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Jace leaned forward and peered around Reid at me. “She’s ready to see you, too.”
I rubbed my arms, fighting off a chill caused by my nerves and not the temperature. “Have you found any evidence concerning Catherine? What about Tim?”
“We haven’t found anything connecting Catherine to Opal, Kassandra, or the sex ring. As far as Tim, from the tracker and recording device that was planted in his car, we learned that he tried to negotiate to bring you home. He knows the kidnapper, which makes sense now that we understand that Opal and Kassandra are related to Catherine. What we don’t know is which one he was speaking with. We never heard the other person during his phone calls.”
“Do you have enough evidence to arrest him? I realize the recordings aren’t admissible, but what about connecting him to burning my club to the ground?” Holden asked.
Brian’s intense gaze rested on us. “We haven’t heard anything from Tim at all. The tracker showed that he was in Portland and at the Knight Center where your friend Brynn is being treated. Do you happen to know anything about that? Did he see her?”
Holden didn’t miss a beat, but his body stiffened ever so slightly against mine. “I left a voicemail for him and mentioned that she was sick. He’s known her since she was a little girl, so I figured someone should tell him. He visited her.”
Brian’s attention held steady as he continued. “Did Brynn mention how the visit went, or did you see him when he was there? I know you and your friends have been flying back and forth between Spokane and Portland.”
“Yeah, I saw him. He told me where the property was located, then I contacted Pierce about the information.” Holden’s forehead creased in confusion. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at. You already know I saw and talked to him. Pierce updated you.”
Brian shifted in his seat and propped his elbow up on the arm of the chair. “You were the last one to see him.”
I gawked at Brian. “Are you implying that Holden did something to his own father?”
“No, I’m not. All I’m saying is that we can’t find Tim anywhere. He hasn’t used his car, made any calls, or checked into hotels. He’s disappeared,” Brian explained.
“That was the last time I saw him … at the hospital after he visited Brynn. I’ve been with Pierce or a bodyguard ever since, so they can verify my whereabouts. I’m not particularly happy with your line of questioning, but I have nothing to hide. I’ve been up front about everything, including Michelle.”
“I agree. You’ve been fantastic. If you hear anything from him, would you let me know?” Brian asked. “We’re simply trying to track him down.”
What in the hell was going on? Had something happened to Tim, and if so, was Holden involved?
Conversation and questions continued over the next few hours as I shared my experience with Brian. I nearly cheered when he explained that Barrett and several other guards had been arrested. Holden’s arm tightened around me with the mention of the guards. I wondered if he was recalling our chat about Reid trading sex for essentials. Several of the victims at the compound were willing to testify against them, which was great news. It should have made me happy to know that at least Barrett couldn’t touch me again, but I needed more. I needed Opal and Kassandra. I needed blood, and I was okay having it on my hands.
Surprisingly, I was relieved when Brian said they hadn’t found any evidence that connected Catherine with the sex ring. I hoped they were right. Holden deserved at least one good parent.
Once we were finished at Pierce and Sutton’s, Zayne drove us back to Chance’s place to pack. I didn’t have many belongings, so it was easy to toss things into a duffle with Holden’s items. I couldn’t wait to see Brynn—to hug her. Hopefully, the guys would give us some time alone over the next week, so we could talk. If she was up for it, I desperately needed her help.
***
Pierce’s plane touched down a little after four in the afternoon. It had been much faster than going through TSA and trying to find a seat next to Holden on the puddle jumper. At least I was able to sit near Reid and Holden, like on the flight to Washington from California. Reid seemed calmer this time as well.
A guy named Jeffrey, who worked for Pierce, met us with two company Mercedes. Vaughn would drive one, and Zayne would drive the other. I followed Holden and Zayne while Jace and Reid climbed into Vaughn’s car. I bet Brynn would be tickled silly to have so much eye candy. Hell, I wasn’t sad about it either. Between Holden, Reid, Jace, Chance, Zayne, and Vaughn, my hormones were returning to normal at times. Even with the hell I’d gone through, I was still curious what it would be like to have them in the playroom. Holden’s cell rang, interrupting my fantasy.
“This is Holden.” Holden was silent, then impatience etched his mouth. “What exactly does that mean?” Holden glanced at me and mouthed ‘test is in.’ “I see. Thank you very much for rushing the results. I appreciate it.” Holden slowly lowered the phone to his lap. He stared at me, waves of dense fury rolling off him and filling the small space of the car.
“Babe?” I wanted to touch him, but I hadn’t ever seen Holden so furious.
“Reid … the test …” He shook his head and rubbed his clean-shaven chin.
I held my breath, willing myself to allow Holden to finish in his own time, even though I mentally pleaded for him to hurry up.
“Reid is my brother.” Holden clenched his jaw, then looked out the window. “Mom better have a damned good explanation for keeping this secret from me.” He ground his teeth together. “But it’s deeper than that.” His attention landed on me again. “Mallory and Hannah had to have known, which means they lied to me my entire life as well.”
Fuck. I’d forgotten about his sisters. How had all of this happened? “Are you sure they knew?”
“Yeah. Reid is younger than both of them, so it’s not like Mom could have gotten pregnant, then disappeared for nine months. Tim would have gotten suspicious, and from what I remember, Tim and Mom were close back then, but I was little, so I’m not sure.”
“We should hear what Catherine has to say, Holden. It could explain so much. Can you try to keep an open mind until we have time to ask her?”
“I’ll try. She’s in Portland with Brynn, so the minute she sees Reid … my brother. Goddammit.” He rubbed his temples and released a heavy sigh. “I have a brother, River.”
Everything inside of me wanted to unbuckle my seatbelt and slide over to Holden, but I didn’t want to risk getting pulled over. I would feel bad if Zayne got a ticket. “When are you going to tell Reid?”
