The accusation was fair, and Wraith couldn’t deny the claim. Since Knox died, he’d taken over as her warden. There wasn’t much Cleo did or places she went that Wraith didn’t know about. As Ghost said, he had made it his job.
Wraith stood and stalked through the room, ignoring the stares from the members. They’d been smart enough not to add any additional commentary. Considering the anger racingthrough his veins, it wouldn’t have served them well. The irony? He had no one to be mad at except himself. Wraith went through the back room on his way to the door leading out to the yard.
Wraith circled the fire pit, grasping his hips. When the door creaked, he jerked his head, watching Cypher walk out. He stopped a few feet away and lifted his phone.
“They’re from Taryn.”
Wraith had his suspicions, and assumed they were from her. There were only a handful of people who had any contact with Cleo, and the Ghosttown East MC old lady was one.
Cypher glanced down at his phone. “I’m watching their messages in real time. Cleo assumed Taryn sent them, and Taryn just confirmed it. Also, joked about coming up and kidnapping her and taking her out to celebrate. Good to see Taryn’s got a sense of humor about that shit.” Cypher snickered. “As usual, they’re all innocent, Wraith.”
Wraith grasped his jaw, dragging his hand down his beard. Unbeknownst to Cleo, they tracked her phone. Not only the location but everything. They had access to purchases, calls, emails, and messages. There wasn’t anything she did with the phone that Cypher couldn’t see. It had been that way since she’d been given the phone after Knox’s death. Before then, there wasn’t a reason. Cleo had been Knox’s sole responsibility. After he died, Wraith took over. It was at Ace and Cross’s insistence that the phone be monitored. Cleo’s loyalty had always been to her brother, not necessarily the club. The president and VP needed to ensure that if Cleo remained with them, she’d stay silent about the MC.
And she had. There’d never been anything that sent up red flags. Until Taryn. After an incident with the East MC, she’d shared her phone number with one of the members’ old ladies. They’d messaged innocently, and it was clear Cleo was desperate for any type of female interaction. Cypher had brought it to Wraith directly. He should’ve made it known to the others. There were no secrets in the club. However, Ace would’ve shut it down immediately as he had when another member’s woman had givenher phone number to Cleo in front of them. They hadn’t even left Inez’s building when Ace took her phone, deleting Regina’s phone number. A few days later, Cleo asked Taryn for it, and she’d started a message thread with Regina.
It would’ve been grounds for confiscating Cleo’s phone. So Wraith and Cypher kept silent. As long as she was being safe, they wouldn’t say anything to anyone. And for now, they’d keep it that way.
“Anything else?” Wraith lifted his chin, gesturing to the phone.
“A few calls to Reyna that go straight to voicemail.”
Ace had told him, he’d deal with Reyna. But hadn’t mentioned anything.
“You talk to her yet?”
“No, and she hasn’t shown up in the last two days.”
That was suspicious.
“That normal?”
Cypher shrugged. “They make their own schedules, Wraith. But I’m thinking that’s why Ace is keeping Cleo away from the motel for now until we talk to Reyna.”
Cypher turned, walking toward the door.
“Did you know?” Wraith asked.
Cypher looked back, cocking his brow.
“You know it was her birthday?”
Cypher smirked and shook his head. “Not tight with her like Ghost.”
Neither was Wraith, it seemed. How had he missed this? Birthdays had never been anything special for him. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he celebrated his own. It was just another day. But women were different. The proof was on Cleo’s face when she opened the gift from Ghost and saw the flowers. For her, it was special. He paced around the fire pit, fighting against the blood racing through his veins. Ghost was right. For as much as he was engulfed with every aspect of her life, this was a simple fact he should’ve known.
“Wraith.”
He glanced over at Cypher. He thought the brother had left, but he was standing in the same spot.
“Obviously not last year, but it was around this time of year that Knox used to take Cleo down to Lawry. Ace gave him a hard time because he didn’t want to bring anyone with them for back up, remember?”
A small detail like that wouldn’t be consequential in his memory. But now that Cypher mentioned it, he remembered. Wraith too had been aggravated with Knox’s insistence he take Cleo out alone. He hadn’t understood it, and it had made no sense. It was Cross who’d pushed for Ace to allow it. Now it was all coming together.
“Knox took her to the city for her birthday?” Wraith asked.
“That would be my guess.”
It was highlighting yet another thing Cleo lost when her brother died.
