Part 7 (2/2)

”It's too late, Heidi. He's found me.” The words find their way out over my distress. If I thought tonight was bad, when he has me alone after this, who knows what he will do.

”Call the police. Now!” she orders as the front door is kicked open. Chad stands in the doorway, his face distorted with rage. I want to run, take my chances and hope I can get away, but I can't. I failed to be out of his clutches for less than twenty minutes, and the pain of that realization hurts more than my busted-up face.

”Mackenzie, there you are, sweetheart.” His sugar-coated voice fills the hall, sinking me further into the depths of despair. ”What are you doing here?” He looks at me, a frown spreading across his face.

”You better f.u.c.king get out of my house. I'm calling the cops, Chad.” Heidi steps in front of me, but we both know she's not going to stop Chad from getting what he wants.

”I'm just here to take my wife home.”

”To her prison?” She scoffs, making the situation worse. She has no idea what he's capable of.

”Come here now, Mackenzie. You should have known I would find you. Wherever you go, I will always find you.” Just as the words leave his lips, a lone tear rips its way through me and slides down the apple of my cheek. I'll never be rid of him and he'll never let me go.

Eight.

Beau ”What do you mean it's a missing person's case?” My hand comes down on Jackson's desk. My patience is wearing thin and I'm about to f.u.c.king lose it.

”I mean he's off the grid, Beau. The Mayor has the whole department trying to find him. We're treating it like a missing person's case.” Jackson delivers the news I don't want to hear.

”Bulls.h.i.+t, the a.s.shole probably has him in hiding so he can protect him.”

”You don't know that.”

”No, I don't. But I know his family's ties, know what they are all capable of. We can't just sit around and wait for Chad to pull some s.h.i.+t. He's messed up. You've f.u.c.king seen how far he was out of line at Jesse's party last year and how he got off.” I think back to when he held a broken beer bottle to Holly's throat trying to find Mackenzie. We thought the crazy f.u.c.ker would be put away, but he pleaded out and was slapped with a misdemeanor and community service.

”I don't know what you want from me, Beau. I'm doing what we can here. For all we know, he f.u.c.ked with the wrong person and he's in some shallow grave. We need to look at all possibilities here.”

”f.u.c.k, I wish.” I scoff, knowing it's where he belongs.

”I didn't hear that.” Jackson counters.

I smirk, then hold his stare for a minute before running my hand over my beard.

”So that's it. Just some bulls.h.i.+t play from the Mayor and it's filed away for never.”

”Trust me, it's far from over. But you're blowing up for no reason. Keep your head straight. No one knows she's back in town and if Chad is missing, he's not going to bother you.”

He has a point, but it doesn't placate me.

”I don't believe for a second he's missing. He's waiting.”

”Well, we have an APB out on him. We're waiting too.”

”f.u.c.k the APB. You think some bulls.h.i.+t police protocol is going to protect her from this sick f.u.c.k?” I stand and begin pacing. Jesus Christ. How hard is it to find the f.u.c.ker? ”You sure you can trust these a.s.sholes here?” I point out the door to the officers on the case. ”They're not working for the Mayor?”

”Trust me, I understand your frustration, Beau. But I told you this wasn't going to be easy. You need to let us do what we can.”

”No, f.u.c.k this s.h.i.+t. If you can't even find the f.u.c.ker, how am I supposed to trust you have her back?” I stand and move toward the door.

”Beau, don't do anything stupid,” he calls out, and I stop and turn.

”I won't, but if I have to, you won't know.” I walk out of his office without a backward glance. The last thing I need to do is bring us into more s.h.i.+t, but Chad needs to be found, not only for Mackenzie's sake, but also for my own. If the a.s.shole gets to her again, I'm not sure I'd be able to forgive myself. I'd rather take the f.u.c.ker's life than have him hurt her.

”Think this through, Beau,” Jackson's warning across the station doesn't stop me. I know I should just leave it, let Jackson and his men sort it out, but knowing the f.u.c.ker is out there, probably trying to come up with some sick way of getting her back, is consuming me. I don't want to think about why this is messing with me. If I were honest, it's more than a need to protect her. It's something more. Something I'm not sure I'm ready to admit. Just being under the same roof appears to tame the growing need though.

”I won't be able to protect you if this goes too far.”

”Catch ya, Jackson.” I ignore his warning, step outside and head to my bike. I've been relying too much on the law to put an end to this. If Jackson can't sort this out, I'm going old school. I'll call in my own markers and make sure whatever we find out will be handled in house.

Once and for all.

I pull up at the clubhouse two hours later and take a moment to contemplate going in. I know I probably should just head home to my place. I mean, it's been over a month since I've slept in my own bed, but the thought of leaving her alone doesn't sit well with me. Every night since Kenzie showed up, I haven't spent a night away from the clubhouse. From her. Even though she sleeps in the furthest room from me, I'm relaxed knowing I'm close. Doesn't mean I don't wish I could climb into her bed, hold her and tell her I'll never let the a.s.shole touch her again though.

”Hey, f.u.c.ker. What you doing out here?” Jesse's voice cuts through my thoughts.

”Nothing. Just got in.” I climb off my bike. Yeah, no way I'm leaving her tonight. ”Where you off to?” I take the focus off me and notice his tidy appearance.

”Dinner with Bell's parents,” he answers as he climbs onto his own bike.

”How's everything going? Paige settled in?”

”It's been tense. But she's adjusting. They all are.”

”Bell doing okay?”

”Yeah, just relieved to have her sister home. The whole thing has been a f.u.c.king mess, but it can only get better, right? I have to head out, can't be late. We can catch up later. You gonna be in tomorrow night?” He stops, letting a grin take over his face. ”Of course you will.”

”What the f.u.c.k does that mean?” I bark. I'm ready to go at him for his smart remark. Of course all my brothers know how messed up I am over Mackenzie. They've been very vocal about it.

f.u.c.kers.

”Nothing man, f.u.c.king chill. It's just you've been spending every night here and taking less call outs.”

<script>