But Merrick isn’t with them.
I run from bike to bike, the gravel biting into the soles of my feet, asking them where he is.
“Last saw him with Iron Jack.”
“Lost him in the trees.”
“He’s bound to be somewhere.”
But he isn’t. Neither is Iron Jack.
As we head into the clubhouse, I want to shriek at all of them, “How could you have left him behind?”
Tears streak down my face. When we’re in the living room, I yank on Fancy’s arm. “We have to go back! He could be hurt!”
It’s Betz who pulls me off him. “Control yourself, Mouse.”
This is the thing that breaks me. “My name is Marietta, Goddamn it!”
My terror must strike their hearts because the room, crowded with men rushing on adrenaline from the raid, falls quiet.
It’s Stoney who speaks up from the hall, his baby girl on his shoulder. He passes the bundle to Celia, who heads back into their bedroom. “Come with me, Marietta,” he says. “I’ll explain the plan.”
The chatter resumes. I follow Stoney to the kitchen, where he opens the top of the industrial-sized coffee maker, easily filling the filter from the grounds in the container next to it and setting it to percolating like he doesn’t normally make one of the women do it.
“For the club,” he says, “though you’re welcome to a cup. It’ll be a long night.” He gestures to the stool, the only seat in the room.
I perch on it.
He leans his elbow on the counter and runs a hand across his tired face. “Iron Jack knew Merrick’s military record and picked him as his right-hand man on this raid. Normally, it would be me, but …” He gestures to the dried spit up on his shoulder. “Carol’s having a hard time. It’s taking both me and Celia to keep up with all the kids.”
I fold my hands together to keep them from shaking.
“The rest of the club was there to create a disturbance, most of all with Fancy’s explosive. Then they were to get out. They weren’t privy to the whole plan, or else they never would have left.”
“What are they doing?”
“Iron Jack is confronting Anarchy about the incident when they ran down the bike.”
“With Merrick and me?”
“No.” His face is grim. “The one with his parents.”
I suck in a breath. “He thinks Lucifer’s Kin killed his parents?”
“He’s sure of it. It was the start of them infiltrating the territory. They thought with the Wild Hair leadership out of theway, and that sheriff’s wife in their pocket, they would have an easy time of it.”
“But Iron Jack is showing them otherwise.”
“Exactly.”
“So, right now, Merrick and Iron Jack are with Anarchy?”
Stoney opens a cabinet and pulls down mugs. “Merrick wasn’t supposed to stay, but if he did, that means something’s going down. I haven’t heard from them, so I don’t know how it’s gone. We have to wait for word.”
The room fills with the smell of coffee, drawing the other bikers.
I feel worse than before. Merrick and Iron Jack are alone with the Kin.
