Soothing His Madness by Debra Kayn

"What about him?"
    "He's
gone." He cussed under his breath. "They were with Mike's kid at the
table building with Legos, and I got up to take a piss. When I came back, Lee
and Scotty were still there, and Kurt was gone. No one fucking seen him
leave."
    "Maybe he went
into the kitchen." She walked away, planning to hunt him down herself when
Slade grabbed her hand.
    "You don't
think I looked?" Slade lowered his voice. "Torque's riding the block
around the bar and Ronny went to check the cabin. I need you to stay with Lee,
while I go out and find my boy."
    "Yeah, sure. Do
you have your phone with you?" She patted his pocket, finding the cell.
"Call me when you find him and I'll do the same if he comes back."
    "Okay."
He headed toward the backdoor.
    She called his name
and when he turned, she said, "He's okay. We'll find him."
    He didn't answer
her and his eyes begged her to make her words true. Her breath caught in her
chest. What if…
    No, she wouldn't
allow herself to think what would happen if Los Li got ahold of Kurt.
    The door shut
behind Slade, and she hurried out into the bar. The men no longer played poker
but stood around, forming an intimidating barrier around the Bantorus children
in the corner of the room. She swallowed hard. The situation was serious, and
she had no idea what to do.
    She pushed her way
to the table and kneeled down beside Lee. He smiled his gorgeous carefree grin
at her, and she pushed away the fear making her shake.
    "Hey, sweetie,
what are you building?" she asked.
    Lee held up a
contraption of Legos. "A motorcycle club that's on the moon. My Harley
will float in the air instead of on the street."
    She smiled.
"That's awesome and sounds fun."
    He wiped his nose
with his arm and went back to building. Determined to get answers and find
Kurt, she put her hand on Lee's arm. "Do you know where Kurt is,
sweetie?"
    Lee's chin came up
and he studied the room as if he only just learned that Kurt wasn't sitting
beside him at the table. "No."
    "Do you know
if he mentioned wanting to go outside and play or maybe he forgot something in
the car?" she asked.
    Lee wiggling
stopped and he said, "No, he was bummed and didn't want to play with the
little kids."
    "What was he
bummed about?" She edged closer.
    "He wanted to
work on his dirt bike and get it running again. That's all he talks about. He
said Legos are dumb, but I know he plays with them at home." Lee's
attention dropped and he grabbed the bucket of Legos and searched through the
pieces.
    She stood, kissing
Lee on the top of the head, and hurried away from the table. Bruce blocked her
path. "Not now, Bruce."
    "Can't let you
leave the room." Bruce widened his stance.
    "Move or I'll
move you." She poked him in the chest. "I need Slade. Now."
    "I'll send one
of the guys after him." Bruce motioned over her head.
    She used that
opportunity to run straight down the hallway. Her hands hit the backdoor at a
run and she stumbled outside, almost losing her balance.
    "Slade,"
she yelled, frantically scanning the parking lot between the bar and the
cabins.
    "Damn,
woman." Bruce slipped his hand under her elbow and pulled her back toward
the door.
    She dug in her
heels and yanked her arm free. "Slade!"
    Bruce growled,
leaning over and wrapping his arms around her knees. She screamed Slade's name
again. Time was of the essence. If Kurt tried to walk back to the house, he had
to pass the hotel. Los Li would use anyone against Bantorus MC, including any
Bantorus kids.

 
    Chapter Fifteen
    Taylor's scream
sent a cold chill through Slade. He ran over the uneven ground of the cow field
behind the cabins toward the bar. In the back parking lot, he found Bruce
struggling with Taylor.
    "Put her ass
down," Slade said, slowing into a jog.
    Taylor fought free
and fell against Slade's body. He held her shoulders, steadying her. Livid over
finding her outside, fighting with Bruce, and not inside where she was safe, he
wanted to shake her.
    Instead, he held
her at arm's length