“They searched for a specific person—address, info, job, diary, vehicles.”
Eleanor’s? That makes no sense. “Yours,” she mutters, glancing at me and seeing the confusion in my eyes. “They are coming for me through you.”
I can see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to solidify an escape plan from the hundreds she’s got stored in that big brain of hers.
“What did they get?” We need to know so we can form a plan.
Carlson spins his laptop around, and we all stare at the multiple windows displaying a wealth of information on yours truly. Except it’s not. That’s not my address, and he has my diaryindicating I’m in Canada of all places. As well as booked flights for myself, and one Eleanor Austin, dated four days ago.
William catches my eye. “You did this?” I breathe, surprised he’d go to bat for Eleanor too.
“I did as soon as you explained the danger. I will always make moves to protect you.” And by extension, Eleanor.
Eleanor drags her bottom lip between her teeth. “This won’t last forever.”
She isn’t questioning why William would know about her—maybe she deduced it already—but she’s going to remove my balls and hang them in her car like I told Mark.
William drums his fingers on the table as he looks between us both, nodding once his decision is made. “Eleanor, you are with the man I love like a son, meaning you are with family.” She narrows her gaze but doesn’t answer. He’s not fazed by her silence. “Which means you have the full protection of the Desert Reapers. We are a closed town for the most part. Nobody gets in or out without me saying so. If these men come searching here, they will be met with the full force of my club.”
“You are outnumbered and outmatched,” she answers. William might have been offended if she hadn’t said it in a tone that wasn’t accusatory, but factual. Eleanor knows our enemy better than we do, and William knows it.
“How?” Ah, Prez learned she deals in hard cold facts and numbers and is preparing to meet her on the battlefield.
She falls silent. It’s hard sharing when you’ve been fighting alone for so long.
William waits her out, a quiet reassurance of understanding that he isn’t dismissing or taking her concerns lightly.
Eleanor sucks in a long breath before letting it out. “Burnside is part of the biggest sex trafficking organization in the country. The Freedom group is a front for its leader. They have thousands of men enforcing their wishes on a daily basis. Theymove humans around the world like cattle and don’t blink at bloodshed or shy away from murder. They have billions, not millions, of dollars at their disposal, as well as politicians and law enforcement who have a vested interest in ensuring they are never exposed.”
“Sucky blue balls on a stick,” Carlson says.
Indeed. My face hardens, realizing the extent of what Eleanor has been facing alone for years.
“Do they have a passionate family who act out of loyalty and not fear? Fear is easy to dismantle; it’s flimsy, fickle, and weak. Loyalty cannot be broken; it has to be earned. Everyone in this town is loyal to me, and by extension, Hunter. You are his, therefore you have that same protection.”
She opens her mouth, but William holds up his hand, making her snap it closed, her eyes tightening. “It’s not just the Desert Reapers, Eleanor. It’s every interconnected MC in the country. We might feud between ourselves, but we close ranks to the outside world. You threaten one, you threaten us all. We are a global network with vast resources and skills, and we are capable of protecting you.”
Her hands tense as she battles with her emotions. In many ways, what William is saying is comforting, but in so many others, it is not. It’s too reminiscent of cult life without more context. She has to not run so I can prove to her that’s not what we are about.
“I have alerted the surrounding states to a possible threat on the horizon,” William adds. He has? He catches my eye, his face breaking out into a grin. “You were on leave; I was trying not to bother you.”
“Consider this my notice I’m back early.”
I turn to Eleanor and lean my elbows on my knees. “Give me a week. If I can’t convince you this is the best place, we will dowhat you want next. Just promise me you won’t react without thought.”
Carlson pauses in his incessant clicking on the keyboard, dropping the bakery into silence. Even Cheryl has been listening to every word, and now everyone waits with bated breath for Eleanor’s decision.
“Okay,” she breathes.
My shoulders sag and I sigh, the tightness is my chest relaxing a little.
She avoids eye contact with anyone as she battles with her demons in solitude. William gives her one last glance. “You’re coming to the camp out.”
He doesn’t phrase it like a question, because it isn’t. Eleanor nods like she has a clue what he’s saying. He smirks, then rises before dropping a kiss on his wife’s lips. “How long are you going to be?” he asks, brushing some flour from her forehead.
“Not long. I have a few things to do. I’ll see you at home.”
Oh boy. A “few things” are likely going to involve interrogating Eleanor. “Carlson, come on. Let’s get back,” William says as he opens the bakery door.
