I took a folded piece of paper out of my back pocket, which had Scam and Diablos Rebeldes written on it, and slid it to her across the glass.
I could see the glee threatening to bubble out of her, she was so excited, but Amy May was able to put a lid on it and give me a solemn nod. Okay, the nod was serious, but the grin on her face was goofy as hell.
Clown, I thought affectionately with a shake of my head.
“Thanks for these,” I said, taking the box reverently.
“I’ll text you if I find anything,” she replied, holding up the note, then slipping it in her pocket.
I looked up at the clock, saw I was in danger of keeping Carmen, who was perpetually early, waiting, and said my goodbyes.
When I got home, Carmen was waiting as expected, but when I pulled out the box of cupcakes, she quickly forgave me.
“Oh, cupcakes,” she said as she followed me into the house. “Can I have one?”
I gave an exaggerated sigh and said, “I guess so . . .”
We took our cupcakes to go and headed out toward the gas station.
Carmen chose the German chocolate cupcake, and I went with the chai latte cupcake, one of my old favorites. Of course, I’d eaten the custard filled on the way home, but Carmen didn’t need to know that.
“Shoot,” Carmen said as we got closer to the station.
“What is it?” I asked, glancing at her.
“It’s gone.”
“What?”
“The car isn’t there.”
I looked up, passed the gas station, and although we weren’t close enough to see a lot of detail, I could definitely tell that there was no longer a burnt car sitting in the field next to the station.
“What the hell?”
I sped up and pulled into the gas station, tires squealing, and jumped out of the van before it was even fully stopped.
Carmen was on my heels as I whipped open the door and stormed inside.
“Where is it?” I asked Junior, who was behind the counter drinking a cup of coffee and reading a magazine.
“Told you to be here at dusk,” he said with a half shrug.
“The hell you did,” I countered. “You said after dark.”
“Pretty sure I said dusk.”
“Who the hell says dusk, no one, that’s who . . . certainly not you. You said, and I quote, they’ll be here after dark so they can’t be seen and cops aren’t around, or something like that.”
“Mmmmm, I don’t think so.”
Carmen walked up and slammed her hand on the counter. Both Junior and I jumped at the loud clap.
“Quit lying. You know you said dark, not dusk, so stop avoiding the question and tell us what happened,” she seethed.
Wow, she’s really good at this.
Junior looked up at her with admiration, and what looked like lust.
Ewwww . . . I gagged but managed not to throw up in my mouth.
He let out a sigh.
“Look, they showed up early, okay? What was I supposed to do, run out there and say, hey, can you wait for this crazy red-haired chick to get here so she can follow you home? No, I don’t think so. There was nothing I could do about it. They came, they towed, and they left.”
I will not cry, I will not cry.
“So, that’s it? They took the car and the bike, so they won’t be back. How will we ever find them now?”
I spun around and walked out
Carmen came out a few seconds later to find me staring at the empty field, hands on my head.
“I gave him my number, in case Scam or his guys come back,” she said softly, putting her arm around my waist. “I’m sorry, Lila. Don’t worry. We’ll find him?”
“How?”
“I don’t know yet, but we’ll figure it out. Let’s go.”
WE WERE BACK at my house, sipping on wine and munching on cheese and crackers, while using my laptop and Carmen’s tablet to try and find a lead.
We were failing miserably, but at least there were cupcakes and wine.
“This is hopeless,” I whined, hating the sound of my own voice, but frustrated as hell. “Missing them tonight really messed us up. I have no idea how to find Cade now, and the wedding is in five days. Ugh, and you know it’s not just about the wedding, who cares about the wedding. I just want Cade safe and back home.”
“I know you do, honey,” Carmen said sympathetically. “Do you want me to bring Bran in, see if he can think of something we haven’t?”
“Sure, I’ll take all the help I can get,” I replied dramatically.
“Okay, I’ll call him,” she said, standing up and walking into the kitchen.
I shut my laptop with a grunt and heard a knock on the door.
“What, is Bran psychic?” I muttered, looking back into the kitchen.
But it wasn’t Bran at the door, it was Bea.
Shit, do I close my laptop? Do we have notes on the table?
I tried to get a mental picture of what my living room currently looked like but came up blank.
“Hey, Bea, how are you?” I asked, leaning in to give her a quick hug.
“All right. I realized I hadn’t given you an update yet and that you were probably climbing the walls by now,” she said, walking in past me.
I shut the door and prayed there was no evidence of my investigation as I followed her into my living room.
“Carmen’s here?” she asked, looking at the two wine glasses, cheese board, and our discarded electronics.
Carmen was still in the kitchen. I could hear the strain of her voice, but luckily couldn’t make out the words.
Hopefully, Bea didn’t have supersonic hearing.
“Yeah, we were just hanging out. And, don’t beat yourself up, I was busy most of the day with the Wilkes.”
“Oh, right, the future in-laws are here. I can’t wait to meet them,” Bea said with a grin.
My friends had all loved hearing about our escapades with Cade’s parents in Hawaii. How his mom always seemed to know when we were about to have sex, the time we accidentally skinny dipped together, and when Elin found Cade’s mom’s vibrator.
