Shut Out
Max
“Why did our mothers have to be born before the computer revolution? This makes everything harder. It’s not like a doctor who was practicing all those years ago still is.” Everett doesn’t look up from his screen as I drive us to Willow Street.
“Then start thinking outside of the box. What would have been archived on a computer that might actually tell us about doctors back then?”
Everett lifts his head up and stares blindly out the window for a long moment. “Medical journals.”
“Exactly.”
“On it.” His fingers move with a fluid motion and speed that I could never hope to attain anymore on a phone.
I'd better keep up my skills, or that boy will start beating me at this.
Like that’s even a worry when Fiona is currently losing her mind about some spider brand. Figuring that out is a priority. “Everett, stop that for a minute. I need you to hack into the police database.”
His head comes up, and an evil grin spreads across it. “What are we looking for?”
“You know you should have said no.”
“Why? It sounds like fun.”
That’s something I would have said at his age. “I want you to look and see if you can find out anything about a gang that uses a spider brand. The FBI might be better. I should probably do that search myself.”
“Why? I’ve hacked into the FBI several times.”
Don’t ask. “Do I want to know why you did?”
Everett’s smile widens. “Probably not. But it shouldn’t take long for me to do both.”
Of course it won’t.
***
Everett’s been silent far too long. We’re almost to Willow Street. “Have you found anything?”
“Mhmm…hmmm…mhmm.”
It seems he loses the ability to speak when he’s that deep down in the hole. “We’re close to Willow Street. When we get there, do you want me to have someone take you home? Things are going to be weird.”
Something triggered his brain, because his head pops up. “No. What’s weird is this gang…Well, it’s not really a gang. It’s a prostitution ring.”
There’s a five-year-old with the brand from a prostitution ring on her back. No wonder Fiona lost her mind.
“But all the information about this ring stopped about sixteen years ago. It’s like they vanished off the face of the earth.
Though the FBI thinks the ring moved because someone found out they were close to making arrests.
Urbium P.D. doesn’t think they moved. Around that time, they picked up several prostitutes with that brand on them.
They think the ring fell apart for some reason.
There are still women in the system with that brand.
..mhmmm…there are eighteen women in the state prison system. ”
“No men?”
“Nope.”
Five…That girl is five. What does Fiona know?
More importantly…how does she know? I don’t think I want the answer to that question. But I’m going to need it.
***
The Street is eerily quiet as we walk down it.
Everett looks up from his phone. “Whoa. What happened?”
“No. Idea.” But we’re about to find out. “They’re at the clinic.”
“Was anyone hurt? Did someone else attack The Street?”
“A little girl arrived. They’re checking on her. She’s the one with the brand.”
“Oh no.”
My thoughts exactly.
“Does this mean you and Maddox are going hunting?”
He’s perceptive. “Probably.”
“Can I help?”
Not without skills. “You can help with the research, but you need more training for anything else.”
“Okay.”
My father and Maddox are sitting outside the clinic when we approach.
“Did anything change?”
Dad stands up and walks over to me. “No. Your mother is in with Fiona and the child. I sent Hope home with your uncle. Otherwise, everything has been quiet.”
“We moved the entire street to lockdown, and all the kids are restricted to their dorms. Which isn’t ideal, and Fiona knows that. She must suspect a threat. I just want to know what I’m looking for.”
“A prostitution ring,” Everett chimes in. “According to the FBI, they were responsible for more murders than all the other rings combined. They would gleefully kill cops left and right. Then brand their faces with a spider.”
And Everett didn’t think to mention that while we were driving?
“Why haven’t we heard of them?” Maddox turns to the boy like he has all the answers.
“Because they shut down before I was born. Everyone assumed they were gone for good.”
“I’m calling Vex. He’d probably know about them.” Maddox takes out his phone as he walks away from the group.
A car purrs to a stop in front of the clinic.
That’s definitely not standard issue around here. They prefer black SUVs. Not foreign cars that come with their own mechanic. Knight steps out and walks around to open the door for Daria.
Why did he bring her here?
She completely ignores us and heads right into the back door of the clinic.
Knight walks up. “What’s going on?”
