More than twenty-four hours after finding two rocks in her mailbox, Erikka rode behind Chuck on his Harley Davidson. She pointed up ahead and to the right. The gym that Rachel went to was open twenty-four hours. She planned on hitting every store or business or park trail where Rachel was known to go—with her or alone.

Chuck stopped at the curb. She slid off the motorcycle and glanced at the other members of Notus who were riding with them.

"I can run in by myself," she said over the rumble of the engines.

Chuck threw his leg over the seat and walked with her up to the door. This was their sixth stop. He'd refused to let her go alone on every one.

Inside, a pretty young woman with long brunette hair pulled back in a perky ponytail wearing a little spandex sports bra looked up at the jingle of the bell on the door and smiled. Erikka walked up to the security window. "I'm Erikka Levenson. My sister, Rachel Levenson is a member here. She's missing, and I was wondering if you could tell me the last—"

"I can't." The woman smacked her gum. "Johnny's Gym can't give private information out about our members, even to family."

"I understand that, but if you'd like to check with the police, a report has been filed and —"

"I'm sorry." The woman continued smacking her gum. "I'm only the evening desk attendant. The daytime manager's name is Dwayne. He might be able to do more for you. I'm only allowed to sign people in and make sure I check off their time they used the gym."

Chuck nudged Erikka out of the way and leaned onto the counter, sticking his head past the window. "We've already talked to Dwayne. He's a buddy from my boxing days." He picked up the sign-up book and set it on the counter, turning it toward him. "The dick is going to owe me a beer now because he said the pretty lady at the desk would do anything for me. My heart is crushed."

He patted Erikka's ass, getting her attention and slid the book to his left, while he remained looking at the desk worker. "Maybe you want to buy me a drink and help mend my heart, sweetheart."

The woman's gum popped on her upper lip, and she scraped it off with her tongue, somehow turning it into something sexual. Erikka snapped her gaze off the woman falling for Chuck and quickly scanned the two visible pages looking for Rachel's name.

Chuck scratched his broad chest. "How long has Dwayne kept you to himself?"

"Oh, he's not...I mean, he's not my boyfriend or anything."

"Thank fuck for that." Chuck's voice lowered. "I think you made my night."

A feminine giggle hid the rustling of the page as Erikka quickly went back a month on the schedule. There was no sign of Rachel being at the gym. She slid the book over, tapping Chuck's elbow.

"I'm Cassandra. I get off at eleven thirty." The woman practically purred.

Erikka cleared her throat. Chuck straightened. If she didn't get out of here, she was going to throw up.

"I'll remember that." Chuck winked.

Erikka turned to leave, and Chuck looped his arm across her shoulders. She wanted to shrug him off, but she wanted Miss Gum Smacker to see that her chance of nailing a biker just went out the door. If there was nailing happening, it was going to be done to her, no one else.

Outside, she looked at Chuck as they walked to the motorcycle. "Is that how you flirt?"

He grinned. "It always works."

"Yeah, because you have low standards. That girl would fuck anything with a dick," she said.

Chuck grabbed her arm and swung her around. "Are you jealous?"

"No." She wrinkled her nose. "Disgusted."

He kissed her hard and murmured against her lips. "Only want you, love. You and your filthy mouth."

She clamped her lips to keep from laughing. That sick show of flirting inside had riled her, but she refused to admit it.

"That was the last place for the night." She glanced at Wayne, Glen, Thad on their motorcycles. "We should go back to your house and let the others go home. Lena needs Thad's help with the baby, and Ingrid needs a break. Clara probably is holding dinner so she can eat with Wayne. There's nothing else we can do tonight anyway, it's getting too dark."

"We'll swing by Bail Bonds before we go home in case she's shown up there or tried to make contact with you again, thinking you were still working." He got on his bike, and she hopped on behind him.

While she'd struck out everywhere they went, the fact that she was doing something, anything, to search for Rachel helped keep her positive. She'd spent all day running through a list of possible places Rachel could go if she were in St. John's. The chance of finding her by simply searching was slim, but somehow Rachel had managed to give her a sign by placing rocks in her mailbox. She had to keep believing Rachel would keep trying to get away from Stoddard, too.

If it happened once, it could happen again.

Chuck turned onto Lombard Street. She kept her gaze on the sidewalks. What she wouldn't give to see Rachel walking as if nothing had happened. To hold her again. To yell at her for half the night. To tell her she loved her more than anything.

In front of Bail Bonds, Chuck stopped the motorcycle. She slid off the Harley and waited for him because she knew he'd want to go inside with her. Using her key, she let him inside.

"Where's the light?" he asked.

"I'll get it." She squeezed around him and flipped the switch.

A musty odor hit her nose. She sneezed and rubbed her nose. It was an old building full of paperwork dating back thirty-five years. Shutting everything up without airing the place had her noticing smells she never noticed before.

Chuck looked in the back and returned. "Go ahead and unlock the door for the upstairs and I'll check everything out for you."

She walked across the room, searching through her keyring for the right key, and opened the door. "What are you looking for?"

"Rachel." He kissed her. "A note. Something different about the room. Any sign that she was here."

"You've only been upstairs once." She held on to his vest. "Maybe I should go up with you and look."

"Once is enough. I'll know if I see something. Stay down here and look everything over." He bound up the steps without changing his mind.

She stood in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips, and turned in a circle. Her chest constricted. The place was a neglected mess. While her father hadn't been the tidiest person, there had been order to his chaos. With the recent break-in and the fast straightening that'd happened afterward, she wasn't sure if anything had been moved or not since then.

There were papers still littered around her desk. She marched over and picked up the files and piled them on the top of an already overloaded workstation. She'd need to find time to clear everything out when she handed the keys to Notus Motorcycle club.

She sat down in the chair and opened the top drawer. Everything was gone. Her pens, her stapler, her iPad. Closing her desk, she planted her elbows on the top and cradled her chin. Her father's jar of rocks drew her attention. Had she read too much into finding the pebbles? Could children have put them in everyone's mailbox?

Chuck walked down the stairs. She stood. "Tomorrow when you're at work is it okay if I walk over and ask my neighbors if they found rocks in their mailbox lately?"

"I rather have you wait until I'm home and we can do it together," he said, turning the lock on the door and closing the upstairs from the downstairs.

"Mr. Markham is still in jail, and we haven't had any sign of his thugs being around. The ones who weren't arrested in the sting are probably laying low, so they don't get implicated." She ran her hand through her hair and her fingers stuck in her tangles. The ride on the back of a motorcycle only made her look like she felt.

"Most people work during the day and won't be home. I want you to wait until I can go with you." He pointed at her desk. "Is that your dad's jar you were telling me about?"

She reached into her pocket, taking out the two rocks she'd carried with her since finding them in the mailbox. Dropping them one after another into the jar, she said, "Yep, that's where the rocks belong."

He held out his hand. She sniffed and slipped her fingers into his. The day caught up with her. She wanted to go home with Chuck and sleep in his arms. Hopefully, tomorrow she'd be one step closer to finding Rachel.