“It’s not so much of a lead. It’s more like intuition.” Nick rolls his eyes toward the ceiling for a moment. “Oscar has always been odd. His brain is just wired differently. He thinks way too much. He sees things others don’t. It’s like he has ten scenarios and plays them out in his mind until he finds the answer.” His voice lowers. “It’s how he got his nickname.”
“Because he thinks like the famous detective?” Jack asks. Nick nods.
Jay tosses an arm over Nick’s shoulders. “And he calls you Watson because you’re his little helper?”
Nic growls and nods again. Nick’s good, really good. If his brother is that much better, I have no doubts he’ll find Harley and Josiah Edwards. We stopped saying Josiah’s name around Mack and Nanny. Regardless of what the doctors here say, we fear there’s more going on between the two.
“I know it’s hard, but I hope you can find a way to trust us. Take your wife home. Take care of your family in Tennessee. Nick’s staying with us. Between him and Sherlock, we’ll find Harley,” Jude promises.
“I won’t come home until I have her with me,” Nick vows.
Mack stands, his body rigid. He holds Nick’s gaze for a long moment. “Can I trustyouwith my daughter?”
Nick chooses his words carefully. “Yes, Prez.” He slowly moves his head from side to side. “I’d never hurt Harley. I’ll protect her with my life.”
His words aren’t just a reply. They’re a promise to a father and between bikers. It’s an oath, and one a man would die before he broke it. Something deep just passed between the two men. Let’s hope Dominic Watson can survive it.
Our phones ding with text messages at the same time. Mine rings seconds after.
“It’s an SOS,” Jay says.
I answer the call immediately. “Patches, what’s happening?”
“Fight at the Roadhouse. It’s bad.” His voice is ragged.
The prospect quickly tells me what he can. The sound of sirens in the background confirms how serious things are. The call abruptly ends before he can finish filling me in.
“Patches! Patches!” The screen is black. I hit the call back button. No signal on his end. I turn away and slap a hand to the top of my head. “This is not happening tonight,” I yell to no one.
“Worley.” Mack grabs my arm and spins me to face him. I’m taller, but I swear he’s stronger. “What happened?” he demands.
“There’s a fight at the Roadhouse. The Mavericks showed up. They’re tearing the place up.” I look between Jack and Jay. How do I tell them this? “Bankz is down. Don’t know how bad it is yet. Hendrix and half the club are on the way.” I meet Mack’s eyes. “The prospect said the cops and ambulance were on the way. I could hear the sirens.”
“Dad…”
Mack holds up his hand. “I know, son.” He steps in front of Jude. His voice cracks a little. “I’m trusting you to find my little girl.”
Jude gives a firm nod. “We’ll find her and escort her and Watson home.”
“Great,” Nick mumbles.
He hates the name even though it’s his last name. I’m afraid it’s going to stick. Jay will make sure of it.
Another call comes. I step into the hall to answer it.
“You need me?” Dobson, our helicopter pilot, asks. He gets SOS texts for the club, too.
“How fast can you get to Colorado?”
“I’m already here. I left when y’all did. Thought it was best you had backup transportation just in case.”
I like the way he thinks. “Thanks, man.”
He texts me the address of the small county airstrip he’s at. I plug it into my GPS. It’s only fifteen minutes away. I hurry back into the room to tell the other. With so many things out of hand tonight and so many people needing us, I take charge. Hopefully, my friend won’t be too mad.
“Mack, Dobson is here. The boys and I are going back with him.” Mack opens his mouth to argue. I shake my head. “Nanny needs you. Fly back with her and Ciara. They need a Viking escort.” We don’t let our women travel alone. “Get your wife home and settled. We’ll hold the club together until you’re there.”
Mack takes a deep breath and nods. He hates this, but knows it’s for the best. The boys and I hurry upstairs to get our bags. Jack says goodbye to his mother. He kisses her forehead and follows us to the parking lot. Nick is driving us to the airstrip so he can bring the SUV back. Something urges me to make another call before we meet Dobson. I pull up my contact list and hit the call button.
