I pulled in a shuddery breath. "I love you, too, and I'll try. I promise, I'll try to do better." Arden squeezed my hand, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by JJ walking in. His hair was his typical jet black with electric-blue tips, and he was wearing black skinny jeans that looked like they'd been painted on and The Doors tank top.
"Hey, JJ,” I said, taking in the disgruntled expression on his face.
"Hey, guys," he answered, walking over to the couch we were sitting on and collapsing on the other side of Arden.
Arden turned so he was facing forward again, then looked over at our friend. "You okay?"
JJ let out a small huff. "Yeah, sorry, I don't mean to be pissy. I just got off the phone with Cleave. He wanted me to come in earlier tonight saying we were on lockdown, but I had a gig. And he was pissed that I didn't rush over here as soon as it was done." JJ swiveled his head toward us. "Is it true that someone kidnapped Leith?"
At that moment, Zach came rushing into the room. "Hey, guys... they wanted me to let you know they found Leith.”
Arden and I both stood up, nearly speaking simultaneously as we asked if he was okay.
Zach ran a hand through his hair like he wasn't sure what to do with us. "I think he's busted up some but yeah, he's okay. Doc Joe's coming to check him over, anyway, just to be sure. Anyway, they need the truck, so I’ve got to go.”
He rushed out of the room. Probably afraid we were going to fling more questions at him, but still, even knowing that much made my heart felt lighter. I wondered about Leith's condition. I hoped that Mace and all of them were okay. Surely, if one of the guys was hurt, Zach would have said something. He'd only said the doctor was coming for Leith, so I had to take that as a good sign.
Cody walked in from the kitchen holding four mugs, obviously having heard JJ come in. "Did I hear Zach say they'd found Leith?" He came over, setting the mugs on the coffee table and glancing between the three of us.
"Yes," Arden said, his voice taking on that happy quality when he was excited about something. He reached for his hot chocolate and took a sip, humming appreciatively and looking back at Cody. "Cody, this is delicious."
"Thank you." The sweet shyness Cody had since the day I met him always came out when someone paid him a compliment. I reached for my own mug, taking a long sip. It was smooth and warm, rich and creamy, and tasted like my favorite dark chocolate squares with salted caramel in the middle. It was fucking delicious. "Will you marry me?" I asked, looking up at Cody. He laughed and Eben’s voice sounded from the door, "Sorry, but he's going to have to decline that invitation."
Cody smiled and went over to his boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss before they both looked back at us.
"Zach told you all that they found Leith?"
"Yeah, he did, is everyone else okay?"
Eben nodded. "As far as I know, everyone's good."
Cody's phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced up at me. "The Uber is here."
Feeling relieved, I pushed off the couch and headed toward the door.
"I'm coming with you, Pax," Eben said, moving toward me. Cody's hand was still in his, but he stopped and looked back toward the couch.
"I think I'll stay here." It was obvious Cody wanted to speak to JJ. The two of them had grown close while they’d been roommates, and I was sure that even if he hadn't heard JJ's words, he would have been able to tell by the look on his face that he was upset. Arden must've figured it out, as well, because he sat his mug of hot chocolate down and stood.
"I think I'll walk out with you guys."
With that, Eben, Arden, and I made our way out the front door of the clubhouse. Sitting on the outside of the gate was the same white SUV that had dropped me off earlier in the night.
The July wind was warm, even this late, and the humidity in the air had me feeling sticky before we were halfway across the parking lot. The wind picked up, blowing clouds across the moon, and I had the distinct feeling that it was the kind of wind that blew in a storm.
When we got to the gate, Eben punched in a code and the whirring of gears filled the air as the metal barrier swung open. I walked to the driver side window, Eben and Arden not far behind me, and looked into the darkened cab. The driver that had been concerned about dropping me here earlier was staring back, my phone in his hand.
"Thank you so much for bringing it back."
"No problem," he said with a distinct waver in his voice, which he then lowered. "Drop the phone on the ground and get into the back seat."
When his words didn't quite register, I met his eyes. Even in the dark, it was plain to see that they were widened in fear. I didn't understand what was happening until a subtle movement from the back seat drew my gaze.
He was there.
The man who looked like Vector was sitting in the middle of the back bench seat with the gun in his hand pressed just beneath the driver's ear. My heart seized up and bile rose in my throat. As I watched, the gunmen leaned forward only slightly and lifted his other hand, pressing a single finger to his lips.
The driver spoke again, "Drop the phone and get in the back seat."
"Is there a problem, Pax?" Eben asked, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him moving forward.
Fuck. Eben was there. Arden was there. And I had no doubt that the monster in the back seat would not only shoot the driver, but that he wouldn't hesitate to turn the gun on my friends, either. On liquid knees, I shook my head in Eben's direction, unable to push the lie past my teeth and shifted toward the backdoor. I hadn't given Eben enough credit, because he immediately reached for his gun and started forward.
Just as I gripped the door handle of the back door, it pressed open and the gunmen leaned out pointing the gun between the frame of the door of the SUV as he grabbed me by my shirt with the other hand.
A gunshot rang out. I heard Arden scream my name, even as I was being wrenched around the door and hauled into the SUV. The gunman yelled for the driver to go. I lashed out at him, the thought of being held against my will again unsticking my brain. I surged up trying to fight him off and scrambling to open the door. I didn't even see the fist coming until it smashed into the side of my face making pain blossom in my head and my ears ring. I gripped my head and at the squeal of tires, squinted open my watery eyes, trying to turn my head to look back, to check on my friends, but we were already gone.
Chapter Seventeen
Mace
When Zach arrived with the truck, I stayed upstairs playing lookout, while Lex went down so he and Zach could load Axel's bike into the bed. Once we found Leith, my first instinct had been to text Pax, and I almost reached for my phone until I remembered that he still didn't have his back. Instead, I text Eben, asking for the truck and for him to let Pax and Arden know that we found Leith. I debated whether to have him tell them that we hadn't found Leith's abductor and in the end, decided against it.
I was hopeful we would still catch the bastard, and I wanted to tell Pax myself, if only so that I could be there if he needed me. My phone beeped in my pocket, and I pulled it out. It was a text from Lex, letting me know that they'd gotten the bike loaded and we could bring Leith down. I was glad, for more reasons than one. I was starting to feel twitchy standing around this apartment. We’d been there too long and I wanted to be out there running this guy down.