As much as I hated to do it, I had to think of some way to put her off, even if it was just for a little longer, so I said, “How about this? I have a friend that works at the police station. Why don’t I go down there and talk to him? See what he thinks we should do.”
“That would be great.” She stood up, and as she started towards her bedroom, she said, “Let me get changed, and I’ll go with you.”
“Mom, wait!” I stood up and walked over to her. “Let me do this on my own. He’ll be much more open to talk if it’s just me.”
Disappointment crossed her face as she said, “Oh, okay. I understand.”
“I’ll let you know what he says.” I gave her a quick hug. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
“I’ll give you a call soon.”
“Okay.”
When I got out to my car, I pulled out my phone and sent Zander a text, letting him know that we needed to talk and to call me back. As soon as I was done, I pulled out of my mother’s driveway and started downtown. I’d promised Krissy that I would meet her for dinner, and we’d do a little shopping after. I was hoping to talk to Zander about my mother, but I still hadn’t heard from him when I got to the restaurant. I tried to push it to the back of my mind as I parked my car and walked inside to find Krissy. It was a small Italian place with a great little outdoor sitting area, which was where I found Krissy waiting for me. I went over, and the second I sat down, she gave me a look. My dear, sweet, annoyingly perceptive friend could always tell when something was bothering me, so I wasn’t surprised when she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing really.” The weight started to lift off my shoulders as I continued, “It’s just Danny. He’s gone off the rails again.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain. He just hasn’t been around in a while, and Mom’s freaking out about it.” I shook my head. “I tried to explain to her that he’ll show up eventually, but she isn’t listening. She wants to go to the police about it.”
“Maybe you should, especially if it’s been several days.”
“Well, that’s just it.” I was walking on thin ice as I told her, “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because of who he’s mixed up with. I’m afraid that getting the police involved will only make things worse.”
“Oh. Well, that sheds a different light on things.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “Is there someone you could ask about him? Find out if he’s okay or not?”
“Yeah ... I can push a little harder and see what I can find out.”
“That might not be a bad idea. You could always explain the situation with your mother wanting to call the police and see if that makes a difference.”
“You’re right. That actually might help.”
“Do you want to skip dinner and go tend to Danny? I understand if you do.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” she assured me. “We can meet up anytime.”
“Okay ... Thanks for understanding.” I grabbed my purse and stood up. “I’ll give you a call later.”
“Good luck, girl, and let me know if I can do anything.”
“I will.”
I headed out to my car, and once I was inside, I tried calling Zander for a second time. Again, no answer. I felt like I was running out of time, so I started the car and tried to remember my way to the clubhouse. It had been a while since that morning when Zander had taken me back to Danny’s place, but I didn’t think I would have any trouble finding my way there. Unfortunately, I was wrong. So many of the roads looked familiar, but none of them were the ones that led to the clubhouse.
After an hour of going in circles, I was getting frustrated and just about to stop and ask for directions when a tall fence caught my attention. As I got closer to the building, I spotted the large gated entrance, and I knew I’d finally found it. I pulled up to the man standing guard and asked, “Is this the Ruthless Sinners’ clubhouse?”
“Who’s asking?”
“I’m Delilah Davenport. I’m looking for Zander ... I mean Hawk.”
“Hold on a minute.” He stepped away from my car and pulled out his phone. After several long moments, he came back over to me. “Pull up to the front. Stay there and wait. He’ll be out as soon as he can.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I did as I was told and pulled my car up to the front of the building. Once I was parked, I turned off the engine. As I sat there waiting, I looked around the parking lot and the tall fence that surrounded it, and it wasn’t long before all those forgotten feelings of doubt and anxiousness I’d had the last time I was there came rushing back. I found myself wanting to barge inside and demand to see my brother, to finally see for myself what was really going on with him, but I didn’t move, fearing I’d only end up locked away again. I had worked myself up into a nervous fit when Zander finally stepped out the front door and walked over to my car. His brows were furrowed in confusion as he opened the door and asked, “What are you doing here, Delilah?”