Chapter Thirteen

Remy

" I 'm sorry Miss Remy! I didn't know the bad man was going to be there and hurt you!" Jovie sobs, her little chest heaving. I pull her into me, wrapping my arms tight around her shuddering body.

We've been in here for a while now and every time I calm her down the weight of the situation seems to press on her little shoulders and she starts crying again. It's not her fault her father is a jerk and Snake is evil.

"Jovie, have you seen Snake before?"

She runs her arm under her nose, catching the drips. "Y-yes. He's not very nice. He comes to my house, and he scares me."

"Is that why you were scared of Wire when you saw him?"

She bobs her head. "Yes, but the picture on his jacket is different and he's your friend, so I know he's nice."

I smooth her knotty hair from her face. "He is nice, Jovie, and so are all his brothers. They will help us. But we have to help ourselves a little too. OK?"

"OK."

Looking around, I see light coming out from behind a board. Standing, I run my fingers along the edge, finding a loose section. Pulling enough so I can peer around the edge, I find a window that's been boarded up.

"Jovie? I think I have a plan."

Looking around the crappy store room we're in there doesn't look like much that can be useful. I'm not even sure why there's a mattress in here but it's gross and stained and I don't really want Jovie on it but it's not like we have much choice at the moment. There's some junk sitting in the corner next to the door, so I get closer for a better look. I don't really want to touch any of it, so I shuffle it around with the toe of my shoe.

"What are you doing, Miss Remy?" Jovie whispers. Her voice is a little raw from her crying, but it seems my poking around has pulled her out of her fear for the time being.

"I'm looking for something to help me get that board off the window. If I can do that, I'll be able to help you crawl through it and you can find help."

She wipes her nose on her sleeve before nodding at me. "I can do that. I can run really fast. I'll find someone to come save us."

She crawls along the mattress until she's closer to me and peers through the dim light into the pile that I'm kicking about. Something clangs and Jovie and I both look at each other wide eyed. Getting to my knees, I feel around until I find what made the noise. It looks to be a square piece of metal, sort of the size of the grate that sits under Chewy's torture chair. It's not overly thick, so I'm sure it'll fit the gap between the board and the window and be large enough for me to pry the board off.

Jumping up, I slide the metal between the board and the window and work to loosen the nails around the rough old wood until I can fit my hands in. Getting a good grip, I plant one foot on the wall and pull as hard as I can. I'm sure the gap between the window and the boards is getting bigger, so I shake my hands out, get a better grip, and pull as hard. Feeling a tug, I look down to see Jovie is pulling me by the waistband, trying with all her might to give me the extra strength I need to rip this board right out of the wall. It must work because a long creak sounds out before the aged wood comes away and Jovie and I jerk backwards onto the mattress. We lie there for a moment; me catching my breath, making sure I didn't squish Jovie. Little girl giggles bubble up and light up my soul as I let out a guffaw before laughing along with Jovie. This little girl is the type of light that shouldn't be dimmed just because her dad is a jerk. No, he's worse than a jerk. He's an asshole.

Looking down at my little buddy, I raise my brow. "You ready to bust outta here, kid?"

"Are you coming with me?"

Eyeing the window, I know for a fact that there is no way I can fit through there.

"I'm too big to fit through the window, sweet."

She shakes her head and I know she doesn't want to go alone.

"But listen to me. I need you to find help, OK? I need you to get to my friends, Mr. Wire and the DRMC. Can you do that?"

"I-I don't know. I'm scared. What if I'm too little?" She looks down at the ground and I tip her chin up.

"Jovie, you once told me that big things have to look after little things, right? Well, this time, I need a brave little thing to look after me. I think you're the bravest little thing I know. I know you can do this."

Her big brown eyes stare up at me for a moment and I watch as she transforms in front of my eyes. Her little shoulders pull back, her brows crease together, and she gives me a nod.

"OK Miss Remy. I can save you."

"Good girl Jovie. You can do this."

I look through the dirty window and see that it's not so dark out just yet. I finish work at 4pm, and judging by the light outside I'd say it's closer to 6ish. Not so dark as to be too scary for Jovie.

"OK Jovie, when I put you through this window I need you to look for a specific person for help. You need to look for someone who looks like a mom or a nana. A lady with a bag with a long strap that she wears across her body," I show her with my hands what I mean. "Ladies with crossbody bags know everything. They'll know how to find Mr. Wire. OK? Can you repeat back my instructions?"

"Yes, find a mommy or a nana with a bag that goes across like this," she shows with her hands.

