What I needed was someone on the inside to reach out.
We Crows weren’t exactly known for being good men, but we were known for being against trafficking. I wanted these women to be safe.
Maybe that would give us enough credit to find the information we needed.
In a moment of desperation, I logged into one of the old forums I frequented. It had been a while, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to dig my heels back into the hacking community.
The dark web wasn’t just for crime, it was also for sharing information. If you knew the right people, you could get the answers you needed, especially without alerting anyone that you were looking.
“Get some rest.”
Ronan’s deep voice behind me nearly launched me out of my chair. I’d been so locked in, I had to blink several times when I turned around, my vision too blurry to make him out.
The alpha’s lips were pressed into a displeased line. I could tell he was wearing thin, trying to navigate between Nikolai’s obsessive need to find Aries and my own obsession with seeking answers.
I guess we were nothing if not predictable.
“I’m close. I found the edges of this village, I think,” I said, already starting to argue.
“You can barely sit upright,” he said definitively. “No more caffeine. Take a nap, and everything will fall into place. You can’t run on empty.”
I didn’t argue, I simply stared at him for a moment. Because we both knew damn well I could. I’d done it many times.
Why was this any different?
Before I could argue, my phone rang, a call coming in from an unknown number.
I hadn’t been shy about searching and it seemed I hit a mark somewhere along the lines. My contacts would always guard themselves, so I answered.
“Hello?”
The voice on the other end was distorted, but definitely female.
“I know about the community you’re looking for, but we don’t just hand out information to anyone.”
“I understand that, but I have eleven girls here in need of an escape. We took out the ringleader in this area that was holding them, and most of the group wanted to return home. We’re working on that, but some are very adamant about this community. We had to give it our best shot. They deserve it after what they’ve been through.”
“I want proof.”
“I’m not going to send you pictures of traumatized omegas,” I said, my voice hardening. “This isn’t a sideshow. And how doI know I can trust you or the information you’re about to give me?”
“You don’t,” she said simply.
We were at a stalemate. I couldn’t give up, this was the most I’d gotten.
“Look, I’ll go out on a limb here. My name is Luca. I’m with the Crows, in fact.”
I paused, glancing at Ronan for his go-ahead. He nodded once.
“Ronan Crow, the son of Victor Crow, is directly overseeing this transport. We need to get these omegas to safety. Someone is going to start looking for their lost merchandise very fucking soon.”
“Where are you?”
“A safe house,” I said, my voice hard again, not giving anything more away.
The phone went silent for a moment. I wondered if she’d given up in frustration.
“I want names. The ones transporting. Only then will I give you the information you’re looking for. And if you bring a single person that you don’t get cleared first, we turn away every one of them.”
