Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
JAKE
Walking into church, it’s officers only, and we all take our usual seats. Gabe wastes no time getting started.
“How’s Avery this morning?” Gabe asks, directing his attention to me.
“I just left her with Liz and the girls. She was fine ,” I say, and Hawk chuckles beside me. I glare at him, willing him to shut up, but no such luck.
“Well, she told him she’s fine , but only because she’s pissed at him,” Hawk goes on. Gabe glares at me from his spot at the head of the table, sitting down now, leaning back, arms folded across his chest.
“ What did you do ?” Gabe barks, leaning forward just enough to intimidate a lesser man.
“Well, you see, Pres, he doesn’t know. She was good earlier, then when they got to Liz’s house, Jake says she wouldn’t talk to him except to tell him she was fine. ” The whole room doles out a collective “ooh.”
“Freaked out. Insecure. Neurotic and emotional,” Ethan and Jameson both chant from the other side of me. Hawk laughs, pointing at them, nodding his head in agreement.
“See! That’s what I told him!” Hawk shouts. I glare at the prick, wishing he would shut the hell up.
“Haven’t you seen The Italian Job ?” Ethan asks. Everyone around the room nods collectively.
For fuck’s sake.
“I didn’t do anything. She had an emotional night, and I think she’s trying to process through it all.” I say, hoping they’ll back off the idea of me having fucked-up. Thinking she regrets having trusted me with her secrets twists my gut.
“What did she tell you? Did she say if it was the guy she was dancing with who upset her?” Gabe asks, his eyes narrowed in on me. My mind flashes back to the sight of her in my T-shirt, wrapped around me with her little lace panties taunting me in the mirror. Remembering Pres’s threat to anyone who touches her has me quickly shutting those thoughts down.
Nope. Not telling him shit.
“No. It wasn’t him, or even the party, that upset her. Not exactly.”
“What do you mean, exactly?” Pop leans forward and scowls.
“Aren’t you supposed to be with your boss in Baron’s Edge?” I’m probably going to catch shit for questioning him later, but my girl is worried about Pop’s loyalties, and as hard as it is to think about, I need to consider the possibility he knew something about her situation.
“Russ is safe. He’s on a business trip away from home. He’s going to remain on his trip until further notice. We have two of our best men with him. Why are Russell’s whereabouts a concern to you?”
“She told me about the night of her supposed mugging and said something from last night triggered a flashback. She doesn’t like to be touched by people she doesn’t know, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed.”
“I noticed she didn’t shy away from your touch.” Gabe smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “In fact, she snuggled into you. Twice she’s allowed you to hold her close, turning into you for comfort. She left with you last night and didn’t protest. She trusts you. Why?” He raises a questioning brow, but it’s not really a question. It’s a challenge. He doesn’t like the fact she won’t give him a chance. The way she moves away or stiffens every time he touches her.
“I haven’t given her any reason not to trust me. I haven’t lied to her. I didn’t abandon her when she needed me. I stepped up for her and took care of her because it’s what she needs.” The tension in the room has become ten times thicker. He doesn’t like me meeting his challenge, but mostly he’s pissed because he knows I’m right.
“What did she tell you?” Pop growls menacingly, changing the subject. He’s been trying for months to get her to talk about the night she was attacked.
He’ll have to get in line .
Gabe looks ready to explode any second. I don’t keep them waiting. “When our friend tried to pull Avery close to dance with him, something about his ring and him grabbing her caused a flashback.” Thinking about all the shit she told me last night has my body vibrating with rage. All the things the bastard did to her. All the memories she can never erase from her mind. I want this son of a bitch dead in a bad way.
“What did she tell you about what happened to her? What kind of flashback are we talking about?” Gabe’s rolling his neck and the cracking sound echoes through the room. There’s a mixture of anger and guilt in his eyes. Caleb scoots closer to the table, squeezing Gabe’s shoulder. It could be a show of support, or maybe he’s trying to keep himself a little grounded. After all, Avery is his granddaughter too.
“Well, it wasn’t a mugging. It was an attempted rape.” The room is vibrating with everyone’s rage.
“She said there were four of them. But only one I’m certain she saw.”
“Can she identify him?”
“She won’t.”
“What?” Jameson snaps, confused. I’m no happier about it than he is.
“Let him finish!” Gabe shouts, slamming the gavel. “I want to know everything . Then we go on the hunt. Now spit it the fuck out.”
“The others were hiding behind masks. The one in charge wanted her to see who he was and remember every detail. He didn’t rape her, but he did enough.” All eyes snap to me, mirroring my own with the promise of what’s coming when we do find them.
“He was planning to do more, the sick fuck. Thankfully, he was interrupted.” I take a deep breath, remembering the tremble in her body as she sobbed through the retelling of her story and the fear those fuckers instilled in her.
