“I should’ve fucking done it the first time, and we wouldn’t be dealing with any of this bullshit.”
“No, not this bullshit, but we would’ve been dealing with some kind of bullshit. Ricky’d have to do something if you killed his son to keep his reputation intact.”
“What am I looking for, Prez?” Byte asked as soon as I walked into church.
“We need an address for Vinnie Reynolds or Calvin Reynolds and a map of the surrounding area. The girl says she and Ink ran from the house, and he’s somewhere in the woods.”
Byte nodded and started typing. “Got it,” he said moments later. “There’s a gas station about a half a mile from the house. We can meet there and branch out.”
“That works. Are the dogs here?” I asked.
“Yep. I’ll grab a couple of shirts from Ink’s room for the dogs to use.”
I exhaled heavily and prayed they weren’t going to find Ink’s lifeless body lying alone in the woods.
The guys hadn’t been gone longenough to find Ink when my door was once again opened without someone knocking. “You’re needed out front,” Ranger said and kept walking without telling me anything else.
I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t a well-dressed young man with a slightly crazed look in his eyes. Suddenly, I knew why Ranger didn’t stop at my door. He was on his way to get into position in case his skills were needed.
“Can we help you?” I asked cautiously.
“M-my name is Tripp. I brought Chloe here,” he said nervously.
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“Shit! I don’t know what I’m doing,” he blurted and fisted his hands in his hair. “Fuck!”
“You’re gonna get the fuck out of my clubhouse if you don’t start talking!” I yelled. “I don’t have time for this bullshit!”
Tripp’s eyes widened as his hands fell to his sides. He nodded and visibly swallowed. Then he slowly raised his hands in surrender. “Elsie Nelson set up the attack on Ariel today.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Yes. I have the text messages she sent to her sister from my phone, and I have Elsie in the trunk of my car.”
I nearly choked on my own spit. “Right now?” I coughed.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I figured it all out when I was driving Chloe here. I dropped her off and went back to get Elsie before she got wind of anything and took off.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, unsure of what to deal with first. “Okay, someone needs to get the girl out of his trunk. Is she restrained or sedated?”
“She’s restrained,” Tripp said. “Wrists and ankles. And I shoved a dirty sock in her mouth because she wouldn’t shut the fuck up.”
“How old is this girl?” I asked.
“Sixteen,” Tripp said. “I think.”
“Fucking hell. We can’t bring a bound and gagged minor in here.”
“Yes, you can,” Chloe said from the hallway where she was standing with Gabby and Diesel. “I’m an adult, and she’s my sister. I’ll take responsibility for her.”
“Diesel, get his keys. Then find Blaze and Raven. They’re around here somewhere. Have them get Elsie out of the trunk and put her in a cell downstairs. I’ll get to her after I talk to Tripp and Chloe.”
Instead of taking them to church or my office, I ushered them to a booth in the common room. I wanted them to feel comfortable so they would tell us as much as possible.
“Okay,” I said to Tripp. “What did you figure out?”
“Prez!” Byte shouted as he entered the common room.
