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She walks away and leaves us sitting there, shell-shocked. It really sounds like she’s never coming back. Skye’s shaking, tears rolling down her face as I wrap my arms around her. She sobs against me.
“Shall we go home?” Skye nods against me. Once we get in the truck, I get Skye all settled in and comfy, and I climb behind the wheel.
“When you said Ray left you enough, what did she leave you, love?”
“She told me everything was going to shit, and she gave me a holdall and told me to trust my instincts. If it didn't feel right, to run far and run fast. When she left, I opened it up. There was a new identity, new documents for me and you, and the number of a guy who could help me with documents for the baby if we'd already had him by that time. I checked the bag. It was full of cash. A gun and a letter in it said it was untraceable and legit, so I could spend it freely without worrying about being found.”
“Fuck, I need to see the bag when we get home.”
She nods. “It's safe, I hid it.”
“Good girl, now rest. It's been a fucking long day, love.” I rest my hand on her leg as I drive us back to the MC.
Steel
Pulling the truck to the bottom of the stairs, Dice helps me down with my stuff. “You sure this is a good idea?”
“Nope, but it's the only one I have. She’s been gone for weeks. I'm gonna find her or die trying.”
Dice hasn't been much help since he got back with Dane. Whatever he knows, he’s not sharing, and he's barely trying to find her now, and without him behind the computer, we actually have nothing. But I have my gut, and I know my wife. Whatever she’s running from… or to, I'm gonna find her. Since I've been unable to rely on Dice, I've used the old-fashioned way of tracking a person, and after a million dead ends, I got three confirmed sightings.
Yes, it was painstakingly mind-numbing, but it paid off. I sat with my phone and laptop in my room for days. I searched every gas station north of here, then called every single one. I told them she was my sister escaping an abusive relationship, and I needed to save her. Most people shut me down, but three confirmed she had passed through. Some people are stupid, really—catch them off guard, and they will spill what you need. I mean, if they actually thought about what I’d asked, why would you say yes to someone over the phone? I mean, I could be the abuser, but I'm not one to pick. It has given me my area to start.
I could have asked Dice to check out their cameras, but I'm not sure he wouldn't have told Dane, and I'm pretty sure Dane knows where she is, so he would have told her, and I would have lost my advantage. As I’m loading the truck, my brothers come to say goodbye. I don’t know how long I will be gone for or if I will ever come back.
I’ve vowed I won't come back till I find her. I don’t want to be here without her. The apartment doesn’t smell like her anymore; she’s a ghost on everything I touch. I sometimes sit in the dressing room and just sniff her clothes like a fucking psycho, but even that’s fading. The bed doesn’t smell like her anymore, and Hades is gone, too. I’m lonely, and it's worse since Dane and Dice are back together. He has his Ray. I want mine fucking back. I'm not giving in till I at least see her, speak to her, explain to her, beg her, whatever it takes.
Once everyone’s left, I head around to the coffee shop. “Hey, I'm leaving, just wanted to say… goodbye.”
“Leaving?” Demi steps out from behind the counter. “Where are you going?”
“I'm gonna find her or die trying. I can't stay here without her, and I've let everyone down. I can't forgive myself till she forgives me, and she isn't going to do that while I sit here and do nothing. I'm sorry I let you down, Demi. I truly am. I love you.”
“Steel.”
“Don't, just hug me and pretend you don't hate me for a second, at least till I've left, okay?”
“I don't hate you, Colby. You're my brother. I'm hurt and upset for Ray, but I don't hate you. I'm sorry if I made you think that. Be careful, okay?”
“Love ya, Dem. See you soon.”
I turn my back on the only place that has ever felt like home because it's just some walls in a room with a door that I can't stay behind without her. I want my home back, and that's her.
So, I trust my instincts. I head north, and I drive to the first sighting. It's a couple of hours away, and when I arrive, I grab my phone and the picture I have of Ray. It's the most recent one I have of her, without the scar that she now sports, which is too much like my own to be a coincidence. Fuck, if I ever see Roach again, I will kill the bastard.
As I enter the gas station, it's an older woman working. I give her my sob story, and she has no idea what I'm talking about. “I spoke to someone called Lee.”
She shakes her head. “That's my son. He will be in tomorrow. You can come back then.”
Sighing, I ask, “Okay, what time?”
I head out to the truck. I'm only two hours away from home and already at a dead end. Pulling out the laptop, I start researching my next move, and then I start searching for the guy from the gas station. Bingo. I love kids and their social media. A few clicks, and I've found where he lives, so rather than wait, I’m gonna pay Lee a visit. See if I can't shake the little shit for some information.
As I pull up to the little shit’s house, I know I'm gonna have to get creative. I pull the screen back and knock on the door. I wait patiently for him to answer it. As it opens slowly, the smell of weed hits me, and I almost choke on it. Damn kid’s stoned to fuck.
I pull out my wallet and flash him my driving licence. “Police, son. I have some questions for you regarding a woman who passed through here a few weeks ago.”
“Whoa.” He grabs onto the door frame as he tries to focus, grinning up at me.
