“I know she’s got a fucking point. Iknow.” I slam the pan of eggs down on the metal grate, my exhaustion splinteringthe usual tight control I have on my emotions. “But we’ve got a traitor in the Irish, traffickers in the city, and the fucking Russians and Italians breathing down our necks. It’s not the right time.” I bite out each syllable.
Aidan’s jaw clenches, but he finally nods in agreement.
I sigh. “Where are we at with the warehouse?’
It’s Liam who speaks up this time. “We’re at a standstill. We know the Italian Consigliere’s involved, since it was his warehouse that we found the girls in, but we know their Capo’s stance on the trade.”
It’s true. Cole DeLuca, though the same age as me, has been Capo since he was eighteen years old and has always stood firmly against selling bodies.
“So, is Cole stepping into the dark side, or is Matteo stepping out on Cole?” Alex asks.
My eyes slide to Aidan, watching his face closely. “Matteo’s set to marry Adrik Kostalov’s daughter this weekend. Forging a blood alliance between the Italians and the Bratva.” The latter have made a lot of money selling skin. “Unlikely coincidence.”
Aidan’s jaw ticks but he says nothing.
“Did you get anything useful out of the girls we found in the warehouse?” I dump the pan of eggs on the table and crash into one of the chairs while they dig in.
It’s Alex who speaks this time. “Not really, aside from that they were all grabbed within 24 to 48 hours of being taken to the warehouse. All local.”So they are after American product.“We checked the rest of Matteo’s warehouses but found nothing. His warehouse wasn’t set up for holding girls. They had to be moving them somewhere else.”
“Briar’s local,” I muse, not realizing I’ve said the words aloud until I notice all three of my brothers staring at me, their silence pointed.
“Briar, was it?” Liam’s brow rises as he bites down on a forkful of eggs.
I ignore him. “Any intel on why they targeted the girls they took?”
“Likely hand-picked.” Alex confirms one of my fears. “Young, pretty, and poor; girls unlikely to be reported missing. Most of them are either brand new to the city or traveling from out of town.”
I run back over what I know about Briar, which isn’t much. She’s a dancer—ballet specifically. I’d thought she came from money, but then I remember her tiny apartment in that shitty-ass neighborhood. I might have been wrong about that, but she definitely has family and ties to the city.
“And the guard?” I ask. While we were sorting out the warehouse, another one of the Italians showed up for his shift. My guys have been working him over to wring out what information they can.
“Low level,” Liam tells me. “Knew little, but confirmed the girls were inventory for an upcoming auction.”
That piques my interest and I lean forward. “When?”
Alex shakes his head. “Sometime soon, but of course he’s not high enough up to know specifics.”
“This ring goes deep. The cops found all the trafficking evidence we left behind in the warehouse, along with our anonymous tip, and buried it.” Liam frowns.
“What do our cops have to say?”
“Nobody knows anything.”
I scoff, not believing that for a second. “Lean on them.”
Liam smiles. “I can do that.”
“And we need in on that auction.” So far we’ve raided a few warehouses and clubs that have been trafficking girls, but it doesn’t seem to matter. For every one we take out, two more popup in its place. The only way to handle this is to rip it out by its roots, find the head of the snake and kill it.
26
WATCHED
BRIAR
Now
I can’t sleep.
