Vesper
Sixty-Four
It was hard seeing my mariposa so broken.
She was fighting herself, believing her sister was gone and hoping that she was alive.
Rory was strong. It would take a lot for her to crumble, but I saw her strength falter when she saw the pictures from the warehouse.
Without her sister, something was bound to happen and she would need all of us there with her.
Even Widow. Once she could get the stick out of her ass and be there for our girl.
Losing Cinder made me realize I never wanted to lose Rory. Cinder might not be dead, but she wasn’t here. It would be our job to protect Rory, even if she didn’t need it. I would protect my mariposa, even if it meant dying myself. The last thing we needed was for her mental health to decline.
She would be leaving with Hades, and I knew Widow hated that.
My phone rang and Melisa's contact lit up the screen. I loved her, but I was so sick and tired of seeing her contact every damn day. “What is it now?”
“Fire and medical were dispatched to the pier. I’m on my way now, but I figured you would like to know as well.”
“Fuck. We’re on our way.” I hung up and immediately called Widow. “Get to the pier. We have an emergency.”
“Last emergency we had, Cinder was taken. What is it now?”
“It’s on fire.”
I grabbed my keys and informed Mal and Parker so they could join me.
The rest of the club would be on high alert, waiting for us to come back and debrief them.
This person was getting on my last nerve, hiding in the shadows and attacking us when we least expected.
It was a cowardly move, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him.
The three of us arrived just as Widow pulled up on her bike.
The entire pier was on fire surrounded by multiple firetrucks and ambulances. It was the middle of a workday, so there were dock workers who got trapped in the blaze.
After thirty minutes of helping the medics with the workers, the fire had been slowly contained and no one got severely injured. There was a lot of smoke inhalation and superficial burns, but that was it.
While the medics took care of the victims and the firefighters dealt with the remainder of the fire, Melisa pulled the four of us aside. She didn’t look pleased.
“If something else happens because of this bastard, I won’t be able to help you. I already have the FBI breathing down my neck about the Vipers.”
“What are they saying?”
“They asked a lot of questions about Cinder, and especially Rory. Somehow they know about her history and what Cinder did.”
“When did the FBI start asking you questions?”
“A week before Cinder vanished. It was after the storage container was found with the pictures. I figured it wasn’t worth worrying over since the FBI had been here before, after Diesel died.”
Nothing was making sense. The timing didn’t add up, either. While Melisa talked to Widow and the others, I stepped out of their vicinity. I needed to find out more information. This could be the lead we needed. I scrolled through my contacts until I found Detective Calloway's number.
“I was going to call you tonight,” her voice rang out.
“What is it?”
She sighed. “When I was looking for Rory’s file, I had two FBI agents show up. I didn’t know who they were. They asked about Ella and her sister. I told them the case was closed and a child predator was dead. They kept asking questions about Aurora the most.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, but I didn’t tell them much. She was rescued and taken back home with her sister. That was it. How is she? And Cinder?”
“Rory is alive, safe for now. Cinder…Cinder is missing and we don’t know if she is alive or dead.”
“I’m sorry. She seemed upset when she reached out. Do you need anything from me?
“Not yet. I do have one question. Was there a report of a boy the same age, maybe a year older than Rory, who was found with signs of abuse?”
She shuffled like she was looking through some papers.
“I don’t know if it is relevant, but a few weeks after Rory was found, we got a report of a teen breaking into a pharmacy.
When police showed up, he had bruises and ripped clothes.
He kept talking about a princess, but when he was in the hospital, he managed to escape and no one found him again. ”
Princess.
“Do you know his name?”
“I’ll have to look, but as soon as I get something, I will call you.”
I was getting tired of dealing with this already, but I would keep searching if it meant making Rory happy again.