Chapter Eighteen
Judge
DEATH AND I have beenriding all over searching for any sign of Wren.No one has seen her in the last two days and I’m getting worried.She didn’t have any money and there are no debit or credit cards in her name.Ice has been digging everything up on her he can find.It’s taking him longer than we’re used to because it’s not something he does on a regular basis.Razer was our computer expert and he could find any piece of information we needed in seconds.He wouldn’t rest until everything was discovered and there was nothing else for him to figure out we didn’t already know.Ice is doing his very best and we’re all grateful for the work he’s doing.I’ve got Zeus helping him from Braedon and they’ve been in constant communication.
My brothers are alternating days of who rides with me.Talon rode with me yesterday and spent hours away from his family to make sure I didn’t go off the rails and do something absolutely ridiculous.Today, it’s Death.Gramps and them are the only two who are talking to me at this point.The kids are too when Bronwan and Kelsey let them be in the same room as me.Tristan and Zach are rarely at the clubhouse leaving the rest of the Prospects to pick up the slack.I’m not about to say a word in response to them because they’re worried about her.Though it does piss me off they get to spend so much time with her, laughing, talking, sharing secrets, and everything else.I can’t stand to see them near her.
Fury, Demolition, and Vulture aren’t talking to me.If I enter the clubhouse or the same room as them, they leave.Fury is the worst.My best friend won’t even look at me.He talks to everyone but me and hasn’t been returning to the clubhouse unless he knows I’m out or already in my room.Demolition punched me again when he came back from searching for her at one point.Carver and him thought they had a solid lead on her and even thought they saw her car.When they pulled into the store’s parking lot, it wasn’t her.He was frustrated and extremely upset.I can’t blame him for that.So, the second he saw me, I got hit.Yeah, I could make him do shit jobs or something else, but tensions are high and he’s still mourning the loss of his son so I’ll cut him some slack for now.
I’m rarely at the clubhouse.When I’m not there to take a quick shower and change or get an hour or two of sleep, I’m on the road searching for Wren.I’ve tried going out alone, but no one will let me.The only time I speak is when I’m asked a question or given an update and the search Zeus and Ice are doing.The rest of the time I’m silent and everyone is steering clear of me.No one wants to be near me if they can help it.I don’t blame them if I’m being honest with myself.I’ve been an even bigger ass than normal and I don’t see that changing until Wren comes back.
I keep telling myself it’s because she’s carrying my baby and, regardless of how I feel, my son or daughter will enter the world with Wren as their mom.I care about her for that reason alone.It doesn’t mean I’ll be in their lives or have any contact with them other than ensuring they’re taken care of financially.That’s not even a question.Wren and the child will never have to worry about money for anything from now on.When I think of the baby, I’m so damn confused.This was never supposed to happen.We used a condom that night and I know Wren isn’t the type of woman to deceive me or try some shady bullshit.She got pregnant despite the condom somehow.If I were a better man, I’d be happy about the pregnancy, but I can’t find it in myself to want to change my mind about the situation.
“Let’s pull over at this diner.We can see if Ice and Zeus have found anythin’ else and get somethin’ to eat.Take a few minutes to stretch after bein’ on the road all day,” Death says through our comms as I spot the place he’s talking about.
The parking lot is full of vehicles as we pull in and park as far away from the rest of them as possible.Death and I find a spot almost in the grass surrounding the diner and leave our bikes there as we get off and remove our bandanas and helmets.The two of us walk toward the diner as I look for any sign of Wren or her car.There’s nothing here.It’s not surprising.I’ve been searching for her with every single car we pass on the road and each parking lot we ride by.None of the apartment complexes have had a car looking like hers in the parking lots either.It’s as if she vanished off the face of the planet and I’ll never find her again.
When Fury told me she left the clubhouse in the middle of the night, I felt something crack deep inside my chest.For the first time in my life, it felt as if my soul was being ripped from my body and my heart skipped a beat before starting to pound rapidly.I wanted to rage and tear the clubhouse apart because of the woman who’s had my attention from the second I saw her in that dingy ass bar.I’m slowly learning I never had a chance against Wren.She doesn’t even have to do a damn thing and all I can think about is her.I want to spend time with her and get to know everything about Little Bird.No woman has ever gotten under my skin the way Wren has and it’s fucking with my head.
