Page 33 of Hawk's Sapphire

“Fuckhead.”As soon as I’m done with Hawk, I’ll be looking into Tate’s system and finding out what the hell he’s been up to since ratting me out was not explained in our littlebriefing.

I open the email attachment and watch the video footage again.This time slowing it down so I can see if there was anything I’ve missed.For some reason I fully expected Kayce or one of his men to be in the room with Thomas, helping him.But then I remember, this is not the full video.Tate cut off the part where I left the room and how Nate actually died before sending it to Hawk.

He wanted the club, or at least Hawk, to believe I killed Nate.Why?What the hell is Trident up to?

I decide to investigate further, hacking into Trident’s system searching for the complete footage from that night.Tate’s pretty good, I’ll give him that.He has boobie traps all over his system, but I’m not amateur.I know my way around this shit.It’s all I did when I was living in Baron’s Edge, was hone my hacking skills.

I had nothing better to do unless I was hanging out with Avery or sitting in a classroom.Plus, some of those rich assholes made themselves easy targets and deserved to have their credit cards and bank accounts fucked with.Although, my favorite was giving that whore Bethany Weatherford an outstanding warrant for a DUI.It took her lawyers a couple days to figure things out.Due to her family’s wealth and her ability to use said wealth to disappear, it made her a flight risk which the judge then decided required her to wear a pretty little anklet until it was resolved.The judge might’ve just been a grumpy asshole who didn’t like rich kids getting away with shit because their parents had money.Whatever the reason, it was the best week of high school, hands down.I have no regrets.

Finally getting past the firewall and Tate’s stupid traps, I locate the video file I’m looking for and click play.I watch myself sneaking Thomas downstairs.We both chat with Nate for a few.I talk to Thomas and then leave the room.As soon as I’m out of the room, Thomas approaches Nate.They’re talking too low for the audio to pick them up, but their expressions show signs of them arguing about something.Kayce enters the room from the tunnels carrying a what looks like syringes in his hand.

He talks to Nate.Nate places his hands through the bars.Thomas takes a syringe, holding one of Nate’s hands in his while does the same with the other.Nate looks like he’s sweating, but he nods, I’m assuming he’s giving consent or agreeing with something, I’m not sure.The two men inject the contents of the syringe in between Nate’s first and middle fingers.Nate’s face contorts and in a flash, Thomas’s right hand swipes through the bars injecting a third syringe into Nate’s thigh.The same thigh with the gunshot wound.

The syringes are all collected by Kayce who tucks them into a pocket on his tactical pants.Nate steps back and settles on his cot with one arm over his face, nodding his head.Thomas spins on his heels and follows Kayce back out of the basement turning toward the tunnels.I skim through the video and watch as Nate’s body begins to react.His breathing is labored.His body covered in sweat.Moments later he begins convulsing, and eventually he just…stops.I’m not sure what it says about me that I have no emotional reaction to watching the man die.

I continue searching through the files and run across the name Agent Maria Galina.She’s an FBI agent heading the investigation on the Devil’s Order MC.She was also Nate Hawkins’s handler.But the information Tate has is minimal which means I need to go to the source.

It’s never easy to crack into the FBI’s data base, but I’ve done it enough times now, I know what to watch out for.It takes a lot less time to get in this time.I start sifting through files, digging for anything with the keywords: Kings of Fury MC, Nathan Hawkins, Nathaniel Hawkins, and Devil’s Order MC.

Several files filter across the screen.I shift them over to the multi-screen set up on the wall so I can get a clear view of everything at one time.It’s times like this I wish I had Tony Stark’s lab and the ability to shuffle everything in 3D in the air while I sift through it all.Or better yet, my own personal Jarvis system with a sexy voice to search everything out for me.Yeah, that would be so much easier.

I find the report on Nate.He’d been a federal informant going on close to a year and a half.He reported to Agent Galina every week.They’d meet after he made pickups and drop-offs of the women being trafficked.

Agent Galina has very thorough notes on every meeting and shipment moved.She even has notes on two different nights when two separate shipments went missing.Based on the dates and locations, I’m certain they were the nights that George died and Trident rescued Violet’s doctor friend.Her notes mention drop off points and head counts, but no rescues, interceptions, or extractions.

Odd.

“Holy shit.”I gasp.She even has notes on the foster family that had Carter.The report states there was suspected arson as the house burned down with them in it and there was no sign of anyone else.

That’s because Declan finished off the dirty ass cop in the basement.

There are notes just below stating that house to be Nate’s last known whereabouts.

“How the fuck did they know that, when he was already in Vincenzo’s custody?”There are so many possibilities, and none of them are good.They could’ve had a tracker on Nate, but Vincenzo’s men would’ve caught on to that easily.Vincenzo’s men are very thorough.They’d never risk his empire for a prick like Nate.Maybe Vincenzo has a rat in his ranks?But if he does, how the hell would I tell him?None of these options are helping my stress level.

You don’t say anything until you have proof.Find the proof.

I keep digging.Searching through file after file of notes on the Devil’s Order.There’s a list of properties owned by the Devil’s Order members.Some of them are registered foster care transition homes.Some are highlighted and have notes about children who lived there and gone missing or ran away.

There’s another list of businesses, buildings, and structures, along with multiple vehicles, and even a yacht docked in Florida, owned by the club.

“A yacht?”Why would an MC have need for a yacht?

The next file has notes for a homicide at the Miller Road Motel in Oakridge dated the night of Skyler’s party.The same night Nate died.That motel is one of the shittiest places in town, and usually only used by hookers and meth heads, so I’m not shocked to see the Devils staying there.But the photos attached to the file, are a whole different story.

Drea is on the ground in nothing but a pair of dirty panties, her purple hair a matted mess on her head.She has bruises and burn marks all over her skin and what looks to be zip ties hanging from her wrists.Her eyes are hollow and her make-up smeared.

My hand flies to my mouth, not able to hold back the sob.I never liked her as a club girl, but I’d never wish something like this on anyone.It looks like she was beaten and raped, then left for dead in a puddle of blood and fluids on the dingy orange motel carpet.

The next three photos are of Devil’s Order members, at least the cuts they’re wearing are for the DO.The three men all have similar single bullet holes between their eyes.One is slouched in a chair, wearing just his cut with his jeans open and hanging just below his knees.Another is laid out on the bed nude except for his cut.And the third is on his knees, again in nothing but his cut.

I zoom in on the room and see the coke and alcohol on the table to the left of the guy in the chair.There’s a bottle of red pills spilled over beside the alarm clock near the bed.Open, empty food containers are littered around the room making it appear as though they’d been in that room for several days at least.

Moving past the pictures, I get into the notes and start reading.It appears to have been written off as a possible rival club shooting.

Fuck!

Scanning further, I find the newest information entered into the system just this evening.