Walking along the trail to his house barely worked off his anger and disappointment. After twelve hours of searching for Dead and Dead, Jr., they hadn’t found either one of those motherfuckers.
Mortician would never forget CJ knocking on the door, his eyes filled with pain and anger, and asking Mort to step into the hallway. He’d been so fucking annoyed that the kid interrupted him and Bailey seeing to Harley.
Then…
CJ showed Mortician the fucking photos and told him how he’d obtained them.
“I should’ve stomped that motherfucker for violating Harley’s privacy,” he’d snarled. “And for being a lying fuckhead because I fucking swear those photos are too fucking grainy not to have come from a fucking video.”
Mort had let CJ rage, get all the hurt and anger out of his system, to controlhishurt and anger. He’d done one of the hardest things he’d ever done in life: clued Bailey in and questioned his baby girl.
Discovering Mama Dead had been in that fucking house during some of Harley’s abuse enraged Mortician. He been upset with Bailey, too.She’dallowed Harley to go with that little motherfucker in the first place, to spite Mortician.
He’d stormed downstairs, ready to ride out on his own. Outlaw had arrived, though. CJ had texted his father a rundownminus the photos.
“We roll out in ten,” Prez had announced, then signaled to Diesel.
He’d put CJ and Grant in one of the vans and allowed Johnnie to ride with Rory on the back of his fucking bike.
Of all times for Outlaw to protect that motherfucker and invite him back into their circle, he’d chosen to do it after Johnnie got Harley injured.
The Grevenbergs lived in a decent residential neighborhood, so having a line of bikes swarm their house wouldn’t fucking work. Since they lived closer to Portland than Hortensia, Prez called Derby and they used his clubhouse as a staging area.
Val drove Mortician, Diesel, and CJ into the neighborhood in the van. CJ had never fucking broken and entered and Bishop was just getting his feet wet, so Diesel was tasked with snatching Nardo, while Mortician would take Ned.
Unfortunately, neither motherfucker was there. Only that bitch,Doreen, swearing up and fucking down she didn’t know the location of those two.
While Mortician debated on taking her to the meatshack, Diesel slit her fucking throat and then began searching the house. Once they returned to Derby’s clubhouse without Nardo and Ned and Diesel noted various receipts he found for places the Grevenbergs frequented, Val issued routes and sent groups of five to each one, until most of the clubhouse was cleared out.
Mortician’s group included Val, Outlaw, Derby, and Stretch. CJ, Grant, and Rory were ordered to stay at the club. They didn’t like it but had to accept Outlaw’s decree.
They made rings around Portland, stopped in at the Night Fliers and clued Boy in, backtracked to Hortensia and searched Ridge Moore. The school was closed for the day supposedly due to electrical problems.
No luck. Nardo and Ned had vanished into thin air.
Now, Mortician was home, exhausted, heartsore, and still so fucking angry he could barely see straight. He wanted to check on Harley though, then return to the club and rest.
He turned from the main pathway onto the walkway that led to his veranda just as his door opened and Chester walked out.
Not in the mood to talk to anyone but seeing no way around it, Mortician closed the distance between them. “You okay?” he asked, seeing her sad, defeated look.
She forced a smile. “Fine, Mort. I wanted to see Harley, but Bailey won’t let me.” She swallowed and tried to smile again, when her pain was written all over her face. “I won’t hold you up. If you’re back, then Val is as well, so I’ll see you later.”
She started around him, but Mortician couldn’t let her walk away so upset. He grabbed her hand.
“Come on, baby. Bailey might not let you see Harley, but I will. You been looking after her for weeks. You got every right to see her.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“I’m positive. We owe you so fucking much for taking Harley in.”
“I won’t stay long. Of course Bailey wants her baby back, given all that’s happened. Harley moving back home was just so sudden. Bailey’s gone from not wanting anything to do with Harley to not wanting anyone around her.”
“It’s okay, baby.” Bailey had lost her fucking mind, but he wouldn’t disparage his wife to anyone no matter howhefelt. “Want some coffee?”
“Are you offering to make it?” Chester asked as they reached the front door. “If it’s Bailey, no fucking thank you. She might poison me.”
Fuck, she was right.
