Stud read the warning; an Amber Alert had been issued. A toddler had been kidnapped from a local home. Stud read the description. The child was thought to be in the custody of her mother.
His cell phone distracted him from reading the rest of the alert message. Answering it, he heard his aunt screaming hysterically into the phone.
“Slow down; I can’t understand you…” Stud listened to Aunt Katy describe Star’s mother coming by for a visit. Katy could tell she was high as a kite and refused to let her hold Star. Candi had attacked her, knocking her down to the floor. She had grabbed Star and took off. Stud heard Meri and Keri screaming and crying in the background.
“I’ll find her, Katy. Calm the girls down. I swear I’ll find her.” Stud hung up from his aunt, his hand clutching the bar in both terror for his daughter and fury at Candi for endangering Star by driving with the baby when she was stoned.
Stud turned to Bear, realizing the Club had gone quiet, listening to his conversation. All knew that something terrible had happened, if not the exact details.
“What’s up?” Bear asked as his brothers listened unashamedly.
“Candi took Star.” Stud gathered his thoughts so that he could make a plan. He opened his mouth, directing his brothers, taking command while holding his fear for his daughter at bay.
“Pike, take Jace. Go to Candi’s place and call me as soon as you get there. Rock and Blade, separate and hit every dealer; see if they know of any place she would hide. Dozer, go to the bridge crossing over to Treepoint, keep an eye out for her car. The rest of us are going to split up and hit the other way out of town.”
The brothers filed out of the clubhouse. Stud went out the door, hearing Sex Piston call his name, but he kept going. He had to find his daughter then he would deal with Sex Piston.
He came to a stop when he got outside. The brothers were also stopped in their tracks, looking at the woman walking unsteadily across the parking lot.
“I was coming to see you, Stud!” Candi called out to him, holding a crying Star.
“Give her to me, Candi. You’re scaring her.” Stud took a step toward her, but stopped suddenly. Candi had started backing up when she saw the large number of members coming out of the club. She was almost up to the edge of the parking lot which had a drop off of about six feet. At the bottom was a small creek that ran behind the club.
Stud had talked to Skulls about getting it fenced off; concerned one of the brothers would drunkenly fall off. Skulls had shrugged and said it wouldn’t be the first time. It was then that Stud knew the extent of what Sex Piston had grown up in. Skulls was a good man and biker, but he was careless where safety was concerned.
“Listen to me, Stud.” She took another step back.
Stud stood still. “I’m listening.”
“I want Star back. I need her,” Candi whined.
“We’ll talk about it. We can work something out.” Stud would promise her anything to get Star to safety.
Candi started rubbing Star’s hair, trying to soothe the terrified girl. Stud was afraid to take another step forward for fear of her falling over the embankment.
“Candi, how you doing? It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you around.” Stud watched as Sex Piston came up beside him.
“Sex Piston, is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me, Candi. I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.” Sex Piston moved a few inches away from Stud.
“I heard about you and Stud. He won’t let me have my kid. He’s got to listen to me,” Candi said, almost losing her balance when she switched Star to her other hip.
“I think he’s listening to you now, Candi.” Sex Piston took another step away from Stud, moving more toward the left side of the parking lot away from the clubhouse. Candi’s eyes followed her, but she kept switching back and forth between her and Stud, keeping both of them within her sights.
“You look worn out; want to have a seat in my car and rest for a minute until you’re feeling better? I could hold Star for you.”
“You’re trying to take my Star now that you got Stud. My baby doesn’t need you playing mommy. She already has one.” She poked herself with her finger. “I’m her mother. She doesn’t need another one of his sluts pretending to be.”
“I know that you’re her mother, Candi. Every time I look at her I see your pretty eyes. She looks a lot like you.”
Stud watch as Killyama moved stealthy to the side, sneaking up from the back of the building, moving through the shadows so that Candi couldn’t see her.