Cyclops
Trixie was still pressed against his back, her breath warming the side of his neck through the collar of his cut.
She was steady now that she had stopped shaking.
She was no longer panicking. He hated that she had lived like a woman who knew that she was prey, but happy that she seemed to refuse to accept her fate anymore.
He respected the hell out of her, but it didn’t quiet the anger burning through him.
He was mad at himself, really. He was beating himself up for not seeing the sedan sooner.
He should’ve anticipated that her father would have sent out scouts to find her.
He should’ve been faster getting her out of the bar.
The idea of her getting grabbed and taken from him stirred something deep and primitive inside him.
It was a place he didn’t look at often because he didn’t like what it made him capable of doing.
Venom swung ahead of him and punched in the gate code.
The metal doors groaned open, revealing the compound inside.
It was more of a fortress than a home. The high walls, watchtower, garages, barracks, and armory didn’t give a very homey feeling.
Floodlights were everywhere. Here, they’d be safe and secure.
The grounds were impenetrable, unless someone wanted to start a full-on war—and he had a sick feeling that was exactly what her old man wanted to do.
He cut the engine and felt Trixie loosen her grip slowly, and he instantly missed the contact.
He climbed off the bike first, turning to offer her a hand.
She hesitated just one second—her pride, always tripping her up, but eventually took it anyway.
Her hands were cold, and he hated that she was uncomfortable and didn’t let him know.
The night had gotten chilly as they made their way up into the mountains where the compound sat.
Venom dismounted with a groan. “Well. That was a shitshow.”
Cyclops grunted his agreement. “They were sneaky bastards, too quiet.”
Venom pulled out his cell phone and smiled down at it. “Ink and Razor just texted that they are about fifteen minutes out,” he announced. Cyclops was glad to hear it. The more guys they had there to hold down the fort, the better. And this compound was exactly that—a fort.
Trixie took in the compound with sharp, assessing eyes. “Where exactly are we?” she asked.
“Three hours north of your father’s territory,” Cyclops said. “It’s technically an undisclosed location.”
“Meaning?” she questioned.
“Meaning that even if someone knows the general region, they don’t know the entrance point.
” He gestured toward the walls. “This place is built so we see people coming long before they get close enough to do us any harm,” he boasted.
Honestly, the place was all Mace’s idea, and he had the good sense to purchase the land when it went on the market.
He and a few of the guys worked tirelessly to build the rest of the compound, and the Blaine brothers had even installed the security measures that kept them so well hidden.
She crossed her arms. “You’ve brought me to a fortress,” she correctly assessed.
He shrugged. “You needed a fortress.”
Her jaw tightened. “I don’t like being caged like an animal.”
“You’re not caged,” he said evenly. “You’re protected. There is a big difference between the two.”
“It feels the same,” Trixie challenged.
“Then the issue’s not the walls,” he said quietly. “It’s trust.”
Her eyes snapped to him. She looked like a wounded bird, and he immediately regretted his words.
He should have apologized, but he didn’t because he knew that he was right.
She didn’t trust him, and he refused to push her into something that she wasn’t ready to do.
She didn’t seem like the type of woman you pushed unless you wanted her to bolt, and Cyclops wanted her to stick around.
Venom spoke up. “We need to get the scouts locked down and questioned. The guy’s got the truck and knocked them out for the trip.
When they finally wake up, they’ll have no idea where they are.
Do you want to question them or do you want one of us to?
” Cyclops should have insisted that they kill the two men that her father sent, but Ink convinced him to interrogate them first. He said that they might have answers as to what Lee had planned next, and knowing that might help them to keep Trixie safe.
He was right, but Cyclops still wanted to kill the two fuckers for coming after Trixie.
As if on cue, they pulled in through the gates in the pickup truck that Razor had borrowed from a friend in the area.
They thought about taking the guy’s sedan, but Lee might have his men looking for it by now.
They set the car on fire and left it in the field for Lee’s men to find.
It would send him a clear warning that the Road Reapers weren’t to be fucked with.
Cyclops hoped that he’d believe that they killed his men, and that worked for him.
Ink jerked his head toward the two men, still unconscious in Razor’s truck. “You want them out in the underground bunker?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Cyclops said. “But don’t lay a finger on them yet.
I want to talk to Trixie first.” He looked over to her and gave her a guilty smile.
“You might know what we’re dealing with better than we do.
” She looked at him as though he had lost his mind, and maybe he had.
“Razor—stay on perimeter. I want to know if anyone even drives by this place. Ink—get those men inside and secured. No interrogations until I give the order,” Cyclops growled.
Razor nodded and stalked toward the watchtower.
Ink drove the two suits toward the underground bunker with Venom in tow.
Cyclops turned back to Trixie and found her hugging herself, but not out of fear.
He knew fear. This was exhaustion threading through her bones.
She looked like she wanted to argue with him or challenge him, but he could see that she was too tired to do any of that.
Instead, she surprised him with her next question.
“What do you want to know?” she asked softly.
He motioned to one of the benches near the side building.
