Scrunching up his face, Harley pushed against the table. “Okay. But I still could go alone.”
Banger walked Harley to Hawk’s table and watched his son run over to Braxton. “Keep an eye on him for me,” Banger said to Hawk, then went back to his table. “What the hell’s going on with Lindi’s pussy-assed husband? You want me to make him get his ass in the fuckin’ red suit?”
Belle leaned in close, and the scent of her perfume lit a fire in him. “Shh… people may hear you. Dale came over while you and Harley were gone, and he told her he was just joking. Something’s terribly wrong with him.”
“Sounds like he needs someone to set him straight.”
“Well, at least he’s going to do it, so we’ve avoided that catastrophe.”
Chimes rang out from an overhead speaker and the lights dimmed a few times. All attention focused on the stage where Joseph stood with a microphone. He thanked all the volunteers and the Insurgents for making the event such a success. Congregated in the front were groups of children who fidgeted in place in anticipation of Santa Claus coming on stage to hand out the toys.
“I’m gonna watch Harley,” Banger said as he leaned in to kiss Belle’s cheek. He walked over to Hawk who was standing behind Harley and Braxton. The two men chatted until the trumpets rang out and Santa Claus came onto the stage. The children went wild, and the applause from the audience was deafening. Harley jumped up and down in place while looking behind him at Banger.
“Cara’s motioning me to come over. I’ll be right back,” Hawk said. Banger nodded and focused on the stage.
Fifteen minutes into Santa calling children up on stage and giving them their gifts, Hawk came back over, his brows snapped together.
“What’s up?” Banger asked.
“Cara spotted that Garret fuck. She said he was standing by the stage.”
Banger scanned the area but didn’t see anyone besides a few Insurgents and volunteers. “What does he look like?”
“Not too tall, wiry, longish unkempt hair. She said he’s around thirty. She’s positive she saw him. Hang tight. I’m going backstage to take a look.” Hawk disappeared into the crowd.
There were so many children crowded in the front, and an uneasy feeling took hold of Banger. Placing his hands on one of Harley’s and Braxton’s shoulders, his eyes darted around the room searching for anything that was amiss. Nothing seemed out of place. Why is the fucker here? Cara’s not the type to imagine shit.
Hawk came back over. “Nothing in the back or around the area. I told Bear, Helm, Tiny, Rags, Cruiser, Klutch, and Bones to watch out for anything that doesn’t look or feel right. I gave them a description of the jerk.”
“I feel something off. What about you?” Banger asked.
“Yeah.” Hawk turned his head from side to side.
“You’ve all been so good this year. Ho. Ho. Ho,” Dale said as he tugged on the white beard.
Banger jerked his head toward the stage. “He’s not too convincing, is he?”
“No. Next year we’ll pay for a professional,” Hawk answered.
Then the lights went out and the room was plunged into blackness. For a second, it was quiet as a tomb and then frenzied voices rose to the surface, children cried, bodies rushed and bumped, and chairs toppled over.
“What the fuck?” Banger said out loud as he reached in front of him. “Harley! Braxton! Call out.” He whipped is cell phone out and turned on the flashlight. Soon the room was lit with an eerie white glow as people held up their phones to guide them to their tables.
“Where’re the boys?” Hawk asked.
“I don’t know. They were right in front of us before the lights went out. I should’ve kept my hands on them. Fuck!”
“Braxton! Harley!” Hawk yelled as he and Banger pushed through people.
“Everyone remain calm. There’s been an outage. Power will be restored soon.” Lindi stood on stage and Banger glanced over and noticed Santa’s chair was empty. That’s strange. I gotta find Harley. Fuck!
“Maybe they went backstage,” Hawk said, rushing ahead.
Banger caught up to him and as they approached Tiny and Bones, the room was flooded with light. The patrons cheered and applauded and children scrambled over to their parents.
“Did Harley and Braxton come this way?” Banger asked the brothers.
“It was so fuckin’ dark, I couldn’t see a thing, but when I turned my flashlight on, I didn’t see them,” Tiny said.
“I heard some kids screaming and I tried to see what the hell was going on, but by the time I took out my phone, I didn’t see anything. I ran out of the room but didn’t see shit. Are the boys missing? Tiny asked, his forehead creasing.
The sound of his heartbeat thrashed in his ears. He’d been a one-percenter for thirty years, and he’d been faced with all kinds of danger, but he never let it affect him. But at that moment, terror seized him, squeezing every nerve in his body, splintering his heart.
“Banger!”
Belle’s voice made his stomach knot. What the fuck am I gonna say to her? I shoulda never let him out of my grasp. And Braxton. Fuck! He whirled around and saw Belle approaching him. He clenched his jaw.
The festivities of the night resumed with one major change: Santa Claus had vanished. Lindi stood on stage, her eyes swimming with tears, and read off the names of the children while a few volunteers handed them their toys.
“Where’s Harley?” Belle asked, her face glistening with sweat.
“He’s not with you?”
Fear crossed her face. “No. He was in the front with you, Hawk, and Braxton. Where’s Braxton?”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and held her gaze. “We don’t know where the boys are, but we’re gonna find them. You gotta be strong and let me do what needs to be done to find them.”
She jerked away from him. “What do you mean you don’t know where they are? Weren’t you and Hawk watching them? My God, what if some sicko kidnapped them?” She covered her mouth with her hand. “This can’t be happening,” she mumbled as terror overtook her face.
“Don’t fuckin’ freak out on me. I got shit to do. We’re gonna find the boys. I need to know you’ll be okay.”
“How can I be okay? I’m petrified!” Her voice broke and he drew her close to him and held her tight while he ran his hand up and down her back.
“It’s gonna be fine. I’ll make it fine. You gotta believe in me,” he said in a low voice.
All around them, people laughed, children ran, and Christmas music filled the air, but they were in their own private hell. Ethan and Emily came over.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Emily asked.
Banger pulled away and guided Belle over to Emily and Ethan. “Take care of your mother. I got something to do.” He knew that every second he did nothing was a second that took his son farther away from him.