Page 10 of Panther's Magpie
“Why is his road name Monster?”
Meek cringes. “I honestly would rather not tell you.”
“I need to know what my sister is dealing with, Meek.”
“He’s been known to beat those he’s angry with until they straddle the line of life and death. Exes and enemies alike. He likes to leave them black and blue. One report said that he choked her and then gave her CPR until she started breathing once again.”
“Report?” I ask as I clear my throat, trying to choke back the bile.
“She was an ex-girlfriend. After he resuscitated her and left, she called the police and pressed charges.”
“Did he serve time?”
Meek shakes his head. “No, she never made it to the hearing, and so the charges were dropped.”
I close my eyes.
Motherfucker.
“Let me guess, she was never seen again.”
“Correct.”
The sick son of a bitch killed his ex to try and cover his tracks, and Aspen is in his possession.
I love my sister, but she doesn’t know when to stop. She always runs her mouth and has a thing for getting into trouble. It might not matter how quickly we get to her, knowing her luck, she’s already in a shallow grave somewhere.
“I should have asked to speak to her,” I murmur to myself.
“You didn’t know. Hell, we didn’t know. We knew they were assholes we didn’t want to tangle with, but we had no reason to really dig until now.”
“What do we do?” I whisper.
It’s a vulnerable moment for me. I should be the one giving orders, but instead I’m seeking guidance.
“I recommend that we roll some guys out now. Ones they have never seen. Tell them to do some surveillance without their cuts. Try and see what they find. Then once we have an idea of where she is, we go in and rescue her.”
The idea is sound even though I hate the idea of her being there any longer. Still, it needs to be done in order for her to come home safely.
“Okay,” I say as I stand.
Meek follows me out of the chapel and everyone turns toward us.
“What’s the plan?” Hawk asks.
I stare off into space, and Meek relays all the information he has. Some of the guys volunteer to go.
“You good, brother?” Eagle asks as he places his hand on my shoulder.
I blink and look around the clubhouse, only to see that it’s cleared out once again. “Where did everyone go?”
He gives me a sympathetic look, “Everyone bounced to either go back to bed for a few hours or to pack for the road.”
I run my hand over my face and nod. “Yeah, that makes sense. I should go pack.”
Eagle squeezes my shoulder. “The only thing you are going to do is get back into bed and catch a little more sleep. You aren’t going anywhere, you know that. If they catch you, that means her life is more at risk than it currently is.”
“I fucking hate that you’re right.”
