Chapter 20

After packing the last of our things into the back of the truck, I pull the cover over everything and hook it in place so the wind doesn’t catch it.

“I think that’s everything”

I turn at the sound of Wilder’s voice as he shoves a bedroll in the back seat along with another couple of sleeping bags.

“Yeah, anything else we can just buy if we need to.”

“I’m going to run inside and grab the drinks and food Salem packed for us.”

“Better you than me. They were all crying when they found out we were leaving. You’d think we were going off to war or something.”

“There are worse things in life than having someone at home who cares about you.”

“I know, but I’ve never been good with tears. And those kids…fuck me.”

“They just want us to bring Lara home, but you can see just how scared they are.”

“They’ve lived through things none of us will ever understand. Notice how they’re upset that Lara’s gone, but they’re not angry about it? They know she didn’t abandon them because they know her. They know the only reason she would leave would be to protect them. That fear you saw wasn’t for what might happen to them, but for what might happen to Lara.”

“I know. That’s why I just want to go already. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this whole thing.”

“You and me both, but Zig’s right. We can’t just rush off and hope for the best. While I’m grabbing the food, go see if Ev managed to find us anything to point us in the right direction.”

I nod and head inside, bypassing the kitchen and heading up to see Ev. The door is open, and he and Greg are looking at the screens when I knock. They both turn as I enter and point to the seat beside Ev.

“Alright, first things first. I want to show you this before I call a meeting with the others because I know you need to get on the road.” He changes the image on the screen to a figure dressed from head to toe in black, just outside the back of the main house. “This is the intruder. I can’t clean it up anymore, and they weren’t caught on any other camera.”

“How was that possible? I mean, not only did they break in without setting any of the alarms off, but to avoid almost all the cameras when they got here? It’s like he knew where they were.”

I look at Evander and then Greg when he doesn’t say anything.

“Tell me you don’t think we have a traitor.”

If either of them says they thinks it’s Lara, I’m going to puke.

“No, I think they dragged the information out of James.”

“Shit.” I run my hands through my hair.

“I’m going to have all the cameras relocated and adapt the sensors to pick up everything, even if that means an animal sets it off every two minutes. I don’t give a fuck.”

“Yeah, I don’t think there’s any such thing as being too cautious right now,” I tell him, and he nods.

“Right. Now, on to Lara. I found the video of her leaving.” He pushes a few keys and pulls it up for me.

I watch as she moves across the property. When she reaches the Apex sign, she pauses and looks back at the house. I swear, I can feel her pain through the screen. I continue to watch until she disappears from view, and Greg starts hitting the keys.

“I picked her up here, hitching a ride. I saw her getting into a car with—” Greg starts, but I cut him off.

“She hitched a fucking ride?” I yell. “Doesn’t she know how dangerous that is? I’ve seen this movie, and it doesn’t end well.”

“With a nun,” he finishes with a grin.

“Wait, what?”

“I ran the plates. The car is registered to Sister Mary Dorothea.”

“Okay, there was that one movie with the nun, but this is fine, right?”

He ignores me, printing out something and handing it over. “I had to do a little process of elimination, because I could only track the car so far. That’s what’s taken me so long. My best guess is that Lara got out here. There is a shelter on that same street. I saw that Sister Mary drives past there a lot when she’s in the area. It seems to be a good starting point. I’ll keep looking and send you anything else I find.”

“You are a fucking genius Greg. Thank you.”

“It was a team effort,” he chuckles. “Just find her and keep her safe. Those kids are the most resilient kids I’ve ever met, but I don’t think any of them would recover if something bad happened to Lara.”

“I won’t let that happen to her. I’ll check in and keep you updated.”

“Just be careful. If her father is tracking her, you’ll need to watch each other’s backs because he won’t hesitate to take you out. Or worse, use you to manipulate her.” Ev warns me

I nod and slap him on the shoulder as I stand up.

“Any news on Nash and Hendrix?”

“No. There’s complete radio silence, and I don’t have any contacts currently in the area to check on them. I’ll keep trying to reach them and let you know what’s going on.”

“Appreciated.”

I head downstairs and outside with the printout in my hand. Wilder is already behind the wheel waiting for me, so I jump in the passenger seat and show him what Greg gave me.

He hisses. “She hitched a ride?”

“With a nun.” I wave him off as if I hadn’t reacted the same way.

“I’ve seen that movie. Nuns can be evil too, you know.”

I chuckle. “I’m starting to think we spend way too much time together.”

“Yeah, well, we’re going to be spending a hell of a lot more time together.”

He types the coordinates into the GPS and sighs. “Looks like we’ll be driving through the night. You might as well get some sleep. I’ll wake you up in six hours, and we can switch.”

“Okay.”

“Crew, wake up.” A finger jabbed in my ribs makes me throw my arm out and punch him.

I hear the oomph and a groan before opening my eyes to see Wilder rubbing his side. I probably bruised his ribs. Good. That’s what he gets.

“Why must you always choose violence?”

“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”

“Jackass. I’m going to stop to get gas, then we can swap.”

“Okay. I need to stretch my legs for a bit, anyway.” We’ve been driving for hours, and this will be the third time we’ve stopped to switch drivers.

I look around and see we’re pulling into a well-lit gas station with a diner attached.

“You wanna grab something to eat while we’re here?”

“Yeah, but get it to go. We’re making good time, and the sooner we get to Lara, the better.”

I nod in agreement. When the truck stops, I jump out and head over to the diner while Wilder fills the tank. A little bell above the door signals my arrival to the lone waitress behind the counter and the two truckers eating in the far booth.

