Page 29

“You expect me to believe this? Are you looking for congratulations on the fact he was able to be a good father to your kids but an abusive cunt to my mother and me?” Sunny snapped.

“Jed thought about reaching out to you a lot during the years. He kept tabs on you and was so proud of your army career,” Belinda said softly.

“Lady, you seem nice. Might be wrong, but that’s my first impression.

My mom and I have scars from your loving, wonderful husband.

Physical ones. He beat my mom with a fuckin’ belt buckle.

I don’t care what shit you come out with, I know how evil that asshole is.

And more fool you for exposing your kids to him. ”

“Why are you here then, Sunny?” Belinda asked.

“Because I want the information that cunt proclaims to have, and then he can slink back under whatever stone he crawled out from,” Sunny spat.

“You’re mistaken. He is a good man.”

“Yeah, whatever you need to sleep at night. What type of guy beats a child with a plank of wood? Or pours whiskey down a baby’s throat because he’s six months old, teething, and the asshole wants it to shut the fuck up.

How about picking the kid up by his arm and throwing him, breaking it?

That’s the man you let into your kids’ lives.

Don’t talk to me what a good man he is because I’ve got many more stories about what he did. ”

Belinda shook her head. “That was the drink and drugs, Sunny. They change a person. Jed is different.”

“Sorry, you seem a good person, but you are deluded. You ain’t my family anyway, nor are your kids. All I want is the information he claims to have. After that, he can rot in hell,” Sunny said. “Have a nice life, Belinda, and I wish you the best. Because you’re going to need it.”

On that note, Sunny walked away and didn’t look back.

◆◆◆

“Have you spoken to Callie?” Cherry asked Sunny.

“No, Mom. She still out?” he replied, feeling a hint of concern.

“Yes. Does Callie usually stay out this long?”

“Don’t know. This is the first time Callie’s gone on a hike since we got together,” Sunny answered, glancing at the clock on the clubhouse wall. It was five; surely Callie should have been back.

“Can you call her?”

“Yeah. I’ll get off the phone now.”

Sunny punched Callie’s number in and listened to it ring. When it went to voice mail after ringing out, he frowned and repeated his actions. After a second voicemail message, Sunny glanced around the clubhouse.

Spotting Thalia, he headed over. “Hey, how long does Callie usually go on her hikes for?”

Thalia looked surprised. “I didn’t know Callie hiked.”

“Thanks,” Sunny said, thinking that Thalia was no help whatsoever. Clio crossed his line of sight, and Sunny walked over to her.

“Clio, how long does Callie usually hike for?”

“Usually a couple of hours. Why?”

“She left at ten this morning and hasn’t come back yet. Should we be getting worried?”

“I’ll call her, hold on, Sunny.”

“I’ve already tried,” Sunny replied as Clio dialled Callie. It rung out just like his did.

“Callie’s probably on her way home, she might be stuck in traffic. And if she’s driving, she won’t answer the phone. Not even on hands-free as she believes it’s a distraction,” Clio said.

“Thanks.”

Clio walked away, but Sunny had a gnawing feeling in his gut. Callie would have checked in, surely? Actually, Sunny had not heard from her at all today, which was unusual. Something was wrong.

◆◆◆

Four hours later, Sunny rode out to the spot where Callie had said she was hiking.

He’d still not heard from her, and her phone was going straight to voice mail.

Chance hadn’t wanted to pull the trigger on Callie being missing, which pissed Sunny right off.

Sunny had stormed out of the clubhouse and hit his bike.

Sailor rode behind him… brothers always.

They parked in the car park, and Sunny began searching for Callie’s car. It wasn’t hard to spot, as it was one of three left. He headed over to it and discovered it locked. As he peered through the window to see if her phone was inside, a voice surprised him.

“Can I help you?”

Sunny turned and saw a ranger. “My woman owns this car. She has not been in contact all day. I think she’s still out in the hills and possibly injured.”

“The park closed two hours ago, and I’ve been watching for someone to come back. Are you sure she’s not broken down?”

