“And some come to me.” Devon speaks then, gaining my attention, and I glare at the man that tried to kidnap me in the alley outside Leather and Lace.
“So you kidnap people to save them?” I hiss, and a slow, sinister smirk tugs at his lips.
“Sometimes.”
My brows shoot up because I wasn’t being serious, but everything in the way he responded tells me heisbeing serious.
When my gaze flicks to Ringo, I see him smirking too, reminding me that kidnapping me to save me was exactly what he did.
God… these men.
“Why do you want to help me?” I ask, dragging my gaze back to Devon as a shiver ripples up my spine.
I swear, if the Devil could take human form, it would be in that man.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t in a position to help when you first went into Ringo’s care.” Amanda speaks this time, placing her cup of coffee on the table. “Hush has made sure we are aware daily that we fucked up. And she’s right. We should have thrown more money at the politicians or border cops and whisked you across the other side of the country. Our resources were stretched thin during the lockdowns, but we want to help, and this has gone on for too long already. It’s time to reunite you and your little girl, so you both can start living your lives together.”
A lump forms in the back of my throat, because I want that, but also, I’m terrified of it as well.
What if I’m a bad mother?
“If thereisa mole in the Marx crew or the Southern Sadists,” Bec continues for her sister. “Then we are your best bet. We can make things happen in the background that the others won’t know about.”
When I glance next to me where Dee is sitting, she offers me a slight smile and nods in reassurance. I trust her, I really do, but I don’t trusteveryonein this room.
My gaze shifts up the table to Riggs. He has done nothing to make me question his trust. Hell, he’s been watching over my sister and I’ve trusted him completely. But now… I’m questioning everything. Everyone.
Like, could the mole be one of Ringo’s sisters? Millie tolerates me, but that’s about it. Or what about Ringo’s team? JD. Murf. Trunk. Stocky.
What about Mex and Vender? There are so many possibilities.
“So what do we do? Elizabeth isn’t meant to call for two more days, but by then, it might be too late.” I all but panic, and Ringo’s warm hand slides onto my thigh, giving my leg a gentle squeeze of support.
“We’ll get our hackers and cyber wiz to work day and night until they locate Elizabeth Stone,” Griffin declares. “We already have them working on accessing the data for the last call between Daniel and his mum. We will find them, Abbey. We promise.”
“I need you to promise me something else,” I add, and Griffin nods, like he’s willing to do whatever it takes. “If one of your men is the mole,” my eyes flick to Riggs before returning to Griffin, “youwillkill them yourself, in front of me, so I know they have been dealt with.”
Devon chuckles next to his cousin. “I like her.”
“Consider it done, Abbey. We don’t tolerate snakes in our ranks.” Griffin nods.
“Would you feel more comfortable if I’m reassigned?” Riggs speaks up, and I glance at Ringo for assistance, but he just shrugs.
“It’s up to you, Angel.”
Licking my lips, I stand from my chair, slowly moving to the end of the table where Riggs is sitting.
He shifts in his chair, watching me, and I study his face for any sign of betrayal. I don’t see anything amiss, but that doesn’t mean he’s not hiding something. I’ve been gullible before, and people lie. Some too well.
I don’t quite know what to do here. Do I just take everyone’s word for it? Do I risk the safety of Bobbi by accepting that Riggs isn’t considered a threat by anyone else?
I’ve trusted him with Tahli. Trusted that he would keep her safe. And he has. But Tahli isn’t the target. Bobbi is.
I’m getting paranoid. I know that. But shit. I have to do everything I can to protect my little girl, so if I step over the line, it’s only because there’s this wildness inside me that would do just about anything to protect her.
My gaze drops down the front of Riggs’ black vest. It’s some sort of combat vest, with pockets and whatnot. It’s padded, so it’s hard to tell if he’s hiding anything underneath.
There could be more weapons or… a camera or tracker…
