Dark Secret - Avelyn Paige Page 0,40
boy. “Your name’s Kevin, right?”
He nods.
“Kevin. Go back, and tell me the story from the beginning.”
For the next twenty minutes, we all sit silent, listening as Kevin reveals a story that no child should ever have to tell. His mother had passed away four years ago, and his father had walked out when his sister was born. That meant their only living relative was their uncle, Randall.
His sister was only eight years old then, and Kevin himself had been twelve. Randall hadn’t even given them time to grieve. He’d already had two young girls in his basement, and each night at eight o’clock, men would come and pay him to spend time with those girls.
He was going to put Kevin’s sister, Natalie, in the basement with them. He was going to sell her.
“I begged him not to do it,” Kevin asserts. “I told him I’d do anything, and that’s when we made the deal. I could come and go as I pleased, and he would keep Natalie away from those men as long as I brought him another girl every few months. I thought I could find a way to escape, but he’s always watching. He keeps Natalie close, and he lets those men see her, but never touch her.”
This time, he looks at me, his one good eye as red as blood. “I’m sorry about your daughter. I never wanted any of this, but I didn’t know what else to do. And now they’re gone, and I don’t know where any of them are, and I …” Sobs cut off his words. As both a mother, and as a human being, I can’t let this go on.
I stand from my chair and approach him, wrapping my arms around him. “Shh,” I soothe, pressing him tight to my chest. “You’re safe now, and these are the good guys. They’re going to help you save your sister and Hayden.”
The only sound in the room is my soft whispers of encouragement, and the sobs of a broken boy. The men allow us that time, each of them likely itching to get their hands on that bastard Randall. I know that’s what I’m feeling, even though I’m trying to keep it together.
Finally, Kevin sniffs and pulls away, offering me a weak smile, pulling at the cuts on his lips. “Thank you.”
I smile back, giving him one last squeeze of reassurance before I let him go.
Wiping his eyes, he sits up straight and meets Wyatt’s gaze. “I saw the patch on your jacket and knew you could help me. My uncle was there, though. He was right behind us, listening to everything.”
“The other man in the shop,” Wyatt mutters.
“You’ve got to help them,” Kevin pleads. “Uncle Randall’s losing it, and now that he’s burned down his own house, I don’t know what he’ll do. I’m afraid he’s going to do something worse to the girls.”
Judge clamps his hand down on Kevin’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry, bud. We’re gonna end that motherfucker.”
Hashtag
“How do you want to play this, Judge?”
He leans back against his chair and nods toward me. “Hash is lead on this. His kid, his game plan.”
Twat Knot and Stone Face shoot him a look, and it takes me aback. Judge has never handed over control to someone like this. It’s an honor, and terrifying, all at the same time, the burden being squarely on my shoulders to guarantee Hayden and my brothers return home.
“Well?” Karma asks. “How we doing this?”
“We follow the kid. He’s our ace in the hole.”
“You mean that kid who lured your daughter out for his uncle’s trafficking ring? Yeah, that sounds solid,” GP sneers.
“I’m with him,” Karma interjects. “You can’t trust him. This could all be a sick and twisted fucking game of cat and mouse.”
“I never said I trust him, but he came to me for help. He’s desperate, and I think we can use that to our advantage. He has no place to go. If we can get him on board, we’ll get him to reach out to his uncle. He gets us his location, we get Hayden.”
“What happens if the uncle ghosts us? You got nothing but a kid who knows where our clubhouse is located. He puts us all at risk. You need to get rid of him.”
I shoot a hard glare at Stone. His negative Nancy bullshit from the moment Shelby came back is wearing thin. I don’t know what it is about my situation that’s bringing out the asshole in him, but I’m