Page 55

Story: Man of Carnage

“Good point.”

Ze pushed Tiger back on the bed and began kissing him again. “Enough about everyone else. Give me what I need.”

Tiger growled, then smiled. He was always happy and willing to do that.

* * *

“I can’t reach Zin and it’s been almost two days since he’s been home,” Ze told Hound Dog when he caught up with him outside.

HD took his helmet off. “He isn’t returning any of your calls or texts?”

Ze shook his head. “Nothing. If the Devil’s Regrets did anything to him, I’ll fucking kill them all!”

HD climbed off his bike and put his hand on Ze’s shoulder. “Calm down. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Is Snoopy here?”

Ze nodded. “Yeah.”

“Follow me, then.”

Together, they walked into the clubhouse, only a few of the members were there. They found Snoopy in the bathroom, cleaning it. “Put that down for now, we need you to track Zin’s cell phone,” HD told him.

Snoopy dropped the toilet brush on the floor and removed the gloves he’d been wearing and washed his hands. “Is he okay?”

“That’s what we want to make sure,” HD said.

Snoopy nodded and brushed past them to get to his bookbag where his laptop was. He set up at the bar and got to work. Ze paced the floor, carding his fingers through his hair as he mumbled himself. Cursing himself for not acting sooner.

“Stay calm, you don’t act rationally when you’re like this,” HD said.

“I should have said something sooner, but I was trying to give him his privacy,” Ze said.

“He’s okay… we’ll find him,” HD said in his attempt to settle Ze down.

Tiger came through the front door looking dashing as he was still dressed in his three-piece suit he’d worn at the gallery. He came to the clubhouse as soon as he’d received his cub’s worried text. Ze walked over, hugging him. “Have you heard from him?” he asked.

Ze pulled away and shook his head. “Not yet.”

Tiger nodded. “Don’t worry.”

Ze shoved him back. “Everyone keeps telling me that, but I am worried, okay? This isn’t like Zin.”

Tiger grabbed Ze’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “Calm down, now,” he said, his tone full of the authority that he knew guided his cub.

Ze huffed, but the serious expression on Tiger’s face somehow gave him the focus he needed and he nodded.

Tiger released him then. “Whatever happens, we will deal with it. First, let’s just locate your brother. If something did happen to him, there’s not anything you can do about it yet. Okay?”

“That’s not very comforting,” Ze said.

“No, but it’s what you’re already thinking. That he’s dead, right?”

Ze grunted, but nodded. “I don’t want to think that.”

“But it’s a possibility and that’s why you’re worried, I get it. But we need you to think. Where would he be? Has he been seeing anyone new?” Tiger asked.

Ze shook his head. “Not that I know of. I knew he was happy to be getting the apartment to himself. And he was looking for a new job.” He paused to think harder now that Tiger had forced him to calm down and focus. He sighed and closed his eyes as he mentally kicked himself, then opened them. “Shit… he did call me, told me he wanted to go to Great America with some friends and that they were going to stay overnight.” He walked over to the bar and slumped onto one of the stools, sighing in relief.

“Okay, so, his phone could have broken or gotten lost on one of the rides,” Tiger pointed out.