Hurrying to the front of the apartment, she opened the door and looked out. A gang of about fifty bikers riding motorcycles rolled into the parking lot. The bikers wore black leather vests and stopped in front of Unit B.
The last thing she needed was trouble at the apartments. It was hard enough to keep the reputation up that Mountain View Apartments was a safe, family-friendly environment.
Stepping outside, she shielded her eyes against the setting sun. The bikers were parking. Curious if they had anything to do with Wyatt, considering he rode a motorcycle, she closed the door and slowly walked along the sidewalk to Unit B.
She couldn't stop anyone from having guests, but since taking over the apartments from her grandpa, she'd never once seen a gang of bikers hanging around the place.
Recognizing Rabbit as one of the Tarkio members congregated in the parking lot, she waved. Though Rabbit wore a biker vest when he played pool, she'd never seen him away from the bar.
Rabbit got off his black motorcycle and approached her on the sidewalk. "Joey."
"Hi." She stopped in front of him.
"Have you seen a boy running around with a flannel shirt on. Black hair. Teenager." Rabbit gazed around.
"No, I've been inside." Feeling protective, she crossed her arms. "Why?"
It was unfair of grown men, especially bikers, chasing down a kid, for whatever reason. They'd likely scare the boy to death.
"His dad is looking for him. He might've run away," said Rabbit.
Her back stiffened. "Wyatt's son?"
Rabbit nodded. She gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. To have the motorcycle club out looking for Travis meant Wyatt hadn't found him. Unless, he hadn't heard because he was working.
"Where's Wyatt?" She shook, afraid something bad had happened, and Travis hadn't snuck off to be alone.
"He's out looking for his son."
Her heart pounded. Why couldn't she have been outside working? She might've seen Travis before he was able to hide from his dad. School let out a couple hours ago. He could be anywhere.
She swallowed. "Do you know where Jess, Wyatt's daughter is?"
"She's safe."
"That's great, but do you know where she is?" she asked.
"In the apartment."
She walked toward Wyatt's place. Her fear that something terrible had happened urged her into a run. One of the bikers stood outside the door.
She reached around him, and when the man put his hand on her shoulder to stop her, she shook him off. "I'm the apartment manager. I need to see Jess."
The man let go of her and dipped his chin, stepping away. She knocked.
The door opened. Jess spotted her and lunged. She caught Wyatt's daughter and led her back into the apartment.
"Are you okay?" She held Jess, rubbing her back.
"Travis is missing." Jess sniffed. "Dad took off to go look for him."
"He'll find him." She led Jess to the couch and sat beside her, holding her hands. "I'll stay with you until your dad brings Travis home."
"I don't know why he never listens. If he's hiding somewhere, I'm going to smack him when he gets back. He can't keep putting dad through all the worry. It's hard enough for him to raise us on his own when he's not used to us being here all the time."
Though she agreed with Jess, she only wanted Travis home. She'd hoped giving him a job would help him focus on other things, and having money in his pocket would help him feel better about all the changes in his life.
"Have you eaten?" she asked.
Jess shook her head.
She patted Jess's hand. "Let's see what you have in the kitchen, and I bet we can figure out something to make. That way when they get home, you guys can all sit down and eat."
"Dad usually orders pizza for dinner and picks it up on his way home. I guess he can't do that tonight..." Jess pointed to the cupboard. "There's cereal, Campbell's soup, and peanut butter."
She turned around. "Pizza every night?"
"Pretty much." Jess folded her arms across her chest. "Sometimes, he gives us money when he knows he'll be working until dark, and Travis and I will walk over to Annie's and eat."
At least at Annie's Restaurant, they'd have a homecooked-style meal. She looked in the cupboard. The Carr family wouldn't starve, but they also needed a meal to fill them up. She'd seen how they liked to eat. A PB&J sandwich wasn't going to do it.
She looked in the fridge. There was a package of ground beef already thawed. She checked the date on the package. Bingo.
"We'll make hamburgers." She glanced at Jess, staring at nothing. "Are there six pieces of bread?"
Jess walked over and opened a different cupboard and removed a brand-new loaf. She got busy making patties. Wyatt's daughter anticipated her next need and got a skillet for her. Both of them worked quietly, only interrupted by a phone call that caused them both to jump in surprise.
Hoping it was Wyatt, she found Jess telling the person she needed to stay off the phone.
Jess hung up the call, her cheeks flushed. "It wasn't my dad. It was just a boy from school."
At fifteen years old, Jess was old enough to have a boyfriend. She glanced at Jess, understanding that her heart must be pulling in two different directions. She'd wanted to talk to the boy, but her concern for her brother won out. Wyatt or Travis could phone home, and nobody wanted to miss the call.
"Do you like him?" she asked, flipping the burgers.
"Derrick?" Jess shrugged. "I don't know him very well. We have one class together."
"Is he nice?"
"Yeah."
"Cute?"
Jess frowned. After several seconds, she said, "I guess."
She dropped the subject, letting Jess have her secrets. As a teenager, she had her share of crushes. Even as an adult, those crushes were always better in her mind than in reality.
Except for the one she'd had on Wyatt.
Meeting him was better than any fantasy.
The front door opened.
