As soon as she does, Ryker’s agitated tone ruptures the quaintness of our firelit gathering. “Have any of you spoken or texted with Rena since this morning?”
My stomach wrenches as we all mutter negative responses.
Axel’s broken voice coils through the air like a venomous snake ready to strike. “She’s gone. She was … we can’t find her anywhere.”
Wells leans forward, elbows propped on his knees. “Tell us everything you know.”
“She found out her piercings were tracking devices,” Axel supplies. “We thought she was out shopping with Jax today, but—”
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Ryker barks.
“You’re not going to kill him. You’re going to keep him from diving off a ledge,” Axel insists before coming back to us. “She pulled one over on Jax. Made him take her to this artsy music store downtown—Stereo Daze—and got him high beforehand. He passed out, waiting, and when he woke up, she was gone.”
Motherfucker.
I leap from my chair, pacing, my thrashing heart lodged in my throat. “And the trackers?”
“That’s where she fucked with us good,” Ryker provides. “She removed her piercings, sealed them in a package, and dropped it onto a UPS truck that had a route all over the city.”
“Oh my God,” Ivy wheezes at the same time Celeste hisses, “Shit.”
“Any idea what time she deposited the trackers?” Gage asks, rising out of his chair as Liam douses the burning logs with water so we can all go inside.
“The best we can tell, it was before ten this morning.” Axel groans a little, a painful bleat because Rena has been MIA for thirteen hours. “The shop owner opened a little early for them. Jax said she went into one of the listening booths around nine or nine thirty. Once he realized she was gone, he checked the tracker and assumed she was blowing off steam and galivanting all over town to prove a point.”
Liam sidles up beside Ivy as we trek through our outdoor entertainment area. “I’m headed to my office. I’ll access every camera I can in the city and near the airport.”
I slide open the door, letting the girls pass through as I pose the question I’m stuck on. “Was she upset about anything other than the trackers? Or is this just a reaction to that?”
I’m not convinced that’s what had her riled up in the hallway with me. She was panicked, scared. Finding out she was being tracked probably would have evoked anger over fear. There are pieces amiss here.
A loud bang reverberates through the line before Ryker’s groan guides us inside—sounds as though he kicked something. “We think that’s it. Jax said she confronted him about it a few days ago and was really worked up.”
“Okay.” Wells rubs his thumb over a gold-wrapped butterscotch. “Any idea where she might head?”
“No, but Rena …” Axel hedges, plainly deciding if he should share something with us.
“Now’s not the time to hold back, Axel,” Wells warns, plucking one of the extra laptops off the tech table to help with infiltrating the cameras and dropping into one of Liam’s chairs as Gage and I select our own equipment and find seats.
“She’s never been alone,” Axel says, which is certainly not news, so I’m wondering where he’s headed until he elaborates. “Sheshouldn’t be. We watch her like hawks for various reasons. Beyond the obvious ones regarding our lifestyle, she can fall into depression, which often leads to her being impulsive. When that happens, keeping her safe is a full-time job.”
That tidbit only tangles my already-wrenched gut further. She’s always seemed so free. The thought of her suffering or endangering herself is tormenting.
“She isn’t weak,” Ryker snipes, almost defensively, “but when she’s in pain, she doesn’t think. She jumps.”
“We’ve got it,” Wells assures them. “We’ll find her.”
“I’m counting on it.” Axel hangs up, and the room erupts into a frenzy of orders and commotion.
While I’m attempting to access the cameras for the music store, I throw out my concerns. “There’s no way this is solely about being tracked.”
“I disagree,” Celeste says, her brown eyes wide with irritation. “That’s a creepy thing to discover. It at least warrants her fucking with them. I’d be losing it too. It was bad enough when Liam tracked my phone, but her piercings are even worse.”
Liam’s gaze flicks to mine, undecided. I was unaware that Celeste was still in the dark about her tracker. The silent pecking of keys tells me I’m not the only one.
This isn’t the time.
All of us must have flinched enough for Celeste to catch it though because she scoffs.
