Page 17 of Higher Notes (Chaotic Abyss #2)

Chapter Seventeen

Sikes

Snipe and I had been on the road with Embrace the Fear before and had a good idea of what to look out for. But for Chaotic, this was their first time out and exhaustion hit them hard, which was both good and bad. The good being it kept Marley’s ass from getting into trouble but the bad was dealing with their grouchy asses.

“Ugh,” Jason wandered out of the bedroom in his boxers. His normally perfectly spiked hair was a rat’s nest. “Must. Have. Coffee.”

“Right here, Princess,” Snipe handed him a cup. “Have a seat and I’ll heat up your breakfast.”

Jason deeply inhaled the nutty aroma. “I bow to the coffee gods.”

Never had I been more thankful for a catering team than I was on this trip. Ely and Jordan fixed breakfast each night while the guys were on stage and stashed them in the bus fridges for the next morning. Most days we stopped for lunch and both bands ate together, then we took off again. Gave the guys and the drivers a chance to get some fresh air and walk around a bit. If there was a show that night, we would have eaten dinner at the venue and if not we stopped again. Rarely did we eat anything that wasn’t made by them, and they kept the meals as healthy as possible.

Fine by me considering Snipe and I had zero chances to work out more than stretches and push ups while on the road.

“Is that a whole wheat tortilla?” Jason groaned as Snipe slid the plate in front of him. “For a breakfast burrito? Who does that?”

“Chefs tasked with healthy food choices to keep the talent at their best.” Sounded simple enough to me yet still he groaned.

“Where are we?”

“Wow, what have you done with our sweet Jason?” Sikes sat a fresh cup in front of me and slid into the booth.

“Just exhausted. Sorry.”

“To answer your question, we’re somewhere between Fargo, North Dakota and Minneapolis.” We’d stopped in Fargo last night so the bus drivers could rest. This morning, we hit the road again for a short four-ish hour drive to Minneapolis where the bands played tonight.

“You’ve got a few hours before sound check to lie low and get your bearings.” Less than two weeks into one long ass tour. I hoped the guys found their footing fast.

By the time we arrived at the venue, the guys were caffeinated and ready to mingle in the form of video games in our bus, of course, while Ely and Jordan prepared lunch in their own buses. Totally understood why they kicked their partners out. Too many cooks in a small ass kitchen.

While the bands ate their fill, Snipe, Bones, Deuce and I met with the in-house security team and took a tour. We’d already memorized the maps and emergency protocols Fizzbo emailed to us as he did for each venue, but with time on our hands, why not?

Another day, another show, another town.

Lyrics from one of Chaotic’s songs, “Until You Came Along,” played on repeat inside my head. By now, we had all of them memorized plus many of Embrace’s. Thankfully thus far, no security breaches or concerns aside from overzealous fans had arisen, which was amazing considering Joey and Stoli were with us though they had their own guards. Those two knew how to draw and command a crowd.

I’d never understand the mind of fans who wanted their body parts autographed. All we could do was shake our heads and hope private parts weren’t flashed. To each their own but…yeah.

Public figure, I was not.

Thank fuck for that.

Things were smooth until somewhere between Richmond and Raleigh.

“Sikes,” I answered the call.

“Sending a picture of a possible perp asking around about Gabe. I had a local team tail him after school security notified me.” Fizzbo knew where everyone should be at any given time and had connections literally everywhere.

“Does Dana know?” I wasn’t sure she shouldn’t have been the first one the school called.

“Negative. I wanted to see if we could divert before we alarmed her. If you don’t recognize him ask Jason.” Fizzbo hung up. A few seconds later a picture of a man in filthy, tattered clothing came through.

“Snipe, do you recognize him?”

“Never seem him before. What’s the story?” I filled him in then we woke Jason.

“Jason, does this guy look familiar to you?”

He groaned and wiped his eyes then blinked at the screen. “Kinda. Why?”

“He’s been hanging around the school asking about Gabe. School security reached out to Fizzbo first before alarming Dana.”

