“Peyton took one of the Slayer Slits to the grocery store and no one’s heard from her since then.It’s the first time she’s left the fuckin’ compound on her own.Her fuckin’ phone is goin’ straight to voicemail and she never turns it off for any reason.The most she does is put it on silent or vibrate mode.Pretty fuckin’ convenient she goes missin’ and there’s a fire at the business I manage, don’t ya think?”I put out to the members of the club as they all surround me and listen to what I have to say.
“If that’s what you’re thinkin’ then that’s what’s goin’ on,” Omen says, his voice leaving no room for argument from anyone around us.“What do you want us to do, Rooster?”
Omen never calls Rooster dad when he’s in club mode.It’s always Rooster and I know that’s what’s going on with all the guys right now.They’re not just men I call my brothers but the men of the Dirty Slayers MC.
“I want everyone out searchin’ for Peyton and this fuckin’ Slayer Slit.She has more to do with this than she’s lettin’ on and I have a feelin’ she knows who’s been stalkin’ Peyton and has been helpin’ everyone involved in this mess,” Rooster orders, his voice quieter now that there’s a crowd gathered to see what’s going on with the fire at Down ‘n Dirty.
Everyone starts to leave the area and I stand there in complete shock.When today started out, I never thought this is how it would end.I thought I’d show up at Down ‘n Dirty for an hour at most and then I’d go back to the clubhouse to hang out with my family for the rest of the day.Especially Callum.I knew he was showing up to see Peyton and the twins.He wants to be in our lives more and doesn’t care what he has to do to be a regular part of things.Especially now that Kimber and I have children.Though, I did hear he’s moving to a new town.There’s a brand new club that’s been started and every single one of the guys is ex-military.I’m not sure about anything else regarding the club, but it’s the first time Callum’s been excited about something in a very long time.
“Where’s your head at, Matt?”Brick asks me, getting in my face and pulling me from my thoughts.
“She’s fuckin’ gone, Jayson.Someone has my woman and I don’t have the first clue where to look for her.We have no clue who’s after her and what they want.This is her worst fuckin’ fear come to life,” I tell my best friend as the guilt weighs heavy on my shoulders and I look him in the eyes.
“We’ll find her and bring her home, Matt.Peyton is smart and won’t let anythin’ happen to herself.She’ll do what she has to in order to buy us enough time to find her.I’m gonna go back to the clubhouse and pull up security footage from the grocery store.Also gonna dig into the Slayer Slit who supposedly needed to go to the store.I’ll check on the kids when I get there and let you know how they are,” Jayson tells me as he turns and walks away, leaving me standing on my own once again.
Knuckles remains at my side as I finally pull my shit together enough to run for my bike so I can get searching for Peyton.The only thing I can think of is that Jayson’s right and she knows that we’ll come for her.We’re not gonna let her suffer alone and be at the mercy of some crazy stalker.I’m not sure who the hell it is yet, but we’ll find out and make sure they pay for the suffering Peyton has gone through over the last several months at their hands.This ends now!
Chapter Twenty
Peyton
PAIN EXPLODES IN myhead.The throbbing is constant and I have an overwhelming urge to get sick.This is worse than when I was pregnant with morning sickness if I’m being honest.I’ve never had a headache this bad before in my entire life and I never want to experience one again.My vision is blurry, I’m nauseous, and I can hardly open my eyes from the pain I’m in.That’s just what’s going on with my head.My wrist feels like it’s barely attached to the rest of my arm and my ankle on the same side feels as if it’s been ripped to shreds.There’s an intense burning I’ve never experienced before and I can’t even look down to see what’s going on with it.Every single time I move, I start to dry heave because there’s nothing in my stomach to lose.I didn’t eat before going to the clubhouse because I was busy with the kids and I have no clue how long I’ve been gone now.
Speaking of being gone, the last thing I remember is walking into the clubhouse with Kimber, my dad, and the kids.We were going there to spend the day with everyone.Or at least a little while.Callum was supposed to be there to see the kids.Everything after that is gone.I can’t remember anything.Hell, I barely remember walking into the clubhouse other than knowing I did so.
What the hell happened to me?
Where am I?
Who has me?Is this my stalker?
A hundred questions race through my mind at the same time and it only makes the pain intensify as I try to sort through them or push them away.The amount of pain I’m in will do no favors for me if I can figure out what the hell is going on.I need to try to focus on my surroundings so I can try to put the pieces together and understand what the hell is going on.
Laying completely still, I try to open my eyes once again.The pain is still intense, but I manage to get them open wider and the blurriness starts to go away just enough I can make out some of the finer details of the room I’m in.It’s clearly a bedroom as I look to the left side of me and see a large bed.When I try to sit up so I can walk around, I discover one of my hands is tied above my head.Tilting my head back, I find rope wrapped around my wrist, rubbing it raw, with the other end tied to the frame of the bed.Pulling only results in doing more damage to the skin as blood runs down my arm.Fuck!I hate the sight of blood.Especially when it’s my own or one of my children’s.
Turning my head very slowly, I find a wall lined with two doors not that far apart from one another.A closet and bathroom if I had to guess.There’s a dresser directly at the end of the bed.One of those shorter, longer ones with a mirror sitting in the middle of it.The top is completely empty of anything letting me know who’s room I’m currently in.To the opposite side of the two doors is a window.A sheer curtain covers it allowing me to see the bars lining the span of the window.That’s not a way out then.Finally, I come to the last door in the room.The one that will let me free from this damn place if I can get my wrist out of the rope.
