“I’ll be back in a few days.” He took the stairs two at a time. He stormed out the front door and climbed on his bike, peeling out of the parking lot at breakneck speed, feeling like he did before each of his underground fights—like it was him against the world. He sped over the bridge toward the airport, determined to find the answers that he prayed his mother and Axel hadn’t taken to their graves.

Chapter Seventeen

TRACEY WAS PUTTING the groceries away when Izzy sauntered into the kitchen in a miniskirt and tight long-sleeve shirt with I’VE BEEN GOOD. WHERE’S MY SPANKING? emblazoned across the front.

“Did you buy out the store?” Izzy eyed the bags littering the counter.

Tracey set the cake she’d bought in the fridge. “I couldn’t help it. I want everything to be just right when I see my mom and everyone. I swear, Iz, I’m getting more excited and nervous by the second. Thank goodness Diesel can cook, because I’d probably burn everything.”

“I still can’t believe you nailed the baddest guy around and he cooks, cleans, and gives ten-star orgasms.”

“He does laundry, too, but even if he didn’t do any of those things, I wouldn’t care. Wait. I take that back. I need those orgasms.”

They both laughed.

Izzy helped her put the rest of the groceries away while they chatted about tomorrow’s visit. When they were done, she reached for her phone in her back pocket to send Diesel a message and realized she’d left it in the car. “Shoot. I left my phone in the car. I’ll be right back.”

She headed outside with a bounce in her step, grabbed her phone, and checked her messages. There was a text from Red and one from Diesel. She read Diesel’s first. On a flight to Colorado. Back in a few days. She read it again, sure she’d misunderstood. What the hell? He was going to miss her family’s visit? Forget text messages. She called him.

The call went straight to voicemail.

She typed a response with shaky hands. I just got your message. What’s going on? She tried to make sense of him suddenly up and leaving and remembered what he’d told her. It’d take someone ripping my fucking heart out for me to leave you. Panicked, she opened Red’s message. Honey, is Diesel okay? Her stomach plunged, and she called Red as she headed inside.

“Red, what’s going on?” She sounded as frantic as she felt.

“Have you spoken to Diesel?”

“No. He texted and said he was on a flight to Colorado.”

Izzy came out of the kitchen and must have heard the panic in her voice, because she rushed to her side, mouthing, What’s wrong?

Tracey held up her index finger, listening to Red.