Page 58 of Finding Her Panthers

“So, I decided I need to leave her to her fate and take you and you brother. Unfortunately, Katherine made a plan of her own, to hide you, using Kerian to do it. Kerian couldn’t hide the truth long enough, and his father convinced him to tell them where he left you. So I followed and took care of the problem. It was frustrating not being able to find you.” He looks at me with tears in his eyes. “You have to understand; I did this all for you. It was tough to hurt her, the betrayal in her eyes, the fear. It haunts me, even now.” He smooths his hands down the front of his shirt, the tears magically disappearing. “Now I have a second chance with you.”

“Why now? What took so long to find me?” I ask curiously.

“That was unfortunate. I was hoping to find you sooner, but Kerian couldn’t remember the exact church. The little shit betrayed me. It took years to be able to look him in the eye. Following kids in foster care is not an easy task. They don’t like people asking questions. It just seemed like one obstacle after another, always one step behind. I would find you, get a glimpse, and then you would be gone again. I almost had you when you were in Mickey’s house. He was an acquaintance of mine from the old days, not a friend but close enough to contact me about a girl. We had the same interests, you see.”

I certainly did. The picture was sickeningly clear now. He was the other sicko on the other end of the phone that night.

“By the time I showed up, you had left. I was heartbroken to be so close. But now, we have a second chance. I wanted your mother, but I crave you. We can be together now like I always dreamed.” He leans in way too close and licks the blood running down my face. His hand trails down my chest.

I strain desperately, the chains rattling, trying to move away from his hand and disgusting wet tongue. My arms have long ago gone numb, making it difficult to gain any ground. “No,” I whimper.

His hand grasps my throat threateningly, digging into my skin, cutting off my airway. “Yes. I have you now, and you will be with me, forever. I’ll make you love me, just like your mother did. We can finally be together.” He grins maniacally, releasing me with a shove.

I gasp for breath, my stomach turning with revulsion. “Fuck you, you sick fuck.” That was the wrong thing to say as I saw the fist coming towards my face.

***

The asshole knocked me out. I open my eyes to a blinding light shining on me. It doesn’t take me long to realize what will happen next. The only thing I can see is the camera pointing at me. They are going to send my mates a video.

“They will try to find you. I’m sure they are out searching right now. They won’t, but it will be fun to see them try, though.” He laughs. “I just want them to know your mine now. Smile for the camera.” He pushes play.

Chapter Fourteen

Blue

I retrace my steps. And again. And again. Walking down the same road Harmony traveled when she made a desperate decision. Acting on the instinct to protect her friend, she threw herself into danger. I understand her choice. I can’t say I wouldn’t make the same one. But she is not just anyone to us, to me. I have a never-ending ache in my chest, a gaping hole that only she could fill. I was supposed to keep her safe. I was the one that was responsible for the security at the club. This was my fault. There were so many things I should have done differently to keep us all safe. If Penny is dead, she will never forgive us, and I will never forgive myself.

I stopped in the alley, the last place we smelled her scent, along with Cindy and Scotty. Thousands of others infused the air throughout, too many to sort through.

I have searched every inch looking for anything that will lead us to them, but it’s like she just vanished into thin air. Or they knocked her out and transported her to another location. Once a kidnapper moves the victim, the odds of finding them diminish drastically. Logically I know this, but emotionally I refuse to believe it.

My brothers are on the edge of destruction. Going crazy is an understatement of the year. They are slowly losing hope and their sanity. So much can happen in twenty-four hours, and that window is almost up.

We have set up at the club with Stephan scouring footage, traffic cams, anything we can get our hands onto to track that car. Jax feels helpless, and bad things happen to other people when he gets in that headspace. He’s barking at everyone that crosses his path. Plus, not eating makes an Alpha unpredictable. He keeps rubbing his chest, staring off into space, lost in his head.

James is not any better. His joking nature has died. Since we were little, he was always quick to laugh, a joke on the tip of his tongue, ready to make you happy. That is no more. He doesn’t take it out on anyone, though. He shuts himself away and turns off any emotion. He becomes a robot, his actions automatic.

It’s easier for me in some ways, not that I’m not hurting, but with the bond incomplete, at least I can still function. My mind is clearer. I never thought I would be the more stable between the three of us.

“Anything?” Ryker appears from the shadows to stand beside me.

“No. The trail is cold. Could be anywhere right now.” I lean against the wall and look at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would see if I could do anything. Went to the club. Your brothers are losing it,” he answers.

“Yeah, I know. I can’t do anything to help them.” I run my hands through my hair in frustration.

“You can.” Ryker raises an eyebrow. “You can find her.”

“Thanks for the tip, asshole. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?” I snort.

“What I mean is, you are the only one that is still functioning properly. You need to be the one to put it all together.” He shrugs, not bothered. “Instead of worrying about the things you don’t know, concentrate on the things you do.”

I stare at him for a minute. He’s not wrong. He has a shitty way of expressing it, but he’s right.

“So, we know it was Cindy and Scotty. We know they have Penny. They’ll keep her alive to make Harmony cooperate, at least for now. Cindy wants revenge, wants to mate with James and Jax.” I count off the motivations on my fingers.

“She wants a family.” His face is serious when he looks at me. “All the information we have on her leads to that conclusion. She’s never really had a real one. That’s what she’s been searching for. Harmony had given up on having one, and she realized the only thing she could count on was herself. She’s strong. Cindy is not. A weak-minded person like her would be loyal to anyone that gave her the slightest bit of attention. She wants what Harmony has.” Ryker may be the last person I thought would help me.

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