20. On the Mend

TWENTY

On the Mend

ETAIN

A week later…

Hawk’s being just as careful as he was before the Jackals were taken care of. I’m not sure what went down that day, except that the rest of the Redemption Riders have been riding a high, knowing that the rival troublemakers are no longer an issue. All but Hawk, who still seems tense. Not as bad as before, but tense all the same.

We’ve fallen into a great little routine where we go to work together and come home together, although Hawk’s taken me to the clubhouse and introduced me to his room and bed there. Hawk is a fabulous lover and extremely creative, proving to me that the time on the car was just the beginning.

Sasha and I make time every week to do something together. This week, we’re spending the day at Haven’s Spa. It’s a lovely little spa in town. The owner is a sweet young woman named Gennie. She’s a native of the town and has never had the desire to live anywhere else.

“I’m leaving now,” I tell Hawk and drop a kiss on his cheek as he’s going over the rest of the books I’ve finished adding to our new computer system. I’ve finally reconciled last year’s books, and Hawk’s livid with both himself and the previous parts vendor for taking advantage of RR Mechanics.

He lifts his head. “I’ve got to go pay a visit to Gerry.” He indicates the invoices I set in front of him earlier. “Get Lee to go with you.”

“I highly doubt that Lee wants to sit outside and wait for Sasha and me to be done. I’m more than capable of driving myself, and besides, Sasha and I need some girl time.” Hawk doesn’t seem happy with my decision. “You need to trust me, Hawk.”

“I trust you,” he replies quickly.

“Then it’s settled.” I don’t give him a chance to respond and open the door to leave, turning back to add, “And I don’t want to see any of the guys hanging around outside the spa either.”

I hop in my car and skedaddle down the road toward town.

Hawk

L eaving Gerry’s Auto Supply Store with a check in hand for the money owed for double paying invoices is very satisfying. The extra money is going to go a long way toward investing in the tattoo parlor. I’ll bring it up at our next meeting, but I’d be shocked as hell if anyone objects.

My phone rings as I’m about to leave Gerry’s lot and Sasha’s name flashes up on the screen. Immediately, my gut clenches in fear.

“Hey,” I answer.

“Is Etain still at the shop?” Sasha asks. “Our appointment was a half hour ago, and she’s still not here. I figured she got lost in her paperwork, as usual.”

“Fuck! She’s not with me.”

“What?”

“Go home, Sasha, and check her place. See if she’s home. I’m going to start looking for her,” I finish. I dial Etain first, but it goes straight to voicemail. I curse myself for not putting a tracker on her phone, but our relationship is still new, and Etain balked at the idea as “overkill.” I call Drifter next. “Etain’s missing.”

“I’ll get the guys searching,” Drifter responds.

“Thanks, brother.”

“We’ll find her.”

“We fucking better. I love that woman.”

“I swear to God, we’ll find her,” he repeats and hangs up.

My motorcycle roars to life, and I drive like a bat out of hell, heading for Etain’s house. I wind around the curves of the streets, taking the shortest route. As I get closer, I see Sasha banging on the door, calling out for Etain, then sorting through her keys.

By the time I run up the steps, Sasha’s shaky hands finally have the key in the lock. I move her out of the way and turn the knob myself. I shove the door open, but Etain isn’t here. I race through the house and find the back door wide open. There’s only one set of prints in the dirt, but it looks like Etain was dragged out. Beyond the house is the line of trees that surround the property. It’s a small, forested area and seems like the logical place to start searching. With Drifter right behind me, we weave through the trees to look for my girl.

I hear a faint voice. “Quiet!” I shout. Drifter doesn’t move; neither of us does. There it is again. I turn in the direction of where I hear the sound coming from. In the distance, I see Etain lying on the ground.

