Chapter 4: The Message Left In The Rain
The paper felt heavier than it should have.
It was only a small piece of white paper, damp from the morning rain, with the edges curling from the moisture.
But when I held it between my fingers, it felt like I was holding twelve years of unanswered questions.
The name written at the top made my chest tighten.
*Daniel Cross.*
Below it were six words.
*You should have stayed away, Bear.*
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything.
Not the traffic.
Not the wind.
Not the quiet murmurs from my riders behind me.
Only my own breathing.
Marcus stepped closer.
“What is it?””
I folded the paper before he could see.
“Nothing.””
He stared at me.
He knew me too well.
“Bear.””
I looked at him.
The concern in his eyes told me he already knew it wasn’t nothing.
But before I could answer, Caroline’s voice came from the van.
“You found Daniel’s name.””
I turned.
The van door was still halfway open.
I couldn’t see her face.
Only the bracelet.
Only the trembling hand gripping the door.
“You know who left this?””
Silence.
Then:
“Yes.””
I walked closer.
“Who?””
Caroline didn’t answer immediately.
The pause told me everything.
She was afraid of the answer.
“Caroline.””
Her fingers tightened.
“Daniel wasn’t the person you thought he was.””
My jaw clenched.
Everyone behind me went quiet.
Daniel Cross wasn’t just a name.
He was part of my history.
Years ago, before the club grew into what it was, before people knew us as something more than a group of riders, Daniel was one of us.
He wore the same leather.
He rode beside us.
He sat at our table.
And then one night, he disappeared.
A month later, Caroline disappeared too.
I spent years believing those things were connected.
But I never knew how.
“Tell me the truth.””
My voice was lower.
“Right now.””
Caroline stayed silent.
Eli looked between us.
“Mom…”
She finally spoke.
“Daniel was looking for something.””
“What?””
“I don’t know.””
I stared at the van.
“You disappeared because of him?””
“No.””
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
“No?””
She shook her head, though I could barely see it.
“I disappeared because I found out what he was willing to do.””
The words hung in the air.
I looked down at the paper again.
“Then why is he warning me?””
Caroline didn’t respond.
That scared me more than anything else.
I turned back to my club.
“Everyone check the area.””
The riders moved immediately.
No questions.
No hesitation.
They spread around the gas station, watching the road, checking behind the building.
I stayed near the van.
Eli stood beside me.
“You’re really my mom’s friend?””
The question caught me off guard.
I looked down.
“Yeah.””
“She talked about you.””
My heart tightened.
“What did she say?””
He looked at the ground.
“She said you were the only person who would come looking.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because I had looked.
For months.
Then years.
But eventually, people told me to accept that she was gone.
They told me I had to move on.
They told me some people leave because they want to.
I never believed that.
I just stopped saying it out loud.
A shadow moved inside the van.
Caroline spoke softly.
“You shouldn’t have waited for me.””
I looked toward her.
“You don’t get to decide that.””
Silence.
“You left.””
A long pause.
“I know.””
The pain in those two words almost made me angry.
Almost.
Then a loud crash came from behind the gas station.
Everyone turned.
A biker shouted.
“Bear!””
I ran.
The others followed.
Behind the building, near the old storage area, one of my riders stood beside a trash container.
On the ground was a second glove.
Not mine.
A black leather glove.
Different stitching.
Different size.
Marcus picked it up.
“This wasn’t here before.””
I stared at it.
The same feeling returned.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had been close.
I walked back toward the van.
“Caroline.””
No answer.
“Was someone here?””
The silence was immediate.
Then:
“Yes.””
My stomach dropped.
“When?””
“Before you arrived.””
I looked around.
“How long?””
“I don’t know.””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“But long enough to hear me tell Eli your name.””
I looked at the road.
The black sedan.
The paper.
The glove.
None of this was random.
Someone wanted me to know Caroline was alive.
Someone wanted me to find her.
But why?
I turned back to the van.
“Caroline, who is Daniel Cross?””
Her hand slowly moved away from the door.
For the first time, I heard fear break through her voice.
“He’s the reason you lost me.””
I stepped closer.
“Where is he now?””
The van went silent.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone looked at me.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice came through.
Calm.
Cold.
Familiar.
“Bear.””
My blood froze.
I hadn’t heard that voice in twelve years.
“Daniel?””
A quiet laugh.
“You still remember.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where are you?””
The line stayed silent for a moment.
Then Daniel said:
“I’m exactly where I’ve always been.””
A pause.
“Closer than you think.””
The call ended.
May you like
And from inside the van, Caroline whispered one sentence:
“He’s here.””
