Page 82 of Outlaw Xmas
“Yeah.” Hawk turned his head from side to side.
“You’ve all been so good this year. Ho. Ho. Ho,” Dale said as he tugged on the white beard.
Banger jerked his head toward the stage. “He’s not too convincing, is he?”
“No. Next year we’ll pay for a professional,” Hawk answered.
Then the lights went out and the room was plunged into blackness. For a second, it was quiet as a tomb and then frenzied voices rose to the surface, children cried, bodies rushed and bumped, and chairs toppled over.
“What the fuck?” Banger said out loud as he reached in front of him. “Harley! Braxton! Call out.” He whipped is cell phone out and turned on the flashlight. Soon the room was lit with an eerie white glow as people held up their phones to guide them to their tables.
“Where’re the boys?” Hawk asked.
“I don’t know. They were right in front of us before the lights went out. I should’ve kept my hands on them. Fuck!”
“Braxton! Harley!” Hawk yelled as he and Banger pushed through people.
“Everyone remain calm. There’s been an outage. Power will be restored soon.” Lindi stood on stage and Banger glanced over and noticed Santa’s chair was empty.That’s strange. I gotta find Harley. Fuck!
“Maybe they went backstage,” Hawk said, rushing ahead.
Banger caught up to him and as they approached Tiny and Bones, the room was flooded with light. The patrons cheered and applauded and children scrambled over to their parents.
“Did Harley and Braxton come this way?” Banger asked the brothers.
“It was so fuckin’ dark, I couldn’t see a thing, but when I turned my flashlight on, I didn’t see them,” Tiny said.
“I heard some kids screaming and I tried to see what the hell was going on, but by the time I took out my phone, I didn’t see anything. I ran out of the room but didn’t see shit. Are the boys missing? Tiny asked, his forehead creasing.
The sound of his heartbeat thrashed in his ears. He’d been a one-percenter for thirty years, and he’d been faced with all kinds of danger, but he never let it affect him. But at that moment, terror seized him, squeezing every nerve in his body, splintering his heart.
“Banger!”
Belle’s voice made his stomach knot.What the fuck am I gonna say to her? I shoulda never let him out of my grasp. And Braxton. Fuck!He whirled around and saw Belle approaching him. He clenched his jaw.
The festivities of the night resumed with one major change: Santa Claus had vanished. Lindi stood on stage, her eyes swimming with tears, and read off the names of the children while a few volunteers handed them their toys.
“Where’s Harley?” Belle asked, her face glistening with sweat.
“He’s not with you?”
Fear crossed her face. “No. He was in the front with you, Hawk, and Braxton. Where’s Braxton?”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and held her gaze. “We don’t know where the boys are, but we’re gonna find them. You gotta be strong and let me do what needs to be done to find them.”
She jerked away from him. “What do you mean you don’t know where they are? Weren’t you and Hawk watching them? My God, what if some sicko kidnapped them?” She covered her mouth with her hand. “This can’t be happening,” she mumbled as terror overtook her face.
“Don’t fuckin’ freak out on me. I got shit to do. We’re gonna find the boys. I need to know you’ll be okay.”
“How can I be okay? I’m petrified!” Her voice broke and he drew her close to him and held her tight while he ran his hand up and down her back.
“It’s gonna be fine. I’ll make it fine. You gotta believe in me,” he said in a low voice.
All around them, people laughed, children ran, and Christmas music filled the air, but they were in their own private hell. Ethan and Emily came over.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Emily asked.
Banger pulled away and guided Belle over to Emily and Ethan. “Take care of your mother. I got something to do.” He knew that every second he did nothing was a second that took his son farther away from him.
