Link
AFTER FINDING OUT about Emily’s grandmother, we spent a couple hours making calls, got dressed, and came downstairs only to find Havoc waiting for us.
“Emily, I am so sorry,” he said. “I… I… We can…”
She held up a hand. “Stop. None of this is your fault. That bastard thinks he can bully me into giving up this case, but he has no clue what he’s done. Now he’s going to feel our full fury and we are going to take his ass down. That’s what’s going to happen, Havoc. You can keep your unnecessary apologies and channel them into anger to help Link find my grandmother, because your help is all I need from you.”
My queen. There she was in all her fearsome beauty. I wanted to cover her, surround her, hide her from the world, but now was not the time for that. Now was the time to escort her to her battlefield and hurry to mine. Giving Emily a quick kiss goodbye, I left her in the common area with Jayson and her phone and joined the Dead Presidents gathering in our meeting room.
It was barely after nine a.m., Booker and Hawk had arrived and were downing coffee while catching up with Wasp and Eagle in the back. I joined them, thanking each of the Dogs of Fire for coming.
“How are Dani and the kids?” I asked Booker.
He grinned. “They’re great. Dani’s as feisty as ever.”
I chuckled. “I bet,” I said, then I turned to Hawk. “What about Payton? I heard Lily shacked up with Ace’s kid. That true?”
Hawk nodded. “Yeah, got myself a grandkid.”
“No shit?”
Hawk raised an eyebrow. “You see Payton, though, you don’t fuckin’ call her grandma, she’ll geld you.”
I laughed. I’d only met Payton a handful of times, but she was the sister of an FBI agent, and now the old lady of a bounty hunter, so she knew how to take care of herself… and the woman could shoot. I’d seen it myself.
Pops and the old crew came in, bringing with them a mix of retired and active servicemen. Leaving the Dogs with Wasp and Eagle, I made the rounds, personally thanking everyone who’d shown up before heading to the front of the room. There, I went over what had happened before passing around a few pictures of Emily’s grandmother.
After a brief question and answer period, Wasp, Eagle, Havoc, and I worked together to break people up into teams. Some hit the streets, some hit the phones, and some hit the internet, but everyone went to work. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were a blur of staggered shifts, delivered meals, and pots of coffee. Even the old ladies and club whores put aside their differences to keep everyone fed, caffeinated, and the station clean and functioning.
Emily split her time between helping the women and preparing her case. Since I didn’t want her or Jayson out of my sight, they rescheduled her Monday appointments and worked from the station. Monday afternoon I caught Jayson, looking haggard and worn, making two cups of coffee in the kitchen.
Refilling my own cup, I asked, “How’s she holding up?”
I’d checked on Emily a few times, but knew she wanted me focused on finding her grandmother, and not worrying about her, so I was trying to keep my distance. Still, I worried.
“Not well,” Jayson admitted. “Tired. Cranky. She needs sleep, but she won’t listen to me. Every time I bring it up, she sends me out here for more coffee. It’s not the same, Link. Not the same.”
I nodded, understanding his struggle all too well. “I’ll make sure she sleeps tonight. She’ll need it for court tomorrow.”
Court. Tomorrow. We were running out of time. I’d spent the past three days with Booker and Hawk, tracking the mayor’s money to different properties he owned. Then we’d dispatch a crew to go search it. So far, we’d found drugs and guns, but no sign of Annabel. My gut twisted as I thought about all the things that could be happening to Emily’s grandma. I’d promised to find the old lady, and with every second that ticked by, I felt the weight of that promise settle a little heavier around my shoulders. Soon, it would be choking me.
“Still no word, huh?” Jayson asked.
“Lots of leads. We’re following every one of them, but so far, we haven’t found shit. We’ll keep at it, and I know she’ll turn up.” I just hoped it would be in time. “What about you, Jay? You need anything?”
Rabbit walked into the kitchen, and Jayson’s gaze followed him. “I got food, coffee, eye candy galore, what more could I need?” he asked.
Rabbit glanced our direction and Jayson winked at him.
Shaking his head and chuckling, Rabbit kept walking. Rumor was that Jayson had hit on half my club, and they thought he was hilarious.
“All right. You need anything, you let me know,” I said.
Jayson picked up the coffee cups and headed for the door. “Just find Annabel and make the assholes who took her pay.”
* * *
After dinner, I found Emily on the sofa in my office, her eyelids appeared to be propped open by an invisible layer of willpower, while Jayson stared at his computer screen. Emily lifted her head and watched me, not daring to ask the question she’d asked so many times before. Giving her a slight shake of my head, I let her know we still hadn’t found Annabel.
