Page 85 of Reckless and Rooted
jax
The clubhousewe enter is one I’ve personally never been in before, but my brother walks in with a confidence that tells me he’s right at home here. He called before we came, telling his president we were on our way in.
I blink in surprise when I see one of Logan’s old classmates in the president’s chair. Last I knew, the president was a really old fucker who didn’t give a shit about this town or community. Curiosity crosses my mind before I remember what our real task is here.
“Hero, back again with your family. This is becoming a habit.” His president, Mick, grins at my brother before standing and shaking Logan’s hand.
“You know I’m good for it, Prez,” Mitch replies, taking a casual stance, but underneath his façade is tension. I can feel it radiating off of him.
Mick returns to sit behind his desk and looks at us. “What’s going on this time?”
I step forward. “My girl was taken.”
Mick shakes his head, a grin on his lips. “Again? Damn, boys. You better lock those women down.”
Logan crosses his arms, clearly not pleased with being here again. I’m surprised Stetson isn’t saying anything, but then again, the last time we saw this fucker a couple of months ago, Stetson beat the living hell out of the man they held for us.
“Our sperm donor took her for ransom,” is all Mitch replies with, his expression bored.
“Felicity?” he frowns, looking to the guy at the side who confirms his answer. “Ah, right. A big star nowadays. Shouldn’t she have had security with her?”
I grit my teeth, not coming in here expecting the third degree. “Yeah, she should. But I made a fucking mistake.” I tilt my head to the side, trying to get control of myself. “Listen, I know you’re in this club with my brother, and while I don’t exactly love this situation, I’m on a time crunch, and I need your resources to help me.”
I then explain the situation more thoroughly, laying it all out on the line for a motorcycle club that may or may not even help me. The club that seems to be taking away my brother one slow day at a time. The club that’s had to help us more than once. Fuck. I was tired of having to turn to them.
Mick watches me carefully before whispering something to the guy standing next to him. I don’t let my eyes leave Mick’s until he looks at me and chuckles. “Okay, buddy. Calm down. We will find out where her phone is for you. You said it’s just your dad?”
“I’m sure he’s got his gang of lackeys with him,” I tell him, wondering what could be going through everyone’s minds. What is Logan thinking? Is he thinking I failed Felicity? Is he thinking that I’m a failure in general? How about Stetson? Is this just a fun ride for him, or is he genuinely concerned?
I don’t know what Mitch is thinking either, but it feels more like he is in this for the good and safety of Felicity and me. For the first time since we both came home, I am feeling hopeful about having a real relationship with my brother again.
But at the forefront of everything is the thought of Felicity suffering at the hands of my father. It is of my son who is home safe with his grandma and aunts, but clueless that his mother is in danger. It is guilt that I have gotten her into something she never deserved to be a part of in the first place.
The guilt wants to take over and override all the other thoughts and feelings. What good would that do her, though? If she is scared or hurt or pissed off, she needs me to be the one that gets her out of this.
A man enters the room and nods at us before Mick introduces us. “Boys, this is Cheat. He’ll try tracing her phone.”
“Good,” I say, reaching for my phone and showing him her number. “They just called on it.”
“About an hour ago,” Mitch supplies, looking at Cheat. “You can trace the number?”
Cheat moves his long brown hair behind his ear, and his large shoulders move in a shrug. The dude is a giant, but he holds the phone delicately in his hands. “I think so.”
“Go on ahead out to the bar, boys. Take a minute to get your shit together, and let us search for her,” Mick says, gesturing out, but I stay firm. I’m not going to go get a drink. My girl is in danger.
No one else moves either, making Mick let out an amused chuckle. “All right, or not.”
We wait as Cheat does his thing, plugging in the number and some other stuff I can’t even begin to comprehend. It is far too complicated for me, and I’m not about to slow him down by asking how he is doing it, either.
One grueling hour later and we finally have an approximate location. “See this here,” Cheat says, showing me his computer screen. “This is the area he took her. I think her phone must be off right now, but it pinged here last.”
I study the map, not recognizing the area. It is another city farther into the mountains, or maybe city is too big of a word. It is more like a town with two or three businesses and then plotted acres for folks surrounding it.
“He went further up?” Logan questions over my shoulder, and Cheat shrugs.
“Guess so.” He leans back in his seat, cracking his knuckles. “Maybe he thought he could hide out better there.”
I step back, rubbing my hand over my lips and thinking. “If we drive up there, where there is more open land than forest, he’s going to see us coming.”
