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I chewed on a piece of bacon, pondering what he’d said. “How do you know all of this? You obviously have some experience.”
He stared at the entrance to the diner, watching people as they left and entered. “Sutton’s sister, Vaughn’s fiancée, was kidnapped a while ago. Sutton and Pierce had a history and had split up right after high school. Years later, Sutton showed up on his doorstep and begged him to help find Claire.”
“I didn’t realize Sutton had lived through that experience. Going through this fucking sucks.” I crushed my napkin between my fingers, wishing it was Tim’s face.
“Yeah, but Claire was recovered, and she and Vaughn are getting married soon. She’s had a lot of therapy and she’s doing really well. It helps that she has a career she loves. She’s the choreographer for the band August Clover.”
“No shit? They’re amazing. I’d love to see them in concert. I bet River would, too.”
“Gemma and Hendrix are good friends of mine. I can get you and River tickets when they tour again. They’re taking some time off since they just got married.”
I drained the coffee from my cup, then set it down. “I saw that in People Magazine and every other gossip rag. They don’t have a lot of privacy these days.”
“They miss it.” Zayne polished off his pancakes and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Do you believe Tim? That he and Logan didn’t have anything to do with River?”
I hesitated, wracking my brain and heart for my first response. It was often the one I really believed, but this time ... “I can’t. If he’s being honest with me, it means we don’t have any fucking leads and …” I looked out the window, willing myself to think clearly. It was one thing if I lost my shit in the privacy of my own home and another in public.
“I get it. I’ll have Sutton look at the video today and see if we have any other leads. I think we should swing by and talk to her and Pierce face-to-face. Sometimes you get more of a sense for what’s going on behind the scenes. Just because you might not have any other ideas, doesn’t mean they don’t.”
Zayne stood and removed his wallet from his back pocket. I raised my hand. “Don’t. Tim dropped a hundred.” The money had wedged itself under my extra dish with the gravy. I picked it up for him to see. “Breakfast is on him.”
“At least the motherfucker is good for something.” He slipped his Ray-Bans on. “We should go. I’ll call Pierce and let him know we’re on the way.”
I rose from my seat and brushed off the biscuit crumbs that had collected in my lap. Zayne and I walked to the door, then it dawned on me to ask him a question.
“When we first arrived, you excused yourself. Where did you go?” I stepped outside and winced. My eyes cowered from the burning light of the morning sun, and I wished I’d grabbed my sunglasses out of the Mercedes.
“I’ll tell you when we’re out of earshot.”
I tried to read Zayne for a hint, but there was none.
Once we were settled into his Mercedes and he eased out of the parking lot, he grinned. “I planted a tracker on Tim’s car.”
That was the best news I’d heard in a while. “That’s fucking awesome.” Gratitude for nifty gadgets washed over me.
“As long as he’s in his vehicle we can also record his conversations.” Zayne smirked. “Sutton’s work.”
“Oh, God, this is exactly what I needed to hear. Maybe we can find out if he has River or not.” I nearly choked on my words, my emotions spinning out of control. One thing I’d learned was that hope could be a dangerous thing, but I had to hold onto something.
“Sutton is already on it. I texted her as soon as I had everything in place. It was pretty easy to break into and he’d parked behind the building, so it was a quick job.” Zayne flipped his turn signal on and headed east toward Pierce’s house. He tapped the button on the steering wheel and messaged Pierce that we were on our way. Maybe the meeting with Tim had been successful after all.
My phone vibrated. I leaned forward and pulled it out of my back pocket. I gawked at the message from Chance, dumbfounded.
“Holy fucking shit.” I looked at Zayne. “Pierce and Sutton will have to wait. We have to turn around. Now.”
Chapter Ten
I hadn’t meant to sound like a demanding asshole, but Zayne did as I asked without question. He glanced at me. “I need to know where we’re going.”
“4 Play,” I choked out. I could barely breathe, much less get the words out. “Chance just texted. The club is on fire.”
Zayne swore as I’d never heard him before. “Hang on.”
I grabbed the oh-shit bar as Zayne began zigzagging in and out of traffic. I would have complimented him on his mad driving skills, but I was too fucking terrified that I’d lost everything.
“What did Chance say?” Zayne asked, his attention on the cars in front of us.
“That he was trying to handle it and would tell me more when I got there.” My knee began to bounce as my anxiety climbed through the goddamned roof.
