Page 173 of Straight to Me

“Rocco?” My emotions are taking a beating, my heart feels weak as I try to work out what the hell is happening.

“She’s fine,” Travis says.

If Rocco finds out Lauren’s part responsible for getting VP into this trouble, he could hurt her. My feet carry me like a bullet from a gun to the room upstairs. Travis shouts for me to stop, but I don’t listen.

I climb and then burst into the room where all eyes raise to me. Rocco stands. Skitz, the giant Beats, Riggs, and Mop sit around the table with someone else I don’t recognise.

“Where is she?” I grind out. Rocco’s eyes soften, a sight unbeknown to me.

“She’s safe.”

“Where is she?!” I shout. Travis stands behind me now, pulling me back from the doorway. “If you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you!” My voice screeches like a banshee as Travis drags me from the doorway.

“Mads! Think about what you’re saying,” Travis reasons.

“Where is she!?” Like a woman possessed, I fight against him. He stands back, lifting his hands off me. Sick of my shit.

“In the room downstairs,” Rocco barks.

I run back down and I'm only able to relax when I see her. I step into the familiar room where she lays sleeping on the bed. Her face is buried in the sheets.

She looks peaceful. My heart settles knowing she’s okay.

I back out of the room so as not to disturb her, closing the door behind me. “Told you.” Travis leans against the wall, and he raises an eyebrow. I wipe my face, covering my eyes with my hands and shaking my head. I can’t take this anymore. “Come on,” he comforts me, sensing my heightened state.

Guiding me to the bar, he makes me sit down, pulling out a chair at one of the tables. He gives me water before he sits beside me.

There’s lots happening behind the scenes here, that much is clear. Men move, taking and making calls. The buzz in the air is tangible; they’re worried.

“What’s happening?” He sighs as I ask, rubbing his tired eyes. I hadn’t noticed ten minutes ago how worn out he actually looked. “Please tell me,” I say.

“We’re working on getting Dean back,” he softly says a few moments later.

“Working on it?” I question. I might sound like a rude cow, but I don’t mean to be with him, I just need to know where VP is. I sigh, running my fingers through my hair, wincing as I strum over the site where Alex hit me.

“Yes.” His eyes squint at me, a tad annoyed with my tone, but scans his eyes over where I’ve touched and winced. He shakes his head and parts my hair to look at the spot causing my head to thump.

“What’s going on up there? There’s a man I don’t recognise sat at the table. Does he know where Dean is?”

“He knows where he might be, but it’s your girl in there that’s given us the most useful information.”

“Will he hurt her, Rocco I mean?”

He looks down taking a sip of his beer.

“No. She’s a minor. He isn’t an animal. She was scared though. She answered your phone when I tried calling again. She was frantic saying she’d run away from her teacher?”

“Alex.” I still can’t believe Alex is involved in all of this.

“How can that be, Mads?”

“They have something on him. He said it was his job to hand me over. Lauren was bait and then once I was there, she became a witness.” I drink some water, letting the liquid sit in my dry mouth before swallowing. “She didn’t know what she was doing, Travis. They made her keep an eye on me, but I don’t believe she gave them very much.”

He seems to have checked my scalp to his satisfaction for any serious head injuries before he rubs his chin, scratching at his beard as he thinks.

“I picked her up not too far from where Dean’s bike was left,” Travis says with a quick look in the direction of the room she’s sleeping in. “Brave kid.”

“Travis, he was hurt…what if…” My voice breaks and I feel the well of tears surge again.

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