Chapter 11 - Vince
Kicking the stand in front of the club a little harder than necessary, I head towards the door. The leads Ric had me checking out all week were dead ends. I need a break; a week riding out first thing till late at night has to stop. I could still look, but I need more help.
Not even a second in the door someone shouts my name, "Where the fuck have you been?" Bear calls.
"I've been on the road looking for Brianna. I got a text from Ric letting me know that he got a tip. Where the fuck do you think I've been all night? Hell all fucking week."
"Ric is the one that had me out searching for you,” Is that a blush on his cheeks? “You've been MIA for days. I even had to bring in Sara because he couldn't get a hold of you. You weren't answering anyone else’s texts either. What the fucks up with that."
"I was doing club business. I thought you guys wanted to hang out or some shit. What the fuck do you mean Ric asked you to go searching for me?" I bite out exasperated.
"Just like I said, go ask him yourself if you don't believe me."
"I will," I walk down the hall and burst into Ric’s office.
Ric stands up the moment he sees me, "Where the hell have you been!? I've had half the club out looking for your ass. You better have a good explanation," he scowls.
"What the fuck are you talking about! You've been texting me nonstop the last few days telling me to go check out tips you've had about the missing girl."
"Fuck if I have," he looks taken aback, “I only called you Sunday afternoon to go search on the south side. That didn’t mean for you to go gallivanting around town all week.”
I pull out my phone from my front pocket, and flip through the texts, "Here, see," I shove the phone at him thinking that would be the end of it.
His brows knit together, "This isn't my number.”
"What?" I take the phone from his grasp and look it over as if the numbers will arrange themselves correctly in my vision. I've known his number for years. First because of him calling my dad, and for the past fourteen years calling me. Now that it's brought to my attention I know he's telling the truth.
"What the fuck?" is all I can think to say, and Ric says the next obvious question.
"If it's not me, then who is it?" Ric demands.
"I don't know, but I'm sure going to find out! Whoever it is had run me all over the damn place," I run a hand through my hair in frustration and grip the phone in my hand tighter.
Typing the number in Google, it comes up as a burner phone. Shit that gets us no closer to who has been wasting my time.
"It sounds like someone wanted you out of their way. But why, and what for?" Ric asks.
“Was there a time you usually got texted?” Bears voice inquires behind me making me start. I scowl over my shoulder at him. I hadn’t even heard him follow me in.
“Yeah, now that you mention it. Every time I got close to the club house, Sara’s, or the north side of town.”
“Bear, go grab Mac,” Ric orders, “I put him on this too I wonder if he’s been having the same problems. Though I doubt it since I’ve actually seen him twice this week.”
“He was with me,” I state.
“What?” Ric looks truly puzzled.
“Mac was with me checking a lot of your tip’s out. At least what we thought were your tips.”
“Well if you were getting tips that kept you away from the clubhouse, why didn’t you stop in like Mac did?”
“I didn’t think about it. Whoever had me on a wild goose chase had me going from morning till night, leaving little room for much else.”
Ric’s head moves in the direction of the doorway again, “Mac, look under my contact and read off the number,” when he does, there is a collective curse.
“Who has access to both of your phone's?” Bear asks.
“What’s going on?” Mac asks. When we fill him in he looks outraged.
“I’ve only gotten a few texts, but I haven’t been near the same areas as you on my own. But I still don’t know who had access to our phones that is common between us.”
“You haven’t met his girl have you?” Ric asks.
“Back off Ric there’s no way she’d do this,” I state adamantly.
He shrugs, “I’m exploring all possible options. Mac, have you?
“Works at the school?” when Ric nods he continues, “I ran into them while they were having dinner at the diner. But that’s the only time I’ve seen her. Otherwise I’ve got no reason. Tracy, my wife, goes if there is anything up with the kids at the school.”
“Who else then?” Ric asks.
“Everyone in the club without a phone…,” Bear says.
Ric raises an eyebrow, “Smartass. Lets try and be helpful here.”
Mac and I look at one another. Sure it’s been done, someone forgets and needs to borrow your phone to call someone. I jerk my head, “I let someone at the Snake Eyes use it. I haven't let anyone else for a while since then. Maybe a few months before that.”
“Yeah,” Mac agrees, “Someone asked to use mine too.”
“What did he look like?” Ric and I ask in unison.
“Ummm, late middle age, maybe forty-five, grayed out hair,” Mac says.
“That’s the same guy. He told me he couldn’t use mine and said he’d borrow someone else’s,” I say.
“This guy actually called someone on mine,” Mac adds, “I don’t remember him being in the club when I was part of the Snakes.”
“Who else?” I ask.
“Well like Bear said anyone in the club, maybe it was a joke or something,” Mac says.
“Not a funny one,” I say with a bitter taste in my mouth.
“I’ll bring it up in church. Alright gentlemen thanks for joining us for the pow wow, but I need to talk privately to The Kid here before he heads out. So get out,” when Mac and Bear shuffle out Ric raises an eyebrow. He sits there, arms crossed, but I can’t let him stay mute for another second, because I’m already at my whit’s end.
“Can I go now. I’d like to see my girl, and try explaining this cluster fuck.”
“Sure, go ahead, give my regards. Nice girl you’ve got there by the way. She’s got some massive lady balls,” Ric laughs.
“She’s been known to have some bite,” I smile.
“I’d say. She offered to become a member if I’d let her know anything about what was going on.”
“She did?” I question.
“I wouldn’t lie to you Kid. She’s a keeper. I’m not sure even my old lady would do that for me. And she knows what mostly goes on in this club.”
“I know she is. A keeper that is,” I say confidently.
“You need to claim her before someone tries to steal her from you. I think Bear likes her,” Ric laughs. I refuse to acknowledge his dig.
"I'm out Ric. Turning off my phone for a few days. I need the break," I say on my way out.
"Yeah alright," he waves me out, but I’m already gone.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
I couldn't get my bike to go fast enough as I make my way to her house. The woman would have joined the one thing she was taught by her own experiences not to trust to help me. That alone spoke clearly of how she feels about me. My body tightens as my mind plays out all the ways I was going to show her how much I felt for her too. My heart speeds up as I see her car in the usual spot. I’m so glad I don’t have to wait for her. I can’t wait to get her naked and under me, but when coming to the door, it's already cracked open. When I get no response after calling out her name, I push the door the rest of the way open, and walk in. Rushing to the open spaces, then pulling each of the doors in the house open and not finding her has dread pool into my stomach like acid. Coming to her room all that’s there is an open bag on the bed half full of clothes. The few drops of red on her otherwise bare carpet has me seeing red everywhere else. A feeling of panic I’ve never experienced not even when my mom didn’t come home fills me up to the brim.
I whip out my cell, the minute I had to wait for it to turn on had me wanting to throw it. As soon as it does I dial Ric’s number from memory, “Someone has taken Sara,” I spit without bothering with niceties for once, “I say lets figure out who the mystery number belongs to, and track them the fuck down. No way is this coincidence or fun and games anymore,” I end the call and go back to my bike formulating a plan as I ride back to the clubhouse.