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Before an hour was up, half his club had shown up, ready and willing to lend a hand. They knew how much the Indian meant to Juliette, and their loyalty to her and Chains didn’t falter.
The Jokers scattered across the property, combing the area for any signs of who might’ve been there, but it there was nothing. The only tracks they found were from Juliette’s car, their bikes, and Chains’ truck.
They were drawing a blank. Blackheart was questioning Chains about their day, asking if Zaiden had been acting sketchy. They both shrugged it off, saying it was a run-of-the-mill day, and Zaiden just seemed keen on a ride. Blackheart reminded them that Paco had been tailing them all day, and he’d planned to follow Zaiden back to his place, because there was some stuff Paco wanted to dig into with him.
Juliette told them that she knew where Zaiden was staying, that she’d given him the name and address of the homestay. But Blackheart told her he hadn’t gone there. He’d been staying somewhere else, and they couldn’t pin down where.
“Why not ask Paco?” Chains suggested. “Zaiden must’ve made it back to wherever he’s staying by now, surely.”
“That’s another problem,” Blackheart admitted. “Paco’s gone dark. I’ve called him, texted him, but nothing.”
“Do you reckon something happened to him?” Chains questioned.
“Doubt it,” Blackheart dismissed. “The guy can handle himself, but... yeah, something’s up. Maybe he lost his phone. It’ll be something minor. We’ll hear from him soon.” Blackheart turned to Juliette, asking, “Any clue who might’ve done this?”
With her eyes welled up at the thought of her cherished motorcycle, her strongest tie to her mother, now in the clutches of a thief, her mind was a whirl. Finally, she murmured, “No. No clue.” They all waited for her to add something. “Barely anyone even knows it’s here, except Chains. I never show it off. I’ve never told anyone.”
“Do you think someone could’ve been snooping around your property and spotted it?” Blackheart probed.
“Now that you mention it... yeah,” she conceded. She then recounted the odd incidents involving Zaiden, the dog barking, and the tear in Zaiden’s jeans.
“We’ve got to track him down, ASAP,” Blackheart said.
“But how can we do that if we can’t reach Paco?” Chains pointed out.
Blackheart didn’t respond. He was already busy thumbing another text.
Blackheart pulled Chains away for a private chat. “If we’re not lucky, that bike’s going to be out of state by sunrise. Don’t let Juliette know, she doesn’t need that kinda worry right now, but we’ve got to act tonight. Do you think she’d be okay crashing at the club tonight? The girls can keep her company while we tear this town apart till we find that bike.”
“Sounds good. I’ll check with her now,” Chains agreed.
Meanwhile, Blackheart had summoned Cruz. “Find out where this is,” he ordered, showing him the coordinates for Paco’s phone. “Hasn’t moved in an hour. No clue why he’s ghosting me.”
“You concerned?” Cruz inquired.
Blackheart didn’t utter a word, but his silence spoke volumes. “Gotcha, boss,” Cruz acknowledged, before hopping on his bike and racing off to track down Paco.
“Hey, babe. You good with crashing at the club tonight? We’ve got to hit the road and find whoever took your bike,” Chains suggested, holding her arms gently, his heart aching for her.
Through tear-streaked cheeks, she gave him a nod. His support and the united front of the club was comforting. These people were her family now, and their support was what she needed to keep pushing through. “Sure,” she whispered.
“Alright then. Need anything for the night? We can take it in my saddlebags.”
“Mmm.” She wasn’t much for words at that moment, still reeling from the shock of it all. She headed into the shed and came back with a backpack. He walked her to his bike. He sat on it, and she clambered up behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist tightly. As they rode off, she started sobbing against his back.
Once they pulled up at the club, he was hesitant to leave her in such a state, but once the old ladies gathered around and assured him she’d be taken care of, he kissed her and told her not to worry, that everything would be alright. Satisfied she’d be okay, he gunned it back to her place, fired up to find the motherfucker who’d robbed her.
Cruz ended up following Paco’s phone signal to a flat on the edge of town. The door was left ajar, which made him instantly wary. His hand instinctively hovered over his tucked-away piece, ready to draw if things got dicey. He didn’t want to go barging in gun-blazing without knowing who might be there. And honestly, the thought of Paco being in trouble or any danger for him in the room didn’t even cross his mind.
Using his boot, he nudged the door open a bit more to get a better look inside. Seeing Paco sprawled out on the floor, he swiftly whipped out his gun, his back pressing against the wall as he scanned the room for any potential threat. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he closed the door behind him and checked on Paco. But deep down, he already knew. Paco’s twisted posture and the pool of blood were telltale signs. It was a gut punch – everyone liked Paco.
The question that bugged him was who had been staying at the place and why they’d done Paco in. Since he knew Paco was tailing Zaiden, it didn’t take much to put two and two together. He phoned up Blackheart and delivered the bad news.
The Jokers were going all out trying to find any clue that would lead them to the stolen bike. They questioned neighbors, scanned any security cam footage they could find, and hit up their biker friends in town. But the hours just kept ticking by, and they were coming up empty.
Then, out of nowhere, a local mentioned seeing a truck near Juliette’s place. His description matched Chains’ truck. Chains whipped out his phone, showing the guy a photo of his truck. “Yup, that’s the one,” the old man confirmed.
That got Chains curious. He dialed up his neighbor, asking him to take a quick look to see if his truck was still parked in the yard. Sure enough, it was right where he’d left it. “Didn’t I see you come home in it?” the neighbor asked, baffled by Chains’ sudden interest in his own truck. That’s when the pieces started falling into place. Chains’ truck had been the getaway vehicle for the heist.
