His (Hers #5) (17 page)

Hey. Hope everything is alright. You still planning on coming over this afternoon?

I wait, and don’t get a reply. So against my better judgment, I call again. The phone rings a couple times and someone picks it up.

“Hello?” I hear Levi’s voice echo through the line. Ok so now I am even more confused.

“Why are you answering Lyric’s phone?” I ask him with a nasty attitude. My own insecurities wash over me. I think of him trading me in for the younger, non-tattooed version of myself. My mind immediately flashes the most disgusting visions of them in bed together while I am here stuck with two kids and no help. FUCK!

“Well I just found this phone on the front porch. It was laying here ringing as I walked up, so I just picked it up.” Levi answers with a clueless demeanor. Even though my mind through the worst, I know it isn’t true. He is just as confused as I am about the rogue phone.

“Why is Lyric’s phone on the porch?” I ask without thinking.

“I figured she dropped it on her way inside?” Levi answers. “Her car is here, so why are you calling her?”

Fear courses though my veins as I struggle to get the words out. “She isn’t here. She never showed up.” My heart hammers against my chest and my mind begins to drift. Fuck. FUCK! What happened to her?

“Her car is here and her phone is here. She can’t be far.” Levi says with a calm and rational tone. He is always the level-headed one. I wish I could be as calm as he is right now. I can hear the echo of the front door open and close and the footsteps coming up the stairs. I disconnect my phone and place it down on the bed, just staring at the door waiting for Levi to walk in. I wait, and wait. The thirty seconds it takes him to enter the room seems like thirty hours. Everything is moving in slow motion. I replay the events of the day and try to think of anything that could have been off.

Nothing. Nothing happened today. She just didn’t show up. But she did! She did show up. What the fuck could have happened to her? Where did she go? I hate all of the possibilities that could have happened.

“Yeah, on the porch. Her car is here too.” I hear Levi quietly saying through the door.

“I can hear you,” I yell in the direction of the whispers. The door slowly opens and Levi stands there with Ryker and Judge. Two people I didn’t want to see while I look like a postpartum giant bag of ass.

“Her car is here. Her phone was on the front steps, so we have no way of tracking her.” Ryker says.

“Why would you need to track her? What is going on?” I am begging for information now. Begging to be included in the loop. Do they not think I can handle this? What is the worst that could have happened?

“Seven, you need to calm down.” Levi says, trying to play off the seriousness of the situation.

“You of all people should know this is as calm as it gets, Levi Parker.” I mouth off. Judge smiles and Ryker cringes.

“I think someone snatched her.” Ryker says without trying to mask the awful reality of what was taking place. “Her car is here, her shit was dropped on the porch. There are large footprints and drag marks. Has all the symptoms of a kidnapping.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“Which means Chrome is gonna have both of our asses because if we were here like we were supposed to be, this shit wouldn’t have happened.” Judge says as he chews on the metal hoop in his bottom lip. “Whoever grabbed her waited for us to leave. They knew we were here. They aren’t stupid.” He adds.

“How could Vince grab her if he was checking into the fuckin’ motel?” Levi asks.

“You think he’s got someone workin’ with him?” Ryker replies.

“Nope, he doesn’t have a soul left in this world. He burned all those bridges and that is why his shithole of a club closed.” I add into their conversation, sick of watching these men hash out the problem like I wasn’t sitting here watching them. I unlatch Willow from my breast and move her onto my shoulder to burp after tucking my tit back in.

“Whoever did this is smart. Vince isn’t. They calculated this. We need to look at it as a set up. And I’m not naive enough to put it past Lyric to set it up herself. Remember, she is still new to this circle.” I lay Willow down in her bassinet and make my way across the room to my closet. I don’t want to think about Lyric betraying me in a way like this, but it is second nature for me when something like this actually happens. Trust no one, but family. Lyric may be blood, but she is still new to the inner circle and I won’t be naive enough to think the best of her.

“Get Paisley and Star here. I want Chrome and all the guys here too. Shit is going down and I’m not gonna sit back and watch. And Levi?” I turn to him and point in his direction. “As soon as this shit is all cleared up… we are going to Manhattan to find a new penthouse and leaving this fucking madness behind. I’m over it.” There is far more bullshit here than we ever had to deal with in Manhattan when I thought it would be the other way around.

How could I be stupid enough to let someone new into my world? Am I losing my edge? Am I becoming a different person? A more trusting person since becoming a mother? It just doesn’t add up.

The more I think of it all, the more I wonder if any of us should even be putting any effort into looking for her. I am my own worst enemy. “FUCK!” I yell at myself while I stare into the bathroom mirror. The reflection taunts me. All I can see is my sister. The visions play with my mind and I wonder if I am well on my way back into the hospital again.

I throw a couple pills into my mouth and pray the mixture of psych drugs help me get through the rest of the day.

“Seven?” I hear a man’s voice come from outside the bathroom door. “You in there?” Chrome asks.

“Yeah, come in.” I say and unlock the door. I don’t feel up to facing anyone yet. I need to get all these thoughts out. Deal with one thing before having to deal with my family and whatever plan they are cooking up.

“What’s on your mind suga’?” Chrome asks.

