2. Hyland #2
“I don’t know where to start,” Ember admits, rubbing between her brows. “When did you escape?”
“It wasn’t long after the final time we saw each other.”
“You’re the last person I expected to see when we stepped off that jet.”
“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again after I fled Mexico,” Willow agrees with a sad frown. “Of course I heard about your return through the news and updates from Sabre. I thought you’d reach out sooner.”
“I had no idea you were here,” Ember responds. “It’s been years.”
The two women exchange a long, loaded look that speaks volumes of a shared history we can’t possibly begin to fathom.
“I’m glad you’re still alive, Ember.”
“You too.” She nods with a small but genuine smile. “How did you escape Sanchez and his men?”
Sighing hard, Willow pushes a chunk of inky black hair behind her ear. “It’s too early to drink, and I can’t tell that story without something strong in hand. Let’s just say it wasn’t easy. You?”
“The same.” Her gaze briefly flicks over to Blaine. “Though I had some help.”
Watching the two of them interact feels uncomfortably close to witnessing my past and present collide. It’s all it takes for my patience to fray and snap.
“Sorry to break this up.” I deliberately clear my throat. “Mind filling the rest of us idiots in? How the fuck do you two know each other?”
Willow studies me, the corners of her eyes creasing in a look of affection. “You said it yourself, Hy. It’s all connected.”
“But how?”
“Dimitri Sanchez,” Blaine speaks for the first time.
Now there’s a name I never wanted to hear again. Even dead and gone, the evil mastermind still haunts us.
“My ex-husband.” Willow shudders slightly. “You all know he trafficked me overseas when I was a teenager, then I spent a decade living in his captivity. He introduced me to Antonio Gael… and Ember.”
“Son of a bitch,” Warner curses under his breath.
“Though she had a different name then.”
In her seat, Ember chuckles. “True.”
“He’s the link,” Blaine supplies in a cool, flat tone that screams of hidden rage. “Along with Gael and my father. Three heads of the same snake.”
“I’m sorry, time out.” Ethan makes a cutting gesture with his hand. “Can we rewind to why Blaine fucking Madden is sitting here, drinking coffee, participating in this conversation?”
“Just Blaine Madden.” He huffs. “I thought we covered that.”
“You’re supposed to be in a prison cell!”
“Well, it didn’t stick. Should’ve done a better job of putting me there, Agent Tarkington.”
“Why you little assh—”
“Enough,” I bark at Blaine. “Don’t antagonise him.”
“Your ex-boss did that all on his own.”
It would bring me great pleasure to wipe the smug grin from Blaine’s face, regardless of his plea agreement. I know his place is on this team. He’s proven as much. Doesn’t mean I have to like him, though.
“Blaine is a member of the Anaconda Team,” Warner explains wearily, hands wrapped around his coffee. “He struck a plea deal with the directors. We need his help to bring Nolan Madden down.”
“Nolan Madden is alive?” Ethan’s eyebrows jerk upward.
With a groan, I lean back against the kitchen cupboards. “Get comfortable; this is gonna take some explaining. Do you guys have more coffee?”
We’ve made it through another pot by the time Warner has filled his old team leader in. The story sounds even more chaotic when recanted out loud. Zach sure seemed to agree when he labelled our situation a cluster fuck. The punk has a real way with words.
“You’re saying Antonio Gael was colluding with Madden to evade the authorities?” Willow taps a long fingernail against her chin. “The same Gael who shared black market business dealings with my ex-husband.”
“In essence.” Warner shrugs half-heartedly.
“Connected isn’t quite the right word.” She spares me a grimace. “I agree with Zach—this is a cluster fuck.”
“Thanks.” he shoots her a wink.
“Can you go check on Hayden? His nap time is almost over.”
“Sure. This is above our pay grade anyway. We’ll be upstairs.”
Scooping up his twin brother, Zach steers him from the room to attend to their son, leaving Killian at Willow’s side. He’s retained his stony silence throughout our story, though he looks displeased.
“I heard you took down Gael.” Willow studies our girl intently. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” Ember replies without emotion.
“How?”
“I killed him.”
After a beat of silent surprise, Willow’s lips spread wide. “Good. That man was a monster. The world’s a better place without him in it.”
“How did you meet him?” I interject.
Taking a sip of coffee, Willow crosses one leg over the other to get more comfortable. Sometimes, it still strikes me how different she is from the timid, traumatised woman I first met all those years ago.
“We visited the Gael mansion on a few occasions for business dinners. I crossed paths with Ember a couple of times before I fled Mexico. I tried to get to one of her fights, but I was never allowed to attend.”
“What are the odds?” Warner shakes his head.
In the corner, Blaine curses. “Better than you’d think.”
“How so?” Willow stares at him.
“We’ve established that my father serviced overseas traffickers through an intricate honeypot scheme, supplying the demand for new victims. It was inevitable that his customers—like Gael and Sanchez—would be in league with each other.”
The thought turns my stomach. Who knows how many other victims are out there, caught up in this impenetrable machine of trafficking, destined to remain invisible and forgotten. That could’ve easily been Ember or Willow. They got lucky.
“Now all of Gael’s infrastructure is up for grabs.” I speak slowly, full of dread.
“And Nolan Madden is the new head of the snake.” Ember meets Blaine’s dull stare. “Until he’s been removed, none of us are safe. We declared war on his operation in Estonia.”
“And he will respond soon enough,” Blaine adds solemnly.
As much as I hate it, I can’t help but agree with them. Nolan Madden fled the scene of the crime. If he has the means and connections to vanish through our fingertips, he certainly has the firepower to strike back at us.
“That’s it.” Killian straightens from his perch against the cabinets. “You all need to leave.”
Honestly, part of me wondered if this would happen, so I can’t say I’m surprised.
“Kill,” Willow hushes him. “You can’t just turf them out.”
“They’re bringing danger to our door. I won’t have our family compromised again. I’m sorry, but you need to find somewhere else to lie low.”
“No one knows they’re here.” Ethan sets down his mug. “Their presence poses no threat to Briar Valley.”
“I’ve heard that before,” Killian scoffs.
“We agreed to help them.”
“You agreed! I did no such thing, and I won’t have Arianna or my son put in harm’s way. Not again.”
Her chair scraping back abruptly, Willow shoots to her feet. “Upstairs. We can discuss this in private with the others.”
“Willow, baby—”
“Now, Kill! I’m sorry, everyone. Please excuse us.”
Seeing Killian follow her from the kitchen like a disgruntled puppy would be amusing under normal circumstances. Ethan’s head falls into his hands, and Warner visibly deflates once they’ve left, his bloodshot eyes falling shut.
“What now?” Ember whispers under her breath.
My palms move to cup her shoulders from behind, squeezing in a mark of support. It’s as much for my reassurance as it is for hers. The whole conversation has me rattled.
“We prepare. A war’s coming whether we’re ready for it or not.”