Page 55 of Declan's Dove

“Yeah,” I agree, scrubbing my chin. “I don’t think it’s just one person this cop is working for, Pres.” I have to tell him about the doctor and what Kayce told me happened to her. “The reason Violet left town was to help her friend. A doctor she knows was attacked by a group of bikers in Baron’s Edge a couple of nights ago.”

“What group of bikers?” Gabe’s angry tone tells me he’s thinking the same thing I am.

“We don’t have a definitive ID on the bikers, but if I had to guess, given the area and the reason for their interest, I’d say it’s the Devils. Apparently, they were sending a message to whoever she’s connected with.”

“And what was the message exactly?” Gabe asks through what I imagine are gritted teeth from the sounds of it.

“To stop helping the women they’re trying to traffic.” I don’t sugarcoat it. There’s no reason to.

“Fuck.” Gabe curses. “Is the doctor okay?”

“I assume so. She’s with Vincenzo at his mansion.” I smile to myself because if what Kayce told me about this doctor is true, she’s going to give Vincenzo a run for his fucking money.

“The doctor is partnered with a mercenary group who’ve been actively rescuing and rehabilitating women and children who’ve been abused or trafficked.”

“Not too long ago, the mercenary group intercepted a shipment of women and young girls being smuggled through the harbor. The doctor saw to their injuries.” I take a second to breathe through the anger I’m feeling. “The group of bikers messed the doctor up pretty bad, but Parisi had a medical team there to see to her injuries. Once she was stable enough, they flew home to Oakridge. Vincenzo took the doc to his place and Matteo brought Violet to me.”

“Fuck,” Gabe hisses. “I bet she’s pretty pissed at you for keeping her away from the kid.”

“She’ll get over it. I can’t let her go back yet. It’s not safe for her or the kid,” I tell him.

“Why? What the fuck else is going on, Declan? Jesus.”

“I need a prospect on her apartment. Someone broke in while she was gone. Doesn’t seem to have taken anything, but my family is not going back there while some sick fuck has a way to get inside.”

“You mean you were going to let her go home after all of this?” Gabe chuckles humorlessly.

“Fuck no.”

He laughs even harder. “I knew you were going to go caveman, eventually.” He continues to laugh. A few seconds go by and when he realizes I’m not laughing with him, he sobers up. “I’m happy for you, Dec. But you can’t just throw your weight around and force Violet to accept your claim on her. You’re going to have to go easy with her. Tread lightly. Do you even know why she left her bastard of a husband and went into hiding? What did he do?”

“Aside from the obvious, I don’t know. I know she was abused. Even before I got confirmation, I knew. The signs were all there. But it doesn’t change how I feel or the fact she and Carter are mine now. It may take some convincing, but she’ll come around. I just need to prove to her she can trust me to be what she needs.”

“And the fact she has a husband and is still legally married … what are you going to do about that?” Gabe asks smugly.

“He can’t do shit if he’s dead.”

“Fucking hell,” Gabe grunts. “Brother, you better make damn sure you know what the hell you’re doing. Fucking with a cop—a crooked one at that—you’re asking for shit to rain down on you … and the club.”

“I get it if you don’t want the club involved, Pres. I can handle shit on my own. I’ll take Carter and Violet somewhere safe away from Oakridge and the Kings.”

“Fuck you!” Gabe shouts. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it, asshole. The club has your back no matter what you choose. All I’m saying is you better know what the hell it is that you’re doing. If this cop is as connected as you say he is …” He pauses. “You know the saying ‘shit rolls downhill?’ Well, we would be at the bottom of that fucking hill, brother. So, you better be goddamn sure this is a war you’re ready to fight.”

“Never been more sure of anything in my life, Pres.” I say without hesitation. “This fucker didn’t just hurt my woman. He’s helping to facilitate human trafficking.”

“Can you prove he is for certain?” Gabe asks.

“No. But he’s not stopping it and it’s happening in his own fucking backyard. If he’s not facilitating it, he’s turning his head, which is just as fucking bad in my book.”

“James isn’t just facilitating it. He’s a partaker too,” Violet’s voice coming from the kitchen has me turning to face her.

“I’ll call you back, Pres.” Hanging up the phone, I tuck it away in my back pocket and move over to the island where Violet is standing, tugging the bottom of my shirt down over her legs. Unfortunately for her, my shirt barely reaches her knees, and my cock takes instant notice of her beautiful bare legs.

“Hey, Dove. I didn’t hear you coming down the stairs. You trying to sneak up on me?” I tease.

“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I was coming down for dinner,” she says, looking down at her hands. The vulnerability I see before me tears at my heart. “I-I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just … I-I’m sorry. I’ll go back upstairs.”

She turns to make a break for it, but I’m faster. Reaching an arm around her waist from behind, I pull her back into my chest and hold her firmly against me. “I’m not mad, baby. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’ll never hurt you.” I feel her shoulders sag and her back melts into my chest. “I’m glad you heard me. In fact, I need you to finish telling me what you meant. Can you do that for me?”

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