“I’m going to break into the bar tonight and find the missing camera footage,” I tell her, watching in amusement as her head snaps to me, eyes wide.
“That’s your diabolical plan?” she asks, sounding incredulous.
“Well, the bartender is lying. So it’s either that or I go to his house and give him a different kind of interrogation.” An idea forms. “Can’t the cop do that for us? Take him in and demand answers? As a matter of fact, why haven’t they stormed in with a search warrant to find the footage?”
“They already did, apparently,” she says, tone dry. “He’s sticking to his story. He didn’t see anything unusual. As for the camera footage, they didn’t find anything. It might really have been turned off, which makes me wonder why. Either they knew something was going down, or their camera really was busted.”
“I’m thinking they knew something was happening.”
“Same,” Faye agrees, slamming her brakes at the light, making the car jerk.
I brace myself against the dashboard. This is definitely the last time I’ll be a passenger in the car with her, not to mention my long legs are cramped as hell.
“If they searched the bar and didn’t find anything, maybe the break-in isn’t necessary,” I think out loud. “But maybe we need to put our own cameras in and have the place under surveillance. They’re up to something, and I want to know exactly what it is.”
“We can get that done tonight,” Faye agrees, nodding. “Arrow and Tracker can handle it. They’re both good with that kind of stuff.”
“Why don’t you just ask the feds to sort it out?” I ask, wondering why she’d ask the MC for help instead of them.
She shrugs and simply says, “I like to use my own resources if need be. I like to show them that I don’t need them, they need me.”
“Of course you do,” I murmur, shaking my head and looking out the window.
Who knows why Faye does what she does? She seems to always have a plan though.
My mind wanders from Faye and her diabolical mind to someone else.
That woman.
I wonder if she’ll return to the bar again.
THREE
AFTER speaking to Elizabeth’s sister, neighbors, and friends, I head back to the clubhouse, wondering why terrible things happen to good people. She really was a saint, just a good soul, and it hurts my chest to think of what she could be suffering through right now, if she’s even still alive. I really hope she is.
When I walk into the kitchen, smelling something delicious, I open the oven to investigate. I have to hand it to the women here: there’s always food in the kitchen, something I’m not used to, and something I won’t be taking for granted any time soon. We didn’t have any women who cooked for us at the Wild Men clubhouse. We had women who came and partied, stayed the night, then left in the morning. We had nothing like the family vibe here. I don’t even know which of the women can cook, but the fuckin’ lasagna in the oven looks amazing. I close the oven and go to the fridge for a beer, then head outside where I can hear the others laughing. Talon, Sin, and Tracker are sitting there watching the sunset, so I pull up a chair and join them. Ever since Sin stepped down as president, I’ve noticed that he’s more relaxed. It’s Arrow we turn to now if anything goes wrong, and I guess that must be a weight off his shoulders.
“How did it go?” Sin asks me, playing with the label on his beer bottle. “Any leads?”
“Not yet,” I say, nodding to Tracker. “Apparently you and Arrow have some cameras to plant tonight, so maybe you should stop after that beer.”
Tracker smirks, not fazed. “Or perhaps I should drink more. Faye wants me to install cameras where, exactly? Since when did we start working for the feds too?”
I laugh that he already knows it’s Faye handing out commands.
“Since Faye decided so. A biker bar about thirty minutes from here,” I tell him, giving him a quick rundown of everything that happened today.
“How exactly did you get dragged into this again?” Tracker asks, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Faye wanted me to help,” is all I say, because it really is an answer in itself.
They all nod like they understand.
“You need any help, let me know,” Talon says, the look in his eyes telling me that he means anything, no matter what. He has my back. I nod, because I already know that he does.
“I just hope we can find her,” I say, looking down at my feet. “Two weeks is a long time, you know?”
Silence takes over the group as we contemplate that.
“Let me know if you think Faye is getting in over her head,” Sin says, looking at the sunset. “I’m sure you’ve already figured out that she thinks she can save the world all on her own.”
“I’ll look after her, don’t worry,” I reply.
To the other men, he probably wouldn’t have even said anything, but I’m new to the MC, so I understand why he mentioned it. Still—it does annoy me a little. I get that trust is earned, but I’m a loyal man, and I will be loyal to this club, just like I was to my last. No one here besides Talon really knows that about me though. I finish my beer, listening to their easy conversations, but not participating. I feel like I’m an outsider looking in sometimes, yet I’m not exactly making any moves to fix it. I’m at a crossroads in my life, and I have no fuckin’ idea what I want or what will make me happy.