Page 26 of Bones

Relieved that I could finally put an end to this crazy night, I unlocked the bathroom door and rushed out to the parking lot.

That’s when I realized, that in my frazzled state, I hadn’t paid attention to who the notification was from, and my crazy night was far from over.

CHAPTER6

Bones

Stitch and Wrath had a long talk with Daniels, and he’d assured them both that there was nothing going on. He made light of the fact that he and his partner had been following some of us around, saying they were just looking out for us. Cotton wanted to believe him. We all did, but something about the whole thing felt off.

Not ready to let it go, Cotton ordered Big and me to monitor the police database—not just for Daniels and Harris, but for any unusual arrests or suspicious activity. It wouldn’t be hard to spot. There was little to no crime in our small town, and if there was, it was usually a simple speeding ticket or a drunk and disorderly at one of the local bars.

I understood the thought process but worried we were setting ourselves up for another wild goose chase. Regardless, we spent the better part of the day going over all arrests that had taken place over the past two months, searching for any red flags but found nothing. I was about to start going through their work emails when there was a tap on the door, and Lacy stepped into the room. “Hey, Bones. You got a minute?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Elsie just called... She asked me to come to pick her up, but my car won’t start.” She grimaced as she asked, “Do you think you could go get her?”

It had been less than an hour since she left with her date, which left me wondering why the hell she was calling Lace for a ride. “Isn’t she with her date?”

“She was, but I guess something happened.”

“What do you mean something happened?”

“I don’t know.” Lacy shrugged. “She just sent me a message asking me to come to pick her up.”

“Go get her,” Big ordered. “I’ve got things covered here.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I was about to call it a night anyway.”

“Okay, I’ll check back in with you in the morning.”

“Not gonna be here. We’ve got the run tomorrow. We’ll get back at it on Sunday.”

“Sounds good.”

I grabbed my things, then stood and made my way out the door. As I started down the hall, I asked Lace, “Where is she?”

“Angelo’s on the square. Just text her when you get there.”

“Got it!”

I rushed out to my truck, and within seconds, I was pulling through the clubhouse gate. Concerned that Elsie might be in some kind of trouble, I hammered down on the accelerator and sped towards downtown. My mind was racing a mile a minute. I knew when that asshole showed up at the clubhouse something wasn’t right about him. I figured it was just my jealousy talking, but now, I realized it was something more.

As soon as I got to the pizza place, I whipped into a parking spot at the door and messaged Elsie. My knee started bouncing as I gripped the steering wheel and stared at the front door. Relief washed over me when Elsie finally stepped outside, and I could see that she was okay. She looked surprised as she made her way over to the passenger side of my truck.

As soon as she opened the door, she said, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I thought Lacy was coming to pick me up.”

“She had car trouble, so she asked me to come.”

“Yeah, I bet she did.” She rolled her eyes as she got in and shut the door. She buckled her seat belt, then dropped her hands to the hem of her skirt, inching it down her slender thigh. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“No problem.” I kept my focus on the road ahead as I asked, “There a reason why you’re so anxious and your date couldn’t bring you home?”

---