"I'm impressed by your persistence," Castellano continues. "Most journalists would've backed off after the first attempt on their life. But not you. You kept digging, kept pushing, kept causing problems."
"That's my job. Exposing monsters like you."
He laughs, the sound devoid of humor. "Monsters. Such a simple way to view the world. You don't understand the service I was providing, the demand I was meeting. Those girls would've ended up exploited somewhere regardless. I simply made it profitable."
"You destroyed lives for money. Twenty girls who'll never be the same because you sold them like property." My voice is shaking with rage. "You're going to pay for what you've done."
"Am I? Because from where I'm sitting, I'm free and you're trapped in an outlaw clubhouse waiting for me to make my next move." His voice drops, taking on a darker edge. "Here's what's going to happen, Ms. Langley. You're going to call off your investigation. You're going to tell the FBI you made mistakes, that your evidence was flawed. And in return, I'll let you live."
"Go to hell."
"I expected you'd say that. Which is why I've taken out insurance." Background noise on his end, then a woman's scream. "Say hello, Sarah."
My roommate's voice comes through the line, terrified and sobbing. "Ava, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. They took me when I went outside for air, I didn't think anyone could get past the gates, I'm sorry..."
The line cuts back to Castellano. "You have forty-eight hours to recant your investigation and destroy your evidence. If you comply, Sarah lives. If you don't, well, you know what happens to girls in my line of work."
The call ends.
For a moment, no one speaks. Then Ice Pick's roaring orders, brothers are mobilizing, Condor's fingers are flying across his keyboard trying to trace where the call originated. But I'm frozen, my mind unable to process what just happened.
Sarah. They have Sarah. My friend, my innocent civilian friend who got dragged into this because she made the mistake of being my roommate.
"Ava." Ice Pick's hands are on my shoulders, his face in my line of sight. "Look at me. We're going to get her back."
"How? We don't even know where she is. Castellano could have her anywhere." My voice is breaking, panic setting in. "He's going to kill her. He's going to do to her what he did to all those other girls, and it's my fault."
"This is not your fault. This is Castellano being a psychopath." His grip tightens. "But we're going to find her. We're going to bring her home."
"How can you promise that?"
"Because I won't stop until she's safe. None of us will." He looks around the room at his brothers, all of them grim-faced and ready for war. "The Saints Outlaws don't leave people behind. Sarah's under our protection now, whether she knows it or not."
Vulture steps forward. "Condor, pull everything we've got on Castellano's properties. Known associates, businesses, anywhere he might stash a hostage. Sterling, coordinate with Robert and Agent Forrister. They need to know about this development."
"Already on it," Condor says, screens filling with information.
"Ice Pick, you stick with Ava. She doesn't leave your sight." Vulture’s voice is hard. "Everyone else, gear up, we're going hunting."
The room explodes into organized chaos, brothers moving with practiced efficiency. But I'm still frozen, still trying toprocess the fact that my best friend's been kidnapped by a trafficking kingpin because of me.
Ice Pick pulls me against his chest, his arms wrapping around me tight. "I know you're scared. I know this feels impossible, but we're going to fix this."
"You can't know that."
"Yes, I can. Because the alternative's not acceptable." He tilts my face up. "Sarah's going to be okay. I promise you that."
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
"Then I'll keep this one." His mouth finds mine in a kiss that's desperate and fierce. "I'm not letting Castellano win. Not when he's threatening what's mine."
"Sarah's not yours."
"But you are, and she matters to you, which means she matters to me." He pulls back. "Now come on we've got work to do."
And despite everything, despite the fear and the guilt and the overwhelming sense that this is all spiraling out of control, I let him pull me back to the computers.
Because he's right about one thing.
