Storm by Aria Ray

Chapter Five

Zoe

My hand shook while I stared at the number scribbled on my notepad. I couldn’t believe I needed help from the Dark Slayers. Did all the members know who I was? Would this man ignore my calls, too?

I was at my apartment, away from Mom for a few hours because I needed to be alone when I did this. I needed this man to meet with me. I don’t think he would care if he even knew my sister was missing, but would he meet with me because his son was missing?

Through a few of my contacts I had been able to track down the contact information of Brian Wells. Apparently, the name he went by in the biker world was Breaker. He was the father of Daniel Gentry. What if he didn’t even know he had a son?

My phone rang as I was still staring at the number.

I answered immediately, nervously. Every time the phone rang now, my heart raced in my chest in the hopes that it would lead to some information on Alison.

“Zoe Leigh?”

“This is she.”

“This is Brian Breaker Wells.”

I frowned and lowered my phone to look at it. Is this some kind of twisted prank?

I almost asked him that, word for word. I’d been calling Grit, who had stood me up on two interviews already. Why else would this guy, Breaker, be calling me?

“Oh-kay,” I murmured in response.

Does he know something about Ali’s disappearance?

“Look, I know this is an unexpected phone call. Before your alarm bells start ringing and you freak out on me, I want you to know that I don’t give a shit about what you’ve written about me or anybody else from my club. Are we clear on that?”

I forced the lump down my throat. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know why he would want to speak to me, or what he was capable of doing if I pissed him off. Had Grit told him to call me? I stayed silent until I realized he was waiting for an answer. I needed more information, though.

“Why are you calling me?” I asked.

“I need to speak to you.”

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s about my son.” So, he did know. That got my attention. “I’m sure you’ve heard because you keep track of these things. I’m the father of Daniel Gentry. He’s been missing for two weeks.”

Two weeks? I thought he’d just been missing a few days. That was when his mother had reported him to the cops.

“What makes you think I can help you with this?”

“Because you’ve been looking into the disappearances.” Frustration and exhaustion bled into his voice. “I just want us to sit down somewhere and talk for a few minutes. Do you want to help a grieving father out?”

He sounded so…normal, like a man who was losing his mind because he couldn’t find his son. He’d said nothing about my sister. He had no idea how intrinsically I could relate to him, that I was going through a trauma that was similar to his.

“Meet me in an hour at Jimmy’s Diner,” I said and ended the call. If he skipped out on me, I didn’t know what I would do.

I needed to catch my breath.

Finally, I felt a glimmer of hope.

∞∞∞

The only reason I agreed to meet with Brian Wells was because Alison was missing. I wasn’t sure if I would have wanted to be alone with a man like him, no matter how public the venue. I didn’t plan on bringing up my past articles. This was not the time for that.

Did I really care about what happened to his missing son?

Yes, of course I did. I cared about all the cases I covered. As much as I didn’t understand the circumstances or the lives these guys led, his son was still a boy who went missing.

I walked into the diner and spotted the two men immediately. There was no way anyone could miss them. They were both very tall, very big and muscular.

They were sitting together in a corner booth, deep in conversation. The man whose face I could see, as I walked towards them, had dark wavy hair and blue eyes. A distinctive scar ran down his cheek. It added a menacing aura to his looks, which were already striking. I couldn’t look away and felt my face heat, along with several other places.

I’d tried to research the Dark Slayers, but this MC somehow kept their images off the internet. The one I couldn’t seem to rip my eyes away from could have cashed in on his startling good looks.

What the hell made him join a biker gang?!

Mid-sentence, he turned his eyes on me. His gaze roamed, slowly ticking a path down my body from top to bottom and back up again. I had never felt so exposed, and I quickly clamped down on an attraction that I couldn’t believe I was experiencing. Then, I remembered to breathe.

“Brian Wells?” I asked him, sounding like I’d ran to the booth. Taking a slow, deep breath helped a little, but I suspected this man knew his effect on the people around him.

