He was already on his feet when Ghost called his burner. “Your problem just got worse,” Ghost said without preamble. “There is a man who is claiming to be Aurora’s father who contacted the Iron Vipers.” Nitro went still, looking around the room to make sure that Aurora couldn’t hear Ghost on the other end of the call. He knew better than putting his club’s Enforcer on speaker because the guy had no filter. When it came to bad news, he’d give it to you straight, and right now, Aurora didn’t need that from him.
“How did he reach out?” he asked.
“Old-school,” Ghost replied. “He walked into the clubhouse, not wearing a cut or any colors. He was running on fear and desperation.” Ghost paused, “She says that he wants to talk to his daughter.” Nitro closed his eyes. Today was really turninginto a shit storm, and he felt as though he and Aurora were at the center of it.
Of course, her father wanted to talk to her. The Saints had no idea where they were hiding away, but if she met with her dad, they’d be able to track her. He was bait, and if Aurora took it, she’d end up right back with the Saints. He’d never let that happen. He planned on never letting her go again, not that he had told her that—but he would.
“Where is he now?” Nitro asked.
“We have him,” Ghost said. “I’m the only person he’s talked to, and I haven’t told him shit—and I don’t plan on it either. You tell me how you want to play this, and that’s how it’s going to go down.” Nitro exhaled slowly, already calculating damage with each scenario that ran through his head. None of them ended well for him and Aurora, and that wasn’t acceptable.
“I don’t want him anywhere near her,” Nitro said.
“Too late for that,” Ghost replied. “Word traveled faster than we wanted, and we might not be able to keep them from meeting, man. Not unless we want trouble from the Saints.” Nitro turned just as Aurora stepped into the doorway. He could tell by the expression on her face that she’d heard enough of his conversation with Ghost.
Her face was pale, eyes bright with something fragile and dangerous all at once. “It’s about my father, isn’t it?” she said quietly.
“Hold on, Ghost,” he ordered. Nitro crossed the room in three strides. “You don’t need to worry about it,” Nitro insisted. “You’re not seeing him.”
She lifted her chin. “I need to see him. It’s the only way to end all of this. If he settles his debt, I’ll no longer belong to the Saints. Maybe they’ll stop coming for me—for us.”
“That’s exactly what the Saints want,” Nitro snapped, then caught himself. He lowered his voice. “Aurora, listen to me. Thisisn’t about closure. This is leverage. They are using your father to get to you, and I won’t let that happen.”
Her hands trembled at her sides. “You don’t know that. What if I can convince him to pay his debt, and they’ll leave me alone? Isn’t that worth a shot?” He didn’t want to tell her that she was never going to be free from the Saints. He didn’t want to take away her hope, but seeing her father was a horrible idea. He didn’t want to help her; otherwise, he would have done so years ago.
“I know clubs like the Saints,” Nitro said grimly. “I know traffickers. They don’t let assets go without a hook in the water. This is their way of fishing for you, and I won’t let them catch you, Aurora.”
“He’s my father,” she whispered. “I should at least hear him out.”
Nitro’s chest tightened. “He sold you to the Saints without a second thought. You owe him nothing.” The words landed hard between them, and he felt bad about that. She flinched—but didn’t look away. He had to hand it to her; she was as tough as they came, but Nitro had a feeling that she had to be after everything that she had been through.
“I know,” she said. “I never heard him admit it.” Her voice cracked. “I need to hear the truth. Everything that I’ve been told—it was all from the Saints. I need to hear the words from my father. I need him to admit what he did to me. It’s the only way that I’m going to be able to move forward.”
Nitro dragged a hand through his hair, anger and fear warring inside him. “The truth doesn’t always come out, honey. What happens if he doesn’t tell you what you need to hear?”
She stepped closer. “If he wants to talk to me, I want to face him. I need to do this, Nitro. I’ve had men making decisions for me my entire life. I need to make this choice on my own.” Nitrostared at her, seeing things more clearly now. This wasn’t about forgiveness. This was about reclaiming her power.
He held the phone back up to his ear. “Ghost,” Nitro said into the phone, never breaking eye contact with Aurora. “Lock it down. Nobody moves without my word. I won’t bring her in—not yet, and not without some guarantees.”
Ghost sighed. “You already know what I’m gonna say.”
“Yeah,” Nitro replied. “But I’m still saying no. This is a fucking awful idea, and I won’t be rushed into anything. We need to buy some time.”
Aurora reached for his arm. “Nitro?—”
He softened immediately at her touch. “If you walk into this blind, you could die. I won’t let that happen. We’re going to take our time and think about our next move.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “If I don’t do this, I’ll always be his prisoner.” That hit harder than any threat from her father or the Saints.
Nitro turned away, pacing the room as he tried to figure out his next move. “All right,” he said finally. “Let’s say that I agree with you about talking to your father. Will you agree that we do this my way?”
Her breath hitched. “You’ll let me talk to him?” He wanted to point out that he wasn’t going to allow her to do anything. Honestly, she was the one calling the shots, as much as it pained him.
“I’ll control the meeting, but I don’t like any of this,” he corrected. “We’ll do this on neutral ground. No phones. No vehicles. And I want a full perimeter surveillance of our guys. I’m calling in a few favors from my military buddies, too. You’re never going to be alone with him. I’ll be by your side the whole time.” He knew that he was making a lot of demands, but it was the only way that he’d be comfortable with her having this meeting with her father.
“And if he lies?” she asked. “Or betrays me to the Saints?”
“Then we end the conversation,” Nitro said coldly. “And I burn down his entire world. I’ll make sure that he’ll never be able to betray you ever again, honey.”
