Dare to Dream: The Maxwell Series (23 page)

I
stood
outside Wiley’s Bar and Grill, texting Kade to let him know that I was hanging with Becca, Tyler, Shaun, and Renee. We were meeting to celebrate our win and our last game of the season. I also owed Shaun a rain check for bagging out on dinner the day of my almost head-on collision. Hunt had suspected the mob was responsible for running me off the road, but when he’d finally located the driver of the vehicle, he discovered it was a high school student from Lancaster Christian. The boy’s phone had fallen to the floorboard, and when he’d tried to pick up it up, he’d swerved into my lane. It didn’t matter to me who was behind the wheel. I was just relieved that no one had gotten hurt.

After I sent the message, I scoured the street. I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. When I’d mentioned my unease to Kade, he’d checked with Wes to see if Pitt had ordered his guards to babysit me. Since Pitt was family and he had a bodyguard on Chloe, we thought maybe he had one on me. But that wasn’t the case. Even so, Kade asked if I wanted protection. I declined. There was no reason for me to think I was in danger. He agreed, although he was still scratching his head as to the timing of my kidnapping and Dad getting the ledger. The same question sat in the back of my mind, but I didn’t dwell on it. I had decisions to make about my future.

Except for people window shopping or ducking into a pizza place across from Wiley’s, no one was around. And my internal radar gave me the all clear, so I marched into Wiley’s. Utensils dinged, patrons chatted, and someone shouted in the bar. A Red Sox game was on the large TV screen that filled the entire backdrop of the bar. I checked the score. The Red Sox were up by two runs against the Oakland A’s. I wasn’t a big fan of either team, but since I lived in Red Sox Nation, I quietly rooted for them unless they were playing the LA Dodgers.

“Lacey!” Shaun waved from a table in the dining room.

I skirted around packed tables, inhaling the varying aromas of the delicious foods, especially the plate of nachos a waiter was carrying.

Shaun and Tyler rose like gentlemen as I approached.

“Sit with me.” Renee patted the empty chair in between her and Tyler.

“Where’s Becca?” I knew she wasn’t with Kross. He was at a boxing gym in Boston with Kody.

“Restroom.” Tyler took his seat then draped an arm over my chair.

Shaun arched an eyebrow. “No Kade or Hunt tonight?”

“Kade is working at my dad’s club in Boston.” I’d never explained to Shaun why Hunt had been following me the night of the accident. I guessed it wouldn’t matter now. Everyone at school knew I’d been kidnapped. “Hunt was my bodyguard for a while. Since my kidnappers are no longer a threat, I don’t need protection anymore.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Shaun’s gaze probed deep as though he was trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.

Tyler leaned his elbows on the table and said to Shaun, “You pitched a great game tonight. Any plans for college?”

I looked past Shaun and spied Becca gliding our way.

“Dude, I asked you a question.” Tyler’s innocuous words did nothing to mask the bite behind them.

The tension grew thick. Renee kicked me under the table.

“Hi,” Becca said, taking the seat beside Shaun. “What did I miss?” Her bubbly personality was a welcome relief.

“I’m sorry.” Shaun switched his attention to Tyler. “No plans as of yet.”

A haggard-looking waiter came over to the table. We ordered a pizza and a round of soda.

“Is your father doing better?” I asked Shaun. His father had been in some sort of work accident not too long ago. I’d asked him about it, but he’d brushed it off.

“He’s fine. I’ll be right back.” Shaun excused himself.

“What was that all about?” Becca asked as she scooted into Shaun’s chair.

“It was weird the way he was staring at Lacey.” Tyler unfolded his napkin.

I appreciated Tyler playing big brother. If Kade were here, he would’ve been talking with his fists.

“He definitely likes her,” Renee said.

“Um. I’m right here,” I said as I tucked my hair behind my ear. “And he seems lonely.” There’d been a sadness in his hazel eyes when he was gawking at me.

“Here he comes,” Renee whispered as her gaze roamed the restaurant.

“Sorry, I got to run,” Shaun said. “Something came up with my dad. See you in school on Monday.” He darted out of the restaurant like he had a fire to put out.

A veil of silence hung over the table for a second before Becca piped up. “Way to scare him off, Tyler.”

Tyler shrugged. Then Renee launched into a conversation about the playoffs followed by Becca telling us about the nursing program she’d been accepted to at NYU, and Tyler shared his excitement about his football scholarship to Florida State.

The waiter delivered the food. We each grabbed a slice of pizza.

“Any idea what you’re going to do, Lace?” Tyler asked.

“Not really. I’m waiting to hear from Colby College and UMass. But I’m considering walking on to the ASU ball team.” I picked at a pepperoni.

