"Janie, you can't just go around and bomb all the competition," Lo tried to reason.
"I'm pretty sure I can, actually."
To that, Lo let out a small laugh. "Yes, true, but since we don't know where Reign is, bombing them could end up killing him too," Lo reasoned in a quiet voice, not wanting to scare Summer who was standing in the kitchen with Finn. Ferryn had blown in, heard the news, and rushed right back out, Vance trailing behind her. If I knew anything about Ferryn, and I was starting to, she was going to hit the streets and bash some heads together until she got some answers.
"Fine. But I reserve the right to blow something up once we know Reign is safe."
"Like anyone could stop you," Malcolm, Janie's son, agreed, smirking.
Generally speaking, the prospects didn't get involved with club business. They hadn't earned the right to go on rides or drops. Those were privileges earned.
That being said, most of these prospects weren't just kids off the street, they were family. Reign's two sons, Wolf and Janie's son. More would be to come, I was sure, as the kids kept aging up.
"What do you guys want me on?" Malcolm asked, jerking his chin toward his Uncle Cash.
"Fuck. I don't know. Why don't you take a ride over to see the Mallicks. Then the Grassis. If something is going down in the town, they'd want a heads-up. And most of them have a pretty good relationship with Reign, so they will keep an ear out."
"Got it," Malcolm said, moving off, leaving Brooks and Tyler behind, standing around, looking and likely feeling as helpless as I was feeling right about then.
"You two, on the grounds," I called out to them, getting nods and grateful looks before they both rushed off.
"Roderick," Cash called, making the man push through the crowd.
"Yeah?"
"Any chance you can get Liv to stop here before she goes up to Hailstorm? She and Cam can maybe give us some insight into other competition we haven't considered yet."
"She'll stop. Might have a problem making her leave, but she'll come," Roderick agreed, moving off to call his woman.
"What else am I not considering?" Cash asked to the rest of the crowd still situated around.
But there were no answers.
Because the club had known calm for so long.
There hadn't been any true enemies at the gates since all that shit with V, Summer's mother.
Everything else had pretty much been grievances and vendettas involving individual brothers, not the club as a whole.
"Should we report him missing?" Summer asked, coming back in the room, eyes red, but tear-free. That woman had been through a lot. I'd always been impressed with how well she handled difficult situations.
"Listen," Lo chimed in, giving her old friend, her sister-in-law, a firm look. "If you want to do that, if you want to cover that base, that is entirely up to you."
"But you don't think it will do anything?" Summer pressed, already knowing her answer.
"What are the chances that they will go all-out for someone like Reign?" Lo asked, shrugging. "If we have nothing to go on by tomorrow, maybe then file the report. Give us a little head-start. Once they know he is missing, they will be out trying to catch all of us while we try to get him home by any means necessary."
"Right. Okay. That makes sense. I just... I have nothing to do," she admitted, shaking her head. I just... I want someone to shoot at," she admitted.
"Why? So you can hit the wall beside them?" Cash teased, always trying to lighten the mood, even in the most trying of times.
To that, Summer gave a surprised, choked little laugh, chasing away some of the horror in her eyes.
"But maybe you should be taking a trip up to Hailstorm with everyone else," Cash suggested. "You know Chris, she will put you to work on surveillance or something. You won't feel so useless there."
"Right. Yeah. That's a good idea."
"Finn will take you," Cash added, nodding toward his nephew. Summer moved to walk away, but Cash grabbed Finn on the way past. "Are you armed? If not, you need to get armed. And stay armed. I know your brother is always strapped, but you need to be too. And when you're driving, keep your eyes on the mirrors. Have your mom call us if you think anyone is following you. Got it?"
"Got it," Finn agreed, looking suddenly taller, older, stronger, like he could handle anything that came his way.
This club had the potential to do that. Make a man out of a boy. And it happened quickly. Blink, and you would miss it.
"Once we do intel with Liv and Cam, we are going to head out in five-man teams. The rest will be staying here, taking turns doing guard shifts."
"Including you," Wolf said, looking at Cash.