Page 69 of Hell's Claim

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“Have you spoken to Callie?” Cherry asked Sunny.

“No, Mom. She still out?” he replied, feeling a hint of concern.

“Yes. Does Callie usually stay out this long?”

“Don’t know. This is the first time Callie’s gone on a hike since we got together,” Sunny answered, glancing at the clock on the clubhouse wall. It was five; surely Callie should have been back.

“Can you call her?”

“Yeah. I’ll get off the phone now.”

Sunny punched Callie’s number in and listened to it ring. When it went to voice mail after ringing out, he frowned and repeated his actions. After a second voicemail message, Sunny glanced around the clubhouse.

Spotting Thalia, he headed over. “Hey, how long does Callie usually go on her hikes for?”

Thalia looked surprised. “I didn’t know Callie hiked.”

“Thanks,” Sunny said, thinking that Thalia was no help whatsoever. Clio crossed his line of sight, and Sunny walked over to her.

“Clio, how long does Callie usually hike for?”

“Usually a couple of hours. Why?”

“She left at ten this morning and hasn’t come back yet. Should we be getting worried?”

“I’ll call her, hold on, Sunny.”

“I’ve already tried,” Sunny replied as Clio dialled Callie. It rung out just like his did.

“Callie’s probably on her way home, she might be stuck in traffic. And if she’s driving, she won’t answer the phone. Not even on hands-free as she believes it’s a distraction,” Clio said.

“Thanks.”

Clio walked away, but Sunny had a gnawing feeling in his gut. Callie would have checked in, surely? Actually, Sunny had not heard from her at all today, which was unusual. Something was wrong.

???

Four hours later, Sunny rode out to the spot where Callie had said she was hiking. He’d still not heard from her, and her phone was going straight to voice mail. Chance hadn’t wanted to pull the trigger on Callie being missing, which pissed Sunny right off. Sunny had stormed out of the clubhouse and hit his bike. Sailor rode behind him… brothers always.

They parked in the car park, and Sunny began searching for Callie’s car. It wasn’t hard to spot, as it was one of three left. He headed over to it and discovered it locked. As he peered through the window to see if her phone was inside, a voice surprised him.

“Can I help you?”

Sunny turned and saw a ranger. “My woman owns this car. She has not been in contact all day. I think she’s still out in the hills and possibly injured.”

“The park closed two hours ago, and I’ve been watching for someone to come back. Are you sure she’s not broken down?”

“Damn, sure. Dude, you’ve got cameras here, could we check them?”

“I can, you can’t. Come to the reception room, and I’ll contact SPD and my supervisor,” the guy said.

Sunny ran his hands through his hair. “You need me to ID Callie. Look, call Detective Emilio Hawthorne, he’ll vouch for me.”

“You’re still not law enforcement,” the ranger replied apologetically.

“I’m ex fuckin’ special services. Don’t let the cut fool you. I fought for my country for four terms. My woman is missing, and we need to find her!” Sunny exploded.

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