“All we know so far is it involves a prostitution ring,” Dad answers.
“Did you call Vex?” Knight says as Maddox walks back to the group.
“He’s on his way, and he didn’t sound happy. He muttered something about needing more guns.”
That’s enough to scare any sane person.
“At this rate, all that’ll be missing is your private lair and Kamenev,” Maddox jokes.
“You have a secret lair?” Everett grins like a little boy when handed their first comic book.
It’s not very secret anymore, now is it?
“Should one of us go in there and see what’s happening?” Everett doesn’t understand women yet, it seems.
“No. They’ll send someone out when they’re ready.” Dad glances down at his phone. “Your nonna wants us to know she’s making dinner and Ethan is on the way.”
And the crowd grows.
***
Thirty minutes later, Mom opens the door, and then Fiona steps out with Daria following behind. The little girl is ensconced in her arms.
Not Fiona’s?
That’s odd.
Mom walks over to Dad, and he immediately wraps an arm around her, but Fiona just stares at all of us for a long moment.
She ignores the rest of us and walks up to Knight. “That place you offered me. The one where I’d be safe.”
“I know the place.”
“Does it still exist?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“I need you to take them there now. By jet, helicopter, or whatever method will get them there safely without anyone knowing. Can you do that for me?”
Why did my woman go to Knight? And what are they talking about?
“I can. Are you sure?”
“Dead serious. Don’t bring her back until the threat is gone.”
“How will I know that when I don’t know what the threat is?”
Fiona takes a deep breath, staring down at the ground. “One of Maddox’s men will tell you when it’s over.”
Why him? Why them?
Everett raises an eyebrow at me, but I have no answer to his question.
When I move to step towards Fiona, Mom puts a hand on my arm and shakes her head.
“Consider it done.” Knight walks towards Daria.
“And Knight—”
He turns back to Fiona.
“—don’t come back here without them.”
He nods.
Fiona dismisses him, turning her attention to Maddox. “I told you to get rid of them.”
“And I told you that was impossible. You know your man. The whole family is as stubborn as he is. They aren’t going to go because I tell them to.”
“It’s suicide,” she pleads with him.
“Fea, you have to know they’d prefer to die at our side than walk away. But whatever it is, we can handle it.”
She shakes her head and turns to Mom. “Can you?”
“No, honey, I can’t. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. Running away from a monster doesn’t work. Eventually, he catches up with you. It’s better to stand and fight with people who are prepared than to run and hide.”
“What if they hurt Hope or Milia?”
The sound of a chopper stops the conversation.
We all turn and watch it land in the middle of Willow Street. Payne and Vex step out armed to the teeth, looking like death in human form.
“Where is he?” Vex shouts.
Fiona grabs my arm and pulls me away from the group.
Finally.
“Tesoro mio, what’s—”
“Do you love me?”
That feels more like an accusation than a question. “You know I do.”
“Then take your family and leave.”
“Fine.”
She lets out a sigh of relief. “I was afraid you’d refuse.”
“No. I can be a reasonable man. You’re afraid. I get that. You tell them what you know, and then we’re out of here.”
“What? No. I can’t leave.”
“You asked me to take my family and go. You’re my family. So if we go, you go. That’s how it works.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t run away. Not this time. Not again.”
“Then we stay. All of us. That’s how it works with family.” I brush a hair away from her face.
“I can’t let you stay. I can’t let them hurt your family.
Because that’s who he’ll target first. He won’t go for you.
He’ll go for your women and children. He’ll hurt them and send their bodies back to you.
Or worse, he’ll keep them. You hope that he sends their bodies back because being dead is better than being owned by that man. ”
And in that moment, my fears come true.
I knew all along what happened to Fiona, but it’s not the same as having it confirmed. My arms wrap around her. “We’re going to get him. He won’t hurt any more women.”
“Can we just get things moving? Other people want to go home and hug their wives, but there’s killing to be done first.” Vex doesn’t do patience very well.
Fiona tucks her head into my chest and takes a deep breath. “I can do this.”
She’s wrong. We can do this. But now isn’t the time to remind her of that.