“No, man,” I bark back, “youneed to understand. Alena’s smart. I can’t shadow her without her detecting it. So now we’re friends, minus the fucking.”
Until I make her mine. Until our love can survive my lies. It’s the only way.
“She’ll stay home with Nash,” I add. “His place is a fortress. And me and Mutt will stay with Sire. I’ll say he’s a friend. That I went to his church. Whatever. I have a backstory, so get off my ass and meet me at the club. I got some other shit I need to tell you.”
Axel sighs heavily.
Deep down, he’s a dick because he cares. He hides scars from our evil father, and it’s like he swore he’d be the best father, not a good brother, to me.
Sire’s my eldest brother, and he doesn’t judge. I think it’s because he fears judgment himself, so I can tell him anything.
My other brothers are pretty much the same. We’re so alike that we can be ourselves with each other. They’re just shit at lying, even for a good reason.
But Axel?
He’s loved me like a dad, pushing me like a father. He’s been tough, but he’s always been there. He’s always pulled me into a hug and grumbled, “I’m proud of you, man. Love you.” Though he makes it sound fucking painful to say it.
“What’s wrong?” He calms down about Alena.
“We had a water rescue yesterday. A naked young woman who had escaped her traffickers. They’re using RVs up here to move them around. I’m already on their trail. Ask Jace and Grant. They’ll fill you in.”
I check my speed. We won’t risk tickets or criminal records. Our father could find us that way, so I slow down. Though Alena’s got a lead foot, I know where she’s going. She’ll stop at the convenience store on Folly Beach, and I’ll meet her there at the Slurpee machine.
“But this victim,” I explain. “Her name is Sasha. Or that’s the name she gave. But fuck, she looked familiar, and I don’t know why.”
“Probably because we rescue too many like her,” Axel reasons. “They have a certain look in their eyes, a fear that’s unmatched, and it makes us want to slice the throats of the men who put it there. In fact…” He must be walking along The Battery, the historic seawall in Charleston. I can hear a ship’s horn in the distance. “Sire got some intel. We’re arranging another buy in a couple of months. Florida, I think.”
It’s what we do. Rescue girls and women from the fate our mother suffered. Some people don’t want to admit or stop how a few powerful, evil, untouchable men have destroyed thousands of victims.
Until it’s your daughter.
Even though Nash isn’t our blood brother, he loves our mom. But it’s like our fight means even more to him becausehe has a daughter. He’d kill every man alive for Alena, and I get it.
Though she’s an adult now, Alena is the first child of one of our kings. There will be more. How we rally to protect her from our enemies, Bratva or traffickers, sets a precedent for our future kids. They’ll come after them, too, and the only way to protect them is together.
“Florida? Fuck, man.” I groan, sickened. “Are you serious? More girls?”
Sire gets all the tips. Some of his parishioners are undocumented, and they trust him to help when they’re targeted. They tell him who to go after.
We could stop doing this dangerous shit, but that would be selling out the future of every victim who needs someone fighting for them.
Like Maxim fought for our mom.
“Yeah, man, more girls.” Axel sounds as sick as I feel. “So, we’ll meet at the club, but who’s guarding Alena while we’re there?”
“Easy.” I need to lift the mood, and this does. “She’s going home to visit her dad, then to visit her best friend at work.”
Axel chuckles. “Oh, Nash willlove that. His daughter going to visit Vale at the South’s most exclusive sex shop.”
I share his amusement. “Where Vale, Nash’s secret obsession, unknowingly works with our brothers? Yeah. Tell Jace to stay there. He’s already clued in.”
“Clued and glued.” Finally, Axel’s shooting the shit with me. “Ever notice how Jace is glued to that shop, even when he’snotguarding their door?”
My stomach drops. “You don’t think Jace is into Vale? I mean… she’s Nash’s girl.”
“Uh,Valedoesn’t know that.”
“But Nash does. He’s in love with Vale; we all know it.”