“Damn, sure. Dude, you’ve got cameras here, could we check them?”

“I can, you can’t. Come to the reception room, and I’ll contact SPD and my supervisor,” the guy said.

Sunny ran his hands through his hair. “You need me to ID Callie. Look, call Detective Emilio Hawthorne, he’ll vouch for me.”

“You’re still not law enforcement,” the ranger replied apologetically.

“I’m ex fuckin’ special services. Don’t let the cut fool you. I fought for my country for four terms. My woman is missing, and we need to find her!” Sunny exploded.

“Sunny, calm down. He’s doing his job. Comply, and things will get done quicker,” Sailor said, putting a hand on Sunny’s shoulder.

Sunny looked lost, his fear written all over his face. The park ranger’s face softened. “Come on. Let’s see if we can find her and what route she took,” he relented. “But I’ll call Detective Hawthorne first.”

“Do it, it’s getting dark, and Callie might be seriously injured,” Sunny agreed. His gut told him Callie was not okay, that she was hurt. The problem was, she could be anywhere.

◆◆◆

Sunny hit the trail that Callie had taken with Sailor on his heels.

They’d watched the footage and tracked Callie’s route.

She’d set off at ten-thirty this morning and had a backpack and sensible clothing and shoes on.

Callie clearly was an experienced hiker.

Once he’d seen her, Gary, the ranger, had called in to his supervisor and notified Lio they had a missing person.

Search and rescue were being brought in, but Sunny set off once he flashed his own credentials.

He wasn’t going to wait for reinforcements, especially since Hellfire was a part of S and R.

Sunny and Sailor had taken a radio with them and a backpack with essentials.

Gary had tried to stop them, but Sunny had merely cocked an eyebrow, and Gary backed down.

While Gary waited for reinforcements, Sunny wasn’t prepared to.

Callie was out here somewhere, and everything screamed at him she was injured.

He and Sailor scanned the path as they walked, looking for any sign of Callie.

Two hours into the trek, night had fallen, and the rangers were discussing bringing the search parties back.

Sunny had no intention of leaving until Callie was found. He and Sailor continued walking, shouting Callie’s name every few minutes. Their torches pierced the blackness, and it was Sailor who caught sight of something.

“Sunny, here!” Sailor called. Sunny hurried over to him.

“That’s Callie’s backpack. Callie!” Sunny bellowed.

Sailor swung his torch around on the ground. They were dangerously close to a steep drop.

“Sunny.” Sailor pointed.

Sunny gritted his teeth. There was damage to the undergrowth as if someone had slipped and yanked at the grass and growth to stop themselves falling. Sunny slipped a rope around his waist and handed the end to Sailor. Deliberately, he inched forward, wincing as the dirt moved under his feet.

“You better have me, asshole,” Sunny ground out.

Sailor snorted. “Try considering a diet.”

Sunny leaned over the edge, trusting Sailor not to let go, and spotted something that made his blood run cold.

“Callie!” he yelled at the crumpled figure below.

Callie didn’t move. Sunny could see a dark pool around her head and knew it was blood.

“She’s badly hurt. Head wound. I need to get down. Pull me back, and we’ll set up a rappel,” Sunny called to Sailor.

Slowly, Sunny was pulled into an upright position. They headed for a tree and wrapped the rope around it several times. Sailor braced and held on to the end as Sunny threw the rest over the slope. It just reached Callie.

“Go,” Sailor said.

Sunny nodded and, holding on tightly, swung over the cliff. He bounced his way down and landed next to Callie.

“She’s alive!” he called with relief.

“I’ve informed search and rescue. They’re sending a chopper, as they won’t be able to get her up any other way,” Sailor shouted back.

“Tell them she has got severe injuries,” Sunny replied as he stabilised Callie’s neck. He winced as he took in her uncomfortable position. Callie had broken bones, for sure. Sunny couldn’t do anything but sit with her and tell her all the things he loved about her.

A bright light pierced the darkness as the helicopter raced towards them with lifesaving equipment on board. Sunny prayed it wasn’t needed.