Tyler wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Baseball is your passion, and walking on isn’t a sure thing.”

“I know.” My conundrum was that for so long I had thought only of ASU when I thought of playing college ball.

Becca started in about some movie she wanted to see. Not long after we’d finished eating, we said our goodbyes. I wanted to get home anyway. Dad had been gone for over a week, and he was due home from California tonight. I couldn’t wait to tell him that we’d made the playoffs.

I hurried to my car. Once inside, I set my phone on the passenger seat, turned on the Red Sox game, and headed home.

Ten minutes later, I wheeled into my driveway, and my world blurred into immediate panic. The house was dark. Not one light was on. Dad’s Impala was parked in the driveway, and the garage doors were wide open. All the air left my lungs. The only sound in my car was the buzzing in my head. I envisioned Mom and Julie’s dead bodies.
Breathe.
I inhaled the vanilla freshener that hung from my rearview mirror.

Why was the house dark if Dad was home? A voice somewhere in my subconscious whispered beneath the buzzing. We have automatic lights. They should be on. I argued with myself.
Maybe the electricity cut out. That has happened during storms.

I closed my eyes. That was it. The electricity went out. No, I remembered passing the other houses on the street. They had their lights on. Why was I worried? Weeks was dead. We didn’t have the ledger, and Lorenzino was in jail.

On that note, I cut the engine but kept the headlights energized. I opened my door and climbed out slowly. I rolled back my shoulders and stuck out my chin. A full moon sat high in the sky. I scanned the yard—for what, I wasn’t sure. Maybe someone had broken in again. I should call Dad or Kade.
No, don’t call Kade. You want him to stop treating you like you’re fragile. You’re his hero.
Show him. Buck up, and push forward.

I laughed out loud. I was always giving myself pep talks. Sometimes that was the only way to get through a scary situation. Then I laughed again. I was going to need more than my own subconscious to help me with the dark, ominous scene before me.

I dialed Dad’s number. With every ring, my heart beat harder against my ribs and the buzzing in my head grew louder. On the fifth ring, a loud boom rang through the night.

My brain went blank, and my body was in motion almost before I realized it. I dropped my phone and sprinted into the house.

I
didn’t know
why I’d agreed to work for Mr. Robinson. I hated the club scene. The place stank of sweat, booze, and cigarettes. The signs that hung on the wall above the mirror over the bar warned that there was no smoking.

I carried a large bucket of ice from the storeroom to the bar. Kid Rock pumped from the overhead speakers, not loud, since the Red Sox game was on. The club didn’t perk up until about eleven every night. Until then, local patrons floated in to drink and watch their favorite sports team. Once the band set up, the old timers found their way out while the younger crowd drifted in.

I dumped the ice into the silver bin next to the bar sink.

Leo, the tattooed bartender, who was flipping the cap off a bottle of Coors, said, “Thanks, man.”

“Do you ever take a night off?” I asked. Since I’d been working there, I’d never seen the man
not
tending bar.

“Come on, Kade. You’ve been here at the height of the hour. What better way to meet some fine chicks? Or are you blind and celibate?”

“Dude, seriously?” I shut the lid to the ice bin. Granted, I’d seen one or two pretty girls, but none who compared to Lacey.

Leo placed the bottle of Coors in front of a guy in a black business suit. “I need the money, and I need to get laid. Two things crucial to a guy’s survival.”

I’d go crazy if I spent every day in a bar. I liked the awesome bands, but the sweat-soaked bodies, couples on the dance floor gyrating together as if they were having sex, and the smell of the puke from people who couldn’t handle their liquor wasn’t what I would call fun. Thankfully, the job was only temporary until Mr. Robinson had time to search for a permanent hire.

The businessman chuckled. “He’s got a point.”

The only part of what Leo said that had resonated with me was the getting laid part.

“What’s wrong, dude? You bat for the other team?” Leo asked, swiping a towel off the sink.

“Fuck you, man.” My phone vibrated, and I fished it out of my pocket. Glancing at Hunt’s name on the screen, I said to Leo, “I got to take this.” I pivoted on my heel and wound my way into the hall from the bar. “What’s up?”

“Hey, I have Wes here with me, and you’re on speaker,” Hunt said. “Where’s Lacey?” Unease wove through his words.

“She’s hanging out with friends at Wiley’s. Why?” Dread squeezed my throat.

