Jesse spit on the ground, his saliva tinged pink with blood. “I don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Let me break it down in simple terms. Your dad is a double-crossing scum bucket who had his best friend killed to keep his little dirty secret. Your pops is into more than boosting cars for profit. He has a lucrative and perverse side gig of kidnapping and selling girls to a unique clientele.”
Jesse’s face contorted. “What are you talking about? Human trafficking? No fucking way.”
The pen in Raine’s hand stopped clicking. “Those girls who have gone missing over the last year… What do you think happened to them?”
“I wouldn’t have an idea. I don’t even listen to the news,” Jesse argued.
Maddox snorted. “I find it hard to believe that you didn’t have an inkling of suspicion that your father was up to something. That you didn’t hear or see anything that struck you as odd and unusual.”
A glimmer in his eyes gave him away.
Maddox pounced, his shoulders straightening. “You have noticed something. Who’s to say you’re not involved. Like father, like son.”
“Fuck you,” Jesse spat.
“Fuck me?” Maddox repeated. “How about fuck you. Not that itmatters because we will find out if you’re involved or not. We have a witness.”
I had yet to talk to her, but she was next on my list. Kenny and the pussy best friend, Carson. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him. “And if she so much as has even a speck of doubt about you, it’s good enough for me to condemn you,” I added. We hadn’t found the connection yet, the thread that would unravel this whole web of corruption and lead us straight to where they were keeping her, but I would.
Jesse shook his head. “You got it wrong, Corvo.”
I glared at him, and something cold and calculating crystallized in my mind. And it clicked. I didn’t need a paper trail or digital breadcrumbs. I didn’t need hidden files or coded messages.
I had something better.
I had blood.
Rusty’s son. His flesh and legacy, sitting right there within arm’s reach.
I took a slow, deliberate step forward, my boots scraping against the dusty concrete. “Move your ass, Viper boy,” I ordered.
Jesse blinked, confusion glinting across his bruised features. “I’m good where I’m at.”
“I’m not giving you a choice. You’re coming with us.”
He gave a hoarse, bitter laugh. “You’re serious?” He pushed himself to his feet with obvious effort, wincing as his ribs protested the movement. “You think my dear old dad’s gonna give a single shit if I disappear with the Ravens? You really don’t know him at all, do you?” His grin was all teeth and no humor. “He’d give me up without blinking twice. Probably send you a goddamn thank-you card for taking me off his hands.”
“Touching,” I deadpanned. “Really brings a tear to the eye. We can bond over our shared daddy trauma later. Maybe I’ll get us matching friendship bracelets to commemorate the moment.” I invaded his personal space until he could feel the heat radiating from my body, until there was no mistaking the violence simmeringbeneath my controlled exterior. “But right now?” I reached out and tapped a single finger against his temple, the gesture almost gentle if you ignored the promise of brutality behind it. “You’re leverage. You’re a piece on the chessboard, and I just decided to move you into play. So you better pray that, somewhere in that black hole where his heart should be, your old man still gives half a fuck about keeping you breathing.” I smiled, the kind of expression that belonged in nightmares. “Because if he doesn’t give a damn about your continued existence... Well, let’s just say you’ll get a very personal demonstration of exactly how creative I can get when I’m properly motivated.”
“You’re going to regret this,” Jesse ground out as Mason and Maddox moved in.
“I highly doubt it. Regret isn’t an emotion I possess.” Except where Kaylor was concerned. I had too many fucking regrets when it came to her.
3
KAYLOR
Imust have passed out on the bathroom floor.
One minute, I’d been curled near the toilet, knees drawn to my chest, clutching my ribs. The next…I was waking up to darkness, my cheek pressing against cold tile. My body was stiff and aching, muscles screaming in protest when I tried to move.
For a second, I didn’t know where I was. The disorientation had my mind floating somewhere between consciousness and dreams. Through the haze, I swore I heard a voice, but as I listened, my memories unfortunately returned.
A cold wave of dread washed over me, raising goose bumps along my arms.
I pushed myself up, muscles shaking with the effort. My palms slipped slightly on the tile. I blinked away the fuzziness clouding my vision, trying to force my eyes to adjust. The only light came from the sliver beneath the bathroom door. I was about to crawl back toward the bed when I heard the whisper again, clearer this time.
