Page 114 of Nevada

“I don’t wanna burst your bubble, sunshine,” Bane adds. “But the chances that any of this will lead to a positive outcome for you with the Stilettos is clutchin’ at straws.”

“What if straws are all I have?” I throw back.

“No buses left Mississippi to go back to Texas, that I can guarantee.”

“Maybe she was never on that bus.” I know I sound desperate. “Maybe she diverted to Texas.”

Even the Nomad brothers were making calls the second we left the Hellions warehouse. I know Brew took particular interest, which is understandable.

“Or maybe she was never on either.” Bane's words stab me in the heart. “Honey, you gotta understand somethin’. Not every fairytale is gonna end with a happy endin’. The percentage of girls that don’t make it is fifty-fifty, probably lower. So many factors to consider, and do you even know for sure she was trafficked?”

I don’t want to hear it. Damn asshole. “Of course I know!” I bite back. “I’m a PI. I did my homework. All the evidence leads to my sister being drugged and kidnapped.”

The silence in the truck is deafening. I know what he’s getting at. That maybe Tilly didn’t even make it to being smuggled or trafficked. Maybe she’s been dead this whole time… No. I won’t let myself believe that. I can’t…

Bane rubs his chin. “But the details are sketchy after that. I don’t wanna burst your bubble, but it’s a needle in a haystack.”

I don’t need him to tell me that. I don’t need him to tell me anything.

“Oh, we’re gonna find her,” Nevada’s voice sounds out through the vehicle. “Come hell or high water. Every haystack we come across, we’ll search.” He cups my chin. “I’ll never stop, no matter what. Just like we said.”

My heart expands and I want to throw myself in his arms. It’s not just the fact he’s telling me what I want to hear; he really means it. He’d do anything for me and that makes my love for him grow that much stronger.

My greatest fear has been confronting the very real possibility of my sister trapped and afraid, or worse. So much worse. But Nevada takes it all away. He makes it better somehow.

Before I can even respond, Bane’s phone pings and we all wait with bated breath.

He barks out an address to Shadow, and the truck starts to roll. My heart thunders in my chest. The realness of it all settling into my bones.

With Hawk, and the other NOLA MC men disguised as Hellions, only Bane, Shadow, Nevada, Brew and Haze will be going into the meeting, but I sure as shit hope it’s outside so I can see and hear what’s going on.

Just when I need it, Nevada’s eyes meet mine. “Just hold on,” he murmurs. “It won’t be long now.”

I love you, I mouth.

He reaches for me and presses a kiss to my lips, one hand cupping the back of my neck. I know he’s displaying that I belong to him to his brothers and the other MC, it was the same at Cigar Haven. His hands were on me at all times. He kept kissing me, and making sure that I was taken care of. But he was sending a message. I waited then, as I’m doing now, for my chest to cave in and the palpitations to start, but they never come. My body is completely relaxed. My mind may be racing, but my heart knows what it wants and what this man does to me.

No words pass. He just cups my cheek and smiles, pressing his forehead to mine.

“I know, Mama. I know. It’ll all be over soon.”

24

NEVADA

It’s a dirty business. We all know that, but as much as this stinks, it has to be done.

Jefferson didn’t come empty handed, but we always knew that was gonna happen. He’s the kind of asshole who likes to hide behind his heavies, and he does it well.

The meeting place is a large pig farm, of all places, in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere. And it stinks like manure.

There’s a large truck, assuming some of the girls are in there, but Monty Jefferson is keeping pretty quiet until negotiations are done. I don’t like it one bit, none of us do, but we have to trust Bane and hope to God there isn’t a whole lot of Skeletons MC or other assholes in there waiting to take us all out. I mean, that would result in Jefferson not getting paid, so it’s unlikely that’s gonna happen. And Bane has arranged the payment.

I gotta admire the man; there are other things he could be doing instead of putting an end to trafficking in his territory, but good men come in the most unlikely of places. At the end of the day, they want to put a stop to this, just as our club does. And that makes us brothers.

I turn to look at Star. Yep, she wrangled her way into the negotiating process and came up with a good idea; to be here for the women and make their transition a little less scary. She’s beautiful, of course, but unassuming. And when Jefferson takes one look at her in her patent leather pants and low-cut top, he says, “You brought me a snack?”

I see her fists curl up while a low growl leaves her lips. I want to punch the asswipe in the face over and over, but I hold it in.

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