He looked at Bea and shook his head, then said, “No, but my boy might. He runs the place at night and has seen them around more than me. They usually come out after the sun goes down, like cockroaches.”
MY STOMACH WAS churning as we rode out to meet with Bubba’s son.
Bubba hadn’t been able to give us much information, but what he had told us had my mind reeling.
Since when was there a new MC in town? Why did they have Cade’s bike, and where the hell is my fiancé?
We drove down a long gravel road, passing through a chain-link fence that warned off trespassers and stated the owner of the property had a weapon and wasn’t afraid to use it.
Charming . . .
I felt a little better about rolling up in Bea’s cruiser than I would have in my van, but still, the dogs chained up in the yard, barking as we parked, didn’t give me warm fuzzies.
“I think for this one, you might want to let me do the talking. I get the feeling Bubba Junior isn’t all that fond of cops,” I told Bea, and to my surprise, she nodded.
I thought about asking her to stay in the car, since she was in uniform and all, but I wasn’t all that hot to go to the door by myself.
We walked up the rusted-out steps and I rapped on the door three times. I looked warily over my shoulder at the still-barking dogs, then swung my head back when I heard footsteps approach and the door opened.
With disheveled, long dirty hair, and a sleepy expression, the man paused, scratched his bare belly, and asked, “What?”
“Uh, hi, we were told to come here by your father, Bubba, he said you may be able to help us,” I said, trying to sound friendly and cheerful, but coming across rather psychotic.
He shifted and noticed Bea standing next to me and scowled.
“I got a no trespassing sign out front. Unless you got a warrant, you need to step off and keep steppin.”
“Oh, no, sir, please, we aren’t here on official business or anything. This is my friend, Bea, and I’m a private investigator. There was an explosion by your dad’s shop last night, and my fiancé’s motorcycle was involved. Your dad thought maybe you could give me some information about the MC that may have started the explosion.”
He looked me up and down, then said, “You can come in, but she has to stay outside.”
“Now look here . . .” Bea began, but I put my hand on her arm to stop her and said, “Okay, that’s fine, but we leave the door open, okay?”
Bubba Junior looked at me and shrugged, then turned and walked back inside, leaving us on the stoop to figure out what to do next.
“I don’t like you going in there alone,” Bea said.
“I know, but you’ll be right outside, and you know Bran’s been helping me, so I can handle myself if necessary. I need to find out what he knows,” I said, my eyes pleading with her.
“Okay, but don’t go too far.”
I stepped gingerly over the threshold, then proceeded to go a few paces and stopped.
“Uh, I’m sorry, what’s your name?” I asked, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the darker room.
“You can call me Junior,” came his reply and I smiled at how spot on my mental name calling had been.
“Okay, Junior, what can you tell me about the new MC? Did you see them last night? How many were there?”
“Yeah, I was there last night. I been seeing them the last month or so. At first, there were just a couple, but last count there were at least twenty in town now. They stopped in, tried talking to me about weapons and such, but I told em I’ve got my own system of security, and don’t need to get involved in any shit. They been leavin me alone, but I seen ‘em bothering some of the other farmers and homeowners outside of town.”
“And, last night, was anyone injured? Was someone in the car, or with the bike?” I asked, terrified of his answer.
“Nah, last night was just fun for them guys, the car and bike have actually been there coming on two weeks now.”
Two weeks? Shit. Cade has been without his bike for two weeks? I can’t see him leaving it, so what does that mean?
“But . . . Did you see what happened two weeks ago? How they got there?”
“I can do better. Here, come with me.”
Although I’d told Bea I’d stay right inside the door, I had to know what he was talking about, so I followed him farther into the house.
Junior paused outside a closed door down the hall, then turned to me, hand on the knob, and asked, “You ain’t no pig, right? No narc? You say your man was on that bike and you’re a private dick . . .” He looked me up and down again and said, “Or whatever you call a woman private dick.”
“No, I’m definitely not a cop, and yes, he’s my man. Please, show me whatever you have.”
He looked at me for a second longer, then turned the knob and opened the door.
Inside, there was a long desk with rows of monitors. I looked around the room, taking in the lockers, the shelves full of cans and boxes of dry food, and open suitcase full of clothes in the corner.
The monitors were on, so I stepped closer and bent to look.
One showed the driveway Bea and I had just come down, another showed the property, I could see the dogs pacing back and forth, and a third showed the outside of the gas station. I could see what was left of the car and the wheel of the motorcycle on the ground.
“You do have cameras at the station,” I whispered, then stood and looked at Junior.
“I do,” Junior agreed. “But my pops don’t know about it. He’d be pissed.”
“I won’t tell him, promise. Does it also record? Do you have footage from a couple weeks ago?”
“Sure does,” he said, cracking what I think was a grin, but it was hard to tell.
He messed with some buttons on the keyboard. I didn’t really pay attention to what he was doing, my eyes were locked on the screen that showed footage from outside the gas station. He clicked on a couple things and the screen changed to show the empty field, no car or motorcycle, then he fast forwarded and stopped when Cade’s motorcycle came rolling down the street.
