Sixx (The Stone Society, #7) (27 page)

Rae’s phone rang. “Tyson?” she answered, and with that, the sigh of relief Sixx had breathed was replaced by a quick tightening of panic in his chest. Using his shifter hearing, Sixx listened in.

“Yeah, Desirae. Is Desi with you? We’re about twenty minutes away from our sound check, and he’s not here.”

“He left early this morning. He should have been there by now. I’m going to call him.”

“I’ve been calling his phone for an hour. He isn’t answering.”

Rae looked over at Sixx, tears in her eyes. He grabbed her free hand and said, “We’ll find him, Doll. Tell Tyson to sit tight, and you’ll call him back.”

“Desirae, who are you talking to?” Tyson asked.

“My...” Rae raised her eyebrows.

“Tell him your friend, Doll.” They had plenty of time to explain to Desi’s bandmates who Michael was. Actually, they probably couldn’t tell them the truth. Fuck.

“My friend, Ty. Michael’s my friend, and he’s someone important to Desi, too. So don’t worry about me. Just hang tight. Our boy will show up soon. You’ll see.”

“Okay. If you talk to him, tell him we need to get a move on. Later, Pretty Momma.”

“Michael...” Sixx’s cell phone rang, cutting off whatever she was going to say.

“Thane, talk to me.”

“When your son didn’t show up, I sent Landon out looking for him. He found Desi’s car. The back tire was shredded, but there’s no sign of him. His bag’s still in the front seat.”

“Fuck. Text me the coordinates. I want to see for myself.”

“Coming to you now. I’ve called Gannon. He and Landon are scouring the area just in case he took off walking.”

“Was his phone in the car?” Sixx prayed it was on Desi so Julian could trace it.

“Landon didn’t see one.”

“Okay, thanks.” Sixx hung up and pulled over to the side of the road.

“Michael, oh god. Something’s happened to him. I just know it.” Rae hugged herself and started crying.

Sixx needed to call Julian, but he also needed to comfort his mate. He unhooked her seatbelt and pulled her over the console into his lap, not worrying about the box of chicken or the carton of french fries. Sixx was no longer hungry, and he doubted Rae would be able to eat anything until they found Desi. He slid the seat back, giving them more room and wrapped her in his arms. “Shhh, we don’t know that. Thane said Desi’s car had a flat tire. He probably hitched a ride with someone. I’m going to call Julian and have him track Desi’s phone.” Sixx forwarded Desi’s phone number to Julian before he called the Goyle.

“Sixx, now isn’t a good time,” Julian said when he answered.

“I heard about Katherine, Brother, and I’m sorry. What happened when you went to see her?”

“I realized it was unreasonable for me to visit her. She would want to know why I was there, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell her the truth, so I sat in my car and called Victoria. I will do what I always do and sit behind a computer digging for information. I suppose this is why you’ve called?”

“I’m truly sorry, Julian. While you were in Egypt helping Nikolas, I sat in your chair, and I know it isn’t easy. But yes, I need your help. I need you to trace Desi’s phone. He was supposed to be in New Fresno by now, and he isn’t. His car was located, but he’s not with it. I texted his number to you as well as the coordinates for his car.”

“My apologies, Sixx. It’s been an exhausting day. I’m on it.”

The sound of Julian’s fingers flying over the keyboard were mixed with Rae’s sniffles.
Fuck!
Why hadn’t he driven Desi? Sixx knew the dangers, but he didn’t think his son would be a target. Then again, why not? Connor had been kidnapped. Used as a pawn in Alistair’s cruel game. If something happened to Desi, Sixx was going to Greece and make sure the fucking Greek met the same fate as his son.

“I have it. His car is on Highway 43, but his phone is on the 198 in Three Rivers. Sixx, his phone is static. Either Desi is in Three Rivers, or his phone was dumped there. Considering that route leads East and not on the way to New Fresno...”

“Got it. Text me the coordinates for his phone. And Julian? Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Sixx. Just go find your son.”

Sixx hung up and redialed Thane. “I’m sending you the coordinates to where Desi’s phone is since you’re closer.”

“I’m on it,” Thane assured him. Sixx closed his eyes and prayed to the gods for Desi to be safe.

