Page 27 of Rough Road

“Dangerous.” Eli nodded. “I get it, you know. After what they did to you…” She pointed to her throat. “I would go back, too.”

Eli had never been part of the biker world. Never liked anything about the club, and so Fiona’s way of life probably didn’t make a lot of sense. But she was grateful for Eli’s support now. Grateful enough her eyes went misty again.

“Thanks.” She hadn’t had a lot of friends growing up. Too many big biker types hanging around scared the private school parents away from letting their daughters be friends with her, so Fiona spent most of her time with Hamilton and Grier. It was nice to have at least the hope of friendship now. But now, it was time to go. She had business to attend to back home.

* * *

The minute he stepped off the plane the FBI picked him up. More threats, more breathing down his neck and he didn’t have time for it. And they’d kept him four days. Four extra days for Sedotal’s tab. And because when the Demons discovered he’d been the one to kill Dave, the undercover FBI who’d posed as a driver for the Screaming Demons shipments of parts stuffed with drugs, they’d chopped Kale into pieces and sent him back to Sedotal a limb at a time, Grier couldn’t even give the bastard up to the FBI. So, the FBI still wanted Hamilton and seemed rather hellbent on getting him, if the smackdown Grier had taken in an unmonitored interview room meant anything.

They’d given him a week to get them proof before they promised to come back with a SWAT team and a warrant for Grier’s arrest for the same murder they were trying to pin on Hamilton. A week to find and kill Sedotal and figure out how to get them off his back.

He walked into the clubhouse. The empty clubhouse. He listened, heard only the sound of his own boots on the floor. Then he stopped. Not empty. Fiona’s office door was open, and murmurs came from inside. He walked toward the door. Every remaining Demon in the city who wasn’t out looking for Sedotal or tracking down leads stood circled around her desk.

He moved through the back row of guys, then pushed through the rest until he could see what they were all looking at. His mouth dropped open. “Fiona.”

She smiled as if she wasn’t supposed to be back in Belize, safe and sound at Kye’s house with its gate and fences and privacy. “Hello, Grier. Good to see they let you go.”

Goddammit. Someone had called her. Probably Hamilton. Her spy. “How’d you know?” Not that he could do much about it right now, not until she was back on a plane. But as soon as she was gone, there would be plenty of hell to pay.

“I came back and you weren’t here. I called Sheriff Lodi and he told me.” She walked out from behind the desk. “The new sheriff in town’s on the payroll. Sage hacked into his computer and the information he found means we’re going to own this guy for as long as he’s sheriff.” She grinned. “The boys have been busy while we were away.”

“You could’ve just asked Kye.”

Fiona’s smile faded. “No one’s seen him either.”

What? As the FBI dragged him away, he’d seen Kye get into a taxi. Grier’s gut ached. “Did your sheriff friend know anything?”

Fiona shook her head. “He hasn’t been picked up.”

That meant someone knew he was back. He’d lost the element of surprise and now the fuckers had Kye. Grier slammed his hand on Fiona’s desk, and she looked at Sage. “I did a little computer stuff.” No need to explain to Grier. He wouldn’t get the techie terms, and Sage knew it, too. Probably why he didn’t bother. “There are three buildings beside the dance studio listed in a dummy company’s name. I figured if they owned the dance studio, chances are the Omens are using one of those. Hamilton put guys on all three. So far, we don’t have any movement, but I’m still digging, and Hamilton has patrols going out, checking anything abandoned, out of the way, or remotely associated with Tyler Sedotal or Willy Carr.” He glanced at the woman standing at the side of the room, chewing her thumbnail. “Mia gave us some other places they might be. We’re watching them all.”

That accounted for the low numbers at the clubhouse.

“And we are putting shipments out. If they’re coming for us, they’ll go after those first.” Hamilton’s voice was quiet, stern, and its usual gravel depth of baritone. Almost comforting in the light of finding out his wife had forsaken her own safety to come back and that Kye had been taken.

“I saw Kye get into a cab at the airport.” They’d dressed like tourists to try to escape notice. “He was wearing a Bruins jersey and jeans, I think.”

“It’ll take a while to talk to every driver that covers the airport.” The girl in the corner spoke quietly. She stood and walked to stand beside Sage.

“When did you guys figure out he was missing?” The longer the Omens had gone without calling for ransom, the worse it would be for Kye. Could even be revenge for Kale. Fuck. He’d have to tell Eli.

“This morning when I got here. I asked about him.” Fiona nodded. “But I know that he’s talked to Eli since you guys got here. So… maybe he’s out on his own? Looking?” From her face, she didn’t buy it either.

It wasn’t like he could call Eli and ask when the last time she spoke to him was. Not without tipping her off and having to worry about her safety too, because if Kye was in danger and she knew it, no man in the world would be big enough to stop her from coming back here. “We have to find him.” He glanced at Fiona. “What did he say when he talked to Eli?”

She shifted and crossed her arms. “He mentioned extra bikers in town and a slowdown of street sales.”

Grier nodded. That meant Kye had been out talking to the gangs and the little preppie college boys who handled the merchandise at the street level. “When did he call?”

“A while after your flight landed, I think. She never mentioned if he called again.”

Fuck. This was not a wrinkle he wanted to deal with. And if Kye was out there somewhere playing the hero on his own, friendship or not, Grier was going to kill him. And if anything happened to Kye…

Fiona leaned in to talk to Sage, then stood at her full height, a height enhanced more with the heels she mus have changed into from the flip flops she’d loved on the beach. She had a slow, confident smile when she looked out at the men in the room. “All right. This is what we’re going to do.”

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They had confirmation from one of their street dealers; the Omens had picked up Kye. Took him in broad daylight on the corner of Hampshire and Cambridge. She’d had Sage try to track his phone, but the damned thing was turned off. But Fiona knew in her gut that where they found Kye, they would find Sedotal.