Page 173 of Their Wicked Secrets: Untouched, Vol 5 of 6

“But you don’t know what?” Nico sounds angry as he comes up to my side. I reach out and touch his arm. His muscles are hard and tense. He doesn’t look at me, but continues to glare at Art.

We already know this so unless he has more this was pointless.

“Zach’s a secretive fuck.” Art runs a hand through his hair. “No one but him knows the whole plan. He’s not like you guys. He doesn’t have friends. Only people he uses.”

“Then what do you know? Because that’s not worth anything to us.” Eli moves to stand next to Caden behind me. Once again, they’re surrounding me, but this time they have my back.

I settle in, letting their warmth hold me when my knees feel like collapsing.

“Zach’s business is a family business.” Art meets Luke’s eyes. “His father has a farm where they do a lot of their deals. Zach’s been going on and on about how his father got rich off the backs of others. I didn’t realize he meant that literally.”

I swallow, remembering the women my mother helped. The whole reason she was able to escape so easily.

Luke doesn’t move, but his fingers curl into me like he can keep me safe.

“Zach thinks he can climb the ladder a little faster if he helps reestablish the business.” Art pauses. “Look, drugs are one thing. You want to do drugs, that’s on you. I’m just the conduit that provides what you’re looking for, but I’m not about to start trafficking women.”

“What does that have to do with Harper?” Nico asks, but he knows. We all know. We just don’t want to know. I go cold all over.

“He wants to traffic me?” The words don’t shake at all when they come out of my mouth, but my insides tumble over themselves.

Art nods and his eyes meet mine. “There’s a house on his family’s land where they used to keep the women. Kind of a waypoint or an initial entry point. Zach’s obsessed with the idea. He thinks he can provide a product, and it will make him rich. Make his old man proud.”

“What do you mean?” Luke’s fingers are going to leave bruises, but I don’t care. His touch centers me, holds me here when I want to be anywhere else.

“He’s been experimenting with combinations of drugs to make it so the women won’t fight or run.” Art shakes his head, and he looks a little ill just talking about it. “Look, I have a little sister and people in our situation are usually the highest at risk for this kind of life. I don’t want that for her. Or for anyone.”

“So his plan is to take Harper and sell her off?” Eli’s voice sounds cold, and I’m sure Art probably thinks that, but his hand is on my low back. His fingers tremble against me. Fury or worry, it doesn’t matter which, but he’s feeling a depth of emotions over this.

The guys press in on me like they’re closing ranks.

Art holds up his hands. “I don’t want anything to do with shit like that. I didn’t tell Zach, but he’s bound and determined. He swears that he’ll be the next king of our city if he’s able to make this happen. His dad still has some connections in the business.”

“Lay it out for us,” Luke says.

“Fuck.” Art runs a hand through his hair and looks at Nina.

She sighs and meets my gaze. “Art’s afraid of the beatdown your men want to give him. But honestly, he’s just the messenger.”

I tighten my lips. It doesn’t matter. We have to know. I give her a small nod that I’ll hold them back if I need to, but we need to know.

Nina draws in a sharp breath. Her eyes fill with pity. “They want to take you out to the house and drug you. They’ll ‘break’ you in and then sell you off. They want to destroy your men and figure losing you, knowing what you’re going through, and being helpless to stop it, will accomplish that.”

My fingers wrap in Luke’s shirt and Nico’s as I lean back, one shoulder against Caden and the other against Eli. Rape, I figured. Murder even was a possibility. But that’s a fate worse than death.

CHAPTER 53

The Vigil

Harper

The car ride to Caden’s was quiet. Caden and Nico were silent and I didn’t feel like talking. What would I even say? Zach’s after me.

We made our deal with Art. He gave us a few specifics that will help, but he’s never actually been out to the farm or the house. So, he couldn’t tell us where they are.

On the drive, my gaze lingered out the dark window, watching the night silently pass as we drove. If I tell my mom what they have planned, she’ll take me and run. There’s not a doubt in my mind. We’ll disappear, but can we really outrun any of this?

Maybe if we ran before, but now? I don’t want to leave my guys. I don’t see any way out with them. Their families would never let them go.