Cecil’s eyes widened. “It’s not what you think.”
“What do I think, you lying motherfucker?” I drew my fist back once more. A hard hand clamped over mine, taking me by surprise, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Sherriff Burke standing right behind me.
“Let the man speak,” he warned, but I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
I tried to calm down and walked over to check on Hank as Cecil spoke with Sheriff Burke. I bent down to pat Hank’s head and noted his breathing. It seemed somewhat normal now. At my touch, Hank’s eyes flickered then closed. I glanced up to find Sheriff Burke now standing beside me. I stood and eyed him warily.
“Officer Ballard is heading back to the station and taking along with him the evidence we’ve gathered. As soon as we run those prints we lifted and match them to Blade’s, we’ll issue an ABP. We will find her, son. They couldn’t be far.”
I nodded, and he patted me on the back before he walked past me. From behind me, I heard Burke’s phone ring. My eyes landed on Cecil. He rose from the chair and came toward me. I kept my gaze on him the entire time. I didn’t consider Cecil a threat, not him nor his low life brother. I couldn’t believe Miley had trusted him, the brother of the low life piece of shit who was holding her hostage. I should have followed my gut and run a background check on him regardless of what she’d said.
This was all my fault.
Hank whined, drawing my attention. I would need help moving him. I glanced over my shoulder to find Sheriff Burke currently slipping his phone back into his pocket. Hank was still hanging in there, but I needed to get him to the vet. He needed x-rays to determine the extent of his injuries.
“Sheriff Burke, will you help me load Hank in my pickup?”
I didn’t bother to look at Cecil. I wouldn’t ask him for help if I was dying.
Sheriff Burke’s nodded his head and moved around me to pick up the ends of the comforter on the other side. “Thanks,” I said. Cecil stood nearby watching us.
“Don’t you even want to hear what I have to say?” he asked, and I shot him a murderous glare.
No, not really.
“Ready?” I asked Sherriff Burke, completely ignoring Cecil.
We lifted the comforter with Hank and moved for the door. It was all I could do not to go after Cecil. The son of bitch stepped past us and opened the front door.
Well, wasn’t that nice of him.
Burke thanked Cecil. I, on the other hand, had nothing left to say to that rat bastard. We made our way outside onto the porch with Cecil following close behind.
He had some nerve.
“Cecil, I’d like you to come down to the station,” Burke requested, and my jaw clenched so tight it was a miracle I didn’t crack a tooth. It was for the best. Besides, I didn’t want to be anywhere around that lying piece of shit.
“I think I might know where he has taken her,” Cecil stated.
My steps faltered. My grip tightened around the material in my hands. I came to a stop, causing Sheriff Burke to pause in mid-stride. We stood in the middle of the yard and I stared at Cecil with my mind racing.
So help me God, if something happened to Miley because of him…
“Where?” I asked, knowing anything that came out of this man’s mouth was more than likely a lie, but as of right now, we had no leads. A possible lie at this point was better than nothing at all. After I dropped off Hank at the vets, I’d planned on running by Miley’s house to check with her landlord and all of her neighbors. It was probably a dead end, but it was all I had.
“This matter needs to be handled by local law enforcement,” Sheriff Burke reminded us, interrupting. I kept quiet despite silently disagreeing.
What was I supposed to do, idly twiddle my thumbs? I didn’t fucking think so.
I eyed Cecil as we made our way to the truck. Whatever he’d been about to say had been quieted by Sheriff Burke’s words. Cecil opened the passenger side door for us and we loaded Hank into the cab.
“I expect you both at the station.” Burke eyed us sharply. His phone began to ring. “Damn, I have to take this. I’ll see you two later,” he said, dismissing us and reaching into his pocket as he turned and headed for his patrol car.
I had no intention of going anywhere near the station. The good sheriff climbed into his car and hit the lights. In a matter of seconds, he was barreling back down the driveway heading toward town and leaving me alone with Cecil who stood nearby silently watching me.
“If anything has happened to Miley, there won’t be anywhere you can run or hide. There won’t be anyone who can save you from me.”
