Meeting Danger (Danger #1)

by Allyson Simonian

  He stopped in his tracks and looked at her. “What?”

  She pointed toward the phone in his hand. “Who did you call?”

  “No one.”

  She swallowed against a dry throat. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

  Please let that be it. Camden has to be wrong . . . he has to.

  Without answering, Wade grabbed his leather jacket and stalked toward the door. “Going out.”

  Autumn sighed as the door slammed shut. That was the other thing Wade had done since they’d left Saint Louis—take off each night. And usually he stayed out until the early morning hours.

  Everything Wade did confused her. They’d left Saint Louis on Monday, headed for the East Coast, yet they’d stopped in Ohio and were still here two days later. Why?

  Sick of watching TV since she’d done so all day, she lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, wishing she’d brought her workbooks with her. At least then she’d have something to do while she was waiting, something that would make the hours go by faster.

  She should have come right out and asked Wade if he’d been speaking with Butch, but whenever it came to Butch—or Wade, for that matter—she didn’t possess any courage. She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come.

  Instead, visions of Camden flashed through her mind. She missed him so much, her heart ached.

  Opening her eyes, she looked over at the phone. Should she call him?

  She sat up, reached for the phone, then pulled her hand back.

  No. For once, she needed to rely on herself. She lay back down.

  Her dreams that night were troubled. A little after three a.m., she jerked awake and looked toward Wade’s bed. Her brother was still out.

  What Camden had said about Wade gambling—that much was likely true. She’d forgotten all the late-night outings when they’d lived in Chicago.

  Wade was a talented mechanic and a smart man. By now he should have been able to achieve something. At the very least, he should have had steady housing and employment. But gambling debts would go a long way toward explaining the way he lived.

  She thought of Butch and shivered. Gambling would also explain Wade’s connection to him.

  Her next thought stole her breath with its intensity. What if it was Butch that Wade had been speaking to? What if Wade was trying to take her back to Butch?

  She drew air into lungs that didn’t seem to want to work. There were Wicked Disciples chapters throughout the Northeast and all along the East Coast. Could one of them be where the club was hiding out? Could that be where she and Wade were headed?

  She’d built Wade up all these years in her mind, but her adult eyes—and Camden’s logic—were telling her the truth. Her brother was not a good person, and maybe he never had been.

  As painful as what Camden had said was, she needed to face the possibility that he was right. Wade might very well have exchanged her for gambling debts with Butch.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. It had been years since she and Wade had left their father’s house, but her family was still a mess.

  What would you do if you could do anything? The words Camden had spoken came crashing back into her head.

  She was standing on her own two feet because of him. Shaky, but standing all the same. With the Social Security number he’d gotten for her, she could get a job and earn her own way. She’d never have to be at Butch’s mercy again.

  But if she was right about Wade, then it meant a chance to help Camden. She’d continue on with Wade until she knew where Butch was hiding. Then she’d contact Camden, and he would be able to arrest him.

  After all Camden had done for her, this was the least she could do for him in return. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so much in his debt.

  • • •

  The shower was running when Autumn blinked her eyes open the next morning. She sat up and looked around for Wade’s cell phone, hoping to check it to see what numbers he’d been calling. She let out a sigh when she didn’t see it. It had to be in the bathroom with him.

  She threw back the covers and stood, gazing at the bathroom. Wade took pretty long showers; maybe she’d have enough time to call Camden. She reached for the motel phone on the nightstand and then stopped.

  If she made the call from here, it would show up on their bill. She’d go to the front desk instead. Quickly, she pulled on some clothes and then grabbed her credit card and room keycard.

  Several people were getting coffee when she walked inside the lobby. A man in his twenties stood behind the counter.

  “May I help you?”

  “Is there any way I could use a credit card to make a phone call from here?”

  The clerk looked down at the card she held out. “Where do you need to call?”

  “Pennsylvania.”

  He took his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and handed it over. “You can just use mine.”

  Autumn gripped the phone and stepped over to a corner of the lobby. With trembling fingers, she dialed Camden’s home number. The line rang six times before his answering machine picked up. She quickly ended the call and dialed his cell phone number.

  “Hello?”

  At the sound of his voice, she sucked in a breath. “It’s Autumn.”

  “Autumn! Are you all right?”

  Overcome by emotion, all she could whisper was, “Yes.”

  “Where are you?”

  Ignoring the question, she rushed through what she needed to tell him. By now, Wade had to be out of the shower.

  “Wade’s got us heading east. If he is trying to take me back to Butch, then I’ll be able to help you. I can get a phone number for him.”

  “No! You need to get away from Wade. Do you hear me?”

  “This may be our only chance to find out where Butch and his crew are hiding.”

  “Where are you? Get somewhere safe so I can come get you.”

  “I’m not a child, Camden.” Autumn squeezed her eyes shut. “And I don’t need rescuing.”

  “You have no idea how dangerous this is.”

  Oh, she did know. But she was the only one who could get them the answers they needed.

  “Wade’s always glued to his phone, but as soon as I get the number he’s been calling, I’ll call you back.”

