Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zion
After the confrontation on the tracks yesterday, one thing was on my mind and one thing only: seeing Cleo. But when I messaged Natalie as I jogged across the tracks and slipped into the ville, she said she’d been fired and that a new nanny was taking her place.
I stay hidden in the bushes; there’s more security around than usual.
Two guys sit in chairs on the porch out front.
A couple of cars are parked in the driveway.
People are on the streets, looking for Amirah.
I can’t risk my daughter’s safety by running in there now.
And who knows what the new nanny will be like?
Natalie told me she’s from the same agency as her, but that doesn’t mean I can trust her with the truth.
I need to plan this out. I back away from the house, pulling up my hood so I blend into the streets as I walk farther away from her. Each step feels like a knife to my chest.
“Hey!” someone yells from across the street.
I’m half a block from the tracks. Almost home. Fuck. I ignore them, moving quicker.
“Stop!” they say louder this time.
I keep my head straight, my hood covering my face.
Then I bolt. A gunshot rings through the air.
I jolt right, trying to avoid it. Goddamn it.
More shots are fired. I run through the bushes, putting more distance between me and my assailant before reaching the fence.
I climb and jump over. My feet land in the hard dirt as more shouts follow me.
I don’t stop running until I’m back in Bear’s amusement park and pushing inside his door. He’s sitting on the couch, writing in his notebook.
He looks up at me. “Didn’t know you were training for an iron man.”
I fall back onto the couch next to him, not having the energy to reply. It takes me a second to catch my breath. Fuck, that was close. Too close.
Every second that ticks by is time wasted.
Time that could be spent rescuing my daughter, bringing her back where she belongs.
She was safe in Daringville with Lauren, and she was somewhat protected with Natalie.
Now, with the new nanny and security, I can’t take my chances.
I’ve got this sick feeling that she’s not okay with him.
Everything has changed. She can’t stay there with Callan.
If anyone found out about her, they could use her against me—against the Hood—and I won’t allow that to happen. I won’t put her in the firing line.
We’ve already lost precious time while Kai has been with Amirah, feeding her lunch or whatever the fuck he’s doing.
What is taking so long? After that meeting, we don’t have long before The Brotherhood will come for us.
I need to get my girl out to-fucking-night.
And I’m going to need all the help I can get.
I inch forward on Bear’s couch, my knee bobbing.
Bear kicks my foot, and I glare at him. He smirks, leaning back on the couch, and flicks his knife in and out repeatedly. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”
Bear laughs as I roll my eyes. “Sometimes I wonder why we’re friends.”
I’m done waiting; we need a plan. Now. I jump to my feet and move through the room.
Bear’s footsteps follow me. I don’t stop until I’m outside of Amirah’s bedroom.
I’m about to burst through the door when it flies open and Kai crashes into me.
Bear and I stumble back into the wall behind us as Kai closes the door to Amirah’s room.
“Fuck, sorry,” he mumbles, wiping at his cheeks. What the fuck happened in there? I shake my head. We don’t have time for this.
Bear watches him closely, his leg kicked up against the wall.
“We need to make a plan,” I say, and Kai releases a heavy exhale.
“I know. Can you just give me five?” he asks, but I shake my head.
“No, we need to do this now. We’ve already wasted enough time,” I bite out in a raised voice, and Kai nods.
“I need to speak with her,” I say, pointing toward the door, and Bear kicks off the wall and comes in closer.
“Why?” he asks, all protective. Fuck me. I can’t deal with him right now.
“She might have intel on Callan. She already knows about Cleo, thanks to Kai’s big mouth, so I may as well use her for information.”
As I reach for the door, Bear shoves me, but I don’t budge.
“You hurt her and I’ll hurt you. Understand?” Bear says, getting right up in my face.
I push past him, opening the door. The bed is empty. I step inside and look around. She’s sitting back against the wall closest to the door, her mouth slightly ajar, cheeks pink. Was she listening to us?
Bear and Kai come inside too. Kai sits on the bed and Bear stays standing close to her. The room suddenly feels small. Tight. Amirah looks between us. She seems tired, her eyes red like she’s been crying.
“What do you know about Callan?” I ask, jumping straight to the point. Time is ticking away.
“Why?” she asks, cocking her head slightly to the side.
I take a deep breath before opening my mouth. She hasn’t done anything wrong. This isn’t her fault. I don’t want to come across as angry or forceful. I just need answers.
I step closer and kneel in front of her. She has her knees up, arms wrapped around them.
“My daughter is in his care—well, his and some random nanny’s—and I need to know everything about him. Please?” I beg.
Her eyes widen. She looks at me, then to Bear next to her, and back to Kai on the bed. She hugs her legs tighter.
“If your daughter is in Callan’s care, she isn’t safe,” Amirah says, and a mixture of emotions run through my body. She’s telling me the truth. She cares. I can’t deal with this. I need more. Why?
“Tell me everything you know about him,” I demand, and Amirah nods.
“He . . . he isn’t bad like you guys think The Brotherhood men are bad. He’s different. Worse.” She swallows, her gaze resting on mine. “Before I came here, I was investigating something.” She watches me closely, as if she’s trying to find something in my eyes.
Please, I want to beg. I need to know what we are running into.
“He has ties to that. With a club where they are doing unthinkable things. If your daughter is with Callan, you need to get her out before it’s too late,” she says and I stand up, all the blood rushing to my head.
Fuck. This is worse than I thought. I should never have left Lauren or my daughter in his care.
“What kinds of things does this club do?” Bear asks, running his thumb over his bottom lip.
Amirah glances between the three of us, her forehead scrunched together. She lets out a heavy sigh. “They’re trafficking women against their will.”
I clench my fists, anger rolling off every fiber of my being. Fucking hell. The list of shit to do is getting longer and longer, but my priority is my daughter.
“Where is the club? How many men does he have under his thumb? What routines does he have?” I fire off, needing every piece of intel I can get.
“The club is on the main street of Daringville. It’s called Magick.
I don’t know how many men or the routines.
I was looking into this before I got kidnapped and taken against my will.
” Amirah glares at Bear, and he smirks, but I frown.
Isn’t that the club Bear helps out at for cash? Does he know anything?
“Have you been to the club?” I ask Amirah. I’ll pump Bear for info later.
For the next five minutes, Amirah tells us about her visit to the club and everything she found out about what goes on there, as well as all she knows about Callan. He might be running it, but she doesn’t know for sure.
“Thank you, Amirah,” I say, moving toward the door.
She gets up, placing herself between me and the exit, and braces her hand on my chest. “Wait, let me come with you. I know things about Daringville you don’t.
And the nanny—I know a lot of the women who work in the city, thanks to the parties I’ve thrown that we’ve opened up to the general public.
You need me,” she says, and all I can hear is the pounding of my heart.
“Why should I trust you?” I ask, studying her eyes, searching for something within them, a glimmer of truth.
She keeps her gaze on mine, never wavering. “Because without me, you won’t stand a chance,” she says.
“Zion,” Kai says. I look toward him, and he shakes his head in warning, but I ignore him.
Time is ticking, and I’ll risk everything to save my daughter.
“Okay,” I agree and push past her out into the hallway.
I’m either going to regret this, or it’ll be the best decision I’ve ever made.