Craving Absolution
Page 84
No properties were registered to Tommy. None. Even the house he’d been living in before the fire had been rented. Motherfucker.
Brenna had been the first old lady to show up, but Callie and Vera had been right behind her, followed by more women that I barely knew but belonged to brothers in the club. Eventually Gram and Lily had come racing in too, their faces anxious.
The entire club was waiting on news, and we still hadn’t heard anything.
“You need to calm down, boyo,” Poet called from across the room. “You start losin’ your head, and we’re gonna get nowhere.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to—”
My phone rang in my pocket, and I fumbled to fish it out. Cameron. Thank fuck.
“Cameron?” I answered, catching the attention of the brothers waiting throughout the room.
“Hey, baby,” Farrah whispered back. “It’s me.”
My knees hit the floor as she started sobbing, and my head grew light from both relief and worry.
“Are you okay? Are Cam and Cecilia okay?”
“Yeah,” she choked out. “We’re fine.”
I nodded to the room, and heard Gram start crying in relief.
“Where are you, baby?” She sobbed harder into the phone and I couldn’t understand what she was saying. “Ladybug, I need you to calm down. I can’t understand you, baby.”
My fingers went to my eyes and dug in, fighting back the moisture there. Thank God. Thank God.
“I don’t know where we are.” She hiccupped. “We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere.”
“Okay, okay.” I motioned to Slider and he came jogging across the room, his keys jingling where they were connected to his belt.
“Where’s Tommy?” I asked Farrah as Slider reached me.
“He’s dead,” she whispered back, and the relief made me dizzy.
“We need the cops in on this,” I told Slider, covering up the phone with my hand. “Tommy’s dead and Farrah has no fucking clue where they are. We could search for days on our own and never find them.”
“She have the car?” he asked.
“Can you drive out of there, baby? Maybe find the highway?” I asked, uncovering the phone.
“I—I can’t. He’s in there.” She hiccupped again.
“Okay, baby. That’s fine.”
“No car,” I mouthed to Slider. He gave me a nod and pulled out his phone.
“We’re gonna call the police, Ladybug. Okay? They should be able to figure out where you’re at with cell phone signals, but it’s gonna take a while.” Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair. I wanted her home with me now.
“We don’t have coats, Cody,” she told me quietly. “It’s going to cool off before too long.”
“Fuck, baby.”
“I’m going to get Cam and start walking,” she informed me, her voice growing stronger. “I think I remember where to go. I’ll get as close to the highway as I can. Maybe we’ll see someone.”
“Ladybug, I don’t know if you should be moving around,” I warned her, the panicky feeling invading my gut again. “You could get lost worse, or hurt.”
She was silent for a few moments, and I held my breath waiting for her reply.
“I’ve got two kids out here, handsome. I don’t have the luxury of waiting for the cavalry.”
Fuck.
“I hear you,” I replied quietly, climbing to my feet. “How much battery’s left on Cam’s phone? Where’s yours?”
“Cam’s phone has like fifty percent left, and I’ve got no clue where mine is. I think it may be in the front seat of my car.”
I didn’t ask why she couldn’t look for it.
“I’m going to hang up for now,” she said, sniffling again. “I need to get us ready to go. I’ll call you again when we hit the next road, okay?”
It killed me to do it. I fucking hated that she’d be out there alone and I’d have no idea what was happening or where she was, but I knew we had to conserve the phone battery.
“Okay, Ladybug. Give CeeCee a kiss for me and let me know when you’re on your way. Okay?”
“All right. Love you.”
“Love you too, so much.”
I held the phone against my ear for a full minute after she hung up, refusing to let go of the connection between us.
“Cops are on their way!” Slider yelled on his way out the front door. “Casper, Grease, and Goliath, let’s go meet them at the front gates!”
With no other choice, I was forced to drop the phone from my face and follow after him.
Chapter 48
Farrah
“Okay, dude, I’ve got a plan!” I called out to Cameron, who was still sitting on the ground with a sleeping Cecilia in his arms. “We’re going to start walking.”
“We’re going to walk home?” he asked incredulously, wiping tears from his face as I got closer.
“Hell no,” I replied, holding my hand out to him and pulling him to his feet. “We’re gonna walk until we find a main road, or find something so we have a point of reference for the guys to come get us.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, but first, I need to get some shit from the car.”