I rush to her side and press my ear to her chest to listen for her breathing. “Call 9-1-1,” I shout. I cradle her in my arms, lifting her from the hard ground. I feel her faint breath on my chest. Drifter is on the phone calling for help, and as soon as Sasha sees us running back to the house, she rushes over. Drifter wraps an arm around Sasha and moves her out of the way so that I can get Etain to the couch and lay her down. She’s so pale, it scares me. “Baby. Etain, come back to me,” I say, vaguely hearing Sasha sobbing in the background.

H er eyes flutter open. They’re glassy and hazy. “Ro-bert,” she manages to say.

“Shh, baby. Ambulance is on its way. Everything’s going to be okay,” I whisper soothingly. She blinks her eyes and squeezes my fingers.

I didn’t leave her side when the paramedics were looking after her, and insisted on riding with her in the ambulance. Drifter had to tear me away from her when they wheeled her in for tests. I don’t even remember when Drifter got there.

Now I’m sitting in a chair next to her hospital bed, a riot of emotions running through me. I’m scared out of my mind I’ll lose her, even though the doctors said she’ll heal just fine. But she hasn’t woken up again since the moment I found her, and I need to see her beautiful, loving eyes.

“Why don’t you go grab something to eat? I won’t leave her side until you get back,” Sasha suggests gently.

“No. You go ahead,” I say. Sasha hasn’t left either, and Drifter has been in and out of the room. Half the club is in the waiting area, I heard. The other half is out looking for Robert. While the EMTs were working on her, they found skin under her nails and sent it out for DNA testing. I called in a favor, and Orion was able to get the results. It was Robert who took her and drugged her with the intention of killing her. Sasha’s pounding on the door must have scared him off before he could finish what he started.

None of this was making any sense until Orion got back to me to let me know that Robert had taken an insurance policy out on Etain a couple of years ago, naming himself as beneficiary. Apparently, Robert’s business has been tanking since Etain left, and with his lavish lifestyle, he thought it would be easy to get Etain out of the way and collect the money.

Sasha sits back down. Drifter comes back into the room, this time loaded down with sandwiches and coffee.

“You both need to eat.” He shoves a sandwich into my hand. “Etain is going to lose her mind if she knows you’re not looking after yourself. How can you help her if you don’t eat?” he lectures. He goes over to Sasha. “You too, sunshine.”

“I should have called you sooner. I just thought she was late,” Sasha says quietly. “I never thought…” She can’t go on without crying. The woman’s been crying for hours.

Suddenly, I feel Etain’s hand move. Her eyes open, and she looks up at me. “Love you, Ethan.”

“Love you more, baby.”

With a sob, Sasha gets up from her chair to come to her side. Etain holds her hand.

The door opens, and Drifter comes in with the nurse. “The doctor’s on his way,” the nurse says. “You had all your friends worried.”

“Hawk. A word,” Drifter says. I know that look. He’s got news. I glance down at Etain, but it’s the nurse who answers.

“I’ve got to take her vitals. Go on,” she urges.

“I’ll be right outside the door,” I tell Etain and reluctantly let go of her hand. I follow Drifter out the door.

“We found him. Hauled his ass down to the club. He’s in the basement,” Drifter says. “What do you want us to do with him?”

“He’s mine,” I growl.

“No shit. But someone’s going to notice he’s missing. Cops are looking for him, remember? Whatever we’ve got to do, we have to do it fast. You didn’t make it a mystery in front of the police about what would happen if you found him first,” he reminds me.

“I can’t leave Etain.”

“I can take care of him, or we can hand him over to the cops and let them deal with it,” Drifter suggests.

“Hold him. I’ll take care of him tomorrow,” I state firmly. “Get his car and hide it. Robert’s going to have an accident.”

“I’ll get Decker and Flex on it.” Drifter slaps my back. “Good to see she’s doing better. Guys are waiting just outside.” He points to the waiting room. “Be good if you tell them yourself.”I look toward Etain’s room. Drifter adds, “I’ll stand guard.”

The waiting room is a sea of Redemption Riders, all very relieved to know that Etain is through the worst and is on the mend.