Cupcake Explosion (Cupcakes 4)

“No, I’m definitely not a cop, and yes, he’s my man. Please, show me whatever you have.”

He looked at me for a second longer, then turned the knob and opened the door.

Inside, there was a long desk with rows of monitors. I looked around the room, taking in the lockers, the shelves full of cans and boxes of dry food, and open suitcase full of clothes in the corner.

The monitors were on, so I stepped closer and bent to look.

One showed the driveway Bea and I had just come down, another showed the property, I could see the dogs pacing back and forth, and a third showed the outside of the gas station. I could see what was left of the car and the wheel of the motorcycle on the ground.

“You do have cameras at the station,” I whispered, then stood and looked at Junior.

“I do,” Junior agreed. “But my pops don’t know about it. He’d be pissed.”

“I won’t tell him, promise. Does it also record? Do you have footage from a couple weeks ago?”

“Sure does,” he said, cracking what I think was a grin, but it was hard to tell.

He messed with some buttons on the keyboard. I didn’t really pay attention to what he was doing, my eyes were locked on the screen that showed footage from outside the gas station. He clicked on a couple things and the screen changed to show the empty field, no car or motorcycle, then he fast forwarded and stopped when Cade’s motorcycle came rolling down the street.

My hand went to my mouth as I watched.

One second, he was riding, and the next, a car came out of nowhere and slammed into his bike.

I gasped.

The car came to a stop in the field next to the gas station and I could see Cade’s bike caught underneath it.

Four men jumped out of the car and rounded the hood. It was hard to see what was happening, but within a few seconds they were carrying Cade across the grass. A van slowed down next to the crash, and the men loaded Cade into the back, closed the door, and climbed into the van.

Then they were gone.

“They took him,” I managed, my words coming out muffled against my hand.

“They ain’t been back till last night, when they came and set off the car.”

I dropped my hands to my sides and turned to him with a scowl.

“You knew this happened and you didn’t call the cops, or tell anyone?” I yelled.

“Ain’t my business, and I sure as hell wasn’t gonna call the cops. If there’s a war going between two MCs, you think I’m stupid enough to get in the middle? Hell no, Junior’s staying out of it.”

I wanted to punch him. First, for keeping the fact that Cade had been taken by a rival MC to himself, and then for talking about himself in the third person. Instead, I said, “Thanks,” and stormed out of there.

“SO, YOU’RE SAYING this rival MC abducted Cade?” Bea asked as we sped off of Junior’s property. “Cade?” she repeated.

“Yeah, well, there were four of them, plus a getaway driver, and only one of Cade. Plus, they hit his bike with a fucking car in order to do so,” I seethed.

I was scared, pissed, shaking like a leaf, and totally freaking the fuck out.

“What are you thinking? You gonna go to his club and tell them what you saw? Cause I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The last thing we need is a war in the middle of Greenswood. If

you’d give me and my deputies some time to try and find him before you alert Slade and those guys, I really think that would be best.”

I tried to focus on what she was saying, I really did, but I kept seeing Cade’s bike getting hit and going sideways before falling under the wheels of the car.

I didn’t know if I’d ever get that image out of my head.

“God, what if he’s hurt?”