The man with the blue eyes didn’t stop staring at me, but he didn’t answer me.

“I am Brian Wells. But you should call me Breaker, everyone does.” The other man sitting across from Blue Eyes said. He’d had his back to me, so this was the first time I saw his face. I turned toward him.

His looks didn’t even register. Blue Eyes was stuck in my head. I could feel his eyes on me, but I refused to face him again.

“I’m not sure I count as everyone else in your life,” I replied. Breaker moved, making space for me in the seat. When I sat down, I was directly across from Blue Eyes. He hadn’t said a word yet.

“This is Storm,” Breaker said, “He’s the President of our MC.”

Killian Storm Warren. We’d talked on the phone. I had read a lot of information on him. He’s the one who warned me to back off. Said I was wrong.

We’ll see about that.

He was supposedly ex-military. Bulging biceps backed that up. Tattoos trailed down his arms like sleeves. Was it me or was he giving off a vibe that dared me to make eye contact again? It also had my heart hammering fast. I had never been in the presence of men like them. My stomach felt like I’d done a million sit-ups, and now I was on a rollercoaster; fear and excitement were warring.

“We should get down to business,” I said abruptly.

“I told you why you’re here. My son is missing, and we want to find him. Currently, we’ve reached a dead end. We want to know if there’s anything you can tell us about the disappearances you’ve been researching.”

With Storm’s eyes still fixed on me, I tucked some stray strands of hair behind my ears nervously. This was going to be a dangerous admission to make, especially since the kidnappers had warned us not to talk to anybody.

If I was being watched right now by anyone other than Storm, I was screwed.

But I had come too far to turn back now.

I lowered my voice and said, “Yes, I can tell you this; my sister has gone missing, too.”

∞∞∞

I was finding it difficult to focus on what Breaker was saying because Storm was still staring at me. Staring with his intensely blue eyes, like they were penetrating my soul. I was sure he had a club full of women at whom he could stare. I had no doubts that they would enjoy it. This was an intimidation tactic and nothing more.

He wasn’t my type anyway. A man like him would never be my type. So why wouldn’t he stop staring at me?

Why am I thinking about him being my type and who cares if he’s trying to intimidate me? It’s not like he’ll succeed.

I’d grown up in the hills. My father had given us a more than comfortable living. At any moment in time, I could have had the best of the best. All I’d needed to do was ask anyone in our social circle. Those same people had a lot of harsh words against men like Storm and Breaker. A lot had changed since that time, though.

Maybe that’s why I was intrigued enough to want to write a story about them. Did he know I was from the hills? Was that why he was staring at me?

Sure, that’s why he eye-fucked every inch of me, too. Because I’m from the hills…

And now, I blushed under Storm’s steady gaze. My cheeks were on fire, and my neck always turns red, too. I still ignored him.

“We were estranged. That is, I had no idea he even existed. Katherine, his mom, and I… We were together for the duration of the blink of an eye.” Breaker was speaking, rushing through the story about his son and him. I tried to keep up, but I couldn’t keep my attention off Storm. I could see him out of the corner of my eye.

He was watching me like he was trying to peek inside me, read what my thoughts had to say. He didn’t trust me, just like I didn’t trust his type. We both had every reason not to.

“And she kept the pregnancy from me. I didn’t know she’d given birth to our child. All these years, I spent not knowing I had a son. Then he found me. It’s complicated, I guess.”

“All families are complicated,” I murmured.

Dad was on my mind, along with the other family he’d kept from us. No matter where my treacherous mind wandered, they were always hanging out in the back of it. All these years, I’d lived without knowing I had a half-sister. So, I knew a little bit about how Breaker felt.

“Anyway, the point is, I need to find my son.”

“And I need to find my sister.”

