Hurricane

H urricane moved quickly, getting Reacher, Yonkers, and his wife, Wren to sit with Tina while the guys tried to track Chasity before the rain hit. He was thankful for the guy's help, and he knew that they cared for the kid too. If anyone could find her, it would be the three of them.

"We're going to fan out," said, going over the plan before they set out. "You leave through the back door, Yonkers, and head to Main Street. Check the bus stations and diners along the way. She could be anywhere."

"Got it," Yonkers agreed.

"Great, and you head out the front door, Reacher, and head to the club. See if she doubled back there. If not, I need you to check train stations and airports. I don't know how much money the kid has, but she's smart, and I wouldn't put it past her to take some from Tina and me."

"," Tina spat.

"Well, honey, it's true. She's run away and she'll need a plan if she wants to get far enough away that we won't find her," he said. He hated upsetting her—especially now that he knew that she was pregnant with his baby, but he owed her the truth. He promised Tina that he'd never shut her out when it came to Chasity, and he didn't plan on starting now.

"I know that it's just a hard pill to swallow," she breathed. Wren wrapped an arm around Tina's waist and told her that everything would work out, but was starting to worry that he might not be able to keep the same promise that he made to Tina earlier.

"I'm going to head to the police station and report Chasity as a runaway. I'm not sure how much help they will give, but it's worth a try. Then, I'll search all the places that she liked to hang out at and some of her high school friend's houses. She has to be laying low somewhere."

"What do Wren and I do?" Tina asked. He turned to look at her and she shook her head as though she was reading his mind. "Don't say it," she ordered, pointing her finger into his chest.

"Honey, I need you both to stay here in case the cops call with any news or if Chasity changes her mind and comes home," he said. "You need to try not to get too stressed and you have to eat something. You need your strength." They hadn't told any of the guys that she was pregnant. It didn't feel right to share the news with his club brothers before sharing it with Chasity first. Tina nodded her agreement, and he winked at her and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "I'll be in touch," he promised, releasing her. He didn't look back at her as he and the guys headed out to look for Chasity. He knew that he'd find her watching him, and probably crying, and right now, he couldn't take that. It wouldn't help Chasity if he stopped to hold Tina, and that was all he wanted to do right now.

got on his bike and headed into town. He hated that he was going to have to call in his last favor with his buddy on the force, but he had no choice. He found Detective Williams in his office, sitting behind his big desk, looking over some paperwork.

"I didn't have you figured for a paper pusher," taunted. He didn't have time for small talk, but Williams seemed to enjoy the banter.

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite badass biker," Williams teased. "What can I do for you today, ?"

He shot him his best smile and he could tell from the smirk on the guy's face that he wasn't buying his act. "I need help with a runaway kid," he admitted.

"How do you know the kid?" Williams asked. He nodded to the chair that sat in front of his desk and took the hint to have a seat.

"She's my girlfriend's niece. Tina got custody of Chasity when her parents died. She's been giving Tina a lot of trouble and I offered to help out. The kid ran away from her months ago and was sneaking into my clubhouse. I let her stay there for a while, but that's no place for a teenager."

"That's the truth," Williams grumbled. "So, what happened to the kid after you kicked her out of your clubhouse?"

"Um, I took her to my house," mumbled. "But before you start thinking the wrong thing. Her aunt agreed to it, and she even moved in with us after a few weeks. It was the only way to show Chasity that she could trust both of us."

"How long has she been missing?" Williams asked.

shrugged, "About an hour," he admitted. He could tell by the way that the detective rolled his eyes at him that he wasn't going to help him. couldn't go back to Tina without any leads and Williams didn't seem too eager to give him any help finding Chasity.

"Listen, I'm not trying to tell you how to handle your business, but I've raised a few teenagers myself. She probably just took off to blow off some steam. I bet if you go home and relax, she'll be home in no time," Williams said. Maybe the guy was trying to help, but it sure didn't feel like it.

"She overheard something that hurt her feelings, Williams. Chasity overheard her aunt and I talking about her not wanting her niece at first. Tina was so young, and she wasn't sure that she'd be able to take care of a kid. It's all there," he said, nodding to the note that Chasity left for him and Tina to find.

Williams sighed, pulling a form from his desk drawer. "I can fill out a missing person's report, but I'm betting that I'm correct. She just needs some time to come to her senses. They usually do when it starts to get cold and dark around here."

"I can't just sit around and wait for Chasity to come home, Williams," insisted.

"How about you give me the details—you know, height, weight, hair color, distinguishing marks, etc. I'll put something out about her, and we can see what we come up with," Williams offered. had a feeling that was as good as it was going to get from Williams and the rest of the police department.

