Page 17 of Christy

“Max is missing. There’s a missing file, a fucking big pool of blood in his office, and no trace of him.” I hear Riff mumble out something like, “Shit!” There’s a rustling on the phone beforeanother voice comes over. “Jon. Maine here. Riff just caught me up real quick. What can we do to assist?”

“Have you had confirmation that Taz or that psycho Brander are dead, or do we have any idea of their whereabouts?” Maine tells me what I expected—that they’ve not heard hide nor hair of either of the whackos. He does suggest a good idea. “Why don’t I send over a couple of guys to check that property they tried to take over? We’ve been watching it from afar, but not twenty-four seven. We can at least eliminate it from your list of possibilities.”

We talk through a couple more ideas and end with Riff promising to keep in touch and call me back as soon as they check things out. Time to head into church and try to make a plan with no fucking information.Max, where the fuck are you?

Christy

It’s been almost a day since Max disappeared. I can’t sleep, so I get a cup of coffee and step outside the clubhouse for some air. The sun is just starting to come up. I remember Mama always said that this was the most peaceful time of the day. She would always try to get up in time to watch it. Now, as an adult, I realizethat those few minutes were probably the only time she ever had any peace, let alone time for herself.

I walk over to the picnic tables and step up to sit on the furthest one, to watch the sun over the trees. I don’t know if what I do is considered praying, but I put my thoughts out to the universe. Please let Max be okay. He’s not just my boyfriend. He’s become one of my best friends and my favorite person. When we’re together, life is brighter. He makes me laugh and has me smiling more. I know I went off on him about hiding us because I don’t want to be a secret, but the one thing he’s always done even when he’s made me mad, is that he has made me feel smart. I don’t know a lot of things, and my education could be considered minimal on a good day, but he’s never, ever made me feel like less because of it.

I’m taken out of my thoughts by someone sitting next to me. I look over, and I’m surprised to see Max’s dad, Pa, sitting next to me. He’s got a cup of coffee as well, taking a sip as I wait for him to speak first, still trying to absorb the stillness of the morning, hoping it will calm my heart, even if just the tiniest bit.

“You know, when I first noticed that you and Max were interested in each other, I had to admit I was a little apprehensive.” That has me turning my head back toward Pa so quickly, I’m surprised that I didn’t give myself whiplash. Heholds up his hand, so I let him continue, hoping he has a point or that he changed his opinion of me.

“It didn’t have anything to do with who you are as a person. It had to do with my boy Max. Since he was a toddler, he’s always been about saving people. He saved kids from bullies in high school. His first two moves after becoming a lawyer were to get his brother and Mike out of prison. I’m pretty damn sure he went into criminal defense just to save those who society deemed unsaveable.” He pauses to take a sip of his coffee.

“My concern was that he was unconsciously seeing you as another person he needed to save. I was wrong. After overhearing the heated discussion between the two of you last family day, I think the opposite, actually.” Huh? I must show my confusion on my face, because he gives me a small smile. “He and I had a conversation a while back about making sure he balanced work and the rest of life. I’m pretty sure you had a lot to do with that. I also heard how you gave it to him when he got stuck seeing you in secret. My boy…” I see he gets choked up for a moment, which tells me how worried he is. “He gets so focused and sometimes forgets everything else. He needs a woman who is strong enough to call him out when he needs to be. With the way you so perfectly articulated what you needed, I truly believe you’re the right woman for him.”

For the first time in hours, I speak and say what keeps replaying in my mind. “But where is he? Is he hurt? Is he being hurt? Is he—” Pa interrupts me. “Shhh. Don’t speak that out into the air, child. I know bad things happen to good people all the time, but we must have faith that the gods will see us through and bring Max home to us. We must have hope. The gods have a way of making things work out and not giving us more than we can handle.”

I feel the tears start to fall. “That’s not been my experience in life. It’s been more if one good thing happens, then life likes to throw me ten shitty things to remind me how unworthy of good I am.”

A voice coming from closer to the clubhouse speaks up. “That might have been true up on that fucking mountain, but I’m pretty sure in the last year or so, your luck has changed.” I look up, and Asher is standing in front of us. He looks at me and sits at the table across from us. “You know I’m right.”

I nod. “Yeah, but…” Asher shakes his head to stop me from talking.

Pa speaks up. “You ever tell her about what you went through when Logan was shot?” Asher shakes his head. Pa stands up and walks over to Asher, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m thinking that might be a good story for her to hear. I’m gonnahead in and see if the boys in the computer room have found anything.”