“I think it’s a set up. I think Lyric and the fact that she found me is a set up.” I admit against my better judgment. I run my hand along the sink and pick up the towel next to me to scrub at small spot of toothpaste. “I think she was a plant. I think someone cooked this all up as a money scheme.”

“Why do you think that, Seven?” He asks.

“Because I trust nobody anymore.” I admit.

“You don’t think she is your sister?” Chrome questions. The air in the room is thick, and I feel like I can’t breathe.

“No, I don’t. I think it was all a set up.” I say, wondering if I actually believe what I am saying or if I am just trying to convince myself. I don’t want to believe that something bad could really be happening again because that would mean all the shit I’ve put out into the world is finally starting to come back full circle. For years I told myself karma was all bullshit. Excuses people make to scare themselves into being fake motherfuckers. Hiding their real feelings and worrying about what would come back to bite them in the ass. Maybe it is real? Maybe I am the one who was scared all along.

“I think that’s bullshit, Seven.” Chrome interrupts my thoughts. “In fact, I’m going to say it’s bullshi, and you know it.” He is cocky and I love when Chrome mouths off like this. But he never does it towards me. Now I kind of want to stab him in the eye with my toothbrush.

“She is your sister. You can tell just by looking at the girl. I think you are worried and scared to admit you give a shit about her. I think you are scared to give a shit about anything in general anymore. You walk on eggshells. You act like a fuckin’ alien. You aren’t Seven. You are a shell of Seven. You are a quarter of the woman you were when I met you.”

His words cut me deep. But deep down I know he is right. And every last word is true. I am not who I was when we met. I am not who I was when I met Levi either. I got old and soft. I lost my edge and have been drifting through life worrying about what other people might think. Since when does Seven James give a flying fuck about what other people think?

“Seven, get your shit together.” Chrome yells. “People fuckin’ depend on that tough as nails bitch. We need you. Lyric needs you. Your kids need you. But not this fake front of a Seven we have all been getting. We need the fuckin’ REAL YOU!”

“I FUCKIN’ GET IT!” I snap. I can hear footsteps in my bedroom and I already know there is an audience, but for the first time, in a long time… I just don’t care. I don’t give a flying fuck about who is listening to my conversation this time around.

“So get it together, Seven!”

“I’m fuckin’ trying, Chrome! I’m fuckin’ trying!” Instead of the tears that would normally come around this time, my body is slowly filled with rage. Absolute fucking rage. I am mad that people don’t look at me the same. I am mad that someone fuckin’ kidnapped my sister. I am mad that I am not in control of my life. I am mad that I have to depend on other people to help me. I am mad at life. I am just fucking mad in general.

“I’M MAD!” I yell, and it feels so good to get out.

“Let it out, Seven. Let it all out! You’ve been holding it in too long!” He yells back at me.

“I’m mad that someone snatched her! I am mad that I give a shit about her when I don’t know anything about her. I am mad that my life is in a tailspin out of control and I can’t do anything about it. I am mad that sleazy women try and fuck my husband because I’m a fat cow! I’m mad that I have to even think about filling MY JOB! It’s MINE! I’m mad. I’m just fucking mad! And my god, it feels good to finally say out loud.” I go on.

“I’m sick of pretending I am someone I am not! I am Seven Fuckin’ James and I am not going to roll over and let some shitbag kidnap my sister and get away with it.”

“That’s the Seven I know.” Chrome says as he pats me on the back. “Now put on some makeup and get your ass downstairs.” He stands from his perch on the toilet seat and walks out of the bathroom without looking back at me.

“She’s okay,” I hear him say through the door. I suspect to Levi or Star. And for the first time in so long, I don’t care who is on the other side of the door waiting to check up on me. I feel more relaxed, calm. My heart rate begins to return to a normal level and I stand at the mirror, bracing the counter and looking at my refection.

“This game is over. I’m back.” I say to my reflection and begin to wash my face. The cool water feels good against my hot skin. My body slowly relaxes and I continue on with a routine that used to be something I did daily on autopilot, without second thought. I towel my face off and slowly start to apply makeup. Twenty minutes goes by in the blink of an eye, and I look and feel so much better.

I run a brush through my hair and pile it on top of my head in a messy bun, and exit the bathroom with one thing in mind… taking control of the situation and finding Lyric before anything happens to her.

“It’s not Vince.” Chrome confirms as I walk into the room. “He hasn’t moved from the motel. He hasn’t made a phone call. He isn’t making any moves yet. Whoever did this has no connections to him. At least from what we can see. He could very well be working with someone and be laying low because he knows we are watching him.” He continues.

“Anything is possible right now.” Judge says.

“I don’t like the sound of that. I’m giving everyone forty-eight hours to get her back here. That’s it. And if she isn’t back. You answer to me.” I eyeball the men as I bark orders at them. It feels good to take charge of the situation and start throwing out timeframes and demands. I needed this and I sure as fuck hope they can get her back within the next forty eight hours because if they don’t… I have no fuckin’ clue what the hell I am going to do.

“When did the Seven James we all know and love return with a vengeance?” Star asks with a smile.

“When someone decided to fuck with my family again.”