My hand went to my mouth as I watched.
One second, he was riding, and the next, a car came out of nowhere and slammed into his bike.
I gasped.
The car came to a stop in the field next to the gas station and I could see Cade’s bike caught underneath it.
Four men jumped out of the car and rounded the hood. It was hard to see what was happening, but within a few seconds they were carrying Cade across the grass. A van slowed down next to the crash, and the men loaded Cade into the back, closed the door, and climbed into the van.
Then they were gone.
“They took him,” I managed, my words coming out muffled against my hand.
“They ain’t been back till last night, when they came and set off the car.”
I dropped my hands to my sides and turned to him with a scowl.
“You knew this happened and you didn’t call the cops, or tell anyone?” I yelled.
“Ain’t my business, and I sure as hell wasn’t gonna call the cops. If there’s a war going between two MCs, you think I’m stupid enough to get in the middle? Hell no, Junior’s staying out of it.”
I wanted to punch him. First, for keeping the fact that Cade had been taken by a rival MC to himself, and then for talking about himself in the third person. Instead, I said, “Thanks,” and stormed out of there.
“SO, YOU’RE SAYING this rival MC abducted Cade?” Bea asked as we sped off of Junior’s property. “Cade?” she repeated.
“Yeah, well, there were four of them, plus a getaway driver, and only one of Cade. Plus, they hit his bike with a fucking car in order to do so,” I seethed.
I was scared, pissed, shaking like a leaf, and totally freaking the fuck out.
“What are you thinking? You gonna go to his club and tell them what you saw? Cause I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The last thing we need is a war in the middle of Greenswood. If
you’d give me and my deputies some time to try and find him before you alert Slade and those guys, I really think that would be best.”
I tried to focus on what she was saying, I really did, but I kept seeing Cade’s bike getting hit and going sideways before falling under the wheels of the car.
I didn’t know if I’d ever get that image out of my head.
“God, what if he’s hurt?”
“We’ll check all the hospitals in a sixty-mile radius,” Bea assured me. “We’ll scour the city, The Heights, and go out from there. I’ll do everything I can to find him, Lila, just give me that chance.”
I nodded.
What she said about not telling Slade and Cade’s brothers made sense, because they would absolutely go to war to find Cade and probably end up catching jail time themselves. And, although they’d be totally pissed at me when they found out, I agreed to give her a head start.
“You can have until the day before the wedding,” I said, trying not to cry as I wondered if there would still be a wedding. “Cade promised he’d be back by then, and he doesn’t make idle promises. But, if he’s not back by then, either on his own or because you and your team found him, then I’m going to Slade and letting the club handle it.”
Even as I said the words, I hoped I was making the right decision.
Isn’t Cade worth a war?
“Lila,” Bea called, and I turned my head toward her. “That means you don’t go off on your own trying to find him either. Let me and my people handle it.”
“Yeah, sure,” I lied. Because, seriously, did she think I’d be able to sit by for the next few days and do nothing? “Cade’s family flies in on Monday, and his friends on Wednesday. Plus, I have to finalize all of the wedding details by Friday. I have plenty to keep me busy, and I know you’ll do whatever you can to find him.”
“I really will, Lila, I promise.”
I nodded and looked back out through the windshield, plotting where I should start.
Bea dropped me off with a worried look and another promise to start the search for Cade immediately.
I walked into the house in a zombie-like state, not seeing the dogs as they jumped around me excitedly, like I’d been gone for days instead of hours. Needing a few moments, I went straight to bed, laid down, and pulled the covers over my head.
I tried to block out the image of Cade getting hit by the car, but it kept playing like a reel in my head. Over and over, until I thought I’d go insane.
Finally, the dam broke and I cried until I was exhausted enough to fall back asleep.
When I woke, my headache was down to a dull throb, and the fog was cleared from my brain. I got up, brushed my teeth again, showered again, then went down to get coffee and ended up in my office in the back of the house.
I took out my calendar and a notebook and made a list of everything I needed to do.
Tomorrow, clean the cabin. Monday, pick up Cade’s family and take them to the cabin . . . and so it went, until I had everything laid out, culminating with marry Cade at the cabin on Saturday.
I was sure Cade’s parents would love it if Elin and Elena stayed with them for the days leading up to the wedding. They hadn’t seen each other since our trip to Hawaii, and I knew they were all looking forward to the reunion.
This would be good, not just to free up my time to look for Cade, but to keep his family distracted so they didn’t realize there was something wrong and he was missing.
Did that mean I planned to keep Cade’s disappearance from them? Absolutely.
Was it a shitty thing to do? Maybe, but I didn’t want to cause them unnecessary worry. Until we knew Cade’s status, I thought it was best to let them continue to believe he was away on business.
Everyone needed to believe that. His family, his friends, his brothers, and definitely my children.
I texted Carmen and Amy May and asked if they would be able to meet me at the cabin tomorrow to help clean. Not only because I actually could use some help cleaning, but because I had to tell someone other than Bea what was going on. And, although Amy May wouldn’t be able to offer anything but a sympathetic ear, I was planning on this being Carmen’s first job with me.
