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“Z!” she shouted. “I get it. Now let’s stop wasting time and find my man.”
A toothy smile overtook Zach’s face. “Damn, sounds good to hear you calling the prez your man.”
Shell rolled her eye and threw her hands up in the air as she stomped toward her car. “You coming?” she called over her shoulder to Screw.
“Yeah, babe.” He jogged after her. “And don’t think for a fucking second you’re driving. Thunder take my bike back to the clubhosue. You ding it, you guy it. Get me?” Screw tossed his keys toward the slightly green-faced prospect.
“Uh, yeah sure, Screw.”
Twenty-four hours later, Shell paced the floor of the clubhouse with a knot the size of a soccer ball in her stomach.
Nothing. The entire club had been out searching for Copper for a full day and not a damn clue as to what happened to him. Something was very wrong. Shell could feel it deep in the pit of her soul. Copper was hurt, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do. She’d been wracking her brain for hours and couldn’t think of a single place they hadn’t explored. Sleep had been impossible. She couldn’t even tolerate the idea of lying down and attempting a nap. Every ounce of thought and energy needed to be geared toward finding Copper.
“Hey, honey, why don’t you sit for a bit. Have a drink or something to eat.” Toni slung an arm across Shell’s shoulders and tried to guide her to the bar.
After casting a glance at her daughter coloring at a table, blissfully unaware of the seriousness of the situation she shook her head. “No. I can’t sit. My body stops moving, and my mind starts running wild. At least if I’m walking, I’m not going completely crazy in my own head.”
Toni nodded. She understood. She’d lived through fear not that long ago. “All right, hon. Just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
The door to the clubhouse started to swing open, and Shell swore her heart came to a complete halt. “Copper?” she yelled, charging toward the entrance. She ripped the door the rest of the way open and groaned when she encountered a startled Rocket.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Zach roared, just steps behind Shell. He reached over her head, grabbed Rocket by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Our fucking president had been MIA over twenty-four hours and where the fuck were you? I’ve been calling your phone all fucking day.”
“Zach.” Toni came up behind him, laying her hands on his back. His bulky shoulders visibly relaxed.
“Fuck,” Rocket said. “I got held up with some personal business. Fuck! I’m here now. What do you need from me.”
“You got anyone who can trace his phone?” Zach asked as he released his hold on Rocket’s shirt.
Rocket shifted his gaze to Shell. She’d been taking the whole thing in, standing stock-still just a few feet from Zach. “You okay, babe?”
“Freaking out,” she said.
A single nod was Rocket’s response. “Let you know as soon as I have something.”
A rush of air left Shell’s lungs in an audible whoosh. It might not be much, but it seemed like progress. Zach turned and wrapped his arms around Toni. She whispered something in his ear that had him closing his eyes and nodding.
Shell closed her eyes, unable to witness their closeness just then. Her own arms ached to hold Copper and be safe in his embrace once again.
“Get your asses over here,” Viper, the club’s VP, called out, waving everyone toward the bar. Shell moved with the crowd. Once everyone was gathered around, Viper scratched his long gray beard and said, “Let’s put our fucking heads together. Who are the major players here? Who’d have a reason to want Cop out of the picture?”
“Lefty,” Screw called out.
Shell bit her lip. Lefty was the most likely and also worst-case scenario. God, she hoped he didn’t have Copper holed up somewhere.
“Could it be Joe?” Mav said.
“Could be,” Zach spoke up. “But I’m not feeling it. Joe specifically said they didn’t want to fuck with us.”
Izzy caught Shell’s eye. She pointed to Beth then at the stairs. Thank God for this amazing family. Shell nodded to her friend. The things they were talking about weren’t for Beth’s ears, and she appreciated her friend getting Beth away from the chatter.
“I’m with Z on that one,” Viper said. “But we ain’t ruling him out completely.”
“Can’t rule out Rusty either,” Mav said. “That fucker’s been in the wind for a week.”
Shell’s money was on Rusty. Just a gut feeling, but she’d learned to trust them over the years. If only she could think of somewhere Rusty would stash Copper. Was there a place he’d loved when they were younger? Anywhere Copper loved that Rusty might want to poison for him?