"Fine," he grumbled, taking the missing person's paperwork from Williams. "But please don't put this on the back burner. I don't know what we'll do if we can't find the kid. She's been through a lot and Tina, and I are the only family she has left."

"I promise—I'll make her a priority, but I need for you to stay out of this, ." That was the last thing that he planned to do, but there was no way that he'd tell Williams that. He knew that guy well enough to know that if he thought that was trying to pull a fast one over on him, he'd find a way to stop him.

"Got it," he lied. "I'll wait to hear from you." He turned to leave before Williams could question him further—or worse, hook him up to a polygraph or some shit like that. "I'll have the paperwork back to you in about an hour." He worried that he didn't know enough about Chasity to fill out all the questions, but he knew that Tina would know everything about her niece. She was the closest thing to a mother that Chasity had left and reuniting them was his top priority.

It had been a few weeks with no word from Williams or any of the guys. They were turning over rocks and finding no leads. Chasity was a smart kid and if she wanted to stay hidden, she'd find a way.

Every day that they had no word from Chasity, Tina seemed to sink deeper into a depression that he was worried might hurt the baby. He insisted that she see a doctor, and after putting up quite a fight, she agreed. Wren offered to give her the name of her OBGYN, and Tina seemed to be okay with taking her new friend's recommendation.

The car ride to town was a quiet one, and he could feel Tina's worry. "Honey, you have to relax," he said, pulling her hand into his own and gently kissing her knuckles.

"I wish that I could, but between the baby and Chasity, I'm a nervous wreck. Why don't we have any leads yet?" she asked. "Didn't Williams get back to you with any news?"

He wished that he had an easy answer to give her, but he didn't. "I wish that I had better news for you, honey," he admitted. "But Williams claims that he still has no leads on Chasity yet."

"So, what's the plan then, ?" she asked. "Are we just going to sit around and wait for someone, somewhere to find her? What if she never wants to come home? How will I keep my promise to my brother if I can't even find his daughter?" knew how much Tina loved and missed her brother, James, and his wife. Taking care of Chasity was important to her. It was her way of honoring her brother's memory and keeping a promise to him.

"Your brother would understand that you can't keep Chasity tied up in the house against her will. She's a teenager, and I'm betting that James had a taste of raising a teen before he passed away. Cut yourself a break, honey," he whispered.

"You're right, but I can't just turn off my worry. I just want to make sure that the baby is okay, and then, I'll try to find a way to work through Chasity leaving. But I need you to know that I'll never give up on her," she insisted. A small sob escaped her chest, and he hated that she was so upset again.

"I would never ask you to give up on her," he assured. "I'm not willing to give up on Chasity either, but we need to make sure that you and the baby are safe."

"I know, and I promise to behave. I don't want to hurt our baby, and I know that all this stress isn't good for me," she admitted.

"No, it's not," he agreed. "Do you want to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked, trying to change the subject to a happier topic.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "do you?" had never dreamed that he'd ever have a kid, so finding out the sex of his baby wasn't something that he'd given much thought to.

"I don't know," he said. "How about we play it by ear?"

"What does that mean?" Tina asked.

"Well, if he or she decides to give us a sneak peek, then we'll find out, and if he or she is as stubborn as Mommy, then we won't," said.

"Hey," Tina grumbled, "I'm not the stubborn one in this relationship," she said. "I think that title goes to this kid's Daddy." Tina rubbed her barely their bump and he covered her hand with his own.

His heart felt as though it might just burst out of his chest when he heard Tina call him their kid's Daddy. "That's the first time you called me that," he whispered.

"Called you what?" she asked.

"Our kid's Daddy. I kind of like it," he breathed.

"Well, you are," she insisted.

"I know, it's just something that I never thought that I'd be—a father," he admitted. He was getting all sappy and that was the last thing that he wanted to do. He wanted to be strong for Tina, not a mushy mess by the time they got to the doctor.

"I get it," she breathed, "I never thought that I'd become a mother either. I mean, taking care of Chasity had me wondering if I'd be a good mom someday—maybe. But now, we're going to have to figure this whole parenthood thing out fast."

"As long as we can do it together, I'm good with that, honey," he assured. He pulled into the parking lot and parked. "Ready?" he asked, looking her over.

"As I'll ever be," she breathed. He knew that they were about to possibly find out what their whole future might entail, and even with his joy, he still felt a bit empty without Chasity there to share the moment with them. He knew that Tina had to feel the same way, but for now, he'd find a way to keep her happy. At least until he could bring her niece home where she belongs.