Page 12 of Declan's Dove

“I-I’m in Baron’s Edge. In my apartment here.”

“What are you doing there? I thought you left the clinic and took the full-time position here in Oakridge.” She was supposed to have moved already.

Why is she not here?

“I was working my last weekend at the clinic. Saying goodbye to patients and helping transition them to their new care provider. I came to clean out my office and finalize everything for the lease before I could fully accept the position at Oakridge General. But when I came out to my car with the last load …” She takes a shaky breath. “They were waiting for me.”

“They, who?”

“Some bikers,” Emilia whispers. “I don’t know who they are exactly.”

“Did you see their colors?” I ask, but then think twice about wanting all the details. This is one of the reasons I can’t be with Declan. I don’t know many bikers, but they all seem to be into some kind of bad shit or have enemies who are and don’t give a fuck about who they hurt. It’s all about their club and their bottom line. I have to think about the cost to myself and Carter.

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” It does, but that’s not my job. My only job right now is getting to Mili and getting her help. “You know what? Stay put. I’m calling Kayce.”

Kayce Eaton is one of the men from Trident Elite, a guardian, who helped me escape my nightmare marriage. Without Emilia’s help in connecting me to Kayce, I wouldn’t have survived. After all that Mili’s done for Kayce and his clients—all the women and children she’s helped save—I know they’ll help Mili too.

“No!” Emilia shouts. Her moment of panic followed by a heavy groan.

“Mili?”

“I’m alright. It just hurts to shout or … breathe.” She chuckles, but it’s cut short by another wince. She’s trying to hide her pain. I know, because it’s what I used to do when I would tell her I was fine. I’d make it sound like it wasn’t as big of a deal as it really was because I didn’t want her to worry and get herself into trouble trying to help me.

“I don’t know if the bikers are watching me, but if they are and Kayce shows up, they’ll kill him.”

“You and I both know Kayce wouldn’t come alone, Mili.”

“And neither will the bikers. As of now, they don’t know who I’m working with. They kept asking me who was helping me. The one thought it was those guys you work with in Oakridge. The other biker gang,” Emilia says.

“What? How would they even know about the Kings?”

“I didn’t get to ask too many questions,” Mili sasses. “But they also wanted me to deliver a message to whoever is helping the women escape their fate—they’re pissed about the women Kayce saved—who’ve gone missing—” She gasps for breath. “And they’re coming for anyone who thinks they can steal from their crew.”

“What women? What did you guys do?” I know the men at Trident help rescue people in shit situations. But I thought it was one person, or family, at a time. This sounds like far more than that.

“Kayce and his men recently saved a group of young women who were brought into the harbor. There were thirteen in total, ranging from teenagers to the oldest, who was twenty-five. They were all meant to be sold and trafficked, but Kayce and his team intercepted the shipment and brought them all back here to me for treatment. They snuck them in one at a time through the clinic under fake names and information. It took us nearly a week to get them all seen. As soon as I was done with the last one, and Kayce’s team had finished gathering intel, the women were loaded up and taken to separate temporary rehab locations.” Mili sniffles. “I guess the bikers weren’t happy their shipment was stolen and returned to safety.”

“Jesus, girl.” I pace my bathroom, trying to think of a way to get to her. When I pass the mirror, an idea clicks. “How the hell did you get home? And why are you just calling me now?” I whisper shout into the phone. She closed the clinic hours ago.

“I drove myself.” Emilia coughs a few times, then takes a deep stuttering breath. “I took a hot shower and dressed my wounds as best I could, then locked myself in the safe room.” She winces.

I’m grateful to Kayce for having the foresight to build safe rooms into the master closets of both our apartments. He even built a hiding place in Carter’s room.

“Guess I should ask Kayce to build one in the new apartment in Oakridge, too. It might come in handy,” she jokes.

“Not funny. But, yes, you should have him build one.” I head back out into my bedroom and begin grabbing my jeans and a t-shirt from the closet, then start changing out of my pajamas into them. “The man is paranoid, but he built a small crawl space in Carter’s room between our two closets. It’s nothing fancy, and only has the two vents at the bottom of the wall for circulation, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

Mili grunts. I hear her shuffling around, noises that sound like moving fabric and a plastic bag being shaken.

“Mili?”

“Hold on,” she sputters. “I’m just getting comfortable and shaking the ice pack to activate it.”

“I’m going to get help. I have to get Carter off to school and find someone to watch him afterward, but I can be in Baron’s Edge within a couple of hours to get you.”

“You gonna ride your broomstick? How can you get here so fast?” Even in pain, she’s a smartass, but I guess it’s better than falling apart.

“I’ll call in a favor.” I don’t bother elaborating because I already know her response, but we have no other choice. “Will you be okay until then? If you need a hospital or you don’t feel you’re safe enough, I’ll make a call to get someone there now.” I’ll call Kayce—bikers be damned. He and his men are all ex-military specialists. They can handle a few bikers.

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