Page 172 of Reaper
The icy hardness in his voice surprises me, but it really shouldn’t with how much he’s been around the club growing up.
“And get in some punches for me! No one messes with our Aunt Lark and gets away with it!”Sway seethes in the background and I find myself grinning despite the heaviness of the situation.
“Drive safe you guys and text when you are back home.”
I hang up with them after they agree again and instantly dial Python, putting him on speaker since Mark hasn’t left my side. Not that I blame him or anything since he’s Lark’s uncle.
“Lark’s been kidnapped. Can you track her location?”
He curses and a moment later I hear him typing.“They’re headed out of town. Last time the trackers pinged off a tower they were passing Oak Ridge”He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and right when I’m about to say something, he speaks.“I texted Devil—the guys are getting their gear. We’ll head out when you get back.”
“No time,”I reply as I grab my things from under my desk and then grab my truck keys.“We’ll meet up on the road. I’ll call Emma and let her know on the way. Send me her last known coordinates and keep me updated as we go. We’ll meet up on the road.”
“You got it, Pres,”he says and I hear him call out for Devil as he hangs up.
Opening my safe, I stash two handguns and some extra magazines into my backpack. When I close and resecure the safe, I’m not surprised to see Mark with his back to me as he pointedly ignores what I just did. If something happens and the cops come here, he can safely say he didn’t see me grab my guns.
“I’ll head to the house and take care of my sister,” Mark says as he turns around when he hears me recrossing the room. Then he levels me with a hard look. “Do you think it’s her stalker?”
“One of them, that’s my guess,” I reply and his brow furrows in confusion. He must not have known that bit. “We think she has two. We might be lucky in that they’re working together, but my gut says that isn’t the case.”
He gives me a curt nod. “Keep us posted. Don’t worry about the garage. I’ll call in a couple of guys and then head over to the house and let Em and Ma know as well as keep an eye on the kids for you.”
I clasp his shoulder. Relief flows through me that Mark will be there to protect all of them. Not that Emma and Lottie are slouches in the shooting department. When this whole stalker business started, I was worried about them being alone in that big house, so I asked if they knew how to shoot. Let’s just say Lark’s sharpshooter abilities could have come from anyone in her family. And not for the first time was I proud my woman has such abilities.
I stride out to my truck and get in, quickly buckling up. My phone dings with a text from Python stating that they’re on the road. Starting my truck, I peel out of the lot and race toward the interstate. I dial Python and he picks up immediately.
“They’re still heading north,”he tells me and I curse under my breath.
Why did this have to happen today when a massive snowstorm is about to hit us full force? Unless that was their plan. To use the storm as a cover and hope that it slows us down. My gut sinks and I pray Lark doesn’t get stuck out in the storm.
“Who stayed behind?”
We never leave the clubhouse fully unmanned, but right now, I’m wishing our club was bigger like Thor’s is. More manpower would be appreciated in situations like this.
“Odin and Razor. Nathan and Drake checked in. Both were hit from behind while on lookout and didn’t see who hit them. Erik was at the clubhouse and offered to pick up Nathan andDrake since Doc thought they might have concussions. When Erik gets back to the clubhouse, he’s gonna look into the security cameras to see if he can figure out who took Lark and hit them. Mama Astrid is already set up for when they get back to check them out. When Dom heard what happened, he came back as well. The rest of us are on the road and I can see your truck a few vehicles in front of us. Loki’s driving and we’re point for our crew.”
I glance in the rear-view mirror and relief fills me at seeing the familiar caravan spread out to make it less obvious that we’re all together.
“Tell Loki to take point since you’re with him. Keep us all updated on her coordinates as they change but stay on the line.”
“You got it, Pres.”
I eye the storm clouds in the distance and pray we find Lark before it hits. Because if it stops us before we can find her… I shake my head at that. At the thought of losing Lark to these assholes, my chest tightens so tightly it’s hard to breathe.
No.
I will find you, Lark.
I’m not losing you.
Two hours later, the storm whips around us as I pull in behind Loki’s truck at a hotel that’s most definitely seen better days. According to Lark’s trackers, they should be here. We’d gotten delayed because of the storm and had to slow our speed, which only allowed the gap to grow between Lark and us until Pythondiscovered her signals had stopped. After a little digging, he found that they’d checked into a hotel as the storm worsened.
Glancing around, I spot three black SUVs, all with tinted windows, in the parking lot and my gaze zeroes in on the one that matches Chris’ description.
MA8034.
I get out of my truck and stuff my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket, suppressing a shiver. Devil and Python get out of their truck, following me inside while the rest of the guys wait. It wouldn’t do to raise alarm and start making demands, so for now, we have to play our roles as guests.
