“Carry on, Little Bird,” Knox encourages, and I turn to give him a small smile of appreciation.
“In the basement is an old speakeasy, from prohibition days. You can only gain access via the alleyway down the side of Judy’s. There’s a fire door, it opens into a lobby and from there down into the basement.”
“Huh, didn’t know Rufus could be so clever,” Knox muses, looking a little impressed.
A hand comes up and grasps my chin, turning my head until Aeron’s ocean eyes are staring into mine. It’s almost too close, the position slightly uncomfortable, but I allow it, not protesting.
“And why can’t we just break in through the fire door?”
“It’s booby-trapped,” I tell him, his hand lightening its hold so that I can speak more clearly. “There’s a metal boot mat that’s hooked up to the mains electricity as well as the door handle. It can only be turned off from the inside, and they watch the alley to make sure no one tries to walk in.”
“So what’s your plan? How can we get in?” he questions me, and my queasy stomach settles a little at the way he’s taking me seriously, asking for my opinion as if it’s as important as any ofthe others. I can see him trying to puzzle it out and can almost hear the cogs turning in his brain as he tries to figure out how to get in. I smirk, and his lips flit up for a brief second before they come back down into his usual serious expression.
“I was always an inquisitive child,” I tell him, pausing when his lips lift again, as if to tell me that doesn’t surprise him. “And one day I came across the old coal room, used as storage for all the product my father sells.” Yep, that’s right, as a kid, I wandered into a room full of drugs without anything to stop me. I mean, the door was locked, but that wasn’t exactly a deterrent. “Anyway, I was poking around and came across what looked like an old coal chute. So, I climbed it, it’s brick-lined so there were some handholds, and was able to push aside the broken manhole cover that covered it at the other end. It opens out onto a courtyard at the back of Judy’s, and no one else knows about it. It’s how I’ve managed to sneak out all these years, including the night your guys picked me up.”
“Clever little Dove,” Aeron praises, his thumb stroking the underside of my jaw. “Is it big enough for us?”
“I think so. I mean, if the girls can fit through, I’m pretty sure your big asses can.”
His eyes dart down to where my breasts are pushing against my green sweater, a gift from Jude who seems to enjoy buying me clothes as my wardrobe keeps growing. He licks his lips, and my breath stutters at the look of heat in their depths.
“So we go down the coal chute, then what?” he questions, ever the leader, not willing to let himself be distracted for too long.
“The coal room is in a room down from the cages.” I shiver at the thought of that room, the lack of windows, the metal cages that are solid iron, and a place that no one leaves alive. Aeron’s arm tightens around me. “We’d need to go through that space and then there’s a door which opens into the main room.”
“Are there any guards?” Knox scrutinizes, and I twist to look at him.
“Honestly, no. My father doesn’t think anyone will ever find him, so they’re only watching the front. And they don’t know about the coal chute.”
“Okay, so we go down the chute, make our way up to the basement level, and then kill everyone inside. I like it!” Jude exclaims, clapping his hands.
“When is the best time to go? When are the most Soldiers there, Dove?” Aeron fires at me, ignoring his brother’s outburst.
“Friday night,” I tell them, looking around at the others in the room for the first time. Aside from Earl, who is not looking at me at all, the others all look like they’re actually considering my words, nodding along. I lick my lips. “That’s when all the Soldiers go there. It’s mandatory. They discuss the upcoming week, initiate any new members and move others up the ranks, collect their product, and party.”
I have to blink away the memories of those parties. Of all the times when I was forced to my back as members celebrated their promotions between my unwilling thighs.
“We’ll kill them all, Dove,” Aeron tells me softly, and I know that I didn’t hide the memories fast enough. He turns me on his lap so that I'm sideways and he can cup my face with his hands and press our foreheads together. “Every fucking last one of them.”
My eyes close, and I feel the tears slip down my cheeks, my attempt to hold them back as futile as trying to stop the sun from rising. He brushes them away with his thumbs, placing a gentle kiss on my lips, then tucking me into his neck.
“We’ll meet in two nights’ time, this Friday, at eleven PM, outside Danny’s Diner. Don’t be fucking late and don’t allow yourself to be followed. Wear dark clothing that you can move in. Bring guns and ammo, any other small weapons that youcan use, but nothing that will slow you down.” He turns to look at one of the Tailors. “Nick, you need to stake out Judy’s from midday. Watch who’s coming and going into that alley, make a note of how many Soldiers will be at this meeting.”
“Yes, boss,” Nick nods, cracking his knuckles.
“They’re really fucking paranoid, they’ll notice if someone is hanging around all day,” I tell him, glancing up and nibbling my lower lip.
“Don’t worry, doll, I’m good at blending in,” Nick replies with a wink and Knox chuckles.
“Yeah, Nick here has a face that even his own mother would forget.”
I look at Nick and realize with a start that Knox is right. Everything about the man is average, unmemorable, from his brown hair to his nothing-special, gray suit.
“Knox, I want you round the back, keeping an eye on the coal chute,” Aeron orders, and Knox inclines his head at Aeron.
“But—” I start, twisting to look at Aeron and shutting my mouth when he gives me a hard glare. I swallow hard. “I don’t like being separated,” I confess, my voice quiet and eyes pleading with him. His glower softens, his hand cupping my cheek.
“If you’re coming with us,”—I nod, letting him know with my stare that no fucking way am I not coming with them—“which you’re insisting on, then I want to make sure it’s safe, and I trust Knox to ensure that.”
