"Thanks."
I hung up.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
My hands clenched and unclenched while the men around me spoke. They all offered ideas on where to look, offered to search the surrounding hospitals and clinics in the area, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
I needed more.
And Jack's wife didn't disappoint.
My phone rang five minutes and thirty-seven seconds later. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered it with barely disguised anguish.
"Pulled the pic. Ran it through the database. Man's name is Walton Whitley. Goes by the name 2W. Forty-seven. Member of a motorcycle club that is based out of Corpus Christi, Texas," Jack said without preamble. "I pulled up a photo of the man from a news article, and he was standing next to a biker who wrecked a few months ago. I'm sending you everything I have on him. He also used his credit card at an ATM on the outskirts of Mooresville about thirty minutes ago."
The minute those words were said, I knew exactly who it was without seeing the photo. Things started to fit into place as I finally solved the puzzle. Too late, but I'd solved it.
"Thanks, man," I grated out. "I'll owe that wife of yours a hug."
Jack snorted. "No. I'll give her the hug and say it's from you."
I laughed darkly and hung up, then turned to the men of my club who were waiting for the news right along with me.
They'd be scouring the street if I thought it'd help, but they were waiting for direction on my end before they started.
"Walton Whitley or 2W. Ring any bells?"
My father was the one to answer.
"No." He shook his head. "But the fact that you're so calm right now tells me that you do."
He was right.
When things got confusing or complicated, I centered myself.
I never, ever went off half-cocked. I thought everything through before I did it, and prided myself on the fact.
Right now, though, the need to tear this man apart with my bare hands for what he did to my woman was almost overwhelming me, and it took a lot for me to try to calm myself enough to fill my club brothers in on what I'd learned.
The only reason I wasn't was because we were in the hospital hallway right outside Naomi's room.
"You remember that guy that I nearly got into a fight with at the smokehouse a few months back?" I asked. "The one that was looking at Naomi? Touching her?"
The moment I mentioned that, their confusion clouded.
"It does look like him," Jessie voiced. "I can definitely see it now."
"The ambulance that was in the accident was caused by a motorcycle."
I looked up to find my father, staring at me, understanding dawning in his eyes. I knew it, I knew in my gut that it was him. He'd orchestrated all of this. He'd known we'd left. He knew, because he'd been watching her for weeks. Maybe even longer. Likely since he'd seen her at the smokehouse all those weeks ago.
"It was him," I reported, knowing it was the truth without even having it confirmed. "He did it so she would go."
My father nodded his head in understanding.
"They said he was last seen at the ATM on Center Street about thirty minutes ago. Knowing Jack, he's already emailed out the make and model of the bike. Though, in this town, it'll be easy to find him."
A foreign bike in the Rejects territory would stick out like a sore thumb.
This area was the Dixie Wardens' territory, and we didn't tolerate any other bikers causing disruptions in our town.
And that's what this man had done. He'd taken that safe place away from Naomi, and I wouldn't tolerate it.
Pulling my phone out, I forwarded the email to all of the men, and then looked at Jessie.
"You think you can stay with them?"
He seemed to draw a deep breath, thankful that I still trusted him with my woman's life.
It wasn't his fault that this had happened, and I knew that.
Rationally, anyway.
In my heart, I was still pissed off at him.
"I'll stay with them."
'Them' being Ellen, Imogen, Tally and Verity who were all holed up in the waiting room hoping to visit with Naomi once we'd gone.
I looked up to find Ghost.
My heart kicked at seeing him.
We'd left him in Benton, staring at the house where his woman had been not a few weeks before.
"Thanks, man."
Ghost's eyes were dead.
"When this is done, you're next."
Ghost blinked, shuddered, and then nodded once.
"Yeah," he agreed. "It's time."
It was. It was time for all of us to be happy, and once I found the stupid son of a bitch who'd hurt Naomi, I would set Jack on finding his woman and kid, too.