Maisie
Two years ago...
Istretched, my body, well and truly sated from the royal shagging my husband, Hatch, had provided before heading off to work. He was a mechanic and owned a garage not far from home. He’d left me in bed with a promise to drop our boys at school before heading to his shop, so that I could have a lie in. Today was “Maisie Day.” It happened once a month, come hell or high water, and Hatch took care of everything. Today it was the royal shagging, followed by lunch with my girls, then mani/pedis with my baby girl, Poppy. This particular Maisie Day came during hellandhigh water, considering someone had stolen Hatch’s identity and it was taking a while to sort it out. Whoever had hacked his accounts was a hacking phenom and not even our resident genius, Booker, could get around it.
My phone buzzed on my nightstand and I answered it, assuming it was Hatch. “Miss me already?”
“Babe, it’s Flea. Hatch has been arrested.”
“What?” I whispered, throwing the covers back and jumping out of bed.
“Hatch has been arrested,” Flea repeated.
Those four words had just turned my perfect world upside down.
“Forwhat?” I demanded.
“We don’t know. Mack’s trying to find out.”
“Flea, you need to get me information. I need to know what the bloody hell is going on.”
“I will, Maisie. I promise.”
I hung up and tried to call Hatch. He didn’t answer...not that I expected him to, but I tended to be an optimist and really wanted this to be fake news.
In hopes of getting something, I called Mack. He answered after one ring. “Babe, I don’t know anything yet. Try not to panic.”
“How can I possibly not panic when my man has been taken by God knows who to God knows where, without a word to anyone? I want to talk to him.”
“Tryin’ to work that out, Maisie. I’m kinda runnin’ into a brick wall.”
“Are you joking?”
“Babe.”
“Look, I get that I’m not versed in how the American jail system works, but I’ve watched enough movies to know that he gets a phone call,” I said. “And I’d imagine, if he doesn’t ring me, you will be the next choice.”
“No one’s getting to him and I’m trying to find out exactly why.”
“No, no, no, no, no, Mack. Not acceptable. You need to shut this down.”
“Can’t do that if I’m on the phone with you, Maisie.”
“Right. Of course. I’m hanging up now.” I did and hurried through a shower before donning clean clothes. I wasn’t really sure why I was even bothering, but my British stiff upper lip required I didn’t show emotion whilst wearing the freshest of knickers.
My phone buzzed just as I pulled my hair into a band. It was Payton. “Hi, Pay. Have you heard?”
“Yes! What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know. I was kind of hoping Hawk would know.”
“No one knows anything,” she said. “Crow and Mack are working on it. Hawk went to the club. Actually, everyone’s there. I’m at your door. Come let me in.”
I rushed downstairs and pulled open the door, finding myself pulled into one set of arms, then another. Payton and Cassidy, who were Hawk and Ace’s women, respectively, lived just down the street and were both speaking at once as I led them to my kitchen.
My phone buzzed, and I answered it without looking at the screen. “Hello?”
“Are you sitting down.”
