Setting my cup down, I slowly said, “Excuse me?”
“Have no clue how he figured it out, but you and Ari need to get the fuck out of there today.”
“Reaper, my daughter, and your mother are in this town.”
“I know. I’ve already called Doolittle. Shadow returned last night, and your brother already has them on a plane. Don’t worry about them. Just get Ari the fuck out of there.”
“Shit,” I said, throwing my cup of coffee across the room.
“Balthazar,” I heard Ari say, sitting up in bed. Looking at her, I didn’t know what to tell her. We had just gotten here. I told her she would be safe here, and now she wasn’t.
“What the fuck, man!” I growled into the phone, looking at her.
“I don’t know, but I called in Matrix. He will meet you in Denver at eight o’clock tonight at some warehouse. I’m texting you the address now. He is going to recheck both of you for trackers. Then, he is going to get you and Ari to a safe house. Where your asses will stay until I say otherwise. Got me?”
“That fucker is crazy, Reaper.”
“Get over it. He’s good at what he does. I need you and Ari to disappear. He can make that happen.”
“What about my daughter?” I growled, then turned to Ari. “Baby, get dressed. We’re leaving.”
“Don’t worry about my niece. Shadow is taking her to the happiest place on earth. Besides, the Collector isn’t the only one looking for Ari.”
“What do you mean?” I said, reaching for my jeans, quickly putting them on.
“The Disciples of the Word want her back. Something about her being a lost child of the Lord.”
“Well, they can’t have her. She’s mine!”
“Figured that and told those fuckers that exact same thing when they showed up last night. Of course, I let some of the boys have fun. I don’t think those fuckers will be back anytime soon, but there you have it. Call me when you meet up with Matrix. I may have more information by then.”
Hanging up, Ari and I quickly finished getting dressed and head for my bike only to see Lasso coming towards the cabin bleeding. “Get the fuck out of here!” He yelled before falling to his knees.
Grabbing Ari’s hand, I ran with her to my bike. Quickly getting on, I wasted no time starting my motorcycle, and instantly, we were fishtailing down the mountain. My mind was racing as we sped to safety. I had no clue what was going on. None whatsoever. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were safe. Only two people knew where we were at, and there was no way Reaper would rat me out, and as for the other, I refused to even consider it. The only logical explanation was that someone ratted me out. Which meant we had another mole in the clubhouse.
My mind raced with implications as we made it to the highway and sped off towards the east. I hated the idea of leaving my daughter behind, but I trusted Reaper to see to her safety, plus my brother Shadow was back from his run, and I knew he would never leave Becca’s side. Ever.
Racing down the highway, I could feel Ari’s arms around me, holding me tight. She hadn’t said a single word since I ordered her to dress right before we fled the cabin. I wanted to pull over and see how she was doing, to reassure her, to let her know that everything would be okay, but I wasn’t so sure of that myself.
What I really needed to do was sit down for five minutes and really think about this situation. How were the Disciples of the Word and the Collector connected? It didn’t make sense. One was a religious cult. The other was a human trafficking ring. The two were not exclusively connected in any way.
I knew that Andrew Peterson’s son Samuel married the granddaughter of the cult, Kathryn Cussler after his first wife died in childbirth. The first wife was the sister of Ari’s father. There was no record of Ari’s birth. At five years old, her father and mother moved from Cairo, Egypt, to Salem, Oregon. Which was odd, considering Ari’s dad previously worked for the government before he retired. Which was strange in itself. He was at the height of his career. Why would someone just up and quit like that? Then move to Salem, Oregon. He wasn’t from the area. In fact, as far as I knew, he’d never been there. Then there was the fact that Ari looked nothing like her dad. Ari was lithe, with white-blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and skin pale white. She looked like fucking Snow White, minus the black hair. Her dad was another story: tanned skin, brown eyes, and greyish brown hair. Then there was her mother. A woman born in India. I couldn’t see how they were related.
Then like a fucking lightning bolt, it hit me.
Fuck!
Spotting a rest stop up ahead, I pulled over, finding a parking spot. Turning off my engine, I got off my bike and reached for my phone, quickly dialing Phantom.
“You should be riding south, Ghost, not calling me.”
“Not now. Do me a favor and check something for me. See what other government officials were in Cairo at the time Ari’s parents were there. Any other families? Did any kids go missing?”
I could hear her typing away as she asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Just a hunch.”
“Okay, will do. In the meantime, get your ass to Denver.”