I’m surprised when we step into the conference room and most of my friends are there. Most of Voss’ brothers and uncles. As we take our seats, Briar, Uncle Noaz, and Emerson join us. Last to come in are Rhodes, Bennett, and the pack of wolf dogs.
Okay, I’m going to call them like I see them. They’re dire wolves taken right out of history. I’m as intimidated by them as I am enthralled.
“Go say hi,” Rhodes says as soon as they step into the room, and immediately the wolves turn from alert to house dogs with their tails wagging and tongues sticking out as they trot around the table to find someone to love them.
Bennett beams as he takes a seat. “Such sweet puppies,” he says on a sigh. I’ve heard him say those same three words maybe a hundred times now.
I’m not the only one who finds it amusing, though. Puppies. Right.
“We’re all here,” Jalon says. “Good. Let’s begin with what happened at the reserve. Voss?”
“I found the man who runs it. He’s a billionaire who’s been known to donate heavily to political candidates in favor of the death sentence, forceful removal of immigrants—legal or not—and would like to ‘bring back’ the cruelty in which the LGBTQIA+ population has been treated in the past. He has a private island off the Florida Keys, which is why his IP was bouncing off there, though he’s from Oklahoma,” Voss says.
“Noted. Where is he now?” Jalon asks.
Voss looks at the triplets. “I gave him to Ellory to play with.”
My eyebrows rise. What does that mean?
Ellory grins. “I’m tag teaming with Malcolm and Azlan. It’s Azlan’s turn.”
Jalon inclines his head. “Anyone else involved besides this single man?”
Voss shakes his head. “Not that I can find. We haven’t shut down the website, though. I’m monitoring those who are booking and researching those who have booked in the past. I’m disgusted to tell you that this operation has been live for five years. That’s based solely on the identification numbers they brand their prisoners with. There’s a lot to unpack here.”
“Very good. Rhodes?”
“We played out the rest of the scheduled hunts, and the world is now safe from at least twenty-three nasty people. I’ve set up trail cams all over the place, particularly around the barracks, lodges, and branding shed. They’re Voss’ cams, so they’ll transmit what they find via satellite every twenty-four hours, and they hide far better into the surroundings than your typical trail cam, so we’ll see even if law enforcement begins poking around long before they realize the cameras are in place.”
“The guards?” Jalon asks.
I frown. Voss frowns. Rhodes frowns.
“They’re in our custody.” He meets Voss’ eyes. “It’s like you said. They’re clearly guilty, but they haven’t actually hurt anyone. They enabled the situation, which makes them guilty of a lot of crimes, but… yeah, I don’t know. They freely answer everything. They’re helpful when we want information. Strangely, Malcolm seems to be fond of a couple.” Rhodes shakes his head. “I don’t know. This can’t be my choice. If anything, it needs to be Malcolm’s or Brek’s. They lived through that shit; I didn’t.”
Many eyes turn to me, and my shoulders tense.
Jalon inclines his head. “No need to think about it right now.” He smiles reassuringly at me. “Let’s talk about Malcolm. Seems to me like he’s not ready to go back to his life.”
Rhodes shakes his head. “I think he’s too damaged from this.” He glances around the table, particularly at my friends and me, before continuing. “I think he’d make a good employee in the contract department. He’s already missing from the world, and his eyes have been opened to the darkness that lurks right under our noses.”
“Thank you for your recommendation. I’ve had the same from Wade and Voss. Once Malcolm makes his way here, we’ll have a conversation.” Jalon looks around the table. “Now, the reason I’ve asked everyone here. In our rush to find Brek, we asked you to help us by using a very sensitive tool, and I’m sure you’re left with a lot of questions considering we haven’t discussed anything since we located Brek.”
Jessica and Levis are nodding in agreement.
“This conference room in particular is isolated and insulated. We’re in complete privacy. There are a handful of rooms like this within my office building and at the big house. What I’m going to tell you is in complete confidence. I need your agreement on this.”
My friends exchange looks, though Haze, Briar, and Oakley look relatively unconcerned. Unsurprised. They already know what’s about to be shared.
“Yes,” Honey Bee says. “I agree.”
The rest of my friends agree, and when the table looks at me, I agree as well.
“I don’t know how much you’re aware of the circumstances surrounding me taking my sons away from their mother, but the situation at home reached a point where Loren felt the need to protect his brothers from their mother by brandishing a butcher knife and becoming a barrier between them and her. This is the scene I came home to. I admit that I’d wanted to believe my wife throughout the years we were married when she assured me she loved all our sons the same and that she was treating them well. At that moment, with my youngest son protecting his older brothers with a knife, I realized how wrong I’d been. I took my boys away from there and brought them here.
“You’re also aware Loren is a sociopath. I’m sure that in learning this, you’ve done your research on what that means. One of the character traits of a sociopath is that they’re prone to violence. While Loren had never hurt anyone up to that moment I walked in on, I also knew it had likely been a catalyst for more of those moments, and as he got older, he’d likely be less able to control himself in holding back.”
I’m not the only one who eyes Loren. He doesn’t appear to be listening as he leans back in his seat and absently plays with Oakley’s hair, staring at his father. Or… through his father.
