Dark Secret - Avelyn Paige Page 0,41
about two seconds away from punching his fucking lights out.
“Fuck you, man. That kid is no more a threat to us than he is to anyone else.”
Stone’s body tenses the second my mouth closes. Yeah, big man. Get pissed. It’ll make the fight more fun. It’s been a long time coming.
“The kid is our trump card, asshole. He knows how his uncle works, and how to get in touch with him. All we need is a location, and only he can get that for us.”
Stone Face glares at me. The air in the room around us is so brittle, I think if I reach out and swipe at him, he’ll snap into pieces. And if he doesn’t, then I’ll kick his ass. I start to shove away from the table, but Judge looks over at me. It doesn’t take a mind reader to see what his face is trying to convey to me in silence. Check the emotional bullshit and lead.
“Look, I know this is my problem, but this kid is our only way. Without him, Hayden will likely be moved across the border in a matter of days, if she isn’t on her way there already. I made Shelby a promise to bring her home, and I’m going to fucking do it, even if I have to do it on my own.”
Each man sitting around the table looks to each other before returning their stares to me.
“How will you get him in contact with the uncle?”
“He has a couple of numbers for him. He calls, gets the uncle to agree to take him back into the fold, and then we follow.”
“What’s to say he’ll take the kid back?”
“The kid is his bait for the girls, the linchpin of his entire business. No kid, no girls. With the kid’s sister still in play, he’ll think he’s coming back for her. It’ll work.”
Stone starts to argue yet again, but I stop him short. “He’ll call on a burner phone. He makes the call in front of all of us, on speaker.”
“Do it,” Judge commands without any further argument. I push away from the table and stalk out the door to find Kevin sitting near Shelby on one of the leather couches in the center of the common room. His eyes grow wide when he spots me, and moves closer to Shelby.
“Come with me, big man. You’ve got a call to make.”
Kevin trembles as he stands up. I feel for him, I do. He’s lived a shit life, and has been put through the ringer—if his story checks out—but he’s the reason his uncle has my daughter. Had he not brought her into his mess, she’d be safe with her mom back in Beckettville, and I’d still be in the dark. It’s a double-edged sword of fucked-up.
Kevin walks ahead of me into the room, and I motion for him to sit down in an open chair. Burnt closes the door behind us. Retrieving the burner phone from my pocket, I hand it to him. His face pales.
“Call him, on speaker. Tell him you want to come back.”
He quivers, nervously looking to the men sitting around him. “But I don’t.”
“You want to help Hayden, right?” The kid nods his head slowly. “We have to find out where they are. You convince him, get us a location, and we’ll do the rest.”
His hand shakes when he takes the phone away from me. Looking up at me one more time, he begins to dial. The phone starts to ring and I reach down, pressing the speakerphone button. It rings six times before someone finally picks up.
“What?” the gruff voice answers.
“Uncle Randall?” his voice wavers. “It’s me, Kevin.”
“The fuck do you want, you little shit?”
“I want to come home.” He begins to cry, adding to the effect of our plot. The uncle doesn’t know that his tears aren’t for him, but for the forcible lies spewing from his mouth.
“Why the hell would I want to take you back, boy? Your little stunt nearly cost me everything, after all the shit I’ve done for you and your ungrateful sister. When you had no place to go, I took you in.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he cries harder. “I really screwed up. I won’t do it again. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Please, let me come home.”
The other end of the line grows quiet. Was Kevin convincing enough to make this work? Everything depends on his uncle believing his story. He just needs to take