Page 44 of Declan's Dove

“Yours?” Kayce asks hesitantly.

“Yes, fucking mine.” No point in beating around the bush. “I know she’s gotten herself into trouble, but she hasn’t told me what exactly. The kid is tight-lipped, afraid he’ll upset his mama if he tells her secrets. I put my guy on it, and everything we’ve found amounts to jack shit. And then I found your card at her place. A place I know you don’t visit, in a town you don’t work in. So, I’ll ask again. What do you know about my woman, and where the fuck do I find her?”

“You know I can’t tell you about my clients, O’Malley. We work to get them out of their situation and give them new lives for a reason,” Kayce says. “If I tell you anything, I break Violet’s trust and my word.”

“You don’t have to tell me her story. But you can tell me where she is.”

“I’m sorry, man, but I can’t do that,” he says.

I didn’t want to do this, but he’s left me no choice. “I saved your life. You fucking owe me. All I want is a location. Everything else I’ll find out for myself,” I demand. “I’m not going to hurt her, Kayce. I want to help her. She and Carter mean something to me. But I can’t give them the life they deserve if I can’t fucking find her.”

“You swore after your ex-wife did you dirty, you would never settle down again. You getting soft in your old age? What’s changed?”

“I’ve changed,” I tell him honestly. “I don’t know how to tell you what happened or even when it happened, but Violet calls to something deep inside and her kid is pretty fucking awesome. They’re both mine.”

“Does she know this?” Kayce chuckles. “That you’re insane and have claimed her like a fucking caveman?”

“She knows. But she’s too scared to admit it. I think whatever shit she’s in has her pushing me away, in case she needs to pick up and leave. She doesn’t want any attachments. Carter told me a little about wanting to protect his mama and made some references to bad men, but neither one has ever clarified what that was about, but given the fact she took off without warning and left her son behind … she’s running from something, and I want to know what?”

“I can’t tell you where she is,” Kayce states firmly. “Listen. I’m in Oakridge for a few days. Why don’t we drink a few beers and catch up over old times? I’m staying at a cabin up near the lake. Come up in, say, an hour? Leave the kid at the farm. I’ll see you shortly.” The line goes dead. My phone vibrates with a text message and an address. A second text follows immediately after.

Unknown: Bring clothes for a few days. She’ll want something clean to wear.

Fuck me.

Sticking my phone in my pocket, I head into the house. Carter is in the kitchen helping Liz with the dishes and Caleb is drinking another cup of coffee at the table. I take a seat next to him.

“You think Carter could sleep over here for a few days?” I ask.

Caleb studies my face. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Something just came up. Business I need to handle and I can’t take the kid with me. He’s got school and I’m sure Liz wouldn’t mind an extra set of hands for a few days.” I tilt my chin toward Carter and Liz giggling together, tossing water at one another in the kitchen.

Caleb chuckles. “No, she wouldn’t. She’s happier than a pig in shit having someone to take care of. Keeps her mind off other people. It also means she won’t spend as much time down in the basement since she won’t want to leave Carter unsupervised. Especially around the clubhouse.”

I laugh at that. “She wouldn’t trust the brothers not to teach him some of their bad habits.”

“Bullshit,” Caleb says. “She won’t want him around the whores.”

“He’s only ten.” I scrunch my face in disgust. “They wouldn’t dare mess with him. He’s too young.”

“They might not mess with him, but they wouldn’t cover up if he happened to see them naked, either. That would send my wife over the edge, and I don’t think Carter needs to see me feeding a club whore to the pigs just yet, do you?”

“Point made.”

“How long you think you’ll be gone?” he asks.

“Not sure.” I shrug. “I’m meeting an old friend. He’s got some intel for me.”

“Hmm.” Caleb grunts. “Take your truck. Let Pres know where you’re headed. And if you find your ass in any trouble, you fucking call. You hear?”

“I’ll be fine.” I smile. “It’s not my ass you need to be worried about.”

Caleb’s brows shoot straight up, and he laughs heartily. “Oh shit. Well, tell your woman not to worry. Carter’s in good hands.”

I glare at Caleb. “How did you …”

His hand goes up to stop me. “It’s written all over your face, son. You’ve got it bad and the only reason I can think of that you would leave her son for after she entrusted him specifically to you is because she’s in trouble and you’re headed out to get her.” His smile fades. “But if you find this to be too much to handle on your own, you have the entire club behind you.”

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