“Let me see it again.” He studied it then when it hit his face fell. “Fuck. That’s Paul, Gabe’s deadbeat dad. He’s never even met him, and he wasn’t around when Gabe was born. I can’t remember his last name, though. He looks like shit.”

I grabbed the phone and immediately contacted Fizzbo. “Tell me you got something.”

“Jason said that’s Gabe’s dad whom he’s never met. His name is Paul, but Jason can’t remember his last name.”

“Fuck. I’ll alert school security and have them call Dana. Boots on the ground in less than an hour.” Click.

At this point, Jason was wide awake and dressed. “Is Gabe okay?”

“Sounds like it. The school is calling your mom now and Fizzbo is sending a local team to the school.”

My heart raced like mad but remaining calm was first and foremost. The one positive was that Gabe was safe at school and Dana would be picking them up at the end of the day.

“I texted Mom to call me. I didn’t want her answering my call and missing the school’s.” Jason paced the galley area of the bus. “What in the hell does he want with Gabe? He’s never cared before. He fucking bailed the second Mom said she was pregnant.”

The more Jason talked, the more pissed we got. This was our family, too, damnit and nobody better fuck with them.

“Mom, where’s Gabe?” Jason didn’t give the phone a chance to ring. Saw her name pop up and hit the speaker.

“The school called, I’m on my way to get him. Wait, how did you know?”

“Sikes and Snipe’s boss Fizzbo has eyes everywhere. He sent a picture of the man asking about Gabe. Mom, it’s Paul.”

She gasped. “They didn’t tell me anything except that there was an incident with Gabe and for me to come and pick him up. I figured he got into a fight or smarted off to a teacher. What does he want?”

Jason stared at me.

“Dana, it’s Wyatt. Fizzbo said school security told him Paul’s been asking to see his son. I’ll, um, I’ll text you his photo now for you to verify. Jason believes it’s him.”

“I’m almost to the school.” She decided to keep the kids in the same one so they could finish out the school year there and it was a short drive from her current job. “Oh my god, that’s him. He doesn’t look well.”

That was putting it mildly. The guy was filthy and most likely strung out. Assumptions shouldn’t be made but it was nearly impossible not to profile him based upon this photo. Plus, it was our job to grasp every angle we could from it. If he was high, that changed how we’d approach him.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know more.” Dana’s voice shook. Fuck, I wished we were there with her.

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, too, Jase.”

Now we wait, albeit not so patiently.

“Fuck!” Jason resumed pacing. “What’s taking so long? Anything from Fizzbo?”

I glanced at my phone screen and shook my head. “Negative.” As if he heard his name, a text came through.

Fizzbo: Boots on the ground! Sarge and Frogman are on site.

Jason’s phone rang. “Mom?”

“Jase, they can’t find Gabe!”

“What do you mean they can’t find him? How the fuck did they lose him?”

“I don’t-I don’t know.” Her stutter broke my heart.

Me: Status check.

Fizzbo: Per Gabe’s friends, perp was last seen speaking to Gabe along perimeter fencing. Gabe didn’t check in for fifth hour after lunch break. Students spotted Gabe leaving with perp. Sarge and Frogman are tracking. Will update.

“Fuck.”

“Was that Wyatt?”

“Yes. Dana, Gabe was last seen talking to Paul during lunch and those same friends said he left school with him. We have two guards tracking them now.”

“Jase, my baby. We have to get my baby back.” Dana was a mess and rightly so. None of us here were much better off and it fucking killed me not being on the ground searching for our boy. Had Paul been bothering him for some time now and maybe that’s where Gabe’s anger stemmed from? Was he feeding Gabe lies about his mom and Jason?

“Sikes, get us home.” Snipe wasn’t fucking around. He loved these kids as much as I did and being this far away we were helpless. Not something either of us did well with. Even if Fizzbo told us to stay put, we wouldn’t. Fuck. That. Shit.

“On it.”

Me: How quickly can you get us to Seattle?

