Page 54 of Torrent’s Treasure

Sally stepped out into the hallway. “Food’s ready!” she yelled.

Calliope and Harley went through the line, followed by Cecilia and Sally. The brothers weren’t late when Sally was cooking because she made incredible food. Cecilia had been surprised when Sally hadn’t used premixed cans of sloppy joe mix but had mixed it herself from scratch.

Cecilia sat down at the table with Calliope, Harley, and Sally, leaving room for Dragon and Torrent. Willow had mentioned she’d be at the clubhouse for supper, but Cecilia hadn’t seen her yet.

Monster had settled by her chair between her and Calliope. Shadow’s painted toenails were clicking on the clubhouse floor as he looked for any dropped food. She wondered if they’d end up having to put the Frenchie on a diet because he was a food hound. The brothers thought he was cute, so he ended up with way more table food than he should.

Torrent sat down beside her, leaning close to brush a kiss against her cheek before he started eating. He’d taken to kissing her when he saw her again or when he left, and Cecilia loved that soft side of him coming through.

“Looks like we’ve got company,” Dragon announced, standing up. “Prospect on the gate texted that two police cars are requesting entrance to speak with Cecilia. Gunner, you know what to do,” Dragon directed, walking around the table over to the bar and leaning against it. Torrent stood up and placed himself a little in front of their table. She and Sally were facing the door, which Cecilia appreciated because she was nervous enough without having her back to the door.

Torrent and Dragon had drilled her on how to respond to questions from the Chief because they knew that eventually, he’d visit them.

The door opened, and Useless—or Chief Eustace Fink—walked in with Abby in uniform behind him. Cecilia was surprised he didn’t bring more officers with him. He was walking into a one-percenter motorcycle club’s clubhouse where he was greatly outnumbered.

Dragon walked forward. “Chief, what brings you here tonight?” Dragon asked.

“I need to speak to Cecilia Wilson,” Useless demanded.

“Jones, Cecilia Jones,” Torrent corrected.

“What?” the Chief blurted.

“You used her maiden name. She’s married now, so it’s Cecilia Jones,” Torrent stated firmly.

Cecilia didn’t like the look in the chief’s eyes and worried what he had planned.

“It doesn’t matter what her name is, I need to talk to her about the disappearance of my brother, Horace Fink," he insisted.

Cecilia stood up and walked to Torrent, slipping under his arm and sliding her arm around his waist. She breathed deeply, remembering their coaching to stay calm.

“I’m Cecilia Jones, but I don’t understand why you need to talk with me about the disappearance of your brother,” Cecilia said, her voice soft and calm.

“Because you were the last to see him before he disappeared,” Useless snapped.

“I don’t understand. I haven’t seen your brother lately. The last time I can remember seeing him was at my parents’ funeral. You and he were both there. I appreciated you coming. It was such a hard day,” Cecilia recalled.

The Chief’s face reddened at her words, but she didn’t let it affect her—slow breathing, face calm while she stared at him.

“No, I know he was with you on Monday, September first,” the Chief countered, scowling at her.

“Why is that date familiar?” she asked Torrent.

“That’s when I came home from school and you were passed out, burning up. I called Torrent, and he came and got us. He nursed you until you were well, then I got the flu and you had to take care of me,” Calliope piped up from the table.

“Oh, that flu was horrible. I thought I’d missed it, but no, it was brutal. The fever, the chills, and the throwing up when my temperature was high, ugh,” Cecilia added, looking up at Torrent with a smile. “I guess if we can get through you nursing me through the flu, we can get through anything,” she mused.

Cecilia waited to see how the Chief would respond. She was positive he wasn’t sure what to do because they’d crafted a story that didn’t include his brother in any way.

“You were the last to see him. I know it,” Chief Fink said, raising his voice, his face flushing.

“I’m not sure how to help you, Chief. You say she was the last to see him, but she was ill and passed out when Calliope got home. When did she supposedly see your brother?” Dragon interrupted, casually lighting a cigarette and breathing in before blowing smoke out close to the Chief’s face. Cecilia didn’t smile, though Dragon having a cigarette in the clubhouse, right in front of Sally’s face, was funny. Sally had just lectured him about lung cancer when he’d walked in the door from the shop, smelling of cigarette smoke.

“You’re lying. He was with you when he called me!” the Chief roared, stepping closer to Cecilia.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you, but I don’t remember seeing your brother at all. The last thing I remember clearly that day is dropping Calliope and Linny off at school and barely getting in the door of the house before running to the bathroom to throw up. I don’t remember much else besides crawling to the bed and bringing a pillow and cover back into the bathroom to try to keep warm while I was sick,” Cecilia explained, hoping and praying she was pouring enough feeling into the words to make them believable.

“You’re lying,” he yelled, walking toward her.