Boone
Returning from evening chores, I went straight to the kitchen. Since my phone had gone dead, I’d left it plugged in when I headed out. I didn’t like being out of contact for any length of time. Summer or the girls might need me.
Or maybe Gabs.
I shook my head, calling myself all sorts of stupid as I turned on my phone. As it dinged with a voicemail, the main radio in my kitchen I had set up to scan the local emergency channels cracked to life with news of a fire. Dialing into my voicemail, I kept half my focus on the call. Gabs’ sweet voice filled my ear, asking me to call her, as the radio gave the address for the structure fire.
“Fuck!”
As far as I knew, Gabs’ trailer was the only one anywhere near the Emerson’s ranch. I prayed it wasn’t her place, but my gut told me it was.
Hanging up from voicemail, I dialed her cell, praying she’d answer. It rang and rang until it flicked over to her recorded message. I didn’t waste time with it. Hanging up, I grabbed my keys and sprinted out the front door to my truck. Once I was on the road, I didn’t bother trying to call anyone for information, just put my foot to the floor to get to the location given over the radio as fast as I could.
With my heart in my throat, I pulled up away from the trucks and rushed over toward the trailer that was engulfed in flames. Anyone who’d been in there couldn’t have survived. There would be nothing but rubble left when it was done.
Another car and three bikes pulled in next to my truck. Two older and one younger man wearing Charon MC colors got off the Harleys while Silk, Donny and SeVen came rushing over from the car.
Silk started talking before she reached me. “Please tell me you know where she is! I told her to call you. She should have been with you!”
A chill flashed through me as I shook my head. “I’d been hoping she was at work.”
Tears tracked down her face. “I gave her the rest of the week off today. Told her to call you.”
One of the older men who wore a name patch that said Bulldog pulled her into his chest. “We’ll find her, Silky. She’s too smart to have gotten caught inside.”
Royce came out of somewhere and headed our way. Had the fucker been hiding and listening to us?
“Gabs was in there. She was helping me with the horses, but she came home about half hour ago.”
That set Silk off into loud sobs, but something didn’t sit right. I caught Donny’s gaze, and he was clearly thinking the same thing. I tilted my head toward a couple of firefighters that had just grabbed bottles of water.
“Let’s go see what we can find out.”
Royce went to follow, but the other older biker, who’s name badge read Scout moved to block him. “You stay right where you are.”
Next to his name patch sat another one that said President. Gabs hadn’t been kidding when she said she was under the protection of the club.
Donny spoke low as we walked the short distance, “Don’t trust that fucker. I know a few of the firefighters. Hopefully they’ll give us some info.”
I knew several of them too, from jobs involving animals. Between the two of us I was hoping we’d be able to find out something.
As we got closer, I could see their faces and was relieved to see Sid, who was around my age. We’d done several jobs together.
“Hey, Sid, can you tell me if anyone was in there?”
He finished drinking his bottle of water before he turned to look at Donny, the group behind us then back to me. “You know who lived here?”
I nodded, “My girl, Gab—”
Donny interrupted me, “Gabriela Rayne is her full name. I work with her down at Silky Ink. She wasn’t at work, and she’s not with her man. We’re worried, man. If you could let us know if we should still be looking for her, that’d be great.”
He was silent for a few moments before he nodded with a tight jaw. “Nothing will be official until the investigator is done. I don’t wanna hear or see anything I say now comin’ back at me, you hear?”
He should know me better than that, but I got why he felt the need to voice it. He’d be in deep shit if it was found out he’d released unconfirmed info early. “Not a word to anyone. I just wanna know if I need to keep looking for my girl, or if I gotta start grievin’ her.”
He looked me in the eye. “Keep looking. One of our guys was the first on scene. He was driving past when it first went up. He got a good look in the windows and called out. No response and he couldn’t see anyone.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. Let me know if you find out different.”