Asher doesn’t move from his spot, but when he speaks, it’s with the most emotion I’ve ever heard from him. “When I watched Logan get shot, it was like the world stopped moving. Watching him fall back to the ground, it was like all the air went out of me.” He takes a deep, fortifying breath before continuing. “I watched him stop breathing, and the paramedics had to shock him back to life. They wouldn’t let me ride in the ambulance with him… When I got to the hospital, the wait felt like forever. Looking back all this time later, I realize one thing that I didn’t see at the time. Throughout that whole time, while I was sitting in the hospital, I felt Logan’s love in my heart. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but it’s like my soul knew that he was still alive.” I nod because that’s what I’ve been feeling, like I would feel in my heart if he were really gone, but then I doubt myself and tell myself I'm dumb for thinking that way.

Asher leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together as he continues. “Months after this happened, I was talking to my dad about it, mainly because I had pissed Logan off and Dad was helping me figure out how to take my foot out of my mouth. He asked me about this very thing, and that’s when I realized throughout it all, I never lost that feeling inside of here.” He points to his heart.

I nod, while the tears keep flowing. “I feel that. I feel his love there, it hasn’t left…but…but what if I’m wrong? What if…” Asher moves so quickly I don’t realize it til he’s in front of me, pulling me into a hug.

“Pa was right, don’t speak that out, don’t give your worry air like that. We’re gonna find him. We’re gonna find him, and he’s going to be okay and be back here for you.”

There’s honking at the gate, and we both look over to see a car waiting to get in. I’m not sure who it could be. It’s not a car I know off the top of my head, but Asher seems to know it.

“What the hell is she doing here?” He moves quickly to the gate to open it, and I admit, I’m nosy and want to see who it is. The car pulls in and parks. The door opens, and a woman comes out. When she looks up, I realize I’ve met her a few times before because she works with Logan. Asher asks her the same question that’s on my mind.

“Amanda, what are you doing here so early?” She huffs and looks over at me for a second, and back at Asher.

“I just got woken up on my day off by a phone call from my wayward brother. I need to see your president and the guy who used to be a cop. It’simportant.” The way she says that has both Asher and me moving quickly. I meet the two of them at the door to the clubhouse, needing to hear whatever it is she knows.

I follow the two of them into the clubhouse, and I hear Asher tell Amanda that he’s gonna go get Jon and find Jason. Amanda stands near the door, her phone in hand. She looks at me and tilts her head like she’s studying me. “There’s somethin’ serious goin’ on, ain’t there?” I nod, but before I can answer her, Jeremiah walks into the room from the hallway where some of the bedrooms are.

“Amanda? Sweetheart, what are you doin’ here?” Amanda rolls her eyes at him. “I’m not your freaking sweetheart. I’m here to see your president. I-”

Jon walks into the room, typing on his phone, and interrupts Amanda. “You told Asher you got a call from your brother? I’m guessing that wasn’t Trent who called you.” Amanda, who’s still glaring daggers at Jeremiah, answers, “Hell no. You and I both know Trent doesn’t know anything, and still has another couple of months out at sea. It was Braxton, whom I haven’t talked to in months. He said he was sending me a text with information that you and the one who used to be a cop would know what to do with. Said he had to contact me because if someone got his phone, it would just look like he was texting his sister.” She huffs and continues, “Honestly, if I didn’t think this might matter to Logan, I would’ve told him to fuck off.”

I speak before anyone else can. “Thank you for coming. Any bit of information could help, and I…I just…thank you.” Logancomes up and wraps an arm around me. “Amanda’s just talking. She would always help if she thought someone needed it.” She rolls her eyes at Logan but gives me a smile.

Jon interrupts the small talk, reminding everyone why Amanda’s here at the crack of dawn. “Do you have the text he was talking about, or is he sending it?” She hands him her phone. “He said he would send it in thirty minutes, which should be anytime now. Is that cop guy here? Braxton said it was really important that he read it. I don’t know why, but he was serious about it.”

The door to the outside opens, and in walks Romona, her hands full of trays of food. She looks at all of us standing in the clubroom. “Jason’s parking and will be right in. He’ll be faster if someone can go out and help bring in the food.” Jeremiah and Logan scurry off to go help. A minute later, Jason comes through the door.

Jon gives him a chin lift. “Come with me to my office. We might have our first fucking clue.” I watch them walk out of the room, and it takes everything in me not to follow them.Please find Max…please let him be okay.