Page 189 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

“Magnum!” Cait admonished him.

Nox needed to keep his cool and not match the man’s energy. If he did, it would get them nowhere. “You’re right. Maybe she got sick of my pig ass. But tell me, when have you known Liyah to not say what she meant? She has a lot of your blood running through her veins. If she didn’t want to see me anymore, she’d tell me that to my face and not avoid the situation.”

Magnum took a breath so deep that his chest expanded to an almost impossible breadth. When he released it, “One of your enemies, then. You pigs got a long fuckin’ list of them,” came with it.

“Possibly. I’m sure you have a few yourself.”

Liyah’s father shook his head. “Got no fuckin’ enemies. Took care of that problem years ago.”

“There’s no point in debating this!” Cait exclaimed. “You two need to put your differences aside to find Liyah.”

Nox agreed with that. “If she was physically taken, why her? Why not go after me? Or you?”

“Always go after a man’s weakness, not after the man himself.”

Damn, that made too much sense. “Sounds like you have experience in that.”

As Magnum’s upper lip began to curl, Cait stepped in front of her husband, making their size difference even more obvious than normal. She asked, “Where are the boys?”

Oh fuck.His pulse sped up another notch. “I figured they were here with you. I went to the house first and no one was there.”

“They took the boys, too?” Magnum roared so loud, Nox was surprised the windows didn’t shake.

“I don’t know,” Nox answered. “Could they be at their grandmother’s?”

“They better fuckin’ be.” Magnum jabbed a thick finger in his direction. “I bet you fuckin’ caused this bullshit. Things were quiet for fuckin years, then you showed the fuck up…”

“Baby, we don’t even know what happened yet. I can call her mother and go pick up the boys, if you’d feel better with them here.” Liyah’s stepmother added, “Just in case.”

“Fuck that. If they’re there, gonna send one of my brothers over there to get them. Don’t want you leavin’ this house.No oneleaves this fuckin’ house ’til we know what the fuck’s goin’ on.” He twisted toward Nox. “‘Cept you. If you got nothin’ useful to give me to help find her, you need to get the fuck out.”

Nox fully expected the next answer to enrage the big man again, but he needed to know. Because Magnum and his brothers might be able to handle the situation better than Nox and his. One MC’s actions were restricted due to the law. The other didn’t give a fuck about any laws. Just like the Demons didn’t.

“It could be the Demons.” Or one in particular. Possibly two, depending if Saint was also involved.

Nox wouldn’t put it past the former prospect to try to snag Liyah. Especially when he had the balls to kidnap Sloane right from Decker’s house.

He hoped to fuck he was wrong. But how would the asshole even tie Liyah to him? Or know that Nox was on the task force trying to put them all away?

Someone had tailed him back to The Plant the other day. Had it been that fucking dickhead?

Had T-Bone or Saint spotted Nox surveilling him at the motel?

Had they seen her coming and going from The Plant?

His runaway thoughts were interrupted by a bellow.

“The Deadly fuckin’ Demons? Those dumb motherfuckers?”

Nox pinned his lips together and nodded. At least he and Magnum agreed on one thing: that the Demons were motherfuckers. The dumb part was debatable.

“Why the fuck would the Demons give a shit about you?”

Nox had no choice but to tell the man the truth and since the task force disbanded, its existence no longer needed to be kept a secret. “I was on a federal task force investigating them.”

Magnum stared at him.

Nox waited.

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