Outlaw Road (A MC Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

flashed a smile and beckoned me inside. “Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so tense. I just—shit, she's really been gone a whole week?”
    Sweat slid down my spine. I ignored my instincts, following him inside. This was as close as I'd ever gotten to some answers. I wasn't going to back down after so many dead ends. “Yeah. Like I said, I'm just trying to get a lead. She texted me around ten at night last Thursday, saying she'd be sleeping here, and not to wait up.”
    Inside the stairwell, I could hardly see Fiddle's expression. I thought he stiffened, his hands pausing on the door to his home. Why was it so quiet? It was like no one else lived in this building. “Huh. What'd you do when she didn't show up the next day?”
    “I tried calling her, then you,” I said. “But neither of you responded.”
    Nodding, he motioned for me to go through the doorway. “I lost my phone for a few days.” The yellow light from a single lamp—what I'd seen from the street—made it obvious the apartment needed a good cleaning. “You were worried, but you really didn't talk to the police?”
    Spinning slowly in place, I tried to imagine my sister staying in this dump. “No.” Again with the same lie. I needed him to be at ease to get more information.
    “And your family? They aren't helping you search?”
    Blinking, my attention shifted back to Fiddle. “Didn't she ever talk about our parents?”
    “She mentioned they were... not so involved.”
    I bit back a laugh. “That's a nice way to put it. Yeah. They've been weird about this whole mess. It's like, no one seems to care that she's missing!” Ruffling my hair, I pleaded at him with my eyes. “Can you tell me anything? ”
    Tugging at the front of his thick sweater, he gave me a sideways smile. “I'll do what I can. Sit, relax. I'll get us something to drink.”
    Crumbling onto the couch, I returned his smile, though mine was weaker. “Thanks. And thanks for talking to me.” I hadn't noticed how many knots were in my stomach, but now that I was sitting, they began to relax. “When was the last time you actually saw her?”
    His voice called out, saying, “Hmn, let me think.” He was hidden in the small kitchen; glasses clinked, liquid sloshing. When he came back, he sat across from me, handing me a cold cup of something red. “I'd say that night, like you mentioned.”
    Sipping my drink, I wrinkled my nose. Ugh, strong. “Okay, what time did she leave? And did she seem okay?”
    Reclining until he looked downright comfortable, Fiddle drummed his free hand on his knee. “Shit. I don't know. Pretty late, she looked... distressed.”
    My heart swelled up, clogging my throat; I washed it free with more of the drink. “So she didn't sleep here, like she said she was going to?”
    Fiddle tensed, perching his lips on his glass. “Guess she changed her mind.”
    None of this was making sense. Sitting forward, I noticed an odd tightness in my skull. I was getting upset over this news, news I should have gotten days ago. “Why didn't you tell the police?”
    “What, and incriminate myself?” His lips pulled high at the edges until they revealed his pale gums. “I'm not that stupid, girl.”
    “Flora,” I mumbled. My tongue wasn't behaving, it was too thick... too slow. “It's Flora, don't call me 'girl' I... what's wrong with me?” Shaking myself, I went to set the drink down on the floor. I couldn't have said how, but suddenly I was stretched out, the rug kissing my cheek. I didn't remember falling.
    What was happening?
    A foot appeared by my head. “Shh,” Fiddle whispered, bending to retrieve my glass. “You almost spilled this. What a mess that would have been.”
    Talking had become the hardest thing in existence. Moving was a mere dream. Struggling, I turned my head so I could stare up through my blurring vision.
    “Sorry about this,” he said. The white-glow of a cellphone highlighted his hard features. Was he calling someone? “Lucky's list was