“Layne,” Rocky whispered and Layne didn’t look at her.
He flipped his phone open and called Devin.
“What?” Devin clipped, Layne stood and moved to Rocky.
“Giselle is missing,” Layne answered.
“I’m on it,” Devin declared and disconnected.
Layne stopped at Roc and finally looked down at her.
“It’ll be okay,” he whispered.
Her hands came to his tee at his sides and fisted.
“Layne,” she whispered.
He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, pulled her to him and kissed the top of her hair.
Then, his lips still there, he whispered, “It’ll be okay. Get to my house. Now.”
He felt her head nod.
Then he let her go, pulled gently away and took off.
He was out of the gate and on the road when his mind cleared of everything except trying to shut it off from thinking he waited too long.
He was trying but he was failing.
*
The door to the reverend’s house opened and Layne looked at Pastor Knox.
“Well, Tanner Layne!” He smiled big. “What a surprise, you here, you and your Ma back at church, bringin’ your boys and Raquel into the fold –”
Layne didn’t smile and cut him off. “I need the whereabouts of TJ Gaines and I need them right now.”
Pastor Knox’s smile faded, his brows drew together in confusion and he asked softly, “What?”
“Your Youth Minister, TJ Gaines, is not a Youth Minister. He’s the recruiting agent for an underage sex racket,” Layne laid it out and Pastor Knox’s face went as white as his hair. “Giselle Speakmon went missing last night and I need Gaines.”
“That can’t be,” Pastor Knox whispered.
“It is,” Layne returned. “Now I got a girl missin’ and I don’t have time to convince you this is true. You know where he is, where he might be or how I can get in contact with him, you need to tell me and you need to do it right now.”
“I… we… we check out all of our employees. He checked out.”
“TJ Gaines checked out, sure. But the man you got workin’ for you is not TJ Gaines.”
“I –”
“Reverend, you can freak out later, “Layne cut in impatiently. “Now, I need everything you can tell me about TJ Gaines.”
Pastor Knox stared at him then he stepped back from the door, turning sideways and Layne didn’t hesitate, he walked right in.
*
Layne’s boots made noises on the tile around the high school swimming pool but no one could hear it because all the noise the boys were making while swimming their laps was reverberating around the huge room.
But Nick Fullerton saw him, he pulled his whistle out of his mouth, smiled big and walked to Layne.
“Tanner,” he called while walking. “Jas tell you? He picked up another one last night. Purdue.” His smile turned huge but it would, Nick Fullerton was a Boilermaker. “They’re real interested.”
Again, Layne didn’t smile back.
Instead, when Nick stopped close to him, he ordered, “I need my boys out of the pool, showered and their asses in Jas’s car. Giselle Speakmon went missin’ last night.”
Fullerton’s eyes got wide and he whispered, “No shit?”
“No shit. Tripp and Jas know Giselle. I need my boys.”
“Dad!” Tripp yelled, he was out of the pool and running as best he could on the grips on the tile toward Layne and Fullerton.
Layne glanced at his son then his eyes went back to Fullerton. “Any boys want to help find her, it would be appreciated. They find anything, they call me. Tripp and Jas have my number. She isn’t alone, they don’t go in, they stay clear and they call me. No one else. Not the cops. Me.”
“Dad,” Tripp repeated but Layne didn’t look at him. He lifted his hand and curled it around his son’s wet shoulder but he didn’t take his eyes from Fullerton.
“That understood?” Layne demanded.
“What do you mean, she’s not alone?” Fullerton asked.
“Someone might have her,” Layne answered.
“This someone dangerous?” Fullerton asked.
“Absolutely,” Layne answered.
“Shit,” Fullerton muttered.
“Dad!” Tripp yelled and grabbed his father’s forearm so Layne looked to him to see Jasper was at his back, Seth, Jamie and Mitch at Jasper’s back.
“I can’t send high school students on a girl hunt if it’s dangerous, Tanner,” Fullerton said, calling Layne’s attention back to him.
“Then don’t but my boys are huntin’,” Layne returned and his eyes went to Jasper. “Shower. Charger. You go to Giselle’s house, you get a list from her Mom and Dad I asked them to make, you call and you visit every one of her friends. You make those girls talk. They heard anything from Giselle, anything, you report it back to me.”
“Right,” Jasper said instantly.
“You see TJ Gaines or his car while you’re out, you report it to me. You don’t go in. You don’t follow him. You get the fuck out of there, call and report where you saw him or his car, get me?” Layne went on.
“Got you,” Jasper replied.
“I fucked up,” Tripp whispered and Layne’s eyes cut to his youngest.
“Get that outta your head,” he ordered.
Tripp shook his head, taking a step back, pulling from Layne’s hand but running into his brother so he stopped. “I fucked up. I was bein’ stupid. Selfish. I thought she was playin’ games with me. I shoulda said something. I thought she was –”
Layne hooked his son behind the neck and pulled him forward, bending slightly to get in his face. “I fucked up, Tripp. I did it. I knew better than to finesse this. You’re fourteen years old and you were doin’ what you were told. You did good, you did right and now you gotta keep your shit together and help me find your girl.”
Tripp didn’t believe him. Tripp liked this girl. Tripp was scared as shit. Layne knew it and seeing it in his boy’s eyes, it tore him up.
But he couldn’t dwell. He needed to move.
He gave Tripp’s neck a squeeze, straightened and looked at Jasper.
“Shower. Charger,” he ordered, his eyes sliced through Fullerton, he turned and he walked out of the natatorium.