Wrath meets my eyes. “We’ll find something.”
Country Boy steps close enough that I feel him at my shoulder. “You gotta eat something, brother.”
I look at him like he just asked me to sing. “I ain’t hungry.”
“You ain’t thinking either,” he responds quietly. “You burn out before we get a lead, you ain’t doing her any favors.”
I open my mouth to snap back, but the truth is a bitter pill and it sticks in my throat.
Smoke watches me from the corner, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He’s not soothing me. Smoke doesn’t soothe. He’s a match to ignite a fire, not a blanket to smother one.
Stud makes his way to me, a shot glass in one hand and a pack of peanuts in another. “Eat this for protein, toss this back to wash it down, then everyone can let you be a raging bull again, brother.”
I do what he orders because it wasn’t so many years ago, Stud was my president and brought me into this club. He allowed me to embrace his world and gave me a family like I never had before.
Wrath claps his hands once, sharp. “Listen up,” he says, voice carrying. “This is our town and our problem, but the Hellions rode in for her. That means we run this like one family until she’s home.”
A murmur of agreement rolls through the room. My chest tightens. Home. The word feels cruel right now. Grinder’s phone buzzes. He glances at it, then at his laptop, then at Wrath.
“We got something,” Grinder shares.
The room snaps to attention.
My heart stops and starts again like it can’t decide what to do. “What?” I bark.
Grinder turns the laptop so Wrath can see. “Traffic cam two miles east of the hospital caught a van rolling through at 5:58 a.m. It’s not clear enough for plates, but it’s a white cargo van with a dent on the rear quarter panel. It sits not far from her car, rolls out not far enough behind her. Looks like they tried to let her gap them. We lost them on the old country road, but it’s our best lead.”
My breath catches.
Wrath leans in. “You sure it’s connected?”
Grinder’s jaw tight. “Not sure. But it’s within the window, and it’s headed toward the same stretch of road where her car was found.”
I’m already moving. “Where does it go?”
Grinder shakes his head. “That’s the problem. Cameras thin out once you hit the backroads. Dove, call in your people.”
Wrath turns to one of his guys. “Get eyes on every white cargo van in town. Shop owners, gas stations, warehouses. Somebody saw something. Pound the pavement and get answers.”
The Saint’s Outlaws file out one at a time until we are left with about ten of them and the Hellions.
Grinder lifts a finger. “There’s more.”
My pulse spikes again. “Spit it out.”
He exhales. “I got into Reeves’ phone records deeper than just pings. He didn’t leave his house last night—wife’s phone corroborates, home Wi-Fi, all that. But he did receive a call at 12:11 a.m. from a burner number.”
My blood goes cold.
“Burner?” I repeat.
“Dove looked into it, true burner, bought in cash.” Grinder says. “The call lasted thirty-one seconds.”
Wrath’s eyes narrow. “And?”
“And the burner got used again this morning,” Grinder continues. “At 7:24 a.m. One outbound call to another prepaid. Sixty-two seconds.”
My vision tunnels. “That burner belongs to who?”