Plus, I just needed to vent to someone, and my friends seemed like the safest option.
While I waited for their reply, I got online and started trying to find out something about the rival MC. After thirty minutes and absolutely no leads, I pushed back from my desk with a frustrated sigh and pulled out my phone.
Both Amy May and Carmen said they would meet me, so I hoped that meant Amy May was feeling better. Cause, if not, no matter how badly I needed her, she needed to take care of herself and her baby more.
Which is exactly what I told her when I texted back.
“OH MY GOD,” Amy May cried, her eyes filling with tears. “Do you think he’s okay?”
I knew her hormones were out of whack and she loved Cade, but, shit, Amy May was making me think of worst-case scenarios, and that’s not where I needed my head to be.
“Of course, he is. He’s Cade,” Carmen replied, and I shot her a grateful look.
Amy May nodded and wiped at her cheeks.
“What’s your plan?” she asked.
“Well, as far as Bea is concerned, my plan is to get ready for my wedding and let the PD handle things,” I told them, and they both tilted their heads to indicate they understood. “My actual plan is to try and figure out who exactly has him and where he is before anyone else realizes that he’s missing. Then, I’ll go get him and make sure he’s back in time to put a ring on it.”
“I’ll help,” Carmen said.
“Me, too,” Amy May added.
“Thanks, I was hoping you’d say that,” I told Carmen, then looked at Amy May and said, “No way, sister.”
Amy May pouted, but I shook my head.
“You need to take care of yourself and that baby, and you need to make sure my cake is fabulous,” I said jokingly, hoping to keep her from flying off the handle.
She huffed.
“Your cake will be fab regardless. I want to help find Cade.”
“Amy May, I can’t have you out in the middle of an MC turf war when you’re expecting. Jason would kill me if something happened to you, and I’d never forgive myself.”
“What about research? I could be your woman behind the computer, searching for clues, texting you addresses, that kind of thing.”
She held up her hands in prayer, until I rolled my eyes and said, “Fine. But, if you so much as smell danger, you remove yourself from the situation. Got it?”
“Yay,” Amy May said, clapping her hands, then crossed her heart. “Promise.”
“Great, let’s just do a quick dusting, change the bedding, and make sure everything is good for the Wilkes’ arrival tomorrow. I still need to stock up the fridge and pantry for them, but I figured I’d do that tomorrow with Cade’s mom, since there are probably certain things she wants to have on hand.”
“You’re not going to tell his parents?” Carmen asked softly.
I chewed my lower lip, felt my eye want to twitch, and shook my head.
“No, I don’t want to worry them. I don’t know how I’ll manage to act normal and keep it a secret, but I have to try.”
“Okay, let’s get busy so we can start the search,” Carmen said, clapping her hands together with glee.
If there was ever a woman who loved to clean, it was Carmen.
Two hours later, the house was ready, and thanks to Carmen, would pass inspection, if there was an inspection to be had.
“Thanks so much, you guys. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you could help me out. With the house, and with finding Cade. I’m having such a hard time concentrating on anything, and since I haven’t been able to find any leads yet, I’m really frustrated.”
“Anytime, Lila, you know that,” Amy May said, and I crossed to give her a hug.
“Thanks, mama. Now, go put your feet up and we’ll let you kn
ow as soon as we need your mad researching skills.”
We said goodbye to Amy May, then I had Carmen follow me to my house, so we could leave her car there and take the van out to begin our search. I hadn’t been lying, I really was at a loss as to where to start, which had panic starting to set in.
“How about we go back to the gas station . . . back to the scene of the crime, just like in the movies,” Carmen said, her voice conveying her excitement.
“We just have to make sure the cops aren’t there, Bea will kick my ass if she knows I’m out looking into this.”
“Covert operations . . . got it,” Carmen said, her eyes widening with delight.
She turned to look at me with a chagrined expression.
“You know I’m not happy Cade’s missing, right? I mean, it’s terrible, and I know everything is going to be okay and your wedding will go off as planned. I’m just happy to be working with you, out on an actual case, instead of sitting back in my office at the paper.”
“I know, Carmen, don’t worry about it. I’m happy you’re working with me too, and although I wish we were on a different case, I’m confident that we will find him and everything will be fine.”
“Me, too.”
“And, you’re right, let’s start at the beginning,” I said, and turned the van toward the outskirts of town where the gas station was located.
Luckily, when we arrived, there were no cop cars in sight.
We parked at the gas station and walked over to the crash site. The car was pretty toasted and Cade’s bike was trashed.
Boy, is Cade going to be pissed . . .
Carmen took pictures with her shiny new Nikon, while I did the same with my phone.
The license plates were fried, the inside of the car was charred, and there was nothing left that could give us a clue as to who the car belonged to.
“Shit,” I muttered as I walked in a big circle on the outside of the crash, looking for anything that may have been flung from the wreckage.
“Hey, Lila, that guy’s trying to get your attention,” Carmen said, and I looked up to see Junior standing at the back of the gas station, waving his hand for us to come over.
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