“I understand,” Cecil replied flatly, but instead of walking to his own truck he opened the passenger door of mine.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“I’m going with you,” he said, then began maneuvering Hank around. Hank issued a low warning growl, but Cecil managed to fit his big frame down into the seat with Hank’s body now lying half in his lap. He looked over at me and grinned.
I hoped like hell that Hank took a bite out of him. I wouldn’t lift a finger to stop him.
“Your funeral,” I replied, and slammed the door. I was walking around to the driver’s side when I realized I’d slammed my
own
damn truck door. Shit, I gritted my teeth, climbed inside the cab, and started the engine. I glanced over at Cecil. He was petting Hank
. Hell, I didn’t want to be stuck with him
. As if sensing my gaze, his eyes met mine. His expression was one of concern.
“There’s an old abandoned warehouse that the Retribution MC occasionally uses on the outskirts of town. Off Highway 180. He might have her there. It’s the only place I can think of. He wouldn’t have gone far. He’s got more sense than to travel in broad daylight. He’ll wait until dark to move her.”
“For your sake, I hope you’re right.”
AFTER DROPPING OFF
Hank, Cecil and I were on our way to the abandoned warehouse where Ryder may or may not be holding Miley hostage. One thought kept running over and over in my mind; it was a trap. But with no leads of my own, I had no other choice. During the drive, I decided to call Sheriff Burke. He informed me the prints they’d lifted were, in fact, an exact match to those of Ryder Blade’s.
That was no big fucking surprise.
“Are you on your way to the station now?” Burke asked, and I glanced over at Cecil sitting in the passenger side seat.
Hell no, we weren’t going to the station.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I told the sheriff, and quickly ended the call before he had the opportunity to ask me anything else.
It wasn’t really a lie. I planned to go eventually; just not right now. I didn’t have time for bullshit.
Less than a half a minute later, Cecil’s cell began to ring.
“It’s the police station,” he stated, but he didn’t answer the call.
“If Ryder has harmed one strand of hair on Miley’s head, I’m holding you accountable.”
The sound of Cecil clearing his throat had me gripping the steering wheel tight. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my fingers around his thick neck. “Miley doesn’t know that Ryder’s my brother.”
“Have you been spying on her all of this time?” I asked, barely able to keep my temper under control.
Unfuckingbelieveable.
The urge to pull the truck over and pound the hell out of his ugly mug with my fists was almost impossible to resist.
“No,” Cecil stated. “I wouldn’t spy on her, not for Ryder. I came to Crawley wanting a new life for myself, one away from my brother… away from the MC. I didn’t even know she was his until a few months after she started waiting tables at The Eight Ball. I’d been trying, well hoping, that someday… Miley might give me a chance. Hell, what man in his right mind wouldn’t want a woman like her? We were never more than friends.”
I don’t think I could have stood it if Cecil had told me otherwise. The thought of the two of them together had me cringing. Lucky for him, she’d turned his ugly ass down. “I had no idea Ryder had a child, but I eventually put two and two together.”
“Does he know?” I asked.
“No, I never told him. I didn’t want Miley to have to live a life like our mom’s or for Sierra to grow up like my brother and I had. It was the best for everyone involved. Ryder’s not a good man.”
I laughed out loud. My eyes flickered briefly to him before returning to the road.
Was he for real?
“So you expect me to believe you kept a secret like this from your brother? That you stuck around to keep an eye on Miley and Sierra out of some family loyalty bullshit.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you believe, man.”
When I glanced back at him, he was staring straight ahead.
Hell, I’d offended him.
“At that old barn, take a right. Next, you’ll come to a fork in the road. We should park and walk from there so he won’t hear the truck.”
Giving my signal, I turned off the highway and onto a graveled road.
Fuck, I wasn’t stupid. Did Cecil really believe I was?
“You think I’m going to listen to anything you have to say? That I believe your bullshit for a second?”
For all I knew, he was leading me straight into a trap; one set by him and his brother. Miley might not even be here. I was going by faith and faith alone, and I didn’t like it, not one damn bit.
“I think you have to,” Cecil stated, matter-of-factly.