"Good girl Jovie, you are so clever and so brave. Are you ready?"

"Ready Miss Remy."

Mama Debs

"You know I can't believe it's taken me so long to come to Rosie's! This place is bloody brilliant!"

Swinging my head around I want to take in all the things. The cutesy booths, the cool decor, the biggest pepper grinder I have ever seen in my life. Sidney sits across from me with a frown on his handsome face and I have a bit of an idea of why he's in a sour mood. I assume it's because he and Rosie have some type of past relationship. I also assume it's because he doesn't know that I know all about his flirting with Rosie and he's trying to make out like he isn't the old dog that I know he is.

I should put him out of his misery but I love watching him squirm everytime Rosie comes over to serve us. Thus far she has shown no signs of jealousy. In fact, she seemed overly happy that I was here with Sid.

"Yeah, it's alright. Good food and all."

"And great service. Rosie is so beautiful. Don't you think? Such a lovely lady." I try to hide my smirk while he squirms.

He stares at me from across the booth before his eyes narrow, then widen in shock. "You're doing this on purpose! Baby, that's just cruel!"

He places his hand over his heart and slumps down like I've wounded him as I cackle my arse off across from him.

"Come on, old boy. Let's get home." He frowns knowing that he'll be dropping me off to the clubhouse where I've managed to snag a job as the clubhouse cook. I love it so much, looking after all those boys. I even have a room there, meaning Sid and I can have sleepovers every now and then. When I came to America I had no idea I'd end up living in an MC clubhouse. Ana thinks I'm crazy.

Come on Sid, I have some baking to do," I waggle my brows at him and he straightens up in his seat.

"God you know I love it when you talk dirty to me like that," He growls before dropping some bills on the table including a generous tip. I'm still confused over how that all works. We don't do that in New Zealand, but Sid is a gentleman and I never have to worry about paying when I'm out with him. That's why I love to make him baked treats.

He comes around to my side of the booth, offering me his hand like the gentleman he is. Sure he may be a little rough around the edges, and have a penchant for hurting bad guys, but he's sweet and funny and loving and at my age that's what you look for in a man. If only I can nail him down.

He tucks my hand into his elbow and he leads me toward the door, of course pulling it open and holding it for me as I pass through before him. The weather is crisp out and it's not fully dark just yet, in other words, its a pleasant evening.

"‘Scuse me, can you help me please?"

Looking down at the voice I see it belongs to a gorgeous little girl who's eyes have the shimmer of tears in them.

"Oh sweetie, what happened?" I coo at her, crouching so I can be at her level.

Sid kneels down on one knee beside the girl, then tries to get me to sit on his bent knee. I roll my eyes at him knowing if I did that he wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon.

"What's your name honey?" Sid asks in a gentle voice. She stares at him for a moment before her big brown eyes move to mine.

"Miss Remy said I have to look for help from a mommy or a nana. A lady with a bag that goes across like this one." She points to my cross body bag.

"Miss Remy? We know Miss Remy. She's our friend. And she's right. Mama Debs is a mommy and is almost a nana. I'm a poppa so we can both help you. Do you need your mommy? Or the police?" Sid asks again.

I don't know whether she notices or not but she's now got her little body leaning on Sidney while she holds my hand. This little baby is just searching for comfort.

She shakes her head at us "No. I need to go to the DRMC. Miss Remy said to find Mr. Wire. He will help."

Sid and I share a look as I gather this little sweetness in my arms. "Well sweetheart, let's get you to Mr. Wire and DRMC."

Wire

After finding nothing at the trailer park other than a promise to call us if Jovie's dad surfaces, I spiral. I need to get back to my control center. It's my safe space. Once I'm there, I have eyes everywhere. I can do my checks. Make sure Momma and the girls are safe. Make sure the MC businesses and all my brothers are safe. And hopefully I'll be able to track down Retta. With Remy missing, I need the anchor that Retta will provide me to help me get my head screwed on right. That way I'll be able to find Remy, Snake and that fucker Hammer. I need to end this.

Following my brothers into the clubhouse, I'm hit in the legs by a weight that almost knocks me straight on my ass.

"What the fuu-" Looking down, I'm met with big brown glistening eyes.

"Mr. Wire! You need to save Miss Remy! She said you would save her!"

"Jovie?" I stare down at the little girl for a beat before my knees hit the ground and I pull her into my arms. Looking up and seeing the common room packed.

Savage, Flack, Dex, Savage's Ol Lady and a woman I'm guessing is Remy's sister are here. So is Roman, his husband Sasha and the whole Tombs family, including Pops and Debs. Debs comes over to take Jovie by the hand.

