Chapter 26

Spook

I wake to a piercing scream jolting me out of bed to Greer kneeling at the door. She’s looking up to the ceiling with her arms reaching high.

Before I can reach her Trigger and Poison clad in boxer briefs pick her up off the floor. I approach cautiously and bend so I’m face to face with her.

“Princess, what’s wrong?” She hiccups and points to Ryland’s crib that’s empty.

I look to Trigger and Poison who’ve now been joined by Rudy, Queenie, Mitz, Chase and Lily. They all look just as confused as me.

Trigger shakes her arm lightly gaining her attention. “Where’s Ryland, Gee?”

Her only answer is a shrug of her shoulders. Until she hiccups and splutters, “she not in the clubhouse.”

Trigger passes her to Mitz and Queenie who help Greer to the bed where she collapses in a fit of tears. I look to my brothers for help.

Trigger’s face is void of any emotions. “There’s no way she could have left this club without someone seeing her. Shit, we partied until four in the morning.”

Rudy interrupts. “We need to find out who isn’t here that was last night. I don’t like putting blame on my brothers or the Devils, but Trigger’s right.”

We traipse through the clubhouse opening doors. After twenty minutes of banging on doors and doing roll call, everyone that was here last night is accounted for except Ryland has disappeared without a trace.

The dread in the pit of my stomach becomes more unbearable and I bend placing my hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath. A slap on my shoulder has me turning my head to see Trigger in much the same state as me.

I slowly stand and face him completely. “Who the fuck would have the balls to come into this clubhouse and into our room?”

Trigger shakes his head frantically. “I don’t know, but they’re dead when we get our hands on them.”

We stare at each other with the rattled thoughts invading our minds as Brute stomps into the main room and bellows, “Church!”

I walk past the room I share with Greer and Ryland to see Greer has cried herself into exhaustion and is passed out peacefully with Queenie and Mitz standing vigil. I nod towards them and continue down the hall to the meeting room.

The table is full of Devils as well as the Chaotic’s that decided to stay last night. I have no need for sitting as I move from foot to foot in the corner plotting the demise of the bastard who had the gall to take my baby.

Brute cuts into my thoughts. “Professor and Einstein have been combing the security footage from last night. Everything was recording fine until around four-thirty. The system was interrupted and then it didn’t turn back on until five-thirty.”

Einstein adds is insight. “The only thing that could’ve interfered with the system had to have a high-frequency jammer.”

Poison slammed his open palm on the table. “When will this shit end? Damn, can Greer just get a fucking break for once in her life?” He glances around to each of the men at the table. “It’s already been over five hours. They could have her over the state line by now.”

Grunts and growls proceed and Rudy stands and begins pacing. “This is what I don’t understand; no one knew Greer had a kid except the Devils and the Chaotic’s. The whore swore on her dying breath that she didn’t tell anyone about Ryland.”

A soft voice interrupts the loud voices, “Mad Dog.” I turn to see a red-eyed Greer. “We need to call Mad Dog.”

“Where’s your phone, Princess?” She hands it to me and I scroll through her contacts to Mad Dog. He groggily answers. “Mad Dog, its Spook. We’ve got a situation in Georgia.”

He clears the sleep from his voice. “What’s going on?”

“Someone came into the Devils clubhouse early this morning and took Ryland out of her crib.”

“What time? I need to know so I when I get into the cameras around town and at the stop lights close to the club I have a time period.”

“Between four-thirty and five-thirty, they hacked into the security system and the cameras went haywire.”

“Give me an hour.” He growls and hangs up.

I turn to the room and slide Greer into the crook of my arm. “He’s going to break into the cameras around town and close to the clubhouse to see what he can find.”

***

Greer

Waiting was never my strong suit, especially when my little girl is involved. Why take her now? If it’s one of Dimitri’s thugs, what need do they have with her while Dimitri is in prison?

So, many questions flutter through my mind with no answers.

The main room is overcrowded with all the Devils and the majority of the Chaotic’s. Even the Chaotic’s who left yesterday afternoon have come back to help in the search for my missing baby. If I was in the frame of mind to feel grateful I would, but all I feel is emptiness. Ryland has been my saving grace. She gave my life meaning when I should’ve just given her up to be raised by a better woman, but I was selfish with her and ended up putting her in danger.

In the past months, my mother still hasn’t been found dead or alive and she is suspect number one in my book. The only problem with that is that she’s not smart enough to get past a bunch of bikers or have the resources to scramble a security system.

Mad Dog has about four minutes before I start blowing up his phone for answers. Every man in this room is beside himself for letting their guard down, but how were we to know that Ryland was even an object on someone’s radar.

My phone ringing breaks the silence in the room. Before I can pick it off the table, Spook snatches it up and stands.

“Yeah.” He growls and listens intently. He holds the phone from his face and puts it on speaker setting it on the coffee table. “Go ahead I got you on speaker.”

“It’s interesting that you don’t have the slightest clue who took her, but from the cameras from the house across from the club gate, a black pickup leaves ten minutes after the cameras were fucked with. Whoever was at the gate at quarter to five waved the person through. The camera caught a child in the backseat asleep.”

I take in the room again and see Peabody bow his head. I stand and stomp towards him. I grab him by the back of his head and yank his head back. “Who the fuck left that you let out?” I scream at him.

“I couldn’t see inside Greer, but Banshee left with Desiree. He said he was taking her home. I didn’t think anything of it.”

I remove my hand and step back. “We’ve been sitting here most of the morning trying to pinpoint the exact time and you even watched as they searched rooms. Nothing. Clicked.” I yell in his face. Strong arms wrap around me and pull me back into a hard chest.

“Princess, calm down. Getting rung up isn’t going to get the answers any faster and I need your mind right.” Spook grumbles in my ear. “You worked with Mad Dog for months, so I know you are capable of figuring out motives and possible destinations.’’

I drop my chin to my chest. “Banshee is my friend. What possible motive would he have to take my daughter?”

“I don’t know, but there has to be something. You and Poison know him better than most.”

I lift my head and scan the room for Poison who’s missing. “Where’d Poison go?”

Brute pulls out his cell and bellows in his phone to Trenton who is manning the gates. “Did Poison leave?” He nods and then throws his phone against the room. “He’s gone, just hopped on his bike and took off.”

What the hell is going on? The two men that have gained my trust and respect seem to be scheming and for what reason? What’ve I ever done to deserve this?