Regardless of the outcome, I had to see this through. I pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, parked the truck, and, without saying a word, I opened my door and climbed out.
The road forked, but which way from here? Did I keep going straight or take a left?
The weeds in the field were knee high. There wasn’t anyone around. The place was deserted. The sun overhead beamed unmercifully down upon us, and I shielded my eyes as I took in our surroundings. The road was nothing more than some forgotten country backroad in the middle of nowhere. It was the perfect place to hide or to set a trap.
“Which way?” I finally asked
.
Here I was eating crow, and it tasted like shit
.
As much as I hated to admit it, I had to listen to him for now. When he started around the side of the truck, I leaned forward and slid my hand underneath the seat to grab a hold of the holster that housed my loaded nine millimeter. After checking the gun’s safety, I tucked it into the waistband of my jeans.
“What about me?” Cecil asked, and I turned around to find him standing less than a foot away watching me.
“What about you?” I questioned, eyeing the phone he held in his hand. “Mute your cell. We don’t want it ringing.” He fiddled with the phone, and then slipped it into his pocket. “Which way?”
We’d already wasted enough time as it was.
“Straight ahead,” Cecil said, and I took off walking.
That was all I needed to know.
I didn’t bother waiting for him. “You have to trust me,” he stated, falling into step beside me. It was all I could do not to laugh.
I shot him a glare. “I don’t have to do anything.”
We walked the remainder of the way in silence. A faded, white wooden fence ran along the edge of the property, corralling the herd of cows lazily grazing in the distance. It was peaceful and serene unlike my current thoughts. All I could focus on was Miley. She had to be all right. The not knowing was fucking agony.
If Ryder had hurt her, no one would be able to save him. I would kill him. I didn’t care if I went to prison. It didn’t matter to me. I only cared about her, and wished it were possible to go back to last night, to the time we’d shared together, where I’d held her safely in my arms. I wished I could have said those words. The same ones that were now playing over and over in my mind. I should have told her… I was in love with her.
She was my home, my way, and right now, the uncertainty of it all left me spinning out of control. I was a compass without a needle. My path unclear. My heart clenched at the real possibility of losing her. I needed to concentrate. Now was not the time to be filled with regret, but it left a bitter, vile taste in my mouth and a vise around my heart, squeezing my emotions. I needed to keep my head on straight. Thoughts like these could get you killed. Both of my girls needed me.
From the corner of my eye, a flash of red caught my attention. A cardinal had lit upon a nearby fence post and sat curiously watching us. At that moment, I felt my gran’s presence. It was as if she were here with me and pointing me in the right direction. It was a sign. Some would call me a fool for believing in such things, but deep in my gut, I knew Miley was here. She had to be.
When we rounded the curve in the road, the gravel gave way to dirt and it billowed beneath my boots with each step I took. Up ahead was a rundown warehouse, nothing more than an abandoned metal building with half of the roof missing.
It must have been one hell of a storm that had come through here.
The rusted tin was peeled back like a discarded sardine can. I caught Cecil’s eye and raised my hand, motioning to the trees alongside the road. We were out in the open. We didn’t need to be spotted. Right now, all we had going for us was the element of surprise, and I wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.
“Let’s head around to the side of the building. I want to see if there’s another entrance. I saw a window. If Miley’s inside, you fall back and call the sheriff’s office. We may need reinforcements.”
Cecil nodded in understanding. Droplets of sweat beaded his slick head. He was a big guy, and if he decided to turn on me and side with his brother, I may not have a chance unless I managed to shoot them both first. If push came to shove, you can damn well guarantee I would.
“Can I trust you, Cecil?” I asked, eyeing him.
“With your life,” he answered without a moment’s hesitation.
Maybe, just maybe… Cecil wasn’t such a douche bag after all.
“Follow my lead,” I instructed him, silently praying Miley was safe and that I could really count on him. He better not let me down.
Making my way through the trees, my eyes remained glued on the building ahead. When I reached the edge of the tree line, I glanced over my shoulder. Cecil was right where I’d left him. He nodded and raised his hand, motioning me forward.