Page 40 of Fight
AUGUSTINE
My head is pounding as I roll over with a groan. Fuck, did Gabriel really hit me?
“Goddamn it,” I mutter, slowly sitting up. Looking around, I notice how quiet it is, and pat my pockets to find my phone. I need to make the call I should have made when I realized that Cere was missing.
Hunching over as I look down at my phone, I sigh as I see it’s barely seven in the morning. Gabriel is just beginning his run, and I’ve barely had any sleep. None of that matters though, because my girl isn’t with me.
I don’t deserve to sleep or do anything when she could be with Arthur right now. Pulling up my contacts, I call Wren, who finally has a cell phone number.
It may seem odd that she hasn’t had one before in this age of technology, but she’s had a rough past.
I put the call on speaker, listening to it ring. It’s early, and I feel bad for calling at this time, but Gabriel may try to stop me if I wait.
“Hello?” Wren sounds out of breath as she picks up, making me wince. Fuck, please don’t let me have interrupted morning sex.
“Hey, Wren. It’s Augustine from Club Serene. I have a big problem. Cerenity’s missing, and I’m worried. I’m getting stonewalled by the Chicago British Mafia as well and your brother,” I say in greeting. “Jasper is being a dick.”
Wren snorts as she listens to me. “He may be my brother, but he’s been a shit since the day he was born,” she says. I didn’t realize they didn’t get along, but this may help me.
Maybe.
“Who is calling so early?” a growly voice mutters.
“It’s Augustine from the club in Minneapolis. Hey, can I put you on speaker? Shaw and the guys may be able to help,” Wren explains.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m really sorry to have to call so early, but I’m panicking because I don’t know where she is and my best friend punched me so I’d stop pacing,” I say.
“Well, fuck,” Shaw says. Now that he’s on speaker, I can recognize his voice easier. “Take it from the top, would ya? Let’s see if we can help at all. Cerenity and the girls are becoming good friends, and I hate hearing that she’s missing.”
Taking a deep breath, I launch into everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. I can’t believe that it’s been a little less than that, and it feels as if it’s been longer.
“Tommy seemed as if he wasn’t too worried about it, but did admit he gave Arthur the go ahead to do whatever he wanted due to not getting all the facts,” I rumble. “He released the reins on the asshole, and Cere’s car was smashed to pieces because of it. She could be anywhere.”
“Fuck, sounds like Tommy just wanted to get rid of Arthur and fucked up. Alright,” Shaw grunts. “Wren, I think your brother is about to have a bad fucking day. Do you mind if I take the boys to visit him and his boss? It’s been a bit since I’ve driven into Chicago to fuck things up.”
“Will you punch him and tell him it’s from me?” Wren asks sweetly, making me smirk. She’s grown a lot in just the last few months, and I’m happy for her. “If he had anything to do with this, he'd deserve it. I remember the way he kept watching her at the club, Shaw.”
“Shh, Sweetness, don’t get too worked up yet. I’ll go and check it out. Augustine, we’ll leave in a half hour, but we’ll have a drive ahead of us. Don’t announce us, I want to surprise them,” Shaw says calculatingly.
My lips twitch as I hear what he isn’t saying. Finally, maybe I’ll get some fucking answers.
“Thank you. I’ll just be over here quietly losing my mind,” I mutter. “I swear to God I’m telling her she’s my scent match the second I find her.”
“What the fuck, Augustine!” Wren yells, making me sigh. “How doesn’t she know?”
“Her spray,” Shaw says immediately. Cere buys it from him, so of course he knows. “She’s still taking her alpha blockers?”
“Every day,” I grunt. “She’s obsessed with making sure she remembers to use it. Cere knows it’ll last for days with only one use, but she refuses to be controlled by biology. It’s a long fucked up story that I only know parts of and isn’t mine to tell, guys.”
“Wow,” Wren says. “Can she end up with withdrawal symptoms from not having it?”
“No, Wren. It’s non addictive,” Shaw answers quickly. “However, it’s also built up in her system, so I’m not exactly sure when it’ll stop working. Otherwise, they’re safe to use. I’m not the best at relationships, Augustine, but you need to tell her when we find her.”
“I know,” I murmur. “I was trying to give her time to I don’t know… work through her fears, I guess. I’m the only alpha she’s completely comfortable with, but she keeps telling me she wants me to find my scent match. The problem is that she’s mine.”
“This is complicated,” Flynn says. I imagine them all huddled together on the bed as they listen, which makes my lips twitch in amusement. I’m glad they’re all packed up and happy.
I just wish I was so lucky.