“All right, I’m going to head back to Croftridge from the clubhouse unless you need me to stay.”
“No, you go on back. I know you want to get back to Annabelle.”
He smiled proudly. “Indeed, I do.”
“How much longer does she have?”
“About six weeks, but twins tend to come early, so it could be any time now.”
“Keep me posted. And thanks again,” I said.
I dropped my ass into a chair in the corner of Bronze’s room and closed my eyes. I just needed a moment to breathe before I continued on with the circus known as my life.
Sighing, I pulled out my phone and called Leigh to have her bring Kayla to the hospital. Before I could put my phone away, it rang in my hand.
“Luke, I didn’t expect to hear from you directly,” I said, forgoing the standard greeting.
“I figured it was best to cut out the middle man since it sounds like both you and Phoenix are busy. Is now a good time?” he asked.
“Now is probably as good as it’s going to get. What’d you find?”
“The picture you sent hit on a Layla East. She’s flagged in the database as wanted for questioning related to a current case. Unfortunately, I can’t give you much more than that, but I can tell you she’s on the victim side of things. We’ve been trying to locate her for months. I don’t know how you found her, but don’t do anything to spook her until I can get there.”
“And when will that be?” I asked.
“I’m hoping in the next day or two. Is she staying with you?” he asked.
“Not sure I want her at the clubhouse…” I trailed off. I had no doubt he was aware of the attack.
“I can understand that. I hate to ask because I know your plate is full, but can you keep up with her until I can get there. I don’t want her turning into a ghost again,” he said.
“I’m not going to make any promises, but I’ll do the best I can,” I said. I couldn’t promise him I would keep up with her until he arrived. With everything going on, the clever woman might be able to get away from me. I hoped she wouldn’t, but that was for an entirely different reason I was not going to examine until later, much, much later.
“Appreciate it. Like I said, she’s on the victim side. I have a feeling she’ll stick around as long as she feels safe. I’ll let you know when I’m in town,” he said and disconnected the call.
Great. I was certain a partially blown up and burned down clubhouse were not on the list of top ten things that would make her feel safe. Maybe she could stay with Leigh until Luke arrived.
“What are you over there sighing and huffing about?” Bronze croaked from the bed.
I was on my feet and beside his bed in a second. “Bronze, you doing okay?”
“Fuck no! I’ve got a headache from this damn concussion, my arm feels like it’s still on fire, and I’ve got one hell of a case of blue balls,” he grumbled.
I laughed. “I can’t help you with that, little brother.”
“How bad is the clubhouse?” he asked.
“Not too bad. Only about a quarter of it will have to be rebuilt. Unfortunately, your room is in that section, but we’ll figure something out.”
“Do we know who was behind it yet?”
“Not yet. Judge didn’t see anything on our surveillance cameras, but he only had time to do a quick scan of the feed. Local law enforcement is going to check the security feeds from a few businesses nearby,” I explained.
“I don’t get it. Why go to the trouble of attacking our clubhouse without letting us know who did it? It doesn’t make any sense,” Bronze said.
“I agree. Don’t worry about it right now. Just focus on getting better. We’ll deal with it when we know more. On a different note, Leigh is bringing a new acquaintance of mine up here soon. I’ll explain more later, but don’t do or say anything to offend or frighten her.”
He gave me an appraising look. “Oh, this promises to be a good story.”