I read the note out loud, my hands shaking.
“Fuck.” Says Flame. “How the hell did he get it in her locker?”
Axel comes in when Dante beacons him forward and I close the door behind him. He stands as he should while I take my seat.
“She says it wasn’t there when she changed before practice. I watched the practice but didn’t see anyone acting suspicious. No one was at practice except for her teammates and their coach. I stayed outside while she changed. Didn’t see anyone else enter. Although I guess someone could have gotten in after we left for the field. As far as I can tell, they leave the doors unlocked.”
“Does she think someone opened her locker to place the note, or did they simply slip it in?” I ask.
Axel looks at me with some surprise before shrugging. “I’m not sure, although she said she found it as she was dressing, not before she started dressing. Want me to go ask her?”
“No.” Dante says. “Church dismissed. Let’s all go out and make sure she knows we have her back.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ASHLYN
I’m sitting with my Mom and the Old Ladies when the guys come pouring out of Church. Reaper comes right to me and lifts me out of my chair so he can pull me back onto his lap. I watch in amusement as the other men do the same with their women.
“Axel told us about the note.” Reaper says. “You found it in your locker. Do you think someone pushed it in, or did they open the locker to place it inside?”
I glance around at the men sitting at our table and standing around it. All the Demon Dawgs are waiting for my answer. It’s at this moment I realize I’m really part of this family of bikers. Glancing back at Reaper, I consider his question. “I don’t know for certain. But the note didn’t fall out when I opened the locker. It wasn’t on top of my clothes either. So if I had to guess, I think someone opened my locker and placed it between my clothes.”
“What kind of lock?” Dante asks.
“Simple combination lock.” I say.
“Not too hard to break into, then.” Smoke says. “But could someone have the combination? Maybe one of your friends or someone with a locker near yours?”
I frown at the insinuation. “None of my friends would have put that note in there.” I defend them.
“I’m not saying they did. Maybe they thought it fell out of your locker, so they replaced it. Or someone asked them to put it inside, not know they would hurt you.”
I consider his words and realize he could be right. Now that I’m thinking of it, I can imagine a few scenarios where my friends might have gone into my locker. We know each others combinations. “I guess that’s true.” I admit. “Maybe whoever left the note shoved it in and one of them opened my locker to borrow something and they moved the note around.”
“I don’t suppose there are any cameras in the locker room?” Smoke asks.
I shake my head no.
“Any headway on finding who Renee might have sold me to before she handed me over to Deion?” I ask.
“We’re still searching through her accounts and backtracking those who wired money into hers. Most are shell companies with the owners of the accounts buried deep. Some accounts were setup just for the single transaction before being taken down again. There is one that is odd, though.” Smoke admits. “It’s an account for a church. God’s Chosen. I checked them out. They’re a legitimate organization. Their leader is popular with many followers.”
“I don’t see a church buying virgins.” Flame says, and I have to agree.
“Renee said she sold other collectibles. That she acquired items for her customers. She might have found something for the church or its leader.” Kingsley adds.
“Maybe. Their payments are smaller than the others, but there are more of them. That would make sense if Renee was finding artifacts or other items for the church. But I still think someone needs to talk to them.” Smoke says.
“I can do that.” Shield offers. “I can tell them we’re looking into Renee’s disappearance and need to talk to her customers to see if they know anything.”
The men wander off to the bar while a few head over to the pool tables and waiting kutte bunnies. I lean my head against Reaper and relax into him. I’m safe here. Safe with him.
“Your twenty-first is just a few days away.” My mom reminds me. “What are we going to do to celebrate?”
I open my eyes and crinkle my nose at her, causing her to laugh. She knows what I really want to do to celebrate my birthday. Reaper. My mom and I talk about everything. She’s my best friend, and she knows how much I want to lose my virginity to him. He’s the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, so he’s the only one I ever want to have sex with. I’m not a virgin because I’m a prude. I’m still a virgin because I’ve never felt the desire for sex with anyone until I met Reaper.
“We could have a party here.” Kingsley offers. I glance at her and I must grimace because she changes tactics. “Although no one here will card you, so that’s a waste.”
“You should go out to an expensive restaurant and order a drink.” Evie suggests. “That’s what I did. A group of us went out, and I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea.” Evie laughs. “Boy, that was a mistake. They were so easy to drink that I had three of them. Then spent the night hurling.”