“That’s my girl.” I lock eyes with my dad, who nods and gets my ask to stick close to her as he moves toward the table.
Making my way over to my brother, I can’t help but be reminded about the family I’ve gained. Every single person is here tonight because they want my girl to feel safe. They accept her, and they accept me. And that’s what family is—acceptance.
“What’s up?” I nod to Bass, Bulldog, Flint, Mad Max, and Law. They’re standing close to one another, and I notice that the only people near us are other brothers. Makes me curious about what’s going on.
“Candy was found,” Flint says.
“No shit?” I ask, more to Mad Max than anyone else. His Fairy has been looking nonstop since she was brought into this. “How’d we find her?”
Mad Max shakes his head. “We didn’t.”
I look to Flint to be filled in, ’cause that makes zero sense.
“The Store Owner reached out and told Fairy their stock was back, so back orders were no longer needed. We took that to mean they got her on their own,” he explains.
“But how?” This makes zero sense. The person we refer to as the Store Owner has been giving us, through Fairy, all the intel. We’ve been doing the dirty work, and they’ve kept out of it. Or so we thought.
“Got a call from our sister club in Dallas. They heard chatter on the police airways they monitor and rolled out to investigate. Seems the local cops found a hidey-hole and walked into a warehouse filled with people. Candy was one of them. From what our boys could tell without getting too close and drawing their own connection, it seems there was a shootout. Most of the people involved with the kidnapping and trafficking were killed. The cops are claiming they even took out the head guy in charge.” Bulldog adds.
Duke.The name rattles in my head, and I grind my teeth. “You think it washim?”
“Hope the fuck not. Rather be the one to skin him alive than give him the easy way out,” Mad Max spits out, and I nod in agreement.
“Can’t be sure. I’m sending Bass out there to check it out before I have him go up north to set up the training unit for our brothers. We already have the plans in place to set up at the training facility in North Dakota, since the sister chapter up there has the room and is willing to host. Thought you should know,” Law says, then lifts his beer.
The group disbands, each brother nodding to me before leaving me and Bass standing alone.
“You good?” he asks.
I nod but then shake my head. “Don’t know, man. I want him gone, but I’d rather be the one to cut the oxygen to his brain, you know?”
“Yeah, man, I get it. I only saw what he did, never had blood in the game like you and the rest of the boys. But this sounds like he may have gotten off too easy.”
“You think it’s true? The guy has been slippery as fuck for us, but the cops got lucky? Seems too easy, man. Like a trick or something.”
“Yeah, that’s what Law and Bulldog think too. That’s why I’m going. We need physical proof. I’ll do what I can, but I doubt with him gone, this skin trade is going to end. Don’t think the boys are going to want to stop just ’cause one fucker is dead.”
“You’re right.” I breathe out harshly. I might not get my revenge on who I want, but I can take my anger out on others. Others who made so many victims. “Speaking of fuckers, what’d you do with Troublemaker’s ex?”
I never asked before, didn’t care. But now that I can’t wrap my hands around the neck of the person responsible for all of this, I’ll take the next one on my shit list.
Bass smiles wild. “Oh, I made sure to take my time with him. Took my pound of flesh and enjoyed every single scream. I didn’t cut his dick off, but let’s just say he won’t be getting it up ever again.” He chuckles at my shocked face. I knew Bass was crazy, but damn. “Once I was done, I had General fix him up enough so I could take him to the cops. Once they figured out who he was, they stopped asking me questions about how he got some of his wounds. Rumor has it, they also fixed him up just enough to make sure he can pee through a bag during his quick trial before they stuck him in prison. Already have our brothers in lockup spreading the world about the pedophile. He’s becoming the new punching bag. Won’t be long before he tries to kill himself.” Before I can even voice my concerns, he’s shaking his head as he takes a drag from his longneck. “Don’t worry, I paid the doc at the prison enough to make sure he stays alive as long as possible so he can get the full effect of being a victim every single day for the rest of his miserable life.”
“Damn, man, you know your shit.” I’m impressed at how far he took it. He was the right man for the job. I would have ended up killing the fucker, and that would have been too easy for him. Which Bass understood.
“What can I say? I’m thorough when I want to be. And the best part is that not a single person in there is going to give two shits about how fucked up he gets. Funny how even criminals got a thing against anyone who uses kids. Guess it goes to show we all got a conscience of some kind.”
I don’t know if I agree with that. I’ve met a few sick people out there, but he’s got a point. No use getting your hands dirty when others will do it for you.
As I look over the crowd and find my girl, I breathe easier. I will get my hands plenty dirty for her, and for anyone in my family. But knowing I don’t have to, that I can be here and enjoy watching her ease into the atmosphere and ignore the rest of the world’s problems, makes it worth it to not be the one to kill the person who caused her pain.
But I will be the person who brings her joy. For the rest of her life, I will make sure she smiles more and laughs carefree. I’ll be the one to make her see the joys in life again, even the unknown bits. ’Cause I’m here for her, through it all. She’s my girl, my old lady, my one true love. And I will do anything for her.
Even walk away if she asks me to.
Chapter 34—Bailey
“You want to get me a what?” I ask Abigail again.
