Page 75 of Broken Warrior
“Luckily, there are only three people that work there who know her real name, so asking the working girls didn’t get him any answers.”
“Who?” I grunt as I repeat my new mantra. “Who knows her real name?”
“Ember and Elias Rollins.” Prez pulls a toothpick from his pocket and starts chewing on it. “Twins, the—”
“Floor manager and head of security. Worked at The Dollhouse since it opened. He’s ex-military, Marines. Did his time, was injured in the line of duty, and honorably discharged. She was on track to be a lawyer, passed the bar, never practiced. Took care of him when he came home, been with Trent ever since. Neither have been married, neither have kids, no other siblings, and their parents are deceased. If you want me to rattle off high school GPAs or what instruments they played in band, let me know, but I know everything I need to about the people Tate comes into contact with.” My jaw clenches.I will not lose my shit.“Who else knows her name?”
“Trent.” He sighs.
Which is a huge fucking problem because with the right amount of money orless than humane tactics, Trent will fold like the bitch he is.
“But Shapiro didn’t get anything out of them?”
“Ember and Elias are loyal to your girl. They got her back whether she’s there or not. Trent was out the night Rosco dropped in.”
My stare narrows on Sam for a beat, scanning our president for his tells, like the way he’s working over that toothpick. “But…”
Prez slumps in the chair. “Shapiro went back. Walked in while Tate was on the floor. Scared the ever loving shit out her just by sitting down at a table, and Elias noticed. He handled it, but Tate was rattled so she called Theo, and Zak picked her up.”
“The two of them were staying with us up until about the time you two first went out,” Zak says from the other side of the room. “We put a full detail on both Tate and James at all times, she quit going to work and they stayed with us. They were never—”
“Fuck.”
Fuck, my head is spinning right now.
“You knew?” I glance around the room, stopping at each of their faces. “Every single one of you fuckers knew this was going on, knew that my girl, the woman and the little boy I fucking love more than I ever thought I was capable of, were in danger? You knew that this threat came knocking on our fucking door and never once didanyonebreathe a goddamn word of it?”Including Tate.
No one says anything, and that’s all the confirmation I need.
But I can’t tear out of here the way I want to, not yet. I want to hear every last detail of what’s going on first, then you bet your ass my dark angel and I will be having one hell of a conversation.
“We didn’t want to interfere with your recovery.” Jackal again. “We didn’t—”
“Oh, fuck off, Elliot. This wasn’t about myrecovery, it was about my fucking sanity. We all have bodies to our names, but I’ve got some real questionable ones, and none of you wanted to see me lose my shit and cause problems like I did with Hamish.”
Jackal is in my face before I even realize he moved. “You fuck off, Finlay. Fuck right the fuck off! This had everything to do with your recovery because none of us—becauseme, becauseTate—didn’t want to seeyoubecome anotherbody!”
“Bullshit,” I grit out as we go nose to nose. “Bull-fucking-shit.”
And that’s when world war fucking three breaks out.
Jackal punches me right in the face, knocking me off balance before he hits me again. My cousin unloads what must be months, if not years, of frustration and pain, of worry and concern with every blow he lands, but it doesn’t slow me down. No, I hit him back, grab him and toss him at the wall, then go another few rounds before we’re both bleeding and being pulled apart by the rest of the EC.
“It is bullshit.” Jackal spits a mouthful of blood as Zak and Pork Chop hold him back. “It’s fucking bullshit that you don’t think anyone actually gives a fuck about you! It’s goddamn bullshit that you’re still so convinced that you don’t matter to anyone, that no one would actually cover up some shit we’d benefit having you in on, just so we knew you were finally taking care of yourself and getting better.” A tear—a tear I haven’t seen my cousin shed since my uncle and aunt died—rolls down his cheek as he struggles against our brothers. “We all wanted you better and we were all—Tate included—willing to hide everything from you if it meant that would happen!”
I shake off Brick, Prez, and Marbles, my fists clenched at my sides. “So you put her at risk? Put James at risk just so I wouldget better?That seems—”
“Fuck you, Finlay. Fuck you for doubting us, for doubting your goddamn family and the woman you love.” Jackal shoves free from Zak and Pork Chop but doesn’t come at me, not again, he just looks at me with angry blue eyes full of tears. “You know better than to think we’d risk anyone in the club, anyone in this goddamn room, and who they love. You fucking know better. And you know goddamn well that we made sure your girl and her boy were safe every second of every day while you were getting right.” He stares at me for a few long seconds, takes one step in my direction then points to his chest. His chest where he has the same tattoo I do. “Youare the only family I got left. The assholes in this room, the people that live in those houses.” Jackal motions in the direction of the fucking compound Prez is having built. “Theyare the only family I got left, and so far I’ve lost you twice. I lost you when Tank died and I lost you again in that broken down farmhouse. I would be damned straight to hell if I lost you a third time, and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let that happen. Not by yanking you out of your program, and not by letting shit go down with your girl and her boy. So maybe open your goddamn eyes and look around for once, Finlay.”
I watch my cousin turn toward the door then pick up the chair in his way, throwing it at the wall before he marches out of the pole barn.
“I got him,” Zak grunts as he follows, but stops when he reaches the door and glances over his shoulder. “He’s right, you know. Right about everything and you’re too goddamn smart to argue it, even if you don’t believe it right now.”
Zak walks out and the pole barn falls silent, Crunchy and Chop starting to pick up some of the mess we made, and as I watch, shit finally starts to sink in.
And let me tell you what, that was not what I was expecting to happen at this fucking church service.
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