His eyes gaze from me to the car and back again, and his face turned pale. “Do you want me to do it?” he whispered.
Brenna had been the first old lady to show up, but Callie and Vera had been right behind her, followed by more women that I barely knew but belonged to brothers in the club. Eventually Gram and Lily had come racing in too, their faces anxious.
The entire club was waiting on news, and we still hadn’t heard anything.
“You need to calm down, boyo,” Poet called from across the room. “You start losin’ your head, and we’re gonna get nowhere.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to—”
My phone rang in my pocket, and I fumbled to fish it out. Cameron. Thank fuck.
“Cameron?” I answered, catching the attention of the brothers waiting throughout the room.
“Hey, baby,” Farrah whispered back. “It’s me.”
My knees hit the floor as she started sobbing, and my head grew light from both relief and worry.
“Are you okay? Are Cam and Cecilia okay?”
“Yeah,” she choked out. “We’re fine.”
I nodded to the room, and heard Gram start crying in relief.
“Where are you, baby?” She sobbed harder into the phone and I couldn’t understand what she was saying. “Ladybug, I need you to calm down. I can’t understand you, baby.”
My fingers went to my eyes and dug in, fighting back the moisture there. Thank God. Thank God.
“I don’t know where we are.” She hiccupped. “We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere.”
“Okay, okay.” I motioned to Slider and he came jogging across the room, his keys jingling where they were connected to his belt.
“Where’s Tommy?” I asked Farrah as Slider reached me.
“He’s dead,” she whispered back, and the relief made me dizzy.
“We need the cops in on this,” I told Slider, covering up the phone with my hand. “Tommy’s dead and Farrah has no fucking clue where they are. We could search for days on our own and never find them.”
“She have the car?” he asked.
“Can you drive out of there, baby? Maybe find the highway?” I asked, uncovering the phone.
“I—I can’t. He’s in there.” She hiccupped again.
“Okay, baby. That’s fine.”
“No car,” I mouthed to Slider. He gave me a nod and pulled out his phone.
“We’re gonna call the police, Ladybug. Okay? They should be able to figure out where you’re at with cell phone signals, but it’s gonna take a while.” Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair. I wanted her home with me now.
“We don’t have coats, Cody,” she told me quietly. “It’s going to cool off before too long.”
“Fuck, baby.”
“I’m going to get Cam and start walking,” she informed me, her voice growing stronger. “I think I remember where to go. I’ll get as close to the highway as I can. Maybe we’ll see someone.”
“Ladybug, I don’t know if you should be moving around,” I warned her, the panicky feeling invading my gut again. “You could get lost worse, or hurt.”
She was silent for a few moments, and I held my breath waiting for her reply.
“I’ve got two kids out here, handsome. I don’t have the luxury of waiting for the cavalry.”
Fuck.
“I hear you,” I replied quietly, climbing to my feet. “How much battery’s left on Cam’s phone? Where’s yours?”
“Cam’s phone has like fifty percent left, and I’ve got no clue where mine is. I think it may be in the front seat of my car.”
I didn’t ask why she couldn’t look for it.
“I’m going to hang up for now,” she said, sniffling again. “I need to get us ready to go. I’ll call you again when we hit the next road, okay?”
It killed me to do it. I fucking hated that she’d be out there alone and I’d have no idea what was happening or where she was, but I knew we had to conserve the phone battery.
“Okay, Ladybug. Give CeeCee a kiss for me and let me know when you’re on your way. Okay?”
“All right. Love you.”
“Love you too, so much.”
I held the phone against my ear for a full minute after she hung up, refusing to let go of the connection between us.
“Cops are on their way!” Slider yelled on his way out the front door. “Casper, Grease, and Goliath, let’s go meet them at the front gates!”
With no other choice, I was forced to drop the phone from my face and follow after him.
Chapter 48
Farrah
“Okay, dude, I’ve got a plan!” I called out to Cameron, who was still sitting on the ground with a sleeping Cecilia in his arms. “We’re going to start walking.”
“We’re going to walk home?” he asked incredulously, wiping tears from his face as I got closer.
“Hell no,” I replied, holding my hand out to him and pulling him to his feet. “We’re gonna walk until we find a main road, or find something so we have a point of reference for the guys to come get us.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, but first, I need to get some shit from the car.”
His eyes gaze from me to the car and back again, and his face turned pale. “Do you want me to do it?” he whispered.
