Viper nodded, then started towards the door. Before walking out, he turned to us and said, “Time to clear out and give Doc some space.”
We followed him out into the hall and listened intently as he said, “I wanna know who did this, and I wanna know now.”
“It’d help if Country could tell us something,” Menace replied.
“That’s not happening any time soon, so you’re gonna be on your own with this one.”
“I’ll start going through the security feed at the club. Maybe I can come up with something there.”
“Check through street cams, too. We need to know if that fucking van has any connection to all this.”
“I’m on it.”
Hawk stepped forward as he said, “I’ll come help you out.”
“Thanks, brother.”
“Let me know if you find anything.” Viper turned to the rest of us as he announced, “Stay close. I’ll let you boys know as soon as I hear anything.”
“You got it,” Shotgun answered.
When the brothers started to disperse, I went back to the family room to find Corry. When I walked in, he was standing over by one of the pool tables rolling the balls into the corner pocket. He was so enthralled in his personal match he didn’t even notice when I walked up. “We need to call your mother.”
“Oh, man.” A look of disappointment washed over him as he asked, “Do we have to?”
“Afraid so. It’s getting late, and I’m sure she’s wondering where the hell you are.”
“Yeah, I should’ve already called her, but my phone died when I was at the park.”
“I’ll make the call.”
I took my phone out of my back pocket and dialed her number. As I stood there waiting for her to answer, Corry mumbled, “She’s gonna be sooo pissed.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Chapter 10
Frankie
Even when I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a mother. It was engrained in me. While other kids my age talked about being a lawyer or a cop, I was thinking of my future kids—their names, how I’d dress them and care for them, and how I’d love them with every ounce of my soul. For the most part, those dreams had come true. I loved being a mother. My boys were my life, and they always would be. But there were many aspects of being a mom that were tough—really tough. When I was young, I didn’t think about the sleepless nights, the endless to-do lists, and the constant worrying that was often overwhelming. Sometimes it was downright crippling—just like it was tonight.
I had no idea what to think when Roman called and said he had Corry with him at his clubhouse. Even after he assured me several times Corry was okay, I was still absolutely frantic. I couldn’t imagine how Corry had ended up with Widow when he was supposed to be at Sean’s basketball practice. There were so many questions rushing through my mind, and it didn’t help matters that my son was at a strange place where I’d never been before. I had no idea if it was safe. I didn’t know any of the people there, just that they were Widow’s brothers, but that didn’t set my mind at ease at all. Instead, it worried me even more.
I could barely breathe as I put Sean in the car and raced to the address Widow had given me. I tried to be rational. I tried to remember Widow was a good guy. He’d been sweet to Corry. He’d taught him how to change a flat tire and listened to him talk about his father—which had seemed extremely endearing to me. It was those thoughts that had led me to sleep with the guy, but at that moment, I couldn’t seem to hold on to those thoughts. It was only the negative, fearful thoughts that were running through my head.
I was simply too freaked out to think. My child wasn’t within my reach. I had no control of the situation. I couldn’t protect him if something went wrong, and that was making me crazy. By the time I actually made it to the Ruthless Sinners’ clubhouse, I was a complete wreck, and apparently, I hadn’t done a great job concealing my anxiousness from Sean. I was looking down at my phone to make sure I had the right address when he said, “You don’t have to worry so much, Mom. Corry’s gonna be alright. He’s with Widow. He’ll take care of him.”
“It’s not Widow I’m worried about.” I glanced up at the large building with the tall security fence and barbed wire, and it was impossible not to be slightly horrified by the fact my son was locked away inside. “It will be fine once I get him out of there.”
As I inched up to the gate, Sean leaned forward to get a better look. “Holy crap. This place is awesome. They’ve even got guards.”