"Yeah, I'm sending an image through now.”
A second later my phone beeped, so I lowered it and clicked on the text from Cleave. The moment the image loaded, I swore my heart stopped in my chest. If I hadn't been the one looking into Vector’s eyes as he died, the one plunging the knife into his heart, I would swear on my life that it was Vector in that image looking back at me. Whoever he was, the bastard had an arm wrapped around Leith’s ass as he hung upside down over his shoulder and was looking at the camera with a smile on his face. Like he wanted us to see him, wanted us to know that he'd invaded our territory and taken a hostage.
Vaguely, the rumble of Cleave's voice reached my ear. I realized he was still speaking to me, even though I lowered the phone. "Has Pax seen this?"
Cleave huffed. "That's what I was just trying to tell you. He was here with me and Vivian when I brought the picture up. He kind of freaked out and ran out of here like his ass was on fire. Vivian's been trying to get a hold of him because it looks like he got into an Uber just before I called you."
"Shit," I breathed. "Okay, this guy that's got Leith, he's got to be connected to the merc I took out to dinner a couple months ago."
I could hear Cleave suck in a breath before he spoke again. "The bastard that hurt Pax?"
“Yes. This guy has to be his brother or some relation because they look exactly the fucking same. See what you can dig up. We need everyone working on this. There were no known relations listed on the guy, but obviously this one was hiding under a rock somewhere."
"What are you going to do?"
“I'm gonna go find Pax." I ended the call and turned to the others. "Leith has been taken and Pax is missing." It was taking every ounce of my willpower to not completely lose my shit. I needed to remember my training and keep my head. So, one problem at a time. While Cleave was searching for clues that would hopefully lead us to Leith, I needed to figure out where Pax had gone. Where would he run?
Calix was looking down at his phone having obviously received the image from Cleave, as well. After a moment, he met my eyes. "Those boys are under our protection. I want everyone we have available out looking for this guy, talking to all our contacts, and I'll make a call. If the Devil’s are serious about this truce, it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is."
"Agreed. I need to find Pax."
Calix gripped my shoulder with a nod. "Find your boy. Get him to the clubhouse and let's go find this bastard."
Lifting my phone, I hit Pax's number and pressed it against my ear. It rang and rang and then picked up. For a split second, my heart lifted, but it was only his voicemail.
“This is Pax. Leave a message.”
"Pax, call me as soon as you get this, okay?" I hung up and clicked back to my contact list, selecting another name. When Arden answered he was breathless, and I had the distinct feeling I'd interrupted something, but I couldn't feel sorry, even for cockblocking my best friend.
"Mace? Is everything okay? You never call me."
"Have you heard from Pax?"
Arden instantly went from puzzled to worried. "No, I haven't talked to him since yesterday. Is he okay?"
I didn’t want to freak Arden out, but I wouldn’t lie to him, either. "I'm hoping so, but I can't get a hold of him. Leith was taken and the guy who took him looks like he’s related to the man that hurt Pax. All I know is Pax left the club in an Uber, but nobody knows where he was going. Is Lex there?" Arden didn't say anything, but there was a rustle, then my friend’s voice in my ear.
"What's going on Mace? Arden just went pale."
“Vector apparently has a brother or a cousin that looks just fucking like him."
"Is Pax, okay?" Lex's voice was low.
"The guy took Leith. Pax saw him on the security feed, and they look so much a-fucking-like that he panicked and left Spritz in an Uber. No one knows where he was going, and he’s not answering his phone. I thought he might be on his way to Arden."
"We can stay here to see if he shows, but then you and I are going hunting."
"Agreed. Calix is already rallying everyone." My phone beeped in my ear. "Lex, Eben is calling me. He’s at the clubhouse tonight. Let me call you back." I clicked over to Eben. Only it wasn’t Eben on the other end.
It was Pax.
Chapter Fourteen
Pax
I'd panicked—heart pounding, brain scrambling—panicked. And the only thought that had broken through my muddled mind was that I needed to get to Mace. Before I knew it, an Uber was pulling up to the curb, and I was climbing into the back seat. The driver had shot me a funny look in the rearview when I’d climbed inside. When he pulled the SUV to a stop in front of the gate at the Iron Heretics’ clubhouse, he turned his head and looked back at me over his shoulder.
"You sure you want to get out here, man?" I nodded, pulling a folded twenty out of my pocket to hand him. "Thank you," I said as I opened the door and climbed out.
He didn't hang around, driving off as soon as I walked up to the gate and pressed the intercom button. Eben had answered quickly, and he and Cody both had come out to meet me at the door.
"What's going on, Pax?" Cody asked, pulling me into a hug. I must've looked really shaken.
"Is Mace here?"
Eben stepped to the other side of me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and guiding me and Cody inside. "No, he's out on a run with some of the others, but they should be on their way back now. Have you tried to call him?"
Had I? The last hour was such a muddle in my brain that I wasn’t sure. Once we were inside, I reached into my pocket for my phone to check, only to find it missing. "Shit," I said, patting myself down, but not finding the familiar shape of my device in any of my pockets. "I think I left my phone in the Uber."
"Okay," Eben said. "Here, use mine to call Mace, and Cody and I will figure out what we need to do to get your phone back."
I accepted the phone Eben handed me and stepped away from them, clicking on Mace's contact and pressing the phone to my ear. Mace answered on the second ring.
"Eben—"
"It’s me, Mace."
"Thank fucking God, Pax, are you okay? I just tried to call you."
"I forgot my phone in the Uber." A tremble worked its way into my voice.
"That's okay, baby, we'll get your phone back. The important thing is that you're safe. You're at the clubhouse, right?"
I nodded and realized he couldn't see me. "Yeah, I'm here with Eben and Cody."
“You stay there, okay? Hang out with them or go up to my room if you want, and I’ll be there as soon as I can."
"What about Leith?"
"We’re going to find him, Pax. I promise you.”
"Okay… Mace, I thought that he—”
“It’s not Vector, baby.”
I closed my eyes. Part of me whispered that he was lying, that of course he hadn’t done what he said he would because no one ever really did. Except, I had people in my life that I could depend on now, and the larger part of me knew that Mace was one of them. He’d killed a man to protect me, and I knew in my bones that he was gearing up to do it again—without a second thought.