Page 48 of B-ry
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
B-ry
“Hey, Cami,” Chris said the moment she walked into the bar. There was something in his tone that held concern.
I was there helping Chris get the place stocked and ready for the weekend. Did I really have to do that? Well, no. It wasn’t part of my duties to the club. But I liked the guy and I didn’t have anything else going on. I figured I’d give the prospects a little bit of a break too. Not that I should have. It was part of my job to ride them hard and make sure this was something they really wanted. But hey, what could I say? Sometimes I was a nice guy.
“Hey,” she said with that sweet smile that she always gave when she greeted someone. I sent her a chin lift as she turned that smile my way.
While she wasn’t really my type—okay, maybe I didn’t have a type—she was perfect for Brand. And though she’d grown up in the same world that her sister had, she didn’t look down on us for who we were. She was cool as shit and I liked hanging around her.
“Have you heard from your sister?” Chris asked and I did my best to look like I wasn’t listening in, though I was.
I thought about it long and hard. I hadn’t heard from or about Laurel in about a week. Not that I expected for her to call me. Especially after I shut the door in her face basically letting her know in every way possible that I was done being her shadow boy. But the fact that Chris was asking with a hint of panic in his tone made me perk up.
“Uh, actually no. Not since the night she was here,” Cami answered and I felt a sense of dread fill the air around us.
“I’ve been trying to call her for two days now and she hasn’t called me back. I figured maybe she was busy, but I stopped by Royally Brewed earlier and they said that she hadn’t shown up for her last three shifts. Dale said he hasn’t seen her for maybe a week.”
This was news to me. Why hadn’t he said anything before? Oh, right. Because no one knew about the connection I had to Laurel.
Fuck!
This was bad.
What if something happened to her?
What if my words were just the right thing to push her over the edge?
No, I wouldn’t believe that. Laurel was fragile at times but it would take something a lot bigger than losing me to send her into a deep downward spiral.
Suddenly Cami looked like she was about to crumble. She lowered herself onto one of the stools and I saw that her hands were shaking.
“Oh, no,” she whispered and her eyes appeared to be unfocused. “What if something happened? I haven’t… I’ve been such a crappy sister.”
“No,” Chris said as he laid a comforting hand over hers. “I’ll get someone to watch the bar and I’ll ride over to her place.”
“I got it,” I said half out of my mind right then.
Chris turned his gaze to me, eyes dancing with questions I knew he wasn’t going to ask right now.
“You should stay with her. Call Brand and get him here.” I did my best to distract from the fact that I’d just jumped at the chance to go check for myself. Or that I knew exactly where to check. As far as they knew, I had no idea where she lived. When in reality, I knew all too well.
Chris opened his mouth but I started walking away. Whatever it was, I didn’t have time to deal with it right then.
The same thought I had every time I rode up in front of her apartment building filled my head this time. My feelings on this place hadn’t changed and I knew they never would. This was a shit hole. Even I felt a little unsure as I dismounted my bike and walked into the door on the first floor. It wasn’t bad enough the thought that something had happened to her, but if it had been while she was here, I knew I’d never forgive myself. From the moment I found out she was moving in here I felt the need to get her out. Sure I was a criminal and maybe I didn’t really have the right to say anything, but I hated that she had to deal with drug deals going on every time she walked through the halls to get to her apartment.
But what was I going to do? Demand that she move somewhere more secure? Offer to pay her rent because I knew she couldn’t afford anything better? Yeah, I knew how well that would have gone over.
Her door seemed to be securely shut and there was no sign of a break-in. I was smart enough to know that it didn’t mean anything though. I didn’t even allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief, not just yet. Not until I laid eyes on her and wrapped her up in my arms.
I banged on the door. It didn’t matter where she was in there, she’d hear it. Since this place was made super cheaply, if she was in there I knew I’d hear her moving around. But I was met with silence from the other side of the door. I waited a minute. Banged again. Still nothing.
Feeling like I didn’t have any options left, I pulled out my lock kit. Probably could have just used a credit card with as shitty as the locks were on the place. In no time, the door was swinging wide open. I was greeted with an eerie silence. Even before I stepped over the threshold I knew I wouldn’t find her here.
Fuck!
Nothing looked out of place. There hadn’t been a break-in I assumed. I flipped the light switch to get a better look. Nope. There hadn’t been a scuffle here. She hadn’t been taken from here. If she had been taken at all. I still had no clue. It had to be the most logical thing. Or that she was laid up hurt somewhere. I needed to check the hospitals.
