Page 148 of Boulder's Weight

She rushes to me when I enter, her hands running over my chest, my arms, checking for injuries.

"I'm okay," I assure her, pulling her into my arms. "Not even a scratch."

"Lashes?" she asks, hope in her voice.

I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak about what we discovered. That would break my girl, and I know it.

Kelsey seems to understand, her face falling as she holds me tighter.

"What about Sally?" she asks after a moment.

"Dead," I say simply. "Amara handled it personally."

She nods against my chest, accepting this without question.

We stand like that for a long moment, just holding each other, before Amara's voice breaks the silence.

"Church," she calls, her tone making it clear this isn't optional. "Everyone. Now."

Kelsey pulls back, searching my face. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But I need to go."

She nods, releasing me. "I'll be here."

I follow the others into church, taking my usual place standing against the wall.

The room fills quickly, tension building as members settle into their seats.

When everyone is present, Amara closes the door and moves to the head of the table.

"We have two matters to address," she begins, her voice carrying easily through the room. "First, Lashes. Sally confirmed she's been trafficked, sold to international buyers. We have video evidence she was alive as of two days ago. The man who bought her sounds Arabic, but we’ll need confirmation."

Murmurs break out around the table, anger mixing with disbelief.

"We will use every resource at our disposal to find her," Amara continues, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the commotion. "My uncle Alejandro has connections that will help. But finding someone in the trafficking system..." She doesn't need to finish the thought. We all know the odds.

"Second matter," Amara says once the room has quieted again. "Benji Warlow."

I straighten at the name, my heart rate picking up.

This is it then—the decision on what happens to the man who hurt Kelsey, who killed Craig, who set all of this in motion.

"Bring him in," Amara orders, and two prospects lead Benji into the room.

He looks smaller somehow, his arrogance diminished but not gone.

His eyes dart around the room, assessing, calculating.

When they land on me, I see a flicker of fear before he masks it.

"The club needs to vote on your fate," Amara tells him directly. "But before we do, Boulder has the floor."

I push off from the wall, surprised at being called out.

All eyes turn to me as I approach the table.

"Benji Warlow hunted his own sister across state lines, across national borders," I begin, my voice steady even with how furious I am beneath. "He killed his brother Craig for trying to help her. He allied with Sally Bernard, our enemy, to hurt this club. He's responsible for Python's injuries, for Rooster's, for what happened to Lashes."

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