Nolan by Lane Hart, D.B. West
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rita
Silent tears race down my cheeks as I watch miles and miles of highway blur past us.
I don’t bother asking where we’re going or anything else. It’s obvious that we’re already at least fifty miles from Myrtle Beach, heading back near Cape Cartwright.
And once we’re there, well, I don’t want to even think about that.
When I close my eyes, I can still see the two young men lying there on the ground. God, I hope they’re not dead.
And Nolan, he was waiting to marry me, and now that will never happen.
At least Madison and Charlotte didn’t get hurt.
* * *
Nolan
The waitingroom is like my own personal hell where no one tells you a goddamn thing. Nobody has any updates or answers about any fucking thing!
“Calm down,” Abel says as I pace back and forth around where our group is gathered, some sitting, most of us standing, too nervous to sit.
“Yeah, Nolan, he won’t kill her,” Hugo adds, making my boots stop so I can glare at him.
“Do you think that’s what I’m worried about?” I growl. “Death would be more mercy than what he’s going to do to her!”
Roman’s phone rings, and everyone holds their breath, knowing it’s probably Winston or Marcus calling about Leo.
He listens silently for several minutes and then sighs. “He’s alive,” Roman says to the room. He listens a little longer and then adds, “Leo’s alive, but he’s fucked up.”
“Fucked up how?” I go over and ask.
“He was tied to a chair and tortured. Parts of him are…missing.”
“Jesus,” I mutter.
Roman pulls the phone away again and says, “He swears he only told him the women were shopping at the mall, not the truth.”
“Goddammit.”
According to the news article, the bridal shop on Sand Dune Road wasn’t that far from the closest mall. It could’ve just been chance that they happened to be sitting outside of the café when Leroy found them.
“No, we still haven’t heard from the women,” Roman grits out. “Bring him in. We’ll see you then.” Once he ends the call, he says, “Leo will live, but it’s not pretty. The fucker carved him up bad.”
Cannon, who hasn’t sat still or stopped calling Madison since we got here, finally snaps. He rams his fist through one of the vending machines, busting the glass and turning away with his knuckles dripping blood.
“Why are we all still sitting here when we should be out there looking for them!” he exclaims.
“Where, Cannon? Where should we start looking?” Roman asks. “North? East? West? They could be anywhere! Trust me, I want to find them as much as you do, but all we can do is try and be patient. It could be worse. At least they’re not dead or in surgery fighting for their lives!”
“That we know of yet,” Cannon grumbles, running his fingers through his blond hair and yanking on it. His twin Conrad gets up and goes over to try and comfort him.
“Bet you’re all wishing you hadn’t voted to let me join your chapter now,” I mutter under my breath.
“We knew the danger, and we all voted to help you,” Roman says. “You were trying to save the woman you loved. All of us can understand that. Well, most of us. The rest will eventually.”