Good times.
“I’m sure you’ll all love each other,” I said wryly, then asked, “Want a glass?” Pointing at the wine.
“Sure,” she said, as Carmen came back into the room talking.
“He’s on his way and happy to help,” Carmen said, then stopped in her tracks when she saw Bea.
“Who’s on the way?” Bea asked curiously.
“Bran,” I replied, then tried to keep the conversation going by sing-saying, “Her boyfriend.”
“Oh, stop, he’s not my boyfriend,” Carmen argued, playing along.
“Oh, I didn’t know you’d given him a second chance, that’s great, Carmen. I’m happy it worked out this time,” Bea said.
I hurried to grab her a glass and came back as Carmen said, “It’s still pretty new. I don’t want to jinx anything.”
“I can’t wait to finally see you guys together, you know, since you made it official. Did you say he’s coming over now?” I asked.
Carmen nodded.
“Can you ask him to pick up some McDonalds? I’m suddenly jonesin’ for a quarter pounder with cheese, no onions.”
“Oh, yeah sure, I’m hungry, too. You want anything, Bea?”
“I’m good,” she said, then looked pointedly at the cheese board.
“What? I stress eat, you know that.”
“I’ll just go call him again,” Carmen said. “Be right back.”
I hoped she told him to keep his reason for coming quiet in front of Bea, but now that I’d said it, I really did want a cheeseburger.
“So, like I said, I wanted to catch you up on what we’ve done so far.”
I sat down on the couch, picked up my wine and got comfortable.
“Okay, shoot,” I said.
“We searched the area, talked to the owner of the gas station, as well as some of the residents who live in the sur
rounding area. One of the homeowners confirmed that there’s been a new MC around town, and they’ve been fishing around, trying to see what they can get away with around here. The Club’s name is Diablos Rebeldes, and the guy’s name was Cueball. Obviously, he’s an older bald white man,” she said, and I mentally cataloged the new information.
“Anything about Cade?” I asked, hoping she knew more than I did.
“Not definitively, I’m sorry. From what I can tell, he was either investigating this new MC and they found out, or he’s working with them and they turned on him. I’m really not sure yet. When we went back tonight, the car and Cade’s bike were gone, so I asked around, and the closest resident said a tow truck took them away. I’m guessing Bubba called them, since it was on his property.”
“Did they see what company he used?” I asked.
“Um, Black Creek Towing, I believe, why?”
“I thought maybe I’d go see if Cade’s bike is salvageable. He’ll want it, when he comes back.”
Bea put her hand on my knee and said, “Lila, I know I don’t have a lot of information for you, and right now things look bleak, but don’t give up hope, okay? I won’t stop until we find him.”
I SHOT OFF a text to Amy May that just said, Black Creek Towing, and she shot back, on it.
Bea didn’t stay much longer, she needed to get home to Shannon, who probably hadn’t seen much of her since she started on Cade’s case.
Luckily, she did not intercept Bran, who took longer because he stopped at McDonald’s and it was packed.
We sat around munching on fries and filled Bran in.
“The cops are looking into it, but have nothing? And you and Bea went to some random guy’s house, a paranoid prepper type, alone, and he showed you footage of Cade getting hit and taken by a group of guys. Rather than letting the police handle it like you promised Bea, you two have gone off on your own investigation, and Amy May is your woman behind the computer . . . Is that all correct?” he asked, and I have to say, his tone was quite annoying.
“Yeah, that sounds about right, and I’m guessing you don’t approve, even though you know this is my job,” I replied, shoving a hand full of fries in my mouth angrily.
Bran sighed.
“I know it’s your job, and that you’re capable, but there’s a reason why cops, lawyers, and private detectives shouldn’t take on cases when they’re too close to them. You’re thinking with your heart, instead of your head, which makes you more prone to falling into dangerous situations. And we both know, you tend to get yourself into those anyway.”
“Right, so why not keep doing what I’m doing. This is Cade, I’m not going to sit around and do nothing when he’s out there somewhere, being kept against his will. He’d do the same for me.”
“He would,” Bran agreed. “But I doubt he’ll thank you for doing the same. Do you think he’d want you to insert yourself into the middle of a turf war between two MCs?”
Yeah, Bran is probably right about that.
“Well, when we find him, he can be as mad at me as he wants.”
At that, my tears began to well up and I threw the fry box on the coffee table. Bran came and sat next to me and pulled me into his arms.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I get it, I really do. You’re not the kind of person who can sit back and let other people take control, especially when it concerns someone you love. I just worry about you, about both of you, and I don’t like you getting messed up with these obviously volatile men.”
I allowed him to comfort me for a few seconds, then I pushed back and gave him a watery smile.
“I know, and I appreciate that, but I’m not going to stop.”
Bran nodded, then gave me space. He sat on the loveseat next to Carmen and I enjoyed what a cute picture they made together.
“So, Bea said that they used Black Creek Towing and another Diablos named Cueball was mentioned. I gave that information to Amy May and she’s looking into it. Also, that dusk/dark business with Junior is bugging me. Why would he lie? Did they catch wind of us looking into them? Pay him off? I don’t know, but he seemed much shiftier today than the last couple times I talked to him.”