For the last two days I’ve alternated between rage and fear consuming every inch of my body.I’m pissed off at myself and not Wren.She’s done nothing wrong.Other than leaving in the middle of the night when something could have happened to her and none of us would have known if she was kidnapped, injured, or anything else.The way I’ve treated Wren is abhorrent and something I always vowed never to do.I made her feel as if she was nothing more than a hole for me to find release with.That I didn’t give a fuck about her feelings at all.That couldn’t be further from the truth.I care about Little Bird more than I’ll ever admit.Even to myself.That’s why I said that shit that day to Fury.I wanted him to back off because he was trying to force me into facing how I feel about Wren and making me doubt my reasons for feeling the way I do about relationships and children.If anyone should understand my stance, it’s Fury.He knows my story and how alone I felt growing up.Yeah, I had my Gramps and brothers, but I was forced into adulthood before I ever should have been.I was barely a teenager when I took over so many of the household responsibilities.
When Death pulls open the door and stands back for me to enter before him, I’m immediately hit with the various aromas coming from the kitchen.My mouth waters as the smells combine and I realize how hungry I am.I’m starving as the bell over the door rings out when the door closes and Death steps up next to me.There’s several muted conversations going on in the room, kids laughing and playing as they wait for their food, and the clink of silverware on plates.Everything you’d find in a diner like this.
In seconds my eyes land on Wren.She’s moving around the tables wearing a smile as she greets customers, checks to make sure they don’t need anything else, and then moves on to the next one.The smile she’s wearing for everyone is fake.I’ve seen her real smile and this one isn’t it.When Wren truly smiles, her entire face lights up and her eyes shine bright.Her nose crinkles slightly and the world around her appears so much brighter than normal.Right now, she’s got some kind of fake bullshit plastered on her face and no one in this room can tell the difference.
“Are you kiddin’ me?”Death asks as I look over at my brother to find him smirking.“Didn’t know she’d be here, but it looks like we found her anyway.Let’s take a seat in her section.That other waitress is givin’ me stalker vibes.Hasn’t taken her eyes off us since we walked in the door.”
I let Death lead the way as he moves past the tables toward a booth in the back.He slides in with his back to the wall behind him leaving me to have mine toward the strangers surrounding us.My brother knows I hate that shit and that’s why he’s doing this.Just one little way for him to make me suffer after everything I’ve said and done.
“Hello.How can I help you today?”Wren asks, not looking at either one of us while I take in every inch of her from head to toe.
Wren’s wearing her hair up in a messy bun and I can tell she’s had to fix it several times already today with all the loose strands falling out.Some of them are sticking to her neck from the sweat covering her skin.There’s no make-up on her face as she stands at the end of the table and stares at the notepad in her hand.She’s wearing a light blue dress that looks as if it’s from the previous century.The dress lands just above her knee and has some kind of white ruffled collar and the sleeves are kind of puffy around her arms.It has buttons down the front and the top two are unbuttoned.What truly sticks out to me is her stomach.When Wren left the clubhouse, she barely had a bump.I know that for a fact because I felt every inch of her body that night in my room.Now, it appears she’s grown a baby bump in the two days since she walked away.It’s not large still, but definitely noticeable in the dress clinging to her body.Her chest has also grown larger.
“Little Bird, what would you recommend?”I finally ask her, my voice deeper than normal as I watch her head snap up and her eyes widen in shock.
“What, um, what are you doing here?”she questions me while aiming a glare in my direction before turning to face Death.Apparently I’m going to be back to receiving the silent treatment from her.“Death, can I get you a drink?”
“Hey, Wren.It’s good to see ya.I’ll take a coffee and a glass of water, please.The asshole across from me will have a coffee as well,” my brother answers her as he picks up the menu in front of him to figure out what he wants to eat.
“Wren, when are you gonna stop this shit and come back to the clubhouse?”I ask her, trying again to get her to look at me for even a second.
“Death, I’ll have your drinks right out,” she says before turning and walking away from the table without looking back.
Death starts laughing his ass off the second she gets far enough away.He lays his head on the table in front of him and I can feel the table shaking along with his body.I’m so glad my brother finds this situation hilarious when it’s anything but.I glare at him as Death sits back up and wipes the tears away off his face from how hard he’s laughing.