Page 36 of Axe
“Fuckin’ skin traders,” Seven spat from the other side of the table.
“Yep,” I said, relaxing back in my seat a little. I wasn’t expecting an answer or even a pre-vote about the idea. I was simply planting the seed because I thought it would be a good move for the club.
“I think the kid’s onto somethin’,” Loch said, his eyes pinning me with a proud stare.
I looked over to Cal and he had that tight-lipped smile that I knew all too well. The one that tipped up at one side. I had seen it a few times throughout my years. He was damn beaming with pride right then and I did my best to reel myself in. I wanted nothing but to prove to him that I could do it, I could take over his role and care about this club as much as he did.
The meeting ended and Cal kept Bocca, Loch, and me behind. I knew what was coming next and I wasn’t sure if I was really ready to hear it.
“This girl, you got anything else outta her?” Cal asked and I hung my head as I shook it. “Bocca?”
“Yeah. So before all the shit went down I was onto something. It’s going to take me a good part of the day to get up and running again, but I’ll go ahead and tell you what I was able to find,” Bocca started and by his pinched brows, you could tell it just wasn’t his day.
Bocca, you could have said, was usually the life of the party. He was a flirt and could charm his way out of—and into—just about any situation.
However, when he couldn’t do the club proud he took it hard on himself. He had a huge need to be useful and when he failed at that, well, he tended to retreat. But I knew it would be alright. He would be back up and running in no time.
Although, I knew the past year had been difficult for him. He hated when he couldn’t find stuff and figure things out. I had a feeling in my gut that it was just a matter of time before things broke and luck would head our way, but trying to get him to see that, well, wasn’t so easy.
“So, Callahan turned up nothing. Neiryn, the boy’s name, didn’t turn up anything either. No medical records or birth certificate that would match up with his age. Then after I found out what she had told you, I started digging into missing person’s reports. I got a hit out of Vermont for seven years ago.” He paused and looked around like he was looking for his trusty tablet to show us exactly what it was he found.
Realizing that he couldn’t use his tablet and that it wasn’t even in the room with us, he let out an aggravated sigh as he pulled his hair down. His fingers ran through his blonde strands with a forceful purpose.
“Fuck! Okay. The reports were hard to find like someone was trying to cover them up. Allison Whittemore was reported missing by her mother, Nancy, seven years ago. According to the mother, she came home on Allison’s seventeenth birthday to find her gone. The husband, a, uh.” Bocca closed his eyes as if he was trying to see the information like it was in front of him.
“Not important,” I said. “Keep going.”
“Right. Husband said she never came home from school. The husband kept insinuating that she ran away, stating that she had been sad over some boy and depressed. But the mother’s story was completely different.” His teeth raked over his bottom lip for a moment and he seemed lost in thought. “The police interviewed her best friend Lu—”
“Cal!” Came Diesel’s voice from the other side of the door.
“What the fuck?” Cal roared.
The door opened and Diesel stepped in.
“Loch,” Diesel said and his usually hard face held a bit of fear. “It’s Ethel. Something happened. Reagan called Jessica when she couldn’t get us on any of our phones. She’s in an ambulance and on her way to county. Reagan’s already on her way there.”
“Fuck!” Loch yelled as he shot out of his seat.
“Go, we’ll be right behind you,” Cal said as we all took to our feet.
Loch was out the door a second later.
“Bocca, make it quick then we need to get up there. Reagan and Loch need us.” Cal didn’t sit as he waved his hand at Bocca.
“Callahan, her friend’s last name. That must have been where she got it. I’m pretty fucking sure that it’s your girl. It isn’t much, but at least it collaborates her story. Oh, there was a witness that said they saw an unusual SUV parked in the driveway sometime after dark. The windows were tinted almost black. That is all I have. When I get things going again, I’ll keep digging.” Bocca bowed his head as if he had somehow disappointed us.
Not that I had any doubts, but I knew now she wasn’t lying. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t withholding some of the truth.
“Bocca, you stay here. Take care of whatever the fuck it is that you gotta take care of. Axe, go back to the girl. I’m goin’ to the hospital to find out what’s goin’ on.” Cal waited until Bocca and I moved out of the room before he followed.
Without another word, and completely worried about the old bat, I headed back to the house to check on Allison. I had this weird feeling in my gut and my skin felt itchy. I hoped Ethel was fucking alright. I was worried that whatever happened to her wasn’t good and I dreaded that it might be club related.
The house was quiet by the time I got back home. The lights were out and the boxes were still strewn all over the floor just where I’d left them. It seemed she hadn’t touched anything since I’d left.
I felt like such a dick. Remembering the softness in her tone had me choking back my feelings. My head looked towards the stairs, and without even realizing it, my feet were caring me forward.
The bedroom door was left open. Allison was asleep in the bed, only taking up the far side. Her arm was outstretched in the empty spot beside her and in my mind, I wished that it was because she was reaching for me, hoping that I was there to fill that space.
