I glance at Mac and focus my gaze on Annie.

"What do you mean Leah's missing? Come on, tell me everything."

Annie sighs. "Okay. Someone vandalized Leah's locker, writing 'Slut's daughter' on it with a red marker, and she saw it. She was upset, and on top of that, some idiots started to tease her. Leah said she wanted to go to the bathroom. I stayed, trying to erase the words from her locker's door, but she never made it to our second period. I searched for her everywhere. Kenzie and I checked the area around the school, but she wasn't there. And I have her things." Annie nods toward Mac's bike, and I spot Kitten's bag and coat.

"Fuck," I mutter. A silent convo takes place between Mac and me. I raise my eyebrows slightly, and he nods just barely.

Fucking Ferdinand is dead.

"Wait for me; I need to tell Dad I have to do something," I tell Annie. "Leave Leah's stuff on my porch."

She nods, and I rush into the garage where Pops is working on a bike's basic maintenance.

"Dad, I'm gonna head out. Girl trouble," I say.

Pops smirks. "When's she due?"

I can't help rolling my eyes at his humor. "Not funny. I didn't get anyone pregnant. Kitten's missing, and I need to find her before the chick freezes to death."

"Kitten," Pops says under his breath and then chuckles. "Go. I'll manage without you. You did more than enough last week."

I dash out of the garage and approach my friends. "Go home, guys; I'll look for her."

"Are you sure?" Annie frowns. "We can help."

"You've done enough already. I'm gonna check some places she likes and text you when I find her."

If I find her.

I shake away the thought and rush to the garage. I'm on Fat Boy in no time, heading downtown.

Leah isn't there. I check the school grounds and ride to the lake. Deep down, I know she won't be there, and I'm right.

Finding her is my priority, but the moment I do, I'm leaving her at home and going to kick Ferdinand's ass. It was bound to happen. That cockroach hates rejection, but unlike other guys, he never acts openly. He's the kind who would stab you when you're not looking, and I hate that he was in Leah's life. She doesn't deserve that piece of crap.

I ride back into town and cruise down the rest of the streets, but she's nowhere to be seen. Her phone's off, no surprise there. Perhaps I should've accepted Mac's help. The wind howls, and the sky's dark. It's going to rain, and Leah's somewhere out there, alone.

I'm in our neighborhood, so I stop by my house and grab a spare jacket. If I find Leah, she'll be freezing.

Pops is still working, and the house is quiet. I run upstairs and open my bedroom door.

What I see makes me freeze in the doorway. Kitten's sleeping, curled up into a ball under my comforter.

I step inside and close the door, leaning against it to wait for my heartbeat to slow down. Then, I shrug off my jacket, kick off the boots, and get in bed.

"Hey, Princess," I whisper, kissing Leah's hair.

Her sleepy eyes struggle to focus. When she sees me, she smiles and snuggles into my chest. I hug her and stroke her back.

"I'm sorry," Kitten says, sniffling. "I was too upset to go home, and there was your ladder, and the window was open."

"It's okay," I say, kissing her forehead. "Just don't fucking scare me like this, okay? I looked for you everywhere because Annie told me you were missing. You have a phone for a reason, Kitten."

"I have to charge it," Kitten mutters. "But the charger's at home, and—"

"I'll lend you mine. Let me text Mac first."

I pull my cell out of my pocket and send Mac a message, saying Leah's with me.

Kitten shivers as soon as she's in my arms. "Are you okay?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I haven't been feeling well all day. I think I have a fever and my throat's sore."

I touch her skin, and it's much hotter than it should be.

"Okay," I say. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"No. Mom's doing an extra shift to pay Gavin's parents back. I'll be alone. Can I stay with you?"

"Of course. I have to take care of something, but I'll be back. We have some soup you should eat, and I'll give you meds. Okay?"

"Thank you, Brian," Leah whispers as I exit my room.

I heat chicken soup and grab some fresh bread together with the flu meds and a glass of water. After loading everything onto a tray, I return to Kitten.

She sits up. I hate that she's sick, but I loathe that she's miserable even more.

"Eat well, babe," I say, placing the tray on her lap. "You can watch movies while I'm gone. I'll show you how."

I grab the remote and teach Kitten how to access my movie library. Then, I kiss her and get dressed.

"Will your dad be home?" Leah asks.

"He won't come in without knocking. I don't think you will, but tell him you're waiting for me if you see him. Pops knows you're my girl. It's okay for you to be here."

Kitten's cheeks turn pink, and it's not from the fever.

"You can take a hot shower, too, and change into my clothes. I won't be long," I say, pecking her lips.

She thanks me again, and I dismiss it.

In barely five minutes, Fat Boy vibrates under me. I'm heading to Kitten's school — it's almost time for the cockroach to crawl out of the brick building. I won't fuck him up with witnesses around, but I will once he's alone.

It turns out I'm one lucky fucker. Fer parked his good boy shiny vehicle farther down the road, and there aren't any other students' trucks nearby. The little prince must feel too special to leave his car where others leave theirs.

I hop off the bike and park it under a tree. Ferdinand's strolling toward his SUV.

"Fer!"

The prick stops and turns around. "O'Brien. What's a dropout like you doing close to a school?"

My fist is faster than Fer's ability to spit out bullshit. It flies straight into his nose, and Ferdinand staggers back, blinking away the tears as he presses a hand to his face.

"Not man enough to fight me back, asshole? I guess you're only brave to write shit on girls' lockers."

Fer has the nerve to chuckle. "It's a shame Leah became your whore. I thought she was better than that."

"What did you call her, dickhead?"

"Your whore? That's true. You're only good for one thing, just like your big brother."

Blood whooshes in my ears at the prick's words. I cross the distance between us and grip his collar. Fer squirms, trying to break free, but a punch to his jaw and a knee to his diaphragm do the trick, making the little shit fall to the ground and gasp for air as he coughs.

"That should teach you a lesson, Fer. You should know better than to talk shit about my girl or my family."

Ferdinand stops coughing and scrambles to his feet. "Your girl? Well, you're perfect for each other — a manwhore and a slut."

"That's funny coming from the son of a child molester's supporter. So many insults, Fer. Aren't you too good for all those dirty words?"

Ferdinand laughs, unlocking his BMW. "You don't know what you got yourself into, O'Brien. I'll make your life hell. You'll regret what you did."

"Stay away from Leah, cockroach, unless you want my boot to squish you. I'm not afraid of you, little shit, and I won't give you a second warning."

Riveted to the spot, I watch Ferdinand get into his car, reverse out of the parking lot, and drive away.

Frowning, I inspect my raw knuckles. I should've fucked him up for real, but I know his kind too well. I don't want any charges for assault.

What that shit said got to me, though. I'm not too proud of the things I've done, but nobody can change the past.

My phone vibrates when I'm about to hop on my Harley and go home to Leah.

I smirk, staring at the text.

Dakota: Missed me, baby boy?