She walked over and sat down stiffly, like her body was too tired to keep up the walls she had in place, but her mind was still braced for an attack.
He sat beside her but angled his body so she could leave if she needed space.
She didn’t, and that was another surprise.
“Start with the basics,” he said. “Your father’s operation, and end with what you found and why he wants it back so badly.
” She blew out a breath and stared straight ahead.
“He’s trafficking kids, not just adults—kids too.
He’s using overseas routes to cover his tracks and selling them on the black market to buyers.
He’s even got some government connections. ”
Rage rolled through him like thunder. He kept his voice level only by sheer willpower. “How young are we talking?”
“Some were as young as five,” she said, her voice catching on a sob.
His jaw locked. “How long has he been doing this?”
“A year, maybe longer. I didn’t know at first. He kept me out of certain financial folders.
I thought it was because he was hiding tax stuff.
Turns out he was hiding so much worse. I threatened to tell someone what he was doing, but he said that if I did, he’d put me in a cage and sell me off to the highest bidder.
” He wanted just five minutes alone with the asshole who called himself Trixie’s father.
What kind of man would threaten to traffic his own daughter?
He knew exactly the type of man who’d do something like that, and one thing was clear—the fucker needed to be taken down.
“Who else knows?” he asked.
“Only him and his inner circle—well, and now you,” she said.
His eye narrowed. “You said earlier you copied evidence.”
She nodded. “I copied everything. His transfers, shipping manifests, communication logs, and even videos. I have multiple backups set to release automatically.”
“Automatic how?” he asked.
“I’ve set up a dead man’s switch,” she said.
He stared at her. “You set one up?”
“Yes.” Her tone sharpened defensively. “You think I’m stupid enough to run without leverage?”
“No,” he said truthfully. “I think you’re a hell of a lot smarter than you let on.” He knew that he was pressing her, but he needed to know. “So if he kills you,” he started.
“It all goes public,” she quickly finished.
“And if he captures you?” Cyclops almost whispered. There was no way that he’d ever let that happen, but he needed answers.
“He’ll force me to deactivate it,” she breathed.
“I won’t want to do it, but he’ll torture me until I comply.
He’s ruthless. Cyclops swore under his breath.
Her life wasn’t just valuable to him—it was critical to her father’s entire empire.
No wonder the bounty was huge and they wanted her alive.
He needed her to be capable of talking, and if she refused, he’d force her to.
Trixie let out a shaky exhale. “That’s the whole story. That’s everything.”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not.”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
He angled toward her, lowering his voice. “You haven’t told me the part that scares you most. The real reason you ran.”
“I told you—”
“No,” he said, soft but firm. “You told me the danger. Not the fear.”
Her lips parted, and her eyes flashed. She looked away, then back at him, as though wrestling with herself.
“When he realized that I had copied everything and set up the files to release, he threatened to give me to someone. He meant it when he said that he’d sell me off to the highest bidder.
He already had one set up and ready to collect me. ”
Cyclops froze. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she whispered, “he promised me to one of his contacts as payment for his debt. A man named Falco. He collects people, especially women. But only the ones that he can control.”
A chill ran down Cyclops’s spine. “He was trafficking his own daughter?”
“No, not exactly,” her voice trembled. “He said it would keep me safe. That Falco would protect me. That it was my duty to the family to be ‘useful’.” Cyclops’s hands curled into fists so tight he felt the bones grind. He wanted to kill Vincent Lee—not metaphorically, but literally and very slowly.
“He owns me, Cyclops,” she whispered. “Or he thinks he does. And men like him don’t take kindly to their property running away.”
He reached out instinctively before stopping himself just inches from putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Trixie,” he breathed. She didn’t move and didn’t even look like she was breathing.
He lowered his hand onto her shoulder gently, carefully, as though he was touching a wounded animal.
“You’re not property,” he said. “Not to me—not to anyone except your asshole father.”
She closed her eyes, just for a second. “He’ll keep coming for me,” she whispered.
“Let him come.” His voice went low and dangerous. “We’ll be ready for him and the army he’ll send. But there is no fucking way that he’s going to get his hands on you—not while I’m alive and breathing.”
She looked at him, and something warm flickered beneath all the fear in her eyes. It was something that made him feel too weak to handle the weight of her world. How she had handled it up until this point was a mystery to him. “You don’t even know me,” she murmured again.
He shook his head. “I know enough, honey.”
“Enough for what?” she asked.
He stood, offering her his hand. “Enough to fight for you. Enough to protect you. Enough to burn your father’s empire to ash if he comes near you again.” Her breath hitched. “And,” he said, softer, “enough to say that you’re not alone anymore.”
She stared at his hand, and he held his breath, waiting for her to take it. And then, slowly, she took it. As he helped her to her feet, a shout came from the gate. It was Razor’s voice, and whatever he was shouting about sounded urgent.
“Cyclops, we’ve got movement in the woods!” he shouted. Cyclops tightened his grip on Trixie’s hand. The night wasn’t done with them yet—in fact, he was sure that it was only just getting started, and the sun was almost up.