“He promised her he would return to finish what he started.”
“Has he? Has he been back since?” Pop’s up pacing.
“No. From what Sadie tells me, this bastard told Avery he owned her. Bought her from someone.”
Gabe’s fists slam into the table at the same time Pop throws his coffee cup across the room, smashing it into the wall. “Motherfucker!” They both roar. Everyone else’s faces match their sentiments around the table. We are all ready to find these assholes and make each one pay.
“Did either of the girls give you a name?” Declan asks. All eyes are on me again in hopeful anticipation.
“No.”
“But they know who did it?” Hawk has his laptop open and ready.
I nod. “Avery knows, but she’s terrified to tell anyone who he is. She wouldn’t tell Sadie because she knew Sadie would work her magic and probably get herself caught up in this shit, too.” Hawk glances up at me and smirks mischievously, then quickly drops his chin to hide his pride. He knows damn well what she’d do if she knew.
“That’s not all.” Pop stops pacing. Everyone is so emotionally charged, ready to snap. I have to take a few deep breaths to steady myself. “Sadie says whoever this is, he has something on Russ. He threatened to ruin him if Avery told anyone anything. Says he could take everything, including his freedom, if she didn’t keep her mouth shut and do as she’s told.”
“That’s why they lied and said she was mugged.” Pop sighs, rubbing his hand down his face. “She was protecting Russ.”
“It’s also the reason Avery ran away. She thought it was the only way to keep them both safe.” Hawk suggests.
“No. There was more to it. Sadie said Avery went through a lot of shit in their house. She doesn’t believe Russ had anything to do with it, but she hinted about those marks on her arm not being the first set of bruises she’s seen on Avery over the last few years. She implied Chuck had something to do with it.”
“Motherfucker!” Pop is going to explode. He’s dragging his hands through his hair, pulling. He chose Chuck to be their security while he was away with Russ. The man he trusted to protect her could possibly be the one who’s been hurting her. I can see the guilt and frustration he’s wrestling with.
Gabe drops his body back into his chair, glancing around at each one of us. “She was abused?” I shrug and give a slight nod.
“I can’t say exactly what happened because Sadie couldn’t tell me. She only hinted at the fact Avery had been marked before, hurt, and Sadie made it her mission to help her get away from all of it.”
Hawk turns his chair toward me, focusing in on the details, as usual, and says, “Wait a minute. You said he was interrupted, right? By what? The cameras for the studio didn’t show anyone coming or going.”
“Yeah, you can thank Sadie Jay and her hacking skills. She made it look like the camera was on the fritz, but before she did, she said they showed nothing of value.”
“Fuuuuck,” Hawk drawls. “That girl. I have the right mind to take her over my knee and…” Hawk stops mid-sentence when the low growling sound from Pop is heard from over his shoulder. Hawk chuckles, but says nothing further.
Dumbass.
“Avery said the guy he had playing lookout got a phone call, said something about there being a problem and the boss needing them back.”
“So, he works for someone else? Then he’s not the one in charge. He was just the one sent to send a message.” Jameson chimes in.
“Did she hear anything about who his boss is?” Declan asks. “Any other information that might help us find this guy?”
“No.” I look around at each one of my brother’s faces. They’re as pissed as I am, but I need them to understand what this fucker is capable of. What he planned to do to my Angel.
“There’s more. I need you all to know, so you understand why I’m going to kill this motherfucker as slowly and painfully as I possibly can. He isn’t getting a bullet to the head until he suffers for everything he put Avery through.”
The room falls silent. All eyes are on me.
“He had every intention of raping Avery. He was disappointed when he had gotten interrupted, but he left her a few parting gifts. His promise to return, if you will, and to make sure she wouldn’t forget his threat. He left scars and burn marks on her body. He branded her in places no one could see unless she chose to show them. Ensuring she wouldn’t get naked for anyone else.”
I can feel the heat of Gabe’s glare against the side of my face but make no move to look him in the eyes. Not yet. I’ll take my ass whoopin’ when the time is right for looking at his daughter’s naked body, but now isn’t the time.
“The way she explained it to Sadie, this guy has big plans. He wants to break Avery, use her, then pass her along to his friends until she can’t be used anymore. Now, someone with such in-depth plans wouldn’t have left his business unfinished for just any reason. Especially when he’s paid someone good money to do it.” I add.
It’s Caleb’s turn to growl and pace the floor. Threatening to kidnap her has us all concerned. Attempting to rape her has everyone on edge. He’s just signed his death warrant and everyone in this room will be taking their pound of flesh on her behalf.
“If his boss knew what he was doing, why would he interrupt him? If you send a man to leave a message, you don’t stop him mid-sentence, if you know what I mean. What if his boss didn’t know what the asshole was doing? What if this was his own agenda?”
“Ethan’s got a point,” Hawk agrees.