  “Autumn, don’t hang up on me! Autumn!”

  Emotion choked her at the thought of breaking the connection with Camden. The longing to see him was like a pit of pain inside her stomach.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered on a sob. I love you.

  Camden was still shouting at her as she pressed END. She turned around to find the clerk watching her intently. Ignoring his surprised expression, she hurried over to him and handed back his phone.

  “Thank you.”

  “Are you okay?” His tone held concern.

  “Fine.” She swiped at her eyes. “I’m just going to get some coffee.”

  She walked to the coffeemaker and poured out two cups with shaking fingers. For once, she wasn’t being a coward. She wasn’t letting fears of Butch stop her; she was doing the right thing.

  After snapping lids on the cups, she thanked the clerk again and hurried from the office. Their room door swung open just as she reached the top of the staircase.

  Wade’s face was tight with anger as he stepped outside. “Where the hell were you?”

  Thank God I thought to give myself an excuse.

  Autumn held out a cup of coffee. “Inside the lobby.”

  He took the cup with a look of disgust. “Get your bag. We’re leaving.”

  • • •

  Wade and Autumn stopped at a diner a few hours later.

  She fiddled with her napkin as they waited for their lunch. “How do you know Butch?” When Wade didn’t answer, she pressed him. “Did you work with him?”

  His eyes narrowed. “What is this? What are you doing?”

  “I need to know.”

  He snorted. “You’re the one who lived with him. Didn’t he tell you any
thing?”

  The words reminded her of just how pathetic she was. She sucked in a breath and leveled her gaze at her brother. “No.”

  “I knew him from around,” Wade finally muttered, dropping his gaze to the table as he reached for his drink.

  Getting answers from him was like trying to pry an oyster shell open with a toothpick. Autumn suppressed a sigh as the server set down their lunch.

  As Wade dug into his sandwich, she tried a different tactic. “Where did you go last night?”

  He didn’t answer, so she picked up her fork. They spent the next few minutes eating in silence.

  “Do you gamble, Wade? Is that how you know Butch?”

  Anger reddened Wade’s face at the sudden question. “What the hell?” His cup clattered to the table as he shook a finger at her. “Don’t think you get to tell me how to run my life, because you don’t!”

  Autumn shrank back at the murderous expression on his face. She’d pushed him too far.

  The other patrons in the diner were staring at them as Wade rose from the table. He ran his hand through his hair in a visible effort to calm himself. Then he grabbed the bill and started for the counter.

  “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER 40

  Columbus, Ohio

  Inside the hotel room he was sharing with Grayson, Camden hovered his finger over the callback button as he stared at the number Autumn had called from.

  What if it was Wade’s phone she’d called from? Would he be putting her in danger by calling back?

  Thinking quickly, he called the task force office and asked Joanne to run a check of the number, pacing the floor while he waited.

  After putting him on hold for a moment, she came back on the line. “The phone is registered to a Matthew Berry.”

  Camden’s excitement rose. It wasn’t Wade’s phone. “Thanks, Joanne. Tell Eli I’ll check in with him soon.”

  After disconnecting the call, he dialed the number Autumn had called from.

  “Did you just lend your phone to someone?” Camden asked the man who answered. “A young woman?”

  “I did.”

  “I’m the person she called. I need to know where she is.”

  There was a pause before the man said, “I work at a motel in Columbus. She’s been staying here.”

  Camden’s hope rose. “What’s the name of the hotel?”

  “The Oak View.”

  “What room is she in?”

  “Twenty-six, but the man she’s with checked them out a few minutes ago.”

  “A man named Wade Mason?”

  Keys tapped in the background.

  “Uh, yes. That’s right.”

  “Can you see if they’re still in the room?”

  “They’re not. I saw them pull out of the parking lot.”

  Camden fisted his hands in frustration. “On a motorcycle?”

  “Yes.”

  “What direction were they headed?”

  “West on Portal.”

  As Camden disconnected the call, Grayson stepped through the door balancing a cardboard carrier with two coffees and a bag of bagels. His eyes widened at the look on Camden’s face.

  “What’s happened?”

  Camden brushed past him on his way to the door. “Got a lead. We’re eating on the road.”

  • • •

  Camden and Grayson began canvassing all the gas stations in the vicinity of the Oak View Motel. Camden was sitting in the driver’s seat of his SUV outside the eighth gas station on their list, looking up the address of the next one to check, as Grayson slipped back into the passenger seat.

  “The owner saw Mason. Said he bought flowers and filled up the motorcycle.”

  “Flowers?” Camden shot him an incredulous look. It was the last thing he expected to hear. “How did he pay?”

  Please let it have been by credit card. Give us something to chase!

  “Cash.”

  Camden let out a disappointed huff. “He’s sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Do they have surveillance?”

  “No.” Grayson rubbed the back of his neck. “Think Wade bought those flowers for Autumn?”

  Camden stared out the windshield as something connected. “That address I wanted to try for Wade? It’s got to be near here.”

  “Those flowers. You think Mason knows a woman here?”