“If you recall, I told you Weeks had three ex-wives,” Wes said. “The day Lacey was kidnapped, I also mentioned my team was still digging into Weeks’s background. Well, we may have found how Lorenzino knew James had the ledger. Weeks has a seventeen-year-old son, Barry, who’s been living with him. So, I contacted Detective Fisher to reach out to the ex-wives who live in LA. One of them confirmed her son was living with Weeks. She described him as having blond curly hair and hazel eyes. I’m waiting on a picture.”

Fuck me.
I punched the wall. Pain shot up my arm, but I welcomed it to keep myself grounded in the moment. I flexed my fingers a few times then dug around in my front pocket for my keys, storming down the hall to the back exit.

“Kade, Kade!” Hunt’s deep voice blared through the phone.

I slammed my hand on the metal bar and pushed open the heavy door. The muggy night air enhanced the sweat beading on me. I jogged to my truck, jumped in, and started the engine. When I did, my Bluetooth connected.

“Kade, are you there?” Hunt’s panicked voice came through the truck’s speakers.

“I’m in my truck. I’m headed back to Ashford.” My voice sounded calm even though my stomach was twisted into a big fucking knot of fear.

“I know that description sounds a lot like that new guy at school, Shaun Spears, but we don’t know for sure,” Hunt said.

“I’m not taking any chances. Her text earlier said she was meeting Shaun at Wiley’s. The dude hangs around her all the time.” Fuck if I wasn’t going to be there to protect my girl. “I got to call Lacey.”

I slowed to a stop at the red light on the corner outside Rumors. I dialed Lacey’s number, and it rang, and rang, and rang until her voicemail picked up. “Lace, baby. I need you to call me as soon as you get this message,” I said as calmly as I could. I hung up. Dialed again. Again, the line went to her voicemail. I waited a minute and tried one more time. If I kept calling and she didn’t pick up, I’d drive myself crazier than I already felt.

The light finally changed to green. I gunned on the gas, turned left, and made my way toward Lacey’s as fast as I could behind cars that were slowing to let people cross the street and through more traffic lights. I dialed Mr. Robinson’s cell phone. He was flying in from California today, and he should’ve been home by now. The line rang repeatedly until it connected to his voicemail. I tried the house phone. No answer.

“Fuck.” I banged on the steering wheel.

My next phone call was to my father. I knew he was home, and if he saw it was me calling, he’d pick up. He was the closest to Lacey’s and Wiley’s. My brothers were in Boston, and I didn’t want to worry or bother them.

He answered on the first ring. “Hey, son.”

“I need your help, Dad. Remember that guy, Dennis Weeks? He has a son who’s been living with him. If it’s who I think it is, he’s been hanging around with Lacey. He’s at Wiley’s with her. Can you get over there? I’m at least fifty minutes out.”

“Slow down, Kade. You’re not making much sense.”

“Dad, please? I’m worried. He might want to hurt Lacey. His father killed her family. Why would he stay here? What if he wants revenge for his father’s death?” I gripped the steering wheel so fucking hard my hands were vibrating.

I heard a beep through the phone. “I’m getting in my car. Wiley’s is fifteen minutes away at the most. Have you tried calling her?”

“Yes. No answer. I even tried Mr. Robinson. I’ll try calling Becca or Tyler or Renee. They were supposed to be with her. Call me when you get there?”

“Son, as hard as this may be, I want you to take a breath and get here safely. I’ve seen too many soldiers die in battle because they panicked. You’re not helping anyone if you get hurt, and you could also hurt someone else if you get into an accident. Now, I’ve got this. I’ll call you when I get there. Understood?”

Calm wasn’t remotely possible at that moment, but he was right. “Yes, sir.” I pressed the end button on the steering wheel, only to press the call button immediately.

“Call Tyler.” Even though it still ate at me that he loved Lacey, I knew he’d watch out for her.

One ring. Two. Three.

Pick up. Pick up.
I eased up on the gas, slowing my speed from ninety to seventy. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt someone else.

On the fifth ring, the line connected. “Hello.”

Thank God. “Tyler, is Lacey with you? Are you still at Wiley’s?”

“Dude, what’s wrong? You sound like—”

“Is she with you?” I didn’t give a fuck what I sounded like.

“No. We finished dinner about thirty minutes ago.”

“So she’s not with Shaun either?” I held my breath.

“No. He didn’t stay for dinner. Something came up with his father.”

Shaun could’ve been waiting for Lacey outside the restaurant and kidnapped her. I wasn’t going to breathe easily until I knew Lacey was safe.

I barely said thanks as I hung up. Rage and fear were a lethal combination, not only for me but for Shaun. If he so much as touched her, I was going to kill him. I knew I was jumping to conclusions. I also knew there was a remote chance I had the wrong person. But I knew my gut wasn’t wrong.