Page 21 of Acceptance
“You know which apartment is Colt’s, right?” she asks.
“I-I think so.”
“I know which one it is, Mama,” Noah says as he rubs his eye with his fist.
She cups Lucas’s face. “Go get them settled in the apartment, okay? Once they’re asleep, come back out here, and I’ll tell you everything I know. Which isn’t much.”
The nervous energy almost vibrates from him, but he nods and follows Noah with Calla in his arms. The moment he’s out of sight, she sprints to Venom’s apartment on the other side of the clubhouse.
Pounding on the door, she feels like she’s about to vomit, faint, and burst into tears all at the same time.
“What the hell?” Venom asks as he swings open the door. His sleepy demeanor immediately changes to alert when he sees what Lex can only assume is a terrified and frantic woman. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Colt needs you to round up everyone and get them here ASAP. He’s at Brocks’ house to track down a location. He said to tell you that he needs the crazed motherfucker who took out the Kingsmen when you saved Dani.”
His hands plant onto her shoulders, and the weight calms her just a fraction. He bends at the knees to stare as close to eye level as he can. “Babe, what’s going on?”
“It’s Hailey,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. “She’s in trouble.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
“She and her roommate were taken last night.”
Standing up straight, he walks back into his apartment, and she realizes for the first time he answered the door wearing only a T-shirt and boxers.
What the fuck did I expect? He’d be dressed and ready, just waiting for a hysterical woman to come knocking at the door?
He pulls on his jeans and slides on his leather. “What do you mean taken?”
“To be sold.”
The words break her, and she lets out the sob she’s held back since Colt relayed what little Hailey was able to tell him. Her hands shake as she covers her mouth, and Venom’s back in front of her in a flash, his strong arms pulling her against his body in a tight hug.
“We’re going to get her, okay? And whoever did this will pay. My way. I fucking promise.”
Nodding, Lex wipes her eyes. “I know. I’m just… I should’ve gone to campus when she wasn’t answering my calls. I waited too damn long.”
“You cannot blame yourself,” he says and grabs his phone. “We’re getting her back.”
But how much damage will be done by then?
She composes herself and walks back into the main room. Falling apart in front of Lucas will do nothing good, and he stands from one of the chairs when she walks up to him.
“Lex, what’s wrong? You look sick.”
Letting out a deep breath, she leads him to the couch right outside the Chapel and sits with him. “It’s Hailey, baby.”
“What? What about her? Is she hurt?”
And he started with a question she can’t answer. “I don’t know.”
“Is she in jail?”
“I wish she was,” she admits and lets out a shaky breath as she composes herself. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but she was kidnapped with her roommate.”
“Lindsey?” The words sink in, and Lucas jumps up. “What? Where’s Colt? Is he on his way to get her? I need to go with him.”
Lex takes his hand and gently tugs his arm to pull him back down to the couch. “Colt is working with Brock to find out where she is. Hewillfind her. The guys are going to get her back, but you have to wait here with me.”