“Come on, Doll. Get back in your seat. We need to go check out Desi’s rental.” He kissed her on the temple before helping Rae move back to the passenger side. She didn’t bother picking up the wayward chicken strips. She buckled up and stuck her thumb in her mouth, biting at the cuticle. Sixx wanted to continue holding his mate, but he didn’t have the luxury of time. His shifter senses told him Desi was in trouble, and the longer Sixx waited to find him, the farther away his son could be. In that moment, Sixx wished he’d gotten closer to one of the other Clan members. He could use a friend to keep him calm and let him know everything was going to turn out all right.

Landon was waiting with Desi’s rental when Sixx pulled up behind it. He wanted to ask Rae to stay in the Jeep, but she was already unbuckled and climbing down. He jumped down and met the other Goyle at the back tire. Sixx didn’t bother introducing Rae. She was in the car looking through Desi’s things. Landon whispered so only Sixx would hear, “The tire was shot out. I found the casing about fifty yards back. There was a set of fresh tire tracks where you’re parked now. I took several photos so we can send them to Julian.”

Sixx inclined his head. “Thank you, Landon. I appreciate you coming all the way out here.”

“We’re family. It’s what we do.”

Sixx walked around to where Rae was squatting in the open door. She wasn’t looking at anything in particular, just staring at the open bag on the passenger seat. “Doll, come on. Let me get Desi’s bag, and I’ll call a wrecker to come get the car.”

At first, she didn’t move, but when Sixx grabbed her upper arm, she jerked away. “This is that crazy man, isn’t it? The one you said was coming after everyone. He has Desi.”

“We don’t know that for sure, Rae. We can’t jump to conclusions yet.” Except he already had. Sixx knew in his heart his son had been taken. Desi was a half-blood, so he was strong, but he was no match for an old Gargoyle.

“How did they even know he’s your son, Michael? Did they see you flying? I thought you said that property was secure. Someone must have followed you.” Rae wasn’t going to let it go, so he tried to think about what she was saying. She was right in that nobody should know Desi was his son unless they put two and two together the way he had when Matthew and Trevor showed him Desi’s photo. But Desi was a high profile rocker. His picture was all over the internet at any given time. Something else...

“It’s possible someone saw my face on the news and speculated, but Alistair is in Greece. He wouldn’t have known about Desi unless he has men on the inside over here in the States. Maybe someone followed me to your house, and when Desi showed up, they noticed the resemblance. I didn’t see anyone hanging around your house while I was there. Did anything happen out of the ordinary yesterday while I was gone to get food? Anything at all?”

Rae rubbed up and down her arms as if she were cold. Or shaking off a bad feeling.  “Other than me getting roses, no.”

“Surely to the gods not.”

“Exactly. The driver was an old man. I really don’t think he could overpower Desi.”

Sixx had been so careless. “But he brought you roses after I specifically canceled the order for yesterday. And Doll, I would never send you roses. Come on. We need to get back to New Lomita so I can question him.” Sixx reached around Rae and grabbed Desi’s travel bag.

“You better find our son, Michael, or I’ll never forgive you,” Rae said as she climbed into the Jeep.

That was a given.  Besides, if something were to happen to Desi, Sixx would never forgive himself.

B
y the time they reached New Lomita, Desirae was ready to scream. She was only keeping it together because she didn’t want Michael to see her as a whiny, complaining woman. Having met Kaya, Desirae knew she would never live up to the Queen’s standards of being a kick-ass female, but she had to try. Kaya had filled Desirae in briefly on the other mates’ plights when they first got together with their Gargoyle. Isabelle’s son had been kidnapped, but Dante found him, and now they were all living happily together. Desirae had to trust that Michael would do everything within his power to find their son.
If
he was missing. Somehow she knew in her heart he had been taken.

It wasn’t like she could walk away from Michael anyway. She had consented to being his mate, and that bound them together forever. If something happened to their son, forever was a long damn time to hold a grudge. Instead of thinking the worst, she willed her mind to think positively. Negativity never did anyone any good, especially at times like this. She pulled on her big girl panties and kept her thoughts to herself.

When they reached the florist where Michael had purchased her flowers, the store was closed. He called the number, but nobody answered. Still, he left a message on their machine stating it was an emergency. “I have an idea,” Michael said when they pulled into the driveway at the back of her house. “Do you think you can draw a picture of the old man who brought the flowers? If we can get Julian looking for him, we may be able to find him sooner rather than later.”

