuckin’ dog doesn’t want to be left out. I suppose you want him to stay?” Not waiting for an answer, he continues, “It’s not as though he’s going to be giving away anything we discuss.”

“Unless he’s bugged,” Cad says, quite seriously.

He’s got a point. But even a dog as well trained as Max couldn’t have been told to hang around us in church. No, he’s sought out the company of the only person he now has. Nevertheless, I remove his collar, and pass it down the table.

Cad examines it for a moment, then passes it back after removing his name tag. “I’ll put this outside and check it later. Can’t be too careful after that fucking GPS.”

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