Good. If possible, I wanted to find Dominic before then. I knew that she’d be worried sick about him if he wasn’t there when she woke up.
“Can I see her?”
“Sure.”
He led me to her room. She was the only person in there, in the bed hooked up to monitors. Bruising was starting to form on her face, and the swelling at her temple looked worse. She was dressed in a hospital gown, and the lower half of her body was covered with blankets, but I didn’t need to see it to know where she’d been hurt.
I expected her to look fragile like this, but she didn’t. Somehow, even in her unconscious state, I could see the fighter that I was crazy about. She was still so strong, and she’d get through this.
And it wouldneverhappen again.
There were two quick taps on the door before it was opened, and Tammy walked inside.
“Oh my god,” her hand went to her mouth, and she crept closer to the bed until she was sitting in the chair at Erica’s side. “Who did this?”
“Her husband.”
“Husband? She never…”
“He’s an abusive piece of shit, and she was hiding from him.”
“That bastard,” she sighed. “Swole sent me. Said you need to find Dominic? Is he okay?”
“I hope so. Stay with her. I’ll be back as soon as possible. If she wakes up, call me.”
“Got it. Swole said to meet her at the bar.”
I felt like I was leaving behind a piece of my heart as I walked out of that hospital room, but Dominic had to be my priority. It wasn’t just for Erica. I was worried about him too.
When I pulled into the parking lot of The Blue Dog, I was unexpectedly moved at the sight of my Outlaw Souls brothers and sisters already there, waiting to help me. I pulled up next to Ryder, who nodded in greeting. I got off my bike and spoke loudly to the assembled members.
“Thank you all for coming. We are looking for Dominic Mills.” Getting out my phone, I pulled up a picture I’d taken of Dominic and Erica when they were staying at my place. Zooming in on his face, I held the phone up for everyone to see. “He might have a dog with him. He’s my family, and I want him found safe.”
As everyone mounted their bikes, I pulled Hawk aside. “I need a favor from you.”
“What is it?”
“Go to Erica’s house in case Dominic comes back there and use that time to do a little digging for me. I want to know where her husband is right now.”
“Name?”
“Jeff Donovan.”
“Alright, consider it done.”
With that taken care of, I mounted my bike and joined the others in sweeping the streets of La Playa. He had better be okay. If something happened to that little boy, Jeff would pay for it, as well.
* * *
I hadno idea where he could be. We had all been driving around for nearly an hour with no luck. Swole was with me, riding in traditional formation with me. I had a feeling that she might be keeping an eye on me, making sure that I was okay. Normally, I’d find that sort of thing annoying, but today, I felt like I needed it. I wasn’t going to fall to pieces or any weak-ass thing like that, but I could easily get distracted by my overwhelming rage and frustration.
I pulled over onto the sidewalk in a residential area not far from Erica’s house. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, and I didn’t think Dominic would come here for that reason, but I was getting desperate to find him. Swole pulled up beside me, pulling her helmet off her head.
“What’s the plan?” she asked, sounding nearly as frustrated as I felt.
“I don’t know,” I said heatedly as I pulled my helmet off. “How am I going to go back to the hospital and tell Erica that I couldn’t find her kid?Fuck.”
I kind of wanted Swole to take the bait and snap back at me, but she was too smart to fall into that trap. Fighting with each other now would just be a distraction, and as much as I wanted one, it wouldn’t do a damn thing to help this situation.
