Bull had to tread carefully. “Not sure yet, maybe nothing. Just need to get hold of him in case he knows something that will help,” he explained.
Lexie chewed her lip. The gesture pierced through Bull, it was so much like her mother. He prayed to fuckin’ God he would see Mia chewing her lip like that again soon. Yes, to God. He wasn’t above getting on his knees and worshiping any fuckin’ deity that would get Mia back where she belonged. With him. With Lexie.
“I don’t know my dad,” she said quietly. “Mom never told me much about him, apart from he wasn’t someone we needed in our lives,” she told him, eyes glistening. “We had a fight not that long ago. About him. I wanted to know more, to know why he didn’t want to know me.” Her voice was low and full of vulnerability. Bull reached out and squeezed her hand, not letting go.
“We never fight, Zane, but we fought about him.” She paused, her eyes watering slightly. Bull put pressure on her hand. She took a deep breath, “She finally told me that we left for our own safety. That he isn’t a good guy. That’s all she said.” Her eyes sparkled with despair and fuck if it pierced through Bull’s heart. “Do you think it was him?” she whispered, barely audible. “Do you think my father would actually do something like this, shoot Killian, try and kidnap me?”
Bull cupped her face, unable to see his girl in so much pain. She’d lost her mother, possibly at the hands of her father whom she had never met. It was enough to fuck up anyone. “Don’t know, doll,” he told her honestly. “But we’ll find your mom. I’ll find her, I promise.”
Lexie’s eyes hardened slightly. Blinking away the tears, she regarded him with a maturity beyond her years. She nodded. Her faith, her utter trust in him, went to the depths of him.
Bull kissed her head. “How’ bout you go and check on Kill,” he suggested when he saw Wire in the doorway, looking antsy. His brothers had filtered in without him even noticing.
She nodded, standing. She turned to leave and he couldn’t help it.
“Lex,” he called softly. She turned.
“Love you,” he murmured, not giving a fuck that his brothers were there, that Cade jolted slightly. He just needed this kid to know she wasn’t alone, that he was there. He’d always be there.
She smiled a sad smile. “Love you to the moon,” she said quietly, like he heard her say to her mom.
When she was gone Wire anxiously approached the table, an iPad in his hands. They found something. Finally.
“Speak,” Bull barked at the apprehensive expression on the fucker’s face. All gentleness was gone. That was for Lex, for Mia. Only them.
“Well, digging into the people in Mia’s life had me looking at the Thorndons. Hacked into DCPD, got the coroner’s report,” he started, eyes on the device.
Bull gritted his teeth. Ava and Steve. This didn’t seem like it was going any place good. He had tried to speak with the cops after they interviewed Mia, but the fuckers weren’t exactly hot on providing someone like him with info. Merely said it was a robbery gone wrong.
“They were tortured,” Wire stated blankly. “In a way that someone was trying to get information out of them. It wasn’t pretty, man,” he addressed Bull.
The rage that filtered through him at that moment caused him to still. He didn’t know these people, but they were Mia and Lexie’s family.
Wire took his silence as a cue to go on. “Their place was also ransacked. Someone was looking for something.” He was scrolling through shit on the screen.
Cade sat at the head of the table, face grim. Bull knew he was feeling fury at an old couple getting tortured and murdered. Not only that, they were connected to the club, however loosely. “They find it?” his prez bit out.
“Don’t know,” Wire looked up. “But hacking into their shit got me what I was looking for. Connection to Mia’s old life.” He grinned slightly, then when he met Bull’s eyes the grin left his face left quickly. “This is heavy shit, brother,” he warned.
Bull felt the room tense. “Spit it the fuck out,” he growled.
“Mia Spencer is actually Abigail Locke,” he started. “From Atlanta, Georgia. Born to two worthless, alcoholic, drug addicts. Lived in a trailer park until the age of fifteen, till she met Sid Gregory.” He spoke carefully.
Bull didn’t recognize the name but he didn’t miss how Steg’s mouth turned tight and his eyes narrowed.
“Got pregnant, married him soon after,” Wire went on quickly. “Moved into the family home. Fucker was only eighteen—somehow moved quickly up the ranks in a lucrative drug dealing syndicate.” There were curses around the table at this little gem. “Family ties, you see,” Wire added.