"She found Sid and I in the street, said she had to find Mr. Wire." Debs says as she smirks at me. "Come on baby, time to finish your dinner, yeah?"

"OK Mama Debs." She hugs me before looking up at me. "You have to save her, OK?"

I watch as Debs leads her away into the kitchen before looking to Marx for guidance.

"Snake and Jovie's dad kidnapped them, which we knew. Jovie said that Remy and her were put in a little room that had wood over the window. Remy managed to get the wood off and got Jovie through the window to find help."

"Why the fuck didn't she escape too?" I tug at my hair, trying to understand.

"The window was too small. Jovie said she told Remy she'd be brave and find you and your brothers to save her."

Rubbing my hand down my face, it almost takes my breath away how brave Remy and Jovie are.

"She say where they were kept?"

"Said it wasn't far from Rosie's. She ran until she saw people. Debs said she wasn't out of breath when she approached them, so close by."

Nodding, I eye my Pres. "I need to be in the control center. Give me 20 and I'll have something."

He nods once, giving me permission to go somewhere and lose my shit for a minute before coming up with a plan. Everyone else in the room watches as I leave. Flack looks like he's barely containing himself, but at this point everyone knows there is nothing we can do until I have a location. Add to our problems the fact the police are still investigating us and we don't actually know which cops we can trust, it's a fucking tense time for all of us.

Stepping into my room, I take a deep breath to center myself before sinking into the familiar leather of my chair.

"You OK?" Chewy says from her spot, her eyes not leaving her screen as she runs searches.

"No Chewy, I'm not. Remy went missing and now Retta isn't talking to me." I feel exhausted. Retta quiets the noise in my head. When shit is bad, Retta is there to talk me down to help me focus. Without her, I'm worried I won't find Remy.

"That's because Retta was kidnapped."

"What?!" My head snaps to look at Chewy.

"What?"

"What do you mean, Retta was kidnapped?" My breaths are coming in fast. How the fuck do the two women I care for both go missing? I need Chewy to elaborate, but all she's doing is staring at me like I'm an idiot.

"Retta is Remy. Remy is Retta. Didn't you know?"

I splutter. What does she mean they're the same person? The person I've been writing to for 15 years is the woman who has been sitting next to me all this time? What the fuck?

Using an even voice, I ask, "Chewy, what makes you think Retta is Remy?"

"Trolls."

Staring at her, I circle my hands, trying to get her to explain. She blows out a long breath, rolls her eyes, and looks at me like I'm an idiot. Maybe I am.

"I was with you when you bought and sent a troll to Retta," she says slowly, as if by doing that I'll understand what the fuck she's talking about.

"Yeah?"

"And then last week, Remy and I went to town to have lunch with Ana. She stopped by her post box and there was a troll in there. She was super giddy and when she showed it to me, it smelled like you."

"It smelled like me?"

"Wire, come on, you know my flavor of autism means having the nose of a bloodhound."

Yeah, actually, I did know that.

"Wait, I'd fucking know if I was sending something to a post box in town. It's probably a coincidence."

"That's what I thought too." She turns her body toward me, pointing at me. "Until she told me that Flack was a nomad for years before becoming a dad. He had all his mail sent to an aunt four hours away. She'd forward it to a post box. It became normal for all their post to go to her. Remy's still does. Now her aunt forwards it here to Rose Grove. After that I did a little digging and saw all your messages to each other. Then I checked through Remy's stuff and the turn of phrases, grammar. It all matches. Remy is Retta."

I'm glad I'm sitting down. What Chewy has just hit me with is fucking huge. My head spins as I try to process that the two people I've been having feelings for are, in fact, the same person.

"Wait, you went through my messages?!"

"Look, before you get all butt hurt about it, you're my best friend. I know that I've organized my besties into categories, but it doesn't mean anything. The feelings are the same. I have your back, through thick and thin, and I'm not going to sit by and watch my best friend fall in love with someone online only to find out that the woman he loves is actually a big, toothless black guy from Minnesota. Not that toothless black guys don't need love, just not with my best -"

"Chewy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to hug you now,"

"Oh, OK,"

I stand and wrap Chewy's small body in my arms. This woman, who blew into our lives and has made shit bright and colorful, chose me as her bestie. Yeah, OK, she went through my messages and is snoopy as hell, but it's for a good cause. She pats my back awkwardly, and I let her go.

"So, best friend, wanna help me find my girl?"

"Fuck yeah!"