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Lobo shook his head. “No. And if you do, you let me know. I’ll put a stop to it. We are not a gang. And I’m going to make sure the remaining members remember that.”

Mason held his hand out and shook with Lobo. “Then, I’ll leave you to it with my thanks for helping Lyric with her problem.” Because he knew Lobo had done this for her, not him.

Mason left the clubhouse with no time to spare.

Officer Bowers rolled down his window. “Everything cool?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ve got a domestic disturbance call to getto.” With that the officer tore out of the parking lot, leaving Mason to find Rick on his own.

He climbed into his truck, pulled up a map of the area on his phone, found the place was located on a large parcel of land, the nearest neighbor quite a ways away. The perfect spot for someone to hide.

He sent the location information to Nick.

MASON:Possible Rick Rowe hideout. Checking it out. I’ll text you if I find anything.

NICK:Send me updates every 10

Mason drove out of the lot and headed for the property. He didn’t see a car out front when he drove past the house. Nothing to indicate anyone was there, but with the boarded windows, it was hard to tell if anyone was inside.

Why hadn’t Rick simply left the state and gone home?

His obsession for Lyric wouldn’t allow it.

Mason parked in the trees on a barely-there dirt track and climbed out of the truck. He avoided the wide-open field and took the long route through the trees to the back of the house. Nearing the second ten-minute mark to check in with his brother, he hid behind a tree watching the back of the house, noting the rental car hidden from the road back there. He pulled out his phone and texted Nick.

MASON:At the house. Surveilling now. Suspect car hidden out back.

He didn’t wait for Nick’s reply, set his phone toSilent, checked the upstairs windows, saw no sign of anyone inside, and snuck up to the back porch where all the windows were also covered. He put his ear to the door and listened, not hearing anything.

Then something cracked him in the back of the head, and the lights went out.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Lyric was sitting in the middle of her rumpled bed, her guitar on her lap, the final sounds of the song she’d written fading to quiet. She grinned at the lyrics written on the pages next to her. Proud and excited, she couldn’t wait to sing this song to M. He’d know the words and feelings were inspired by him.

She checked the time on her phone and noted he still hadn’t texted her. Worried he was taking too long and something might have happened, she was about to call him when his number popped up on her phone.

She swiped to accept his call. “I was just about to come after you,” she teased.

“Good.” Rick’s voice chilled her to the bone. “It’s a seventeen-minute drive from the bar to 327 Sycamore Road. If you’re not here in the next twenty minutes, he dies.” Rick hung up on her.

For a second nothing seemed real. Her mind went blank with shock.

Then the fury hit. “I don’t think so, asshole.” She set aside her guitar, searched for the phone number online, and sent the call through. As the phone rang, she leaped off the bed, stuffed her feet into her boots, grabbed her purse and keys, and ran out of her place. When she was halfway down the stairs, someone answered the call.

“Gunn Brothers, how can I help you?” The cheery voice grated right now when her world seemed so dark with M in danger.

“I need to speak to Hawk.”

“Regarding?”

“It’s a family emergency.”

“And you are?”

“Look, I don’t have time for this. Just put him on the phone.” She jumped down the last few steps, hit the pavement, and ran for her car.