Chapter 29

Trucker: On our way back. No issues. He's pissed about his buddy though

Me: I'll tell him everything once he's here

Trucker: Okay. I don't like it, but you're the boss

Trucker must be gettin' soft on me. He's never cared if someone is mad or upset before. He's analytical. It's why he's my road captain, it's the perfect position for him. He goes over every possible route for runs, whether fun or work, and picks the safest, best one.

I'm hoping Draco can shed some light on who this Manager person might be. They have to be someone Iggie works with. It's the only way they'd be able to get in his car and know when he'd be off. Someone who knew his schedule, but who?

He never talked about anyone at work that he was close to. Hell, he only ever mentioned Barron and I doubt the Howards' CEO, who's known as this town's most eligible bachelor, kidnapped my man. But that also might be the perfect cover.

"Hawk!" I shout. Rushing into my office, my secretary looks exhausted, his hair tousled and his clothes wrinkled. We've been awake for what feels like an eternity, and he has spent the majority of that time fixated on a screen. Dilated and glazed over pupils, he looks as though he could use a quadruple espresso to wake up.

"Yeah, Steel?"

"Zombie didn't find out anything when he went to Howards. If you haven't already, look into Barron Howard. He's the CEO, but also Iggie's boss. I want to rule him out as The Manager."

"Already done. He and everyone on the upper management floor since I know Iggie just got that promotion. They're all clean."

"Fuck! Okay, then we wait till Trucker is back."

I'm losing my goddamn mind thinking about what Iggie could be going through. If one hair on his sexy little head is out of place, I'm going to flip my shit. Who and why would someone want to kidnap him?

He won't leave my sight again. I don't care if he hates me for the rest of his life or mine. I'll chain his ass to my side so I can make sure he's safe. If I could bring those bastards back from the dead, I'd kill them myself and demand to know who this Manager is.

While I wait for Trucker and Draco to get here, I'll message Michaelov and ask if he knows anything about this Manager. I will also let him know we have dealt with the problem. I doubt this is the last time we'll have to deal with the Hellhounds, though. Far from it.

I need a drink.

Exiting my office, I make my way to the main area of the clubhouse. Placing my phone on the bar with a thud, I slide onto a stool and settle in. Fingers tapping, I navigate to his contact and open our message thread.

Me: Rats exterminated. Do you know anything about someone who calls themselves the manager?

Michaelov: Glad to hear it. And no. Stupid name who are they?

Me: Not sure yet. Thanks. Let me know if you need anything

Michaelov: Soon

A sigh escapesme as I rest my head in my hands, feeling the exhaustion wash over me. How did shit get so fucked?

The door to the clubhouse swings open and Trucker comes in with Draco following. I've never seen him except in pictures that Hawk found. He looks exactly the same; dark, messily styled hair with honey eyes that are full of fury and locked on me. He storms over and shoves the stool beside me, causing it to topple over.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping you can help me with that." I turn so my whole body is facing him.

"What do you mean, you don't know? What happened?"

Grabbing my phone, I stand up and acknowledge Trucker with a nod. "Let's go to my office. I'll tell you everything I know."

We get to my office and I motion for him to sit behind my desk. I shut the door, leaning against it. "First, you met Trucker since he brought you here. This is Hawk. He's trying to track Iggie down via stoplight cams and other public cameras."

"Is that legal?" Draco asks.

"Look around, man. You're in a motorcycle club's headquarters. Do we look like we mind the law?" Trucker mumbles.

"I had Trucker get you because last night Iggie was supposed to meet me at Brew Me so we could talk and he never showed up."

"He told me he ended things with you, so are you sure he didn't just stand you up?" Draco narrows his eyes at me, his head tilted slightly.

I like that he's not scared, knowing he's in my office and outnumbered, yet he still defends Iggie. Once we settle this, I guess Iggie and he can remain friends. He'll have to come here to see him though because, as I said, Ignatius is never leaving my side again.

"He's the one who initiated the meeting. I went to check to see what held him up and his car was in the parking lot still, but he wasn't. His phone was on the floor and the door was open. Didn't sit right with me, so Hawk here pulled up the next-door building's camera and it shows that he was kidnapped."

"What!" With a sudden burst of energy, he launches himself out of the chair, causing it to collide forcefully with the wall. "Did you call the cops?"

"No. We'll be faster than the cops and the right kind of justice will be served to someone daring to touch what's mine. Not all the cops are exactly on the right side of the law either, so we're handling this in-house."

"So, what do you want or need from me? I'll help however I can."

Interesting that he accepted no cops that fast. Either he's anti-police or he's had a run-in with a crooked cop and knows how some of them operate. We'll address that later because my curiosity has been piqued.

"We had some members who didn't agree with Hell's Mayhem being open to all sexual orientations. They've been dealt with but before they… left, they told us a woman who calls herself ‘The Manager' was having them target Iggie. She's the one who sent some papers and pictures to Iggie, real creepy-like, and what forced him to end things with me."

Draco paces the floor behind my desk, one hand on his hip and the other covering his mouth. "I don't know. The Manager? What kind of name is that?"

"Hoping you could help us with that."

"Do you know anything like ethnicity, tall, short?"

"It was two people who took him. Short, stout, like two teapots." Hawk laughs and I glare at him.

This is not the time for fucking jokes.

"Sorry, Prez. Blame it on the lack of sleep."

"Just find something we can use," I tell him.

"I've tracked the van from Howards to Highway 20 and then nothing. There are no businesses or cameras since it's a highway. But they went East on twenty."

What is east of town that they'd take Iggie that way? It's a long stretch of farmland and a few houses in a no-name town.

"Have you contacted his parents?" Draco asks, startling me from my thoughts.

"No. Hawk has their house phone, but I didn't call. Iggie said their relationship was rocky at best, especially with his dad." The thought of calling them crossed my mind, but then I remembered Iggie telling me about his dad not accepting him when he came out. His dad always had mistresses and his mom lived in denial. They didn't even bother to inform him they were going on vacation; he found out through a text message just as they were leaving.

"Good. They'll cause more headaches than what they're worth and his dad is someone you should check up on. He's always been hard on Iggie, but it got bad when he told them he was gay. The snide comments and thrown insults were nonstop."

"Once everything is settled, I will visit them and show them what it means to be a decent human."

"Draco, do you have his dad's cell phone? I couldn't find one registered to his name with any service provider. His mom was easy, but his dad… not so much. No way does he not have a phone." Hawk leans back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"Douglas doesn't have a phone connected to a service like a normal person. The government might be listening to his calls, so he has a pre-paid that he puts minutes on every month. Hold on. The number is 814-518-4151," Draco tells Hawk as he looks at his phone to retrieve it.

Hawk hits a few buttons before groaning. "Not even a smart prepaid phone. Not impossible, but not easy. You can pull call records, but not always. I'll work some magic and see what I can do."

"Do it."

"Anything else I can help with?" Draco asks.

"No. But don't go too far. Trucker, why don't you two go out to the bar and have a drink and some food? I'll let you know as soon as we know something."

"Sure. Come on, man." Trucker motions for Draco to follow him, and I move away from the door so they can leave.

"Thanks, Draco. Sorry, we had to meet like this." I offer him my hand and he takes it in a firm shake.

"Get my best friend back and we're good."