“You see, that’s the reason I have to kill the Valente family. Aldo took my mother from me, turned my father into a monster, and abandoned my baby brother to a life alone. I was so happy when we found you because I knew you loved my brother as much as I did. I knew you would spill the blood of anyone who harmed him. Aldo may be his father, but Atlas is a horrible brother. Atlas didn’t protect him from their father. He left Kortez to be beaten and tortured. Atlas allowed Aldo to rip every bit of light from Kortez that I know you loved so dearly.”
I knew Kor didn’t want to talk about what Aldo did to him because it was something cruel but hearing Wade voice it is worse. I can practically see Kortez trying to hold onto his light only to have it slipping through his fingers. Tears burn my eyes as I look at Wade, his bloody hand gripping the bar as his handprint dries on my throat.
“Kortez is your brother.”
Wade gives me a short nod, his eyes flicking between mine as if trying to get a gauge of my emotions but even I can’t tell what I’m feeling.
“He deserves to die, Evie, and you know it.”
I give him a slow nod, my body dropping back down to my filthy cot as my mind begins to shut down. The anger in my voice stays strong, though, as I tell him, “Yes, he does.”
Chapter 41
Atlas
“I don’t care how fucking tired you are! Find her!”
The other end of the phone is silent for a moment, each ticking second a testament to my patience. I know how I sound right now. Crazed. Unhinged. Like a fucking dictator. None of it matters, though.
Eve’s been missing for a week and we have no leads. None of us have slept, including my son who I hear screaming at Roman in the other room.
Seems like his patience has run thin.
Roman’s been busy kicking in warehouse doors and threatening anyone who’s ever even seen Wade with a knife to the throat. I’ve never seen my cousin lose the light in his eyes until the day Eve went missing. Even being exposed to the horrors of growing up with my father never snuffed it out.
Kortez has been locked in his room at Wylder’s, searching through footage from every traffic cam, ATM machine, and doorbells from here to the stateline.
Wylder is searching through Eve’s things, trying to pinpoint anywhere Wade has ever mentioned or they’ve ever met.
And me…I’m waiting on my men to do what I pay them to. I have my personal team working to track down Vivianne. She disappeared right along with her brother, but she’s not used to being invisible and that means she’s going to slip up.
“Jax.” The line stays void of any voices, but I hear a keyboard tapping in the background. “Jax, I know you fucking hear me!”
“Jesus, fuck, Atlas. Give a man a fucking minute will you.” The tapping continues and I have to huff out a laugh.
“You better be glad you’re family or I’d have to put a bullet in you for that.”
Jax married Roman’s sister, Naomi, seven years ago after they met at one of my father’s parties. He’s the son of one of my father’s capo’s, Raul, and despite his father’s connection with my own, Jax belongs solely to me. He got boots on the ground mere hours after I called him with the order to find Eve, knocking out any property connected to Wade or Vivianne with a list courtesy of Kortez.
“If you’re quiet for five minutes you may actually thank me.”
I allow him his time, knowing any information he’s working on has to be important enough for him to call. Of course, he had to begin the conversation telling me how tired he is and test my resolve before giving me any news.
“Why did you call me before you had anything concrete?”
“Because I know I have something and I didn’t wantto waste time. Now shut it.”
The screaming in the other room stops moments before the spare room door flies open to show Abel standing there with angry tears in his eyes.
“I hate him, Atlas! Why won’t he tell me where mom is? Why won’t any of you?” His screaming is directed at me now, as it usually has been the last week.
I set my phone down, placing Jax on speaker and muting my side so he won’t hear me speaking to Abel. I don’t mind my men hearing the softer side of me because I believe it’s important that they see me as a human and not a monster, but this moment is just for me and my son.
“Abel, -“
He gives me a sharp shake of his head. “No! I’m not a baby anymore, Atlas. I deserve to know.”
He’s right, he’s not a baby. He’s nine. The age I was when I killed a man for the first time. I don’t want that for him, though. If he wants in this life when he gets older then that’s a conversation we’ll have with Eve but for right now, I need to preserve whatever innocence I can.