“And you two think you can work together?” Storm finally spoke, his voice deep like a wild animal rumbling when it’s spied its next prey. I used this moment to look at him. Our eyes met, and I refused to look away. I didn’t want him to think he could intimidate me.

“We have to work together,” Breaker said.

I cleared my throat and told them, “I don’t know if I have any information that could help you. I would have used it to find my sister if I did.”

Breaker groaned in frustration. Storm settled back in his seat.

I noticed the way the material of his shirt spread tight over his shoulders and chest. A vision of him without that shirt flashed in my mind.

What is wrong with me? This isn’t the time to have a ridiculous sexual fantasy!

“So, what are you going to do? If you don’t want to work with us?” Storm asked.

“I didn’t say I don’t want to work with you. I said I don’t know if I have anything to contribute.”

“Did you go to the cops?” Breaker asked.

“They’re not interested. They made up some excuse about how we have to wait. It’s clear to me that they don’t think this is significant. Despite all the disappearances. I can’t waste any more time on them.”

Breaker nodded. “Nobody is coming to help us. We have to do it ourselves.”

“Did you get a ransom note?” I asked.

Breaker’s brows furrowed, and Storm sat up straighter in his seat.

“What did you say?” he growled.

His voice was so deep and smooth, goosebumps spread over my arms. I didn’t understand this effect he was having on me.

“My dad received a package from them…whoever they are. We got a ransom note. They want money in exchange for my sister.”

Breaker looked at Storm while Storm continued staring at me. I shifted in my seat.

“I’m not an idiot. I know this ransom note means nothing. If we give them the money, there’s no guarantee we’re getting Alison back.”

“But why did they send you the ransom note and not me? Have any other families received this?” Breaker asked.

“I don’t think so. I don’t know. They didn’t report it if they did.”

Breaker’s frustration grew, and he kept rubbing his face with his hand.

The two men were silent. Storm’s presence continued to make me uncomfortable. I didn’t like the way he made me feel, like I had no control over myself. He had a very powerful presence.

“I’m not supposed to be here. They threatened us in the note, saying that if we contacted anybody, the cops… They will kill her.”

A shiver ran down my spine while I tried to keep my voice from shaking. I was trying so hard not to think about my baby sister in that dingy motel room, all drugged up and beaten. But it was rushing back to me now.

“And this is why you need our help,” Storm said, staring at me.

“I need your help? I thought you came to me because you needed mine,” I said, staring right back at him.

“Is it fair to say you’re not experienced in living this side of the law?” Storm asked, smirking at me.

My nostrils flared. He knew the answer to that. He was just goading me.

“If you think I’m some goody-two-shoes who can’t handle herself, then—”

“One wrong move could get your sister killed,” he interrupted.

I clamped my mouth shut. He was right.

I wanted to do everything in my power to help Alison, to bring her back to safety, but the truth was that I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d only reported on cases like these, I had never lived one before.

“This is the only way, Zoe. We can help each other if you work with us.” Storm said my name. My name was on his lips. I had to press my legs together to keep that throbbing sensation from radiating all over my body. How was the man even doing it? Without even touching me?

I despised him even more.

“And how exactly are we going to work together?” I asked. I sat back in my seat, crossing my arms over my breasts. Storm’s eyes travelled straight to my chest. Stayed there. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

“You’re going to pretend to be an old lady,” he said.

I burst out laughing.

When I could talk without laughing, I asked, “You want me to dress up as an old lady?”

Storm and Breaker exchanged looks. They thought it was pretty damn funny, too. Storm’s smile had the same effect on me as his voice. I had to grip the side of the table to steady myself. This was ridiculous. I could not, should not, and would not be aroused by this man.

“It’s the term we use for a woman who has been claimed by one of our members,” Breaker explained.

“Claimed?”

“Claimed as his woman.”

“You mean when a member of your club is dating a woman?”

They exchanged those looks again. Clearly, they thought my expression was completely over the top.