Fizzbo: Working on it now.

“Mom, we’re getting on the next flight out. Do you have the twins with you?”

“I do. I don’t want to go home. I want to look for Gabe.”

“Dana, please get the twins home and arm the alarm. Fizzbo has eyes on the house.” I had a bad feeling about Paul. “We have highly trained combat guards looking for Gabe now. They will find him.” Now was the time to be overly confident yet cautious.

“I don’t want to be too far from him. He’s close, he has to be.” Dana burst into tears. Mother fucker better hope Sarge and Frogman found him before Snipe and I did.

That was all our hope, but Tacoma and Seattle were veritable farms of homeless encampments. Paul could be hiding anywhere, though I dare not say that aloud.

“I’m just gonna drive around for a bit.”

“Mom, please.” At this point Jason was crying. “I can’t afford to lose you, none of us can. Please let the guards handle this and get the twins home. Please,” Jason pleaded, tears streaked his face. Snipe and I each had an arm around him, but we weren’t much better off. “Please.”

“Jason,” she cried out. I hoped like hell the car was in park. Dana was in no position to drive. “If he lays one hand on my baby, I’ll kill him.”

She’d be standing in a long line for that job. Once Snipe and I got ahold of him there wouldn’t be a stich of skin left.

“Mom, the twins are crying. I can hear them. Please. Get. Them. Home.”

“Wyatt,” Nicole cried out. “Wyatt, come home.”

“We are, baby girl. We’ll be there soon.”

“We love you all,” Sikes said from beside me, all three of our faces crowded Jason’s phone screen but it was important the babies saw us.

“Love you,” they said through their tears. My fucking heart broke. I hated being this far away from them, unable to soothe their fears and wipe away their tears.

Fizzbo: You’re thirty minutes from the Raleigh airport. Andy has been notified to take you to the private airfield. Easton secured transport. Team will be waiting.

Me: Thank you.

Fizzbo: Jeremiah has been notified. Joey insisted he cover for Jason so the show will go on.

Me: We owe them, owe all of you big time.

Fizzbo: Thank me once Gabe is safely home.

“Dana, we are almost at the airport. Flight is booked and we’ll land at Seatac in five hours. Jason will meet you at home and Snipe and I will join the hunt.”

“Thank you both. Bring my baby home to me.”

“We will. Love you guys.” Snipe was near tears himself as he said that.

“Love you all. We’ll see you soon.” My mind was already in motion thinking of every possible place the piece of shit could try to hide.

What the fuck did Paul want with Gabe after all these years?

Then, it hit me.

Money.

Fuck.

Hurriedly, we threw everything into our bags. As soon as the bus came to a stop at the private terminal, we jumped off. Quite literally, none of our feet even hit that last step.

A man in a suit and tie met us on the tarmac. “Gentlemen, please, follow me.”

We were loaded into a jet akin to Masterson’s. As soon as we buckled in, the plane was secured, the tower cleared us for takeoff and we were airborne moments later. Jason sat between us and held our hands. His knee nervously bounced. I was on the verge of coming out of my skin. Sitting idly by didn’t work for Snipe or me.

“Shit, what about the shows?” Jason’s mind came back online.

“Don’t worry, Joey’s taking your place. He’ll sing for Chaotic.”

“Wait, what? For real?” I nodded. “The fans will love that.”

“Gentlemen,” the stewardess stopped by. “The plane has wi-fi. You may use your phones now. I’ll be by in a moment with food and beverages.”

Jason immediately turned his phone on, and the pings rolled out.

“Mom, Easton, Joey, the Chaotic chat.” He swiped at a tear as he called them out. “Our family.”

Snipe raised Jason’s hand and pressed his lips to it. “Our family.”

My phone pinged with a message.

Fizzbo: Checking homeless encampments. Either Sarge and Frogman scared the hell out of the residents, or Paul has no friends because they have pointed us in the direction of his usual haunts. Will update when I know more.

Me: 10-4. We’re airborne.

Fizzbo: 10-4