“How’s that going?”Raven’s gaze slid to Delilah, then back to him.“I’m betting you didn’t get much sleep last night.”He lifted one brow.
“Fuck you.I got some sleep, but I got a lot of research done, too.This is a huge undertaking.I’d like to enlist some of my contacts, men I know I can trust, to help with different elements.If we contact some of our allied clubs, I think we can get everyone housed and cared for, at least until they can move on, whether to start lives of their own or whatever.”
“How many are we talking about?”
Hawkeye hadn’t been able to get a good estimate from online research, and he’d refused to wake Delilah to ask.But that was then.
“How many men would you guess are in Jericho, little dove?”
She looked at him a moment then tilted her head back and seemed to focus on the ceiling.“There are twenty-seven elders.Elders are men of marriageable age.Of course, all of this is as of the last time I was there, almost eight months ago now.No telling how accurate it might be now.”
Hawkeye glanced at Raven before asking the question he was afraid to know the answer to.“What’s marriageable age for the men?Fifteen?”He knew that wouldn’t be right.There was no way those men would tolerate young men competing for the girls they wanted for themselves.
Delilah shook her head.“Thirty.A man has to prove that he can properly care for and provide for his wives and children before they’re allowed to marry.”
“Who decides they’ve proven that?”
“Father Monro and his bishops.”She met his gaze without looking away immediately or blushing.She might only have been with him a couple of days, but he liked the changes he saw in her.
“How many men between fifteen and thirty?”
“That’s harder.”She rolled her lips inward and bit them, making Hawkeye want to pull them loose then kiss the sting away.He kept his hands to himself, not wanting to embarrass her.
“Why?”
“Because the elders send the younger men out into he outside world to prove themselves.They go to make money to support the community.”
Raven watched her for a moment, then spoke.“Once they leave, do they ever come back?”
Delilah opened her mouth but didn’t say anything.She turned and looked at him with wide eyes, as if some idea had only just occurred to her.“Not that I can recall.I never had much interaction with any of them.It was considered inappropriate.But I would see them, I knew who they all were.Now that I think about it, I can’t name a single man who was sent out to prove themselves, that ever came back later and took a wife or more.What happened to them?”
“I’m not sure but if you’ll give me names, I’ll do some looking.”
She nodded.“Also, when I left I think there were somewhere between three and six men that age, at least I can remember seeing about that many.”
“Good.That gives us somewhere to start,” Raven said.“Any guesses on how many women and children?”
“Give me a few minutes and I can get you some numbers.I’ll have to go through each family in my head and count them up.”She turned to address the president.
Taylynn opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a notebook and pen.“Let’s get started on that.”she turned to Raven.“You want us to move into church or you want to leave us here while you go in there?”
If his old lady running him out of his office bothered Raven, the closest he came to letting it show was to lift his brows at her.He kept that expression for maybe five seconds before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.“You know you’re not allowed in there.We’ll go.”He tapped her leg and she stood, then he followed suit.As soon as he’d moved, Taylynn sank back down into the chair.Hawkeye watched Delilah for a moment, wanting to be sure she was okay with him leaving her here.
“They’ll be in the next room.”Taylynn waved one hand in the direction of the room where the club met to discuss business.“No one will bother us here.But I can ask one of the prospects to stand by the door if you’d feel safer?”
Delilah shook her head.“It’s fine.Plus, Hawkeye put them to work.They’re cleaning the other room.I’m fine here.”She turned to Hawkeye.“I’m good.You can go ahead.”
He nodded once then stood.At least he would only be in the next room, in case she needed him for some reason.He followed Raven out the door and into Church.Raven took his usual seat at the head of the table.Rather than sit in his spot, Hawkeye took the one closer to Raven’s.
“Taylynn didn’t want to upset your girl by talking the details of taking down Jericho in front of her,” Raven said, breaking the silence.“Tell me more about your plan.Who are these contacts and how do we know we can trust them?”
“Some of them are a part of other clubs, others are hackers I’ve worked with in the past.”He didn’t want to tell his president everything he did with them, but if he had to, he would.“Sometimes, when one of us has a big job or something we’re in a rush for, some of my friends will divide it up into smaller pieces, each taking what they’re best at, and making short work of it.I’ve done enough for them over the years to know they’ll be on board with this and they’ll do everything they can to help.From hacking bank accounts and moving money, making sure trails and evidence can be found if we’re looking to convict or making any evidence we were involved disappear if we take a more permanent route.”
Raven was quiet for a moment.“What’s our personal risk?”
“Minimal, unless we go for a permanent solution.”
“How do you feel about no permanent solution?”