“You think this asshole and Cusenza are connected?” Gabe asks Pop.
“It’s a possibility.”
“Maybe this prick was double dealing. Maybe he was supposed to take Avery to Cusenza and decided to make a separate transaction outside of the boss’s plan,” Jameson pipes up.
“You’re thinking he could be double crossing Cusenza?” Hawk asks, tapping his keys again. “He saw the product and wanted to keep it for himself.” I growl at Hawk’s choice of words.
“She’s no one’s product. She’s not theirs to purchase or take.” I raise a brow, daring him to argue. Hawk raises his hands in apology.
“Understood, brother. I’m merely saying what they were thinking, not my own thoughts. I would never look at your woman or any other as something to be bought or sold.” He grins. Gabe growls at Hawk’s insinuating I’ve claimed Avery as mine.
In my mind I have— she is mine . But that’s not the subject we need to discuss in this meeting.
“Maybe it’s someone who knows her. He obviously knows her value if he’s leveraging her with Russ,” Pop says. “Shit.” He resumes his pacing. “We were looking for a random attacker. Someone who saw an advantageous situation and took it. This whole time …” Caleb and Gabe are intently staring at him as Pop continues to pace, processing through his thoughts out loud.
“Pop, I’ve got to ask. Do you think Russ sold her to Cusenza to pay off a debt he owes?”
“What?” He roars. “No. He loves Avery the same as he did Maggie. Even if he had owed a debt, which he doesn’t, he would never do anything to hurt her. He’d die first.”
“And that’s what she’s trying to keep from happening. That’s why she’s not talking,” Caleb states drily pointing his finger at Pop. Caleb’s eyes soften and a small smile plays across his face as he says, “She’s more of a King than she thinks, even if she doesn’t like us. She’s loyal to those she loves. Protective. She’s been living in an emotional hell, physically been in pain, and yet she still won’t budge because it’s the only way she can protect her family. Sound familiar?” He arched a brow at Gabe.
Not wanting to acknowledge the old man’s point, Gabe changes the subject back to the business at hand.
“Who else besides Cusenza would have reason to threaten Russ?” Gabe asks, looking at Pop for answers. Pop looks up at me, then back to Gabe. “There are a lot of people who have tried to threaten Russ over the years. None of them have been successful.” He stares off into space for a moment, then slaps his hand down on the table in front of him. “It could be anyone in that town. Eleanor keeps Avery busy with every community event she can. She’s a West. Russ owns half the town, for Christ’s sake. There’s no one who wouldn’t know who she is,” Pop groans scrubbing his hand down his face.
“What is it?” Gabe asks.
“Russ doesn’t attend many social functions. In fact, he avoids them. Purposely planning meetings out of town when he knows about the events. He provides an escape for Avery whenever Eleanor hosts parties and he’s home. She hides in the storm cellar with her books or sketchpad. She hates social functions as much as he does. When he is home, he spends most of his time with her. Makes it a point to be home for every dance recital, award ceremony, birthdays, you get the point.” He looks at each man one by one. “There are a select few who are always invited to every party or event Eleanor hosts at her home. Maybe we start there? They would be the closest people in her circle who would know about Russ’s relationship with Avery. They’d see it firsthand whenever he was home.”
“Give Hawk a list of names. Hawk, I want backgrounds—anything and everything you can find on these people. If they’ve been around when he was gone as well. Check the gate logs with Garrison as well,” Gabe instructs.
“What I don’t understand is, this guy says he’s already purchased her, right? So, no matter the outcome, he owns her already.” My fist slams down on the table. Declan saying another man owns my Angel has me ready to punch him in the fucking throat. He’s leaning on the table, spinning a quarter between his knuckles. “So, why threaten to ruin Russ? It wouldn’t matter if she told someone. He would still essentially own her. What does Russ have to do with the deal? See what I’m saying? Either way, she would belong to this guy.”
“ No, she doesn’t ,” I grit out.
“I know. But you get what I’m saying?” He puts his hands up in his way of asking me to keep my shit together. “In this sick fuck’s mind, she’s his. We know she’s not. But why threaten her with hurting Russ if the deal’s already been made?”
“Maybe the deal isn’t finalized yet. It could be a contention plan,” Hawk suggests.
“Or maybe this guy was the one who tried to kidnap her? Not Cusenza.” I say, leaning on the table.
“What if their plans collided? Cusenza wanted her. This guy found out and made his play first since he’s convinced she belongs to him. Only no one found her because she ran here first,” Caleb suggests.
“Fuck. We may be looking for more than one player,” Hawk groans, grabbing his computer and typing away, doing what he does best.
“Mack, get Russ on the phone. I need to ask him about a few things. Dad, hang back. Until I have answers, we stick with the way things are. Those girls have escorts everywhere they go. The rest of you are dismissed for now.”