The five of us file in with our masks in place, leaving Noctis at the control center monitoring the cameras.
“Shit,” Shane mutters before fixing his attention on me. Withimpressive composure, despite his broken nose and swollen eye, he speaks calmly. “I only ever delivered cars to a country club in the hills.”
I lift a brow, taking the seat across from him. “Continue.”
“There’s nothing more to say. I was approached by some holier-than-god asshole who offered me ten grand per car. Normally, people like him want luxury cars with more speed than space, but he insisted on larger seating capacities.”
“You accepted a partnership with someone you only just met?” I ask, letting the venom in my heart coat each syllable.
“For ten grand in cash, on the spot?” Shane counters. “Fuck yeah, I took the deal. He didn’t say anything about women or children. I assumed it was some low-level car peddling—or at the most, drug smuggling.”
“Then why stop?”
A flicker of apprehension shows before he drops my gaze. “I arrived at the spot early one day. He was there, talking to some other rich-as-shit guy about all the ways he’d like to fuck someone, but you know those types of guys. I didn’t think anything of it until he started spouting shit about the second coming and how avenging angels were already among us, reaping souls for heaven and a bunch of other unhinged stuff.”
Shane swallows, seemingly at a loss for words. I wait, the others following my lead by letting the silence stretch until he continues.
“He said stealing women was the Lord’s work. Whores needed to be used until they begged for forgiveness. Only then would they be granted absolution.”
Erik growls as Mavros flexes his fists, both looking ready to crack Shane’s skull.
“If I would’ve known the type of people I was helping, I never would’ve taken the job. I swear.”
Shane’s voice grows shrill as Mavros stalks behind him, but there’s truth ringing from him. He may be an idiot for notrealizing sooner, but I don’t think he willingly helped. I level Shane with a look, cocking my head like a hawk studying its prey before ripping it to shreds.
“I need information.”
Shane nods, eyes still glued to Mavros and the blood smeared across his knuckles—the same shade of scarlet as the thread woven across his mask. “I’ll do anything to help. I want these fuckers stopped too. He told the old guy that the city was ripe for purging, and he had three women drugged and ready for transport as soon as the car arrived. That’s when I ran.”
“You said drop-off was at a country club?”
“The Blue Lagoon.” Shane nods.
“And your contact?”
“Said his name was Jonah.”
My pulse kicks as I catch the scent of a trail growing stronger, and I know Noctis is already putting two and two together on the other side of the glass. He’s probably running another scan through his systems as we speak, hoping the new information will push the search for any mention of Jonah. “Who was Jonah talking to when you overheard him?”
“I don’t know.” Shane shrugs. “Some old guy with the same blonde hair streaked with grey and a neon-white smile. All those rich fucks look the same.”
“Did you catch a name?” I press.
“No. I didn’t want him knowing I heard.” Shane’s eyes grow distant. “I took a few steps back and was loud with my approach the second time. Told him that was the last car I’d be delivering as I was leaving town. We packed the next day.”
“We?”
His jaw clenches, and for the first time since I started questioning him, I see his forearms shift, checking the bindings on his wrists. I lift a brow, sitting back in my chair as Erik lets out a low whistle.
“Maybe that’s the real reason you left,” Erik muses, suspiciongleaming in his eyes. “Found a girl, didn’t want to sell her, and decided to make her your very own sex doll.”
“Fuck you,” Shane snarls, baring his teeth. “The only regret I have is not killing the rich bastards before I got us—me andmy daughter—away from that shit.”
Adrian’s low, morbid chuckle cuts through the lingering silence, mingling with the flip of his coin. “I bet you feel like an asshole now, Erik.”
Erik shoots him a glare but doesn’t say anything.
“Jonah was the only person you met with?” I ask, trying to keep focus before my brothers fuck this up.
