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CHAPTER 17

GHOST

Em’s a fuckin’ angel.

“She can’t be far.”

I force a smile I don’t feel when I glance at Ember. Ever since her very loud declaration, we’ve been focusing on finding my mom. She’s never walked off like this before, and with every passing minute, the dread in my gut intensifies. Since it’s been two hours of fruitless searching, the intensity is close to unbearable.

“I think I should call the cops,” I say, going against everything I’ve learned since becoming a Soulless King. “It’s been too long.”

“Call the club,” she counters. “And Addison. They’ll be able to help more than the police.”

“Addison is police,” I remind her.

“She’s also family.” Ember finally levels her gaze on mine. “I get the urge to call the cops, I really do. But I’ve dealt with this, and calling them could trigger an investigation with Adult Protective Services. You don’t want that, trust me.”

I stiffen at the implication of her words. “They’d be stupid as fuck to accuse me of anything bad.”

“Yeah, they would, but that wouldn’t stop them. And if Addison comes as a cop, she’ll be bound by the rules. If she comes as family…” She shrugs. “It’s different.”

I’m surprised she’s suggesting I don’t involve law enforcement, and I’m even more surprised that I thought it would be a good idea. I’m a former undercover cop who quit because of the shit dirty cops pulled… the last thing I need is one of them in my business or trying too hard to please an even dirtier higher up.

“Thanks,” I say as I pull my cell out of my cut to call Crow.

“For what?” she asks while I wait for him to answer.

“For understanding what my emotions wouldn’t let me remember.”

“That sounds serious,” Crow says, pulling my attention away from Ember.

“Hey, Pres, I’ve got a problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Mom took off about two hours ago, and we can’t find her. I know you’re working on some other things, but any chance you can spare some of the guys? We could use all the help we can get.” I pause. “Oh, and is Addison off today? I’d like her help, too, but not in an official capacity if you get my drift.”

“We’ll all be there in ten. Send me your current location.”

“Crow, you don’t ha?—”

“We’ll all be there,” he snarls. “Family is more important than anything else, whether by blood or the patch, got me?”

“Got you.”

“Good. Send Tracer your mom’s cell number. Maybe he can track her that way. Honestly, for a former cop, I’m surprised you didn’t think to call sooner. And as a brother, I’m a little pissed that you didn’t.”

“Yeah, well, took me a bit to think of it,” I say, sliding my eyes to Ember.

“You mean it took a pretty woman to get you to think clearly,” he teases.

I chuckle. “Something like that.”

“Send that info. See ya soon.”

He disconnects the call, and I send off two quick texts before tucking my cell back into my cut.

“They’re on their way,” I tell Ember as I walk to where she’s standing down the block. She walked away to give me privacy, and I’m grateful for it.

“Told ya.”

“Yeah, you did.” I rock on my heels. “Now what?”

God, I am an idiot. I used to search for people for a living—sort of—and now I’m relying on a nurse to tell me what to do.

“We keep searching.”

“Really, I don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

I grind my molars together to keep from yelling at my mom. It took two more hours, ten Soulless Kings other than me, Addison, and Ember to track her to the train station on the other end of town. Tracer would’ve found her sooner, no doubt, but she forgot to charge her phone overnight, and it was deader than a doornail.

“We were worried about you, Mrs. West,” Crow says, slipping his arm through hers to lead her to Ember’s car, which Addison took her back to the house to retrieve when Mom refused to get in anyone else’s vehicle.

“Oh, pish posh,” she says, smacking Crow on his forearm. “Trace Thompson, I’ve known you since you were a little boy. It’s my job to worry, not yours.”

He smiles. “Yes, ma’am.”

When I asked her why she’d been at the train station, she scolded me for not remembering that my father was returning from a business trip. She was simply going to meet him so she’d be the first thing he saw when he stepped foot in Marble Falls again.

I didn’t have the heart to remind her that Dad’s dead, and apparently, neither did anyone else because no one said a damn thing. Eventually, her memory shifted, and she was in the present. It took a little bit of explaining for her to understand how she got to the train station, but she seems no worse for the wear, so we’ve all let it go.

“Parker, sweetheart,” Mom says, looking over her shoulder at me. “You’ll ride with Ember and me back to the house, right?”

“Yeah, Mom, I will.”

Crow hands her off to Addison, who gets her settled into the passenger seat.

“I’m glad she’s okay,” Crow says to me, his voice low. “What about you?”

“I’m glad too.”

“No, I meant, are you okay? I know this scared the shit out of you.”

I thrust a hand through my hair and sigh. “I’m fine. Just glad this turned out the way it did. Could’ve been a lot worse.”

“Yeah, it could’ve been, but it wasn’t. Focus on that, yeah?”

“I’m tryin’, Pres, but it’s fucking hard.”

“No doubt it’s harder with the situation with Ember?”

I stiffen. “What situation?”

“Calm your tits, man,” he cajoles. “I just meant that it has to be hard being around her again.”

“Oh, right. It’s not easy, I’ll give ya that. But…”

“But what?” he prods when I fall silent.

I glance at Ember, who’s chatting happily with my mother while they wait on me. “Look at ‘em. She’s the best person for my mom. She handles everything Mom throws at her with grace and a smile. Em’s a fuckin’ angel.”

“Jesus, you’re getting poetic.”

“What?” I narrow my eyes at him. “No, I’m not. Just stating facts.”

“Right. Keep telling yourself that.” He pauses to kiss Addison’s cheek when she joins us. “So, if she’s treating your mom with grace and a smile, how’s she treating you?” he asks me.

I scowl. “With attitude and more fuckin’ attitude.”