“Really? He seemed shifty every time, to me,” Carmen said.
I chuckled.
“That’s true,” I agreed, but something about the way he was acting that night didn’t sit right.
Just then, my phone started ringing and the theme from The Walking Dead made me jump.
I need to change my ringtone, I thought, then pressed the green button.
“What’s up, Amy May?”
“I got an address for Black Creek Towing in Copper Creek County, about forty miles away. I’ll shoot it over to you. Also, Mrs. Wilkes called and invited me to help her with the wedding feast, so I’ll be heading over there on Thursday to help with prepping. I’m so excited to meet her.”
“Oh, cool, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” I said, then asked, “Anything on Cueball, Scam, or the Diablos?”
“No, not yet, but I’ll keep checking.”
“Thanks, Amy May, now go get some rest. Put your feet up.”
“Yes, Mom,” she said, and hung up.
I chuckled as I disconnected and looked to Carmen and Bran.
“She found an address for the towing company, so we can go check that out . . .”
“Who’ll appreciate what?” Carmen asked.
“Huh?” I asked, my eyes on the text Amy May had just sent over with the address.
“On the phone, you said, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it, who were you talking about?”
“Oh, Cade’s mom contacted Amy May about helping with the cooking for the wedding,” I replied.
When I was met with silence, I looked up to see Carmen pouting.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just, Mrs. Wilkes didn’t call me, and I really wanted to meet them, and help out. I’m sure she thinks because Amy May’s a baker that she’d be more help.”
I was confused for a moment, then I waved my hand and said, “That’s because I didn’t give her your number.”
Carmen let out a little squeak of disbelief and asked, “Why not?”
I shrugged.
“I gave her Amy May, Bea, and Shannon’s numbers, but I didn’t think you liked cooking and stuff, so I didn’t give her yours. Plus, you’re working with me . . .”
Carmen crossed her arms and said, “I take directions well, and it’s not like we’re working twenty-four seven. I could at least go by and meet them, help and hang out a little bit.”
“You know what, I’ll give her your number tomorrow. I’m meeting them for breakfast,” I said, standing and crossing the room to gather my things.
“What are you doing?” Bran asked.
“Going to check out this address,” I replied, holding up my phone.
“Now?” he asked, looking at the clock.
Was he serious?
“That accident was weeks ago. Cade’s been going through God knows what. This is the best lead we’ve gotten so far, and I’m not waiting to follow it. You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to, but I’m going.”
WE LOADED UP in the van and headed out.
Luckily, I’d only had one glass of wine, and my mind was completely clear and focused. This was it, I just knew it. This would be the lead that would take us to Cade.
Cade and I had been through a lot during the course of our relationship. Drug lords, my kidnapping and drugging, investigation of murderers, and we even took down a sex trafficking ring.
But, this was the first time I’d been on this side of things.
Usually, I was the one being drugged, beaten, or kidnapped, and Cade was the one who had to live through the worry and waiting and, eventually, the rescue.
Although none of the things that had happened to me had been fun, and I was in no hurry for any of it to happen again, it was better than being the one left behind in the dark. Not knowing what was happening to the person y
ou loved, or whether or not they were going to be okay, was pure torture.
Maybe we need to move or find a new line of work. This much danger can’t be normal.
“Sorry about that, back there,” Bran said from the backseat. “I just really wish you guys would pass the information you have on to Bea and the cops and let them handle it.”
“I know, and I understand your concern, but I can’t just sit back and wait.”
Carmen patted my hand, then took a deep breath and said, “I’m going to work with Lila full time.”
At first, I was confused. Why was she saying something we already knew, then Bran asked, “What?” and I realized he hadn’t known.
“I’m still going to write for the paper, and maintain my blog, but my focus will be on investigating with Lila,” she replied, her tone wavering a little, and I knew she was worried that Bran wouldn’t approve and her decision would affect their budding relationship.
“Oh,” he said softly, then sat back in his seat.
I could imagine that he was remembering the time Carmen was interviewing one of my suspects who turned out to be a murderer and we’d been afraid for her life. Although, in defense of my job, Carmen hadn’t been in that situation because she was working with me. She’d been there as a reporter interviewing the ex-boyfriend of the victim, so, it wasn’t my fault she was in danger.
I hoped he kept that in mind.
We drove the rest of the way in semi-awkward silence, while Bran processed this new information. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I grabbed my phone and linked my music streaming app to the radio and chose the nineties alternative station.
When we entered Copper Creek County, I became more alert and sat up taller in my seat.
I lowered the volume on the radio as I drove, taking in the small town as the navigation system told me where to turn.
“There,” Bran said, sitting back up and sticking his head between our seats as he pointed to the left.
The lights were off, signaling the business was closed, but you could still make out the sign for Black Creek Towing.
I drove slowly passed, my head turned so I could look for any movement or sign of life. When I didn’t see anything, I let out a frustrated sigh.
“Just drive through the town, maybe we’ll see something,” Carmen suggested, so I turned around and went back toward the main part of town.