  Camden started up the SUV. “Maybe.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were knocking on the door of a first-floor garden apartment. A woman of about thirty-five answered. She had frizzy, bleached-blond hair. A cigarette dangled from her mouth as she raised a gold-plated lighter.

  “Yes?”

  “Zoe Lutz?” Grayson asked.

  “That’s right.” She gave them each an appreciative gaze. “To what do I owe the honor?”

  “We’re federal agents, ma’am.” Grayson held up his badge. “And we’re trying to locate a man named Wade Mason. Know him?”

  “Yeah.” Zoe snorted. “I definitely do.”

  “How?”

  She took a drag on her cigarette and turned her face to blow out smoke. “Lived with him for a while.”

  “Here?”

  She nodded.

  “Have you seen him in the past couple of days?”

  “Uh-huh. Last night and the night before.”

  Camden’s heart pounded. “Did he bring anyone with him?”

  The woman frowned. “No. It was just Wade. Should’ve sent him packing, but instead I let him in.”

  “When did you first meet him?” Grayson asked.

  “About four years ago.” She stepped to the side. “Want to come in?”

  Camden and Grayson entered the dim studio apartment. The curtains were closed, and the smell of cigarette smoke hung heavy in the dark space.

  Zoe headed to an ashtray on the coffee table and tapped her cigarette against the side.

  “Are you expecting him back?” Grayson asked.

  “No. He said he was only in town until this morning.”

  Camden took a step forward. “Do you know anything about the Wicked Disciples?”

  The woman frowned. “The who?”

  “They’re a motorcycle club. Has Wade ever mentioned them?”

  “Never.” The woman inhaled and blew out more smoke.

  “Did Wade tell you where he was headed?”

  “No.”

  “Did he leave you a phone number?”

  “A number?” Zoe laughed. “Nah, he didn’t bother with any of that. He got what he came for and then he left, if you know what I mean.”

  Camden took in a breath. “Did he call you before he came over?”

  “No.” The woman’s gaze volleyed back and forth between them.

  So much for getting a cell number. “When he was living with you, what did he do for work?”

  The woman scoffed. “Nothing much. Wade’s got a gambling problem. Whatever he made as a mechanic went toward that.” She gestured around the apartment with the hand holding the cigarette. “I let him live here rent-free.”

  As she muttered something to herself, Camden closed his eyes. Zoe wasn’t going to be able to help them. It was just as she’d said—Wade had used her and left.

  Grayson pulled a business card from his pocket. “If you see Wade again, give us a call.”

  Zoe finished a long drag as she accepted the card. Turning her head away to blow out more smoke, she gave them a nod and a big grin. “Will do, handsome.”

  CHAPTER 41

  Outside Wheeling, West Virginia

  The next morning, Autumn blinked in surprise at what she was seeing. Wade’s phone sat on the motel room nightstand, recharging. For once, he hadn’t taken it into the bathroom with him.

  She rose from her bed and moved toward it, picking it up with shaking hands. When she swiped her finger across the screen and hit RECENT CALLS, her excitement rose. There was a number Wade had called several times. She quickly committed it to memory.

  Whe
n the shower shut off, she scrambled to place the phone exactly where she’d found it. Tonight, after Wade went out, she’d call Camden and give him the number.

  As she sat back down on her bed, the bathroom door opened, releasing steam into the cramped room. Wade stuck his head out.

  “Get ready. We’re checking out.”

  • • •

  Autumn and Wade hadn’t been on the interstate long before Wade suddenly exited in a rural wooded area. He parked on an undeveloped side street, got off his bike, and pulled out his phone to place a call. He spoke in a low voice, but she heard his words clearly.

  “I’m having trouble finding the place.”

  Chills ran up Autumn’s arms. It was Butch that Wade was speaking to; she had no doubt. And from what Wade was saying, Butch was nearby.

  Bone-numbing fear coursed through her. Whatever happened next, she needed to get rid of the credit card she was carrying. It had her name on it, but Butch had connections. He would be able to trace it back to Camden.

  She scrambled off the bike as Wade turned back toward her, sliding the phone into his pocket.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m not feeling well,” Autumn called over her shoulder as she hurried into the edge of the woods. “I need to throw up.”

  “Quit running!” he yelled.

  She ignored him, picking up speed as she wove through the trees, but Wade was gaining on her. His footsteps pounded in the dirt behind her.

  When he tackled her, she went down in a patch of undergrowth. She shoved the credit card she was carrying into the dirt beneath her and turned onto her back, struggling with her brother.

  “Let go of me!”

  Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her to her feet. “Why the hell were you running?”

  “Because you’re taking me back to him!”

  For a moment, Wade froze. Then he gripped her arm tighter and yanked her back toward the road. “I have no choice.”

  Autumn’s fury rose. “You’re disgusting! It’s true, isn’t it? You sold me to Butch!”

  Wade’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t say anything more as he forced her to walk in front of him.

  “Get off of me!” She twisted her wrist hard, trying to pry herself from his grip.

  When they broke through the trees and reached the road, both stopped short. Butch stood next to Wade’s Harley with his arms folded across his chest. Viking and Deck were beside him, leaning against a black van.