“Sure,” Storm replied. That smirk still lingered along with a hint of dimple. I caught myself staring at him, waiting for him to smile. I needed to keep my head in the conversation. The back of my neck grew hot.

Only now, sitting face-to-face with two men from an actual motorcycle club, the glaring holes in my research stood out. I had published that series of articles about them after doing a massive amount of research. I’d sworn that I had a pretty good picture of who these people really were. Now, I saw that hands-on knowledge was needed to understand their way of life.

“So, you’re saying I should pretend to date one of you?”

“It would give you a valid excuse to stay close by, keep an eye on things. We need a fresh set of eyes in our midst. Maybe we have the answers and clues but we’re just not seeing them. You do this kinda thing for a living.” Storm was smarter than I had given him credit for.

“And I can tell anyone who asks that I’m doing research for a follow-up article,” I added, nodding. Maybe, just maybe, this could work.

And I can learn about them, maybe do an ‘update’ vlog or write something for the magazine.

Storm shrugged. I suspected that was the closest I was going to get if I wanted any validation from him.

“So, you and me?” I turned to Breaker. “We’re going to pretend to be a couple?”

I didn’t want to look at Storm even though I could feel his eyes on me. I wanted him to see that it was Breaker I was considering. Not him. Anybody but him.

The last thing he needed to know was the physical effect he had on me.

Breaker caught me by surprise. He laughed. “Not me. That story wouldn’t sell. I’m too old for you, and I guess…” At this point he looked me up and down. “You’re not my type either. Storm can do it.”

I was forced to look at Storm. He wasn’t happy with this suggestion, either.

“And you think that story will sell?” he growled. “Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?”

So, neither of these men wanted to fake-date me? I was half-offended. It wasn’t like I would ever date them, either.

“But you’ll do a better job of it. What do you say? The two of you could put on an act, right?” Finally, there was a little hope in Breaker’s voice. Maybe he was encouraged about finding his son because we had something that resembled a plan. I glanced at Storm and couldn’t look away. His eyes held so much challenge, I almost slapped the table and declared myself in on that plan.

“I’ll have to think about it,” I said and stood up abruptly.

I couldn’t commit to anything now, not without thinking about it. There were so many factors to take into consideration. The biggest being that I’d just been paired with Blue Eyes. The man needed to keep those eyes to himself and his magnetism out of my panties.

Breaker held out a card that had both their numbers on it. I could see it in my peripheral vision. I had to work to keep my hand from shaking when I took the card.

“Don’t take too much time. You got questions, ask us,” Storm said, wearing that smirk again. I nodded once and left.

∞∞∞

Mom was having another meltdown when I arrived back at the house.

I saw Dad straightaway, the moment I walked in.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed at him.

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, sobbing into her hands as her body shook lightly.

Dad stood by in silence, just like I expected him to. It wasn’t like he was actually helping in any way.

“Your father has received another note from them. What are they going to do to my Ali?” Mom wailed, and I noticed she was clutching a piece of paper in her hand.

While I held her in my arms, I removed it and read,

Tick Tock.

If Alison’s life means anything to you, you will do as we say.

Remember the rules.

I crumpled the paper and threw it to the ground, then held Mom even tighter.

“Ali…my poor Ali!” she continued sobbing.

What more could I do than stroke her hair and rock her back and forth? What was I supposed to say? That we would find her? Entertaining these kidnappers was a bad idea. That was one of the most basic things I had learned through my career in investigative journalism. Dad seemed to think it was going to be as easy as just handing them the cash.

This nudge pushed me over the edge. It was becoming clear to me now that I had no other option but to work with the Dark Slayers. Even if that meant I was going to have to slip into Storm’s dangerous orbit.

I took in a deep breath and pressed my eyes close.

“I have a plan, Mom. Please, just trust me,” I whispered.

She heard me but her sobs didn’t stop. There were no guarantees right now that we were ever going to see Alison again.