He waited for all of us to get settled around the kitchen table before he started to speak.
“When I got back to my office after picking up Bess at the coffee shop, Celia told me there was a man waiting for me in my office. He introduced himself as a friend of the Vasquez family. I didn’t have a point of reference so assumed he was a member of the church I hadn’t met yet. But instead…” Pastor Trammer folded his hands together and looked me right in the eye. “He explained the Vasquez family had an arrangement with the man who held this position before me. They used one of the outbuildings for storage and in return offered protection to Pastor Jennings and his family.”
“Protection from what?” Bess tore her gaze from her father to look at me. Confusion and pain clouded her gorgeous green eyes.
Her mother rested her hand on top of Pastor Trammer’s.
“Protection from them,” the pastor mumbled.
“What do they need to store?” Bess’s mom asked.
“He said it was best if we didn’t know.”
I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I had to ask the question anyway. “Did he say what would happen if you didn’t cooperate?”
The pastor swallowed hard and looked toward Bess. “He said I had a beautiful daughter.”
Rage consumed me. I’d heard rumors about the Vasquez family expanding operations and moving more than drugs along the route they’d established. Last year, law enforcement in a town about a hundred miles south of us set up a sting in an attempt to bust them for drugs but found about two dozen young women crammed into the back of a semi instead. Since then, the family had been lying low, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’d started trafficking people again.
“We have to go.” Mrs. Trammer got up from the table and paced the kitchen. “We can move back to Brady or maybe somewhere in Oklahoma. You can’t let them use the church property. That would make you an accomplice to whatever illegal activity they’re engaged in, wouldn’t it?”
“I signed a contract. If we leave before my three years are up, I’ll have to pay back the bonus they gave me.” Pastor Trammer looked like a man on the verge of losing everything. “We already spent that money on Bess’s tuition.”
“Surely they’ll understand these are extenuating circumstances,” Mrs. Trammer said. Her eyes filled with tears that trailed down her cheeks.
“He said we can’t do anything to raise suspicion. We’re supposed to go about our normal business and not pay any attention to what we see or hear happening in the buildings at the back of the property.” The pastor stood and pulled his wife into his arms. “It’s the only way to keep Bess safe.”
I’d taken the seat next to Bess when we all sat down at the table. She hadn’t moved for the past couple of minutes except to slide her hands into her lap and clasp them together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. I kept my eyes trained on her dad as I covered her hands with one of mine. No one was going to touch her. They’d have to go through me first, and I’d built up a reputation of not being easy to take down.
She squeezed my hand, hopefully taking the comfort I was trying to offer.
“What do you think, Triton?” Drak asked.
I was way beyond the ability to look at the situation objectively, though no one besides Bess would ever suspect it. “Sounds like we ought to go along with their plan for the time being. We’ll need to get Bess somewhere safe until we can contact law enforcement and find out how they want to handle things.”
“They said no police,” Pastor Trammer said.
“There are a few guys in the club who are on the force.” Chance nodded at the preacher. “They’re familiar with the Vasquez family and will know how to move forward.”
“Chance, can you let them know what’s going on and that we need to be extremely discreet?” I trusted him and all of my fellow Rebel Hearts to take appropriate action.
“What about Bess?” Mrs. Trammer asked.
I’d never had more than a professional relationship with a client, but I had to be the one who stayed with Bess. My schedule was wide open, and I was the best man for the job. Even though I’d trust any one of the Rebel Hearts with my own life, I wouldn’t be able to handle knowing one of my MC brothers was keeping an eye on her.
“If you trust me to take care of your daughter and Bess is willing to go with me,”—I turned my head slightly to check her reaction—“I’ve got a place in mind where she’ll be safe.”
“Where?” Paster Trammer asked.
“It’s best if you don’t know the details.”
“We’re just supposed to let you take her away without knowing where you’re going?” Mrs. Trammer walked over and set her hands on Bess’s shoulders.
“Angela, I’m not sure we have a choice.” Pastor Trammer’s voice cracked as he put a hand on my shoulder. “Promise me you won’t let anything happen to her.”
I turned to face him and looked him straight in the eye. “I’ll protect her with my life.”
CHAPTER6
