Page 3 of Hawk's Sapphire

“If you want me to tell you anything else, I want something in return.”Nate demands.

“If you’re about to plead for your life, the answer is no.”Thomas growls.“You owe more than one life sentence for everything you stole from this club.”

Nate takes a deep breath, looking up to the ceiling then back at me.“I’m not asking for my life.I already know I’m not going to make it out of this alive.Whether it’s this club or the Devils.Hell, it might even be the Feds at this rate.Who fucking knows.Point is, I know my days are numbered.But Shea’s don’t have to be.Parisi said if I came willingly, if I exchanged myself for you, and gave myself to the Kings, he would help find my daughter and get her the help she needs.He’d make sure she was safe and lived a long, happy life away from all this shit.You promise me you’ll uphold the deal we all made, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“Vincenzo keeps his word.”I tell him.I don’t fully understand what he’s talking about.No idea what deal was made, but I do know Vincenzo to be a man of his word.Thomas nods his agreement.

Nate sighs, wringing his hands through the bars.“I was supposed to start meeting with these foster care families.People that take in runaways and strays off the streets.The cops and social workers they send them to what they call transition homes, where they stay for about two to three days until they can place them with a family member or in a more permanent foster home.But these homes, some of them, are run by other Devils family members or friends.People loyal to the club.”

“You mean loyal to the money and the drugs the club supplies them.”Thomas snaps.

Nate shrugs.

“Anyway, after the kids are taken from the sheriff’s station, or the hospital, wherever they were being detained I was sent to scoop them up.Take them to their next destination.”

“And where exactly is that?”If he’s dumb enough to tell me, I can get on the phone with Vincenzo and maybe we won’t have to follow through with his elaborate scheme.

Nate shrugs again.“Each one is a different place.”He makes eye contact with Thomas.“Sometimes we take the kid to another holding house.Others might be given directly to the buyer.Some are taken to the island.”

“What island?”Thomas steps forward, his voice taking on a steely warning.

“I don’t know how to get there.I only know where to drop the merchandise off.”

“What fucking merchandise?These are not cars or cattle you’re boxing up and shipping overseas.They are fuckingpeople!”I shout, lunging for the bastard.Thomas reaches out grabbing my arms, keeping me back.

“No.”Thomas says quietly where only I can hear him.“Remember the agreement.You and Hawk are not going to have his blood on your hands.Nate is my responsibility.Nod if you understand.”

Begrudgingly, I do.

“Good.Now you need to head back upstairs before someone realizes you’re not at the party.I have a few more questions, then I’ll finish up here.But you need to leave.”

“I just have one more question.Then I’ll go.”My voice cracks a little as I plead with him.Thomas lets go of my arms but stands ready just in case.With my voice as controlled as I can manage with the lump steadily forming there, I ask, “Where do you drop them off?And how do these people know how toordertheir …”

“Merchandise?”Nate supplies, smirking.Bastard.

“Yeah.”

“Pres has someone he works with.A man they call Cusenza.”My breath hitches.Thomas does nothing to acknowledge his boss’s name.It makes me wonder how much he knows and has been keeping to himself.

“He and this woman friend of his, some rich hoity-toity type, they organize parties.People who want to sell their loved ones.Wives, kids, or girlfriends, whatever.They go to these parties and make it known they want to make a deal.The people they bring in don’t know of course.The rich broad, she makes contact.Sets up an appointment.It could be at another party, a casino, a club.It’s different every time to throw off the Feds.Anyway, they meet and Cusenza lays out the contract and makes the desired payment.Once the contract is signed, the woman or whoever was sold is collected and shipped off immediately.”

“And what happens after they’ve been shipped off?Where do they go?”Thomas asks before I can gather up the nerve.

Nate shrugs.“I really can’t say.All I do know is they don’t come back.Once they get on the ship to the island, we never see them again.”

“Fuck.”I hiss.My eyes burn with the need to cry, but I won’t.Not here.I need to get back upstairs and clean myself up before I do something that will expose us all.

Turning to Thomas, I place my hand on his chest and look him straight in the eyes, then look around the room at Mack’s trophies.Thomas follows my line of sight.This is the room where Mack has all his tools of the trade displayed about.This is the place he uses his special brand of torture skills to make people tell him what he wants to know to protect this club.“Whatever you’re going to do …make it hurt.”Thomas nods his understanding, and I turn away and head for the door.

Rot in fucking hell you sick, twisted bastard.

1

SADIE

Everyone gathered at the clubhouse for Skyler’s baby gender reveal.It made things easier, since the Mountain Heights guys came in to help out and stay for a bit.I think she did it here to keep them all out of her house.As close as they all are with her, it would be like having six, nosey ass brothers all going through your things and eating you out of house and home, again.Plus, she has an innocent, easily corruptible, teenage daughter living with her and Ethan now.There are things these men do and say that she shouldn’t be privy to.To ensure she wouldn’t be exposed to their debauchery.With a stocked kitchen, private bedrooms, and loose women around at their beck and call, the guys have no reason to be at Sky’s house.

Cash has already been here for a few weeks, planning the reveal party and doting on Skyler and Lilah while driving Ethan absolutely insane.It’s been hilarious to watch.The way Cash gives in to Skyler’s every little whim and craving, while giving Ethan shit for not moving faster and taking better care oftheir girl,has been pure comedic gold for the rest of us.Not to mention how Cash spoils Lilah, taking her to the mall and getting her anything she wants.For Ethan, I would say from the outside looking in, it’s like having a disapproving bother-in-law who is always on your case, but he can’t do shit about it because it would upset Skyler, and Ethan won’t have her stressed.

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