Lives with aunt and uncle, following death of their parents six years ago. Uncle is her mother’s brother. There's an inheritance to be split between them, don’t know the details.
Both Nova and Mason have had some questionable injuries over the years, more so Nova. Admitted to hospital on more than one occasion with injuries consistent with a beating. Guardians claim that she likes to fight.
School records indicate she was an impeccable student, quiet, never in trouble. Good grades.
Mason, little reserved in school, but again a good student, nothing to indicate either had any issues.
Aunt is a receptionist at a dental surgery. Uncle is a cop.
I'll keep digging and give you a full report in a day or two.
Data.
"Holy shit. Tell me you're not serious about bringing a cop’s family into our clubhouse?" I ask my Prez, shocked as shit at what I've just read.
"Did I not make it clear before?" he bites.
"You did, but, Prez—"
"No buts. They need help and we're going to help them. The car will be here in twenty, they'll park around the back by the loading bays. Let Doc know and make sure you're out there ready and willing." He taps me on the chest then starts to walk away, before stopping and half turning his neck to call back to me. "Oh, and since you're so concerned with our safety and making sure she ain’t a threat, she's gonna be your responsibility. Get her to tell you what the fuck is going on."
"Seriously, Prez?" I yell after him, but it's no good, he just laughs as he continues to walk away.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time I got back to the room, both her and the kid were ready and all discharged. She was so exhausted she could barely walk but refused to let anyone help her. She looked fucking terrified and stressed. If she wasn't so weak, I would have been worried about her bolting with the kid, but the only thing I was worried about was her having another meltdown.
Prez being the dick he is had arranged for my Harley to be picked up and taken back to the Clubhouse, and ordered me to travel with her. He said it would be good for me to help build some trust. But she refused to talk, she kept her eyes on her hands in her lap, while her brother sat staring out the window the entire ride back here.
She was pissed when we got here and realised that her and Mase wouldn’t be sharing a room or even be next to one another. He's on the third floor away from all the shit that goes on down in the main room. He's only nine, he doesn't need to be subjected to that shit. Nova on the other hand has been placed on the second floor, at the far end in one of the spare rooms near the officers of the club. Fucking near me. Prez wasn't kidding when he said that he wanted me to stick to her.
Once I'd shown her to her to room, I'd gone straight down to see Data. I wanted to know what info he had on her and her family, but he wouldn’t give me it. Said that he's been told from Nitro that it had to go to him first. So here I sit, like a fucking child in his office, next to my VP, while we wait for him to read the file Data gave him.
He blows out a breath and throws the file on the desk. He looks between Wrath and I, then shakes his head, getting up to grab a bottle of whiskey, along with three glasses.
"What's in the file, brother?" Wrath asks him as we watch him pour a generous amount of Benriah, The Smoky Twelve.
"Bad shit, brother. Their parents were killed in a home invasion almost six years ago. Custody went to the mother’s brother, although there were some claims from a family friend that she was meant to have both of them, said she was the godparent, that it had been agreed with the mother and father, and that there had been a will. But the only will that could be found was one claiming that custody went to the brother, along with control of their inheritance." He takes a large drink and takes his seat, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on the table.
"Data is still digging, but there is no record of the money going anywhere, it was in a trust, but that seems to have disappeared. Data is also trying to track down this so-called family friend." He zones out, his finger tapping on the side of his glass. Wrath and I exchange a look but don't say anything. We just wait until the boss is ready to tell us.
Fifteen minutes pass in silence before he opens his mouth again. "I think the uncle is a dirty cop." He looks over the rim of his glass at us as he downs the remainder before toppinghimself up. "No concrete proof, but there have been numerous complaints about him using excessive force during arrests. A friend over at the station where he works says there has also been some talk of him taking bribes."
"What kind of bribes?" I ask, cutting Nitro off and earning myself a look. "Sorry."
"He didn't say much, just that some evidence seems to disappear when he's around."
"Maybe he's the sort of guy we should have in our corner, maybe we should give him a call, tell him where his niece and nephew are—"
"What the fuck?" I snap. "We brought her here to protect her, and you want to hand her over without knowing what we're handing her over to?" I'm raging.
"Calm down, Ice," Nitro tells me. "She isn't going anywhere, we're not handing her over. Wrath, she's been in hospital a couple of times, I'm not sure her aunt and uncle aren't responsible for it."
"What? You're serious?" Wrath asks, shocked.
"Yeah. They've both been pretty guarded, won't tell us where their parents are. And she freaked when she thought that they had been found. I know it's a risk having them here, but she needs to be monitored for the next twenty-four hours at least."
He leans forward on his desk, resting his elbows on it. "Ice, I know you're pissed that I've asked you to stick to her, but they need to be able to trust someone, and right now that kid trusts you—"