“Give me a second, love, and I’ll be right with you,” the waitress says without looking as she moves to the hatch between the dining room and the kitchen.

As she walks over to me, she tugs her notepad and pen from the little pocket of her apron.

“What can I get for ya?”

“Can I get a couple of burgers to go?”

“Sure can. What do you want on them?”

“Everything, but no onions on the one. Can I also get two orders of fries and two Cokes? And an order of onion rings.”

“You got it. Shouldn’t be long. You can sit at the counter while you wait.” She offers me a tired smile as she rips off the page in her notepad and hands it to someone in the kitchen.

I pull out my phone and text Ev, telling him where we are. Though, thanks to the tracker, he already knows. I ask him if he’s found anything else useful.

I see the bubbles appear, indicating that he’s messaging me back.

I glance out the window and watch Wilder head inside the gas station to pay, just as my phone dings.

I’ve been looking at the cameras in the same area as the shelter and saw her hitch another ride a few hours away, before she set out on foot.

What the fuck? She’s going to give me a heart attack. Bubbles appear, and I wait to see what else Ev has to say.

I followed her to a park. She appears to have picked up a companion.

What? Who? I text back.

A dog. Are you really surprised?

I sigh.

No. Alright, we’ll deal with it. Thanks for the update.

I tap my phone on the counter, ready to get back on the road. The update makes her seem so much closer when, in actuality, she’s still miles away. At least we know she’s okay, though. Ev would have said if she looked injured.

When the bell jingles above the door, I turn and see Wilder walking inside and heading my way.

“I’ll be with you in a second,” the waitress calls as she pours coffee for one of the truckers.

“That’s okay, I’m with him,” Wilder tells her, pointing at me when she looks up.

“Alright, no problem. Food won’t be long.”

He thanks her and sits on the stool beside me.

“Got an update from Ev. He says Lara has been spotted in a park a few hours from the shelter with a dog.”

“Huh?”

I chuckle. “Apparently, she has a dog. Or had a dog. I don’t know, but this is Lara we’re talking about.”

“True. So are we heading to where she was last spotted first or to the shelter?”

“The shelter. They might be able to give us an idea of where she’s going.”

“It’s a long shot. Those places tend to be tight-lipped, though, and for a very good reason.”

“We’ve got nothing to lose by asking.”

“I guess.” He sighs.

“Besides, she’s hardly still going to be in the same spot.”

“Here you go. That will be $35.”

I look over at the waitress with a smile as she places a brown bag in front of me. Pulling out my wallet, I hand her a fifty. “Thanks. Have a good day.”

“You too. Come back anytime.”

I grab the food, and we head outside to the truck, the smell coming from the bag making my mouth water. I open the door on the driver’s side and climb in before opening the bag and pulling out the food and drinks. When Wilder settles into the passenger seat, I hand him his food. We dig in, neither of us talking, as we devour one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.

“Damn, that was good. I think I’d drive all this way again just for another one of those.”

Wilder laughs as he wipes his hands with one of the paper napkins from the bag and gathers all the trash before taking it to the trash can.

I start the truck and find a radio station to listen to while I wait for Wilder to get back.

When the door opens, I look over at him. “You good?”

“Oh yeah, I’m about to slip into a food coma. Wake me when we get there.”

“You got it.”

I turn the music down and settle in for the drive. I don’t mind driving at night. I find it peaceful, and most of the idiots are home in bed waiting to cause chaos during the day.

As the miles stretch endlessly in front of me and Wilder snores lightly beside me, I can’t help but wonder what Lara’s reaction to us turning up is going to be. And if that shocks her, she’s going to lose her mind when I finally give in to the need that’s been gnawing away at me and fuck her over the hood of my truck.

I feel my cock harden at the thought. For the first time, I don’t feel any guilt, just raw need.

I return my focus to the road and let the hours pass to the sound of soft rock and jazz. When my cell phone rings, Wilder jolts awake. I fumble in my pocket for it and toss it to Wilder to answer.

“It’s Wilder. What’s up?” he asks before putting the call on speaker.

“Uncle Wilder?” Bella’s voice asks softly through the phone.

“Bella? What’s wrong, little one?” He frowns, looking at me. The time on the dash says 5:50, which is way too early for a phone call.

“I took Avery’s phone because I need to talk to you.”

“Alright, well, you’ve got me and Uncle Crew. You’re on speaker, so we can both hear you. What’s wrong?”

“You need to hurry. Lara’s gonna be hurt.”

Wilder sits up straight in his seat. “Did you have a vision?”

Bella sniffs. Her voice cracking as she speaks. “Yes.”

“I know this is hard, sweetheart, but I need you to be brave just a little while longer. Can you see where Lara is?”

“She’ll be at the cemetery. The big sign says Sextown.”

I frown at that. “All right, sweetheart, you’re doing amazing. Now, I want you to wake Avery up and tell her what you saw. She’ll help you make a little more sense of it. Give the phone to Creed or Hawk and have them call me back, okay?”

“Okay, Uncle Wilder.”

She hangs up as Wilder leans over to type in the name of the cemetery into the GPS.

“There is no fucking Sex Town Cemetery,” he curses. “Oh, wait, there’s a Saxton Memorial Garden Cemetery. It’s eleven hours from here.”

“Fuck. Should we call the cops?”

“We don’t know what kind of trouble Lara is in yet. If we call them, her father will find her in a heartbeat. Besides, Bella’s vision might not have happened yet. She doesn’t see what’s happening, but what will happen.”

“What the fuck is she doing at a cemetery?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll be sure to ask once we find her.”