Page 14 of Calypso's Shield
After drying off, I pull on an extra-large men’s shirt she had lying around, since she ripped my dress shirt to shreds, and my pants. Calypso slips back into her leather.
We head downstairs to the commons, where women drink, smoke, and play pool and cards. Shirtless men in leather pants serve them, offering more than just drinks.
I’m shocked but not appalled. I’ve seen worse in my line of work.
Suddenly, the front door slams open, and Divine rushes in. “Calypso, I need you out here now.”
Calypso drops my hand and hurries after her. I keep pace, sensing the urgency. As soon as we step outside, my stomach clenches.
A boy lies in the dirt, broken, bloody, and barely clinging to life.
“Fuck. Scarlett better get here soon,” Calypso mutters, kneeling beside him.
I swallow hard, my gut twisting. I know this kid.
“Where did you find him?” I ask Divine, my voice tight.
“In the desert. Why?”
I exhale sharply, running a hand through my hair. “Because he’s one of the boys I’ve been looking for.”
6
CALYPSO
“He’s one of the boys I’ve been looking for.” Farris’s words echo in my head, sending a chill down my spine. This is bad. Really bad.
“Get him into one of the empty rooms with medical equipment,” I order, already moving. “Hook him up to an IV and call the Doc. We need to keep him alive until Scarlett gets here.”
“You got it, Calypso.” Divine answers.
Divine, Iris, Farris, and I work together, carefully carrying the boy inside. He’s barely conscious, his body wrecked with bruises, broken bones, and deep cuts. Divine gets an IV started while Iris inserts a catheter. I do my best to clean him up, but there’s only so much I can do.
“What the hell happened?” I ask Divine, my stomach twisting as I take in the damage.
She exhales, glancing at Iris before answering. “Iris and I were riding in the desert when we saw a car slow down about a mile ahead. The back door opened, and something was tossed out. The car took off, so we sped up to see what it was.” Sheswallows hard. “That’s when we found him. We brought him back here as carefully as we could, then got you.”
I nod, my jaw tight. “Were you in the same place as before?”
Divine hesitates, then sighs. “Yes.”
Shit.
“What’s going on?” Farris steps closer, his sharp eyes locked on me.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Calypso,” he warns. “I’m a detective. I can help.”
Before I can snap back, Allura walks in, taking one look at the boy and muttering a curse. “Fuck, not another one.” Her gaze shifts between Farris and me. “Might as well fill him in. If he’s as great a dick as he claims, we could use his help.”
My nostrils flare, but I smooth out my expression. She’s right.
“Fine.” I reach into my cut and pull out the stack of photos I took back from Allura, handing them to Farris. “We’ve been tracking the Bloody Femmes for months. If you aren’t sure who they are, they’re like the nasty female version of The Bloody Scorpions, our brother chapter, The Royal Bastards, have been dealing with. They’re like cockroaches. You splatter one under your foot, five more come out to play. The warehouse where you found us? That was one of their locations. Divine’s cousin was taken, and we think she was sold to the Russians or worse. We’re trying to find her.” I gesture toward the photos. “These women and children were pinned to a board in the office. We called in Scarlett to help. If she can figure out where they’re holding them, we can cut this chain off.”
Farris flips through the pictures, pausing on one. His jaw clenches.
“This girl…” He holds up the photo of a young girl with long brown hair and beautiful sea green eyes. “Her parents hired me to find her. She’s the reason I started this whole investigation.”
