Taz and Ink are heading her way now.”
What the fuck? “You wanna tell me what this is about?”
“Just do it,” Steele snapped, and the line went dead.
“Fuck!” Ax hissed. His pulse raced as he scrambled to pull up Sage’s number. After four rings, he started to panic. “Come on, answer it, baby.” When her voicemail picked up, he disconnected and tried again. Fear turned to dread when the call went to voicemail again.
He called Steele. “She’s not answering. Fucking talk to me, now,” he growled.
Steele cursed. “Luca called. Last night, Carlos was being transported to a different facility. He never made it there.”
Chest seizing, Ax exploded, “Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“I wish. Luca said the truck went off the grid, and they still haven’t found it. If he’s smart, he’ll run back to Mexico where Herrera can protect him, but this is Carlos we’re talking about.”
“I’m on my way home now,” Ax told him.
“Ink and Art should be there any minute. Hold up, Ink’s calling now. I’ll conference him in.” He heard a click, then Steele said, “Ink, Ax is on the line with us. What do you know?”
“She’s not at the house and there’s no sign of a struggle. We can’t find her phone or her purse.”
Frowning, he asked, “What about the truck?”
“It’s not here.”
“She probably went to the store,” Steele suggested.
He jumped at the idea. “Yes, she mentioned needing groceries. She’s probably at Food Tiger. “I’ll head that way now.” If he left now, he might be able to catch her there.
“Hold up for a minute,” Steele said. “Buck just walked in. Let me see if he knows where she is. Hey, Buck!” he shouted. “Do you know where Sage is?”
“Yeah, she’s with Montana at the new salon. Reyn was supposed to go with them, but she felt sick,” he heard Buck reply.
Relief engulfed him. He’d completely forgotten about the salon. Of course, she was there. “I’m heading there now. I’ll call Montana on the way,” he told Steele.
“Buck and I will meet you there,” Steele said.
“Same,” Ink replied.
“Everything okay?” Sledge asked from the doorway.
It would be once he saw Sage with his own eyes. He gave Sledge a quick rundown and told him to stay close to his phone in case he was needed.
Before starting his bike, he called Montana. When he got her voicemail, he tried Sage a third time. His momentary relief vanished when she didn’t pick up. Why weren’t they answering their phones?
He made it to the salon in record time. The pressure in his chest eased when he spotted his truck parked in front. Ink’s CJ was parked beside it. As he dismounted from his bike, he was filled with unbelievable relief. At the same time, he was pissed as shit at Sage for not telling him her plans or answering her damn phone when he called. He was going to kiss her sweet lips, then spank her little ass for this stunt.
Ink waited by his Jeep for Ax while Art walked ahead.
“Still no answer?” Ink asked.
Ax scowled. “No. Montana, either?”
“No.”
“Trust me, I’m going to tan Sage’s ass for this.”
“I don’t see anyone,” Art called out as he opened the door. The blast hit with a deafening roar. Art was engulfed in a wall of flame while the concussion from an explosion knocked Ax and Ink clean off their feet.
Ax reemerged to the sound of car alarms and sirens blaring. Steele was shouting at someone. His vision swam as he pushed onto his elbows. What the hell just happened? A wave of nausea swept through him when he attempted to sit up.
“Stay down,” Steele told him.
As his vision slowly came back into focus, he noticed Ink lying on the pavement next to him. Christ, his head hurt. He glanced past Ink to the fiery blaze that was once the salon. Like flipping a switch, reality suddenly slammed back into focus. Sage! It took effort, but he somehow managed to gain his feet. On unsteady legs, he stumbled toward the burning building. Hands grabbed for him, but he shook them off.
“Sage!” he shouted.
Hands grabbed at him again, this time with an iron grip, and he heard Steele say, “The fire department’s here. Let them do their job. They have to make it safe before we can go in.”
A fireman emerged from the burning building and shook his head. Steele let out a silent curse as Ax dropped to his knees and screamed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
AS IT TURNED out, the fireman wasn’t shaking his head because he’d