I didn’t blame him for his scepticism. We’d been in church for an hour, and it was nowhere near long enough for civilians—even ones who’d lived the life the men at the table had—to absorb a crash course in amphibious warfare.
The Folk who’d left us would’ve understood that. But his patience was wearing thin. “I know who was on the boat because I walked every foot of it before we rigged the charges. I’m not as stupid as you’re making me sound.”
Rubi chuckled. “Dude, I don’t think anyone’s thinking you’re the stupid one.”
“It’s true,” Cam said. “But you need to understand that the first we knew about this was last night when Ranger came to tell us about Viktor. Becauseyoupair of tapped cunts decided to wipe out an entire organisation without telling anyone, and it’s taking a minute to get my head around how that shit can happen.”
“Is very simple,” Alexei interjected, his dry words laced with fatigue. “There was a problem and we fixed it. But you should know, we were not aware of how efficient we were to be until Folk infiltrated the vessel and saw who was onboard.”
“Efficient?” Cam’s echo was as bewildered as I felt.
Alexei appeased him with the ghost of his usual leer. “We were counting on Gianni. Maybe a second. It was unexpected that Mario and the others were also present.”
“What the fuck were they all doing there?”
Alexei’s gaze drifted to Folk. “We have not discussed this, but I have some idea of it. Veles may explain it better.”
Somehow Folk looked paler than he had at the side of the road. When I’d thought he was dead. His gaze was distant. Drifting. First around the table, and then to Saint, who fidgeted by the window, before it settled on me, by the exit, where I had to be in case this meeting ever reached the wrong ears.
I had one foot out the door, officer. I didn’t hear a thing.
“They don’t need the money from trafficking,” Folk said eventually, his voice rough with the effort of speaking. Breathless too.He’s not okay.“Think about it. The Sambinis make millions from drugs and construction racketeering. How much do you think shifting a dozen girls around at a time nets them?”
Silence greeted the question.
Loaded.
Sickening.
Mateo reached for Embry as he broke it, a flailing hand that found the safety of his husband. “You saying this was sport for them? Not fucking business?”
Folk shifted in his seat, his discomfort obvious enough that Nash edged closer and passed a water bottle that Folk ignored. “We watched that trawler for months, timing the op for when we knew it would be waiting on the next load of Albanian cargo. It’s a slick operation. They’ve been doing it for longer than most of you have been Kings, swapping blow and smack for teenagers from Eastern Europe and Vietnam. It doesn’t need the attention of every top boy in the family, so for me, there was no reason for those faces to be on that boat unless they were sampling the merchandise.”
Rubi frowned, his big heart struggling to understand the evil Folk described. “Choosing kids for themselves? What happens to the others?”
“They go with the empty ship, across the Atlantic. Or they dump them overboard once the crew are done with them.”
“Fucking hell. And you blew those noncy cunts out of the water?”
“Don’t give me too much credit. I’d have done it anyway.”
“For Rocco?”
Folk shrugged, blinking hard. “What happened to your hair?”
“International Haircut Day.” Rubi waited for Folk to respond.
He didn’t and my heart cried out to cross the room and shield him from whoever interrogated him next.
He’s had enough.Leave him alone.
“What about you?” Rubi turned to Alexei while Nash tried again to coax Folk to take a drink from the water bottle. “This revenge for them fucking with Cam?”
Alexei had slouched while Folk had taken the stand. He was doing better than Folk, but it was relative, and in all honesty, he looked like shit warmed up. “Revenge?” His gaze darted to Embry so fast I couldn’t be sure it happened. “Closure, maybe, is a better word. But in more practical terms, is what I already said. Every war you have fought over the years is because of these people. Romanians, Albanians, Crows, they have come and go. But this family... they are always there somewhere, no?”
“Not anymore.” It was the first time Saint had spoken since church had convened, and he probably hadn’t meant to be funny, but his deadpan delivery eased the tension in the room.
Rubi laughed and it tipped most of the table over the edge.