“I can try.” Desirae could absolutely draw the man. She didn’t have a photographic memory, but she was good at remembering faces, especially those she saw more than once.

“Are you hungry? You need to keep your strength up.” Michael was typing out a text on his phone while he talked to her.

“No, I’m okay for now.” There was no way she could eat anything. She would rather throw up on an empty stomach than a full one. If things went south and news about Desi... No! No negativity. She found a random drawing pad and began sketching the face of the delivery driver. She had thought him a nice old man until the day he brought the roses. That day he’d acted strangely. “Michael... you don’t suppose the roses were...”

“Sonofafuckingbitch!” Michael cursed some more then the garbage disposal turned on. “The bastard put a transmitter on the side of the vase. It was on the refrigerator this whole time. Shit!”

“...bugged do you?”  she finished even though she had her answer. Rae stood from the sofa and carried her pad into the kitchen. Michael was pacing, his hands carding his hair. “Baby, stop,” she implored. She loved his beautiful ebony hair and didn’t want him to pull it out by the roots.

“You don’t understand. I let my guard down. I left you and Desi here alone. Anything could have happened.”

Desirae placed the paper on the table and stepped in front of him. She reached up and pulled his hands down, grasping them tightly. “I’m not going to coddle you and tell you it’s okay, because at this point, we both know nothing’s okay. Not until we hear from Desi. But you can’t think about what could have happened. I need you to focus on what has happened. I need you to find our son, and I have to finish this sketch so hopefully I can help you find our son.”

Michael pulled his hands away so he could wrap his arms around her waist. “Sorry, Doll. You’re right. You draw, and I’m going to call Thane.” He kissed her lips softly then released her so she could get busy. He retreated into the living room to place his call.

It didn’t take Desirae long to come up with a basic sketch of the delivery man. Instead of drawing him as the sweet man she met on the first day, the final drawing depicted the face when he was staring at her window. This was the man who possibly knew something about her son. Michael was still on the phone, so Desirae went ahead and scanned the drawing to Julian. The sooner he had it, the sooner he could get busy finding the identity of the older man.

When she came out of her bedroom, Desirae entered her son’s room. She plucked a photo from the mirror frame above his dresser. The picture was old and faded, but it was his favorite. They were at the beach, and Desirae was helping him make a sand castle. Those were the days when she still had friends that wanted to hang out with her and her son. Sighing, Desirae moved on to an acoustic guitar in the corner. She lifted it from the stand, and held it close. Desirae loved music. Always had. It only made sense her son would love it just as much. She strummed over the strings, wishing she could play the way Desi did. When he held the guitar to his chest, he became one with the instrument.

“Rae.” Michael was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were tormented, and his voice betrayed him. Desirae returned the guitar to its stand and went to him. She needed to feel close to him. Not because of the mate bond, but because she needed his strength.

“Tell me,” she said, keeping her cheek to his chest so she didn’t have to see his eyes.

“Thane found Desi’s phone.” Michael didn’t need to elaborate. Someone had taken Desi! “We’ll find him, Rae. I promise you, I will not stop until I have our son back.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she whispered into his now wet t-shirt. His body vibrated beneath her cheek. Desirae didn’t need to be a shifter to know that Michael was doing his best to contain his rage. If he weren’t holding her, she had no doubt his fangs and claws would be out. Hers would be if she had them. She wanted to blame Michael for bringing trouble to their door, but she realized this was on Alistair, or whoever had taken her son. Standing there crying wasn’t doing either of them any good so she pulled away and wiped the tears from her face.

“I need to call Tyson and let him know what’s going on. How much do I tell him?” She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t exactly tell him Desi had been kidnapped by a mad Gargoyle.

“I think we need to tell them it appears he’s been kidnapped, but we need to be as vague as possible. If we allow the news to get hold of the story, it’s possible someone will have seen him. We can chalk it up to a crazy fan.”

Desirae pulled Michael’s face down for a kiss. She allowed her lips to linger on his, drawing more strength through the contact. She pulled away and went to find her purse. Michael’s phone rang as she reached the living room. If it was good news, he’d tell her, but if Desi had managed to get free, she had no doubt he would call her first. She found her phone and made the call to Tyson. Michael’s call was shorter than hers, and he found his way to her, pulling her back to his front while she tried to explain things to Desi’s friends.