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I look over at Bree, who appears to be having a silent conversation with Liam. She looks over at Whitlock, the fierce look back on her face. “I think there’s a lot that you know about The Aristocracy. You know so much, they want you dead. So what is it you aren’t telling me?”
That evil grin crosses his lips again, and he tries to hold himself taller now he thinks he’s got something to bargain with. “I know the identity of at least two more leaders. I will share the identity of The Duke, and The Baron with you, and I will tell you everything you need to know about The Sheriff’s Club Crimson, so you can infiltrate the auction.
“But in return, not only will you have to give me and my wife safe passage out of the country, you have to allow us to get new identities and live without fear of you tracking us down,” he states, his eyes fixed firmly on Bree.
Her nose wrinkles like she doesn’t want to even consider his offer. “If we let you go, there will be rules. You have to remain out of this life. You will have all but a portion of your wealth stripped. And so help me fucking God, if I find out you have gone anywhere near a girl under the age of eighteen, or without her consent, I will hunt you down myself,” Bree spits, her eyes blazing with a fire to match her bright red hair.
Whitlock nods his head as much as he can with my blade in the way. “Yes, I agree. You have a deal.”
“Evan, drop the blade, please, so he can start talking.” She looks at me with that no nonsense stare, but there’s a hint of a smile on her face, one I can’t help but return.
It seems my sister-in-law was very aware of my plan when I burst in here. I knew if The Sheriff wanted Whitlock dead—and he seemed very fucking keen—it must be because he knows more than he should. It was just a matter of providing him with the right kind of leverage to get him to talk.
While he thinks he’s doing us a favour, I knew he wouldn’t tell us anything about the auction. But to save his own skin… he’d probably sell out his own mother.
As soon as I lower the blade, he sings like a canary. He tells us all about The Sheriff’s Club Crimson, and the depraved things that go on there, including the auctions. He tells us where he thinks Tee is likely being kept, and when the next auction is. He goes into so much graphic detail about the performances; the bile rises in my throat, and it takes all my effort not to vomit.
When he’s finished talking, Finn’s the first to speak. “Why hasn’t she been put up for auction, or rented out, before now?”
Whitlock smiles in that evil way that makes me want to punch him. “I saw that she had some value to Desmond. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew he was protecting her. She did bar work, and occasionally danced, but he made sure nobody ever laid a finger on her, so I knew she was important to him. I could never find out why, but when he was killed, I decided to keep her close, just in case.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, a bargaining chip that is faulty is worth nothing, so I protected her the same way he did. I made sure she wasn’t sold, though I allowed her to take part in private dances, if the money was right. But I made sure she was mostly unharmed, so if this day ever came, I’d have her as collateral.”
Each word is like a knife to my gut. I try not to think about the girl I once loved shaking her ass in lingerie for pervy men, as they drool all over her. He may have prevented people from abusing her—or at least that’s what he claims—but she’s still suffered more than I’d ever want to think about.
“How very big of you,” Kian spits, sarcastic as ever.
“I will tell you the rest when you secure my freedom.” With a dismissive wave of his hand, he flops back down onto the cot in his room.
I turn towards him, with much more to say echoing through my mind, but Finn catches my arm and drags me out behind him. I want to stop him, to ask more questions, but everyone is out the door, closing it behind them.
Once it’s locked, we all just seem to stand there and sag. Frozen to the spot, we look around at each other, waiting for someone to be the first to speak.
“I know someone who can get us into the club,” Kian says, breaking the silence first.
“I can go undercover again,” Finn adds, and all eyes fly to him.
Bree shakes her head violently. “No way. We promised you that you’d done that for the last time.”
“I know, but this isn’t the same. I’m not going undercover to sleep with Teigan, I’m going to bring her back safely. It’s different,” he explains, and Bree gives him a small smile.
“No,” I snap, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “I will go.”
“You can’t—” Liam starts, but I cut him off before he can tell me what I can or can’t do.
“Fuck you, Lee. You don’t get to make this decision. I am going, it has to be me,” I state, hating the way my heart aches with each word.
She may have broken my heart ten years ago, and I know that I sure as shit don’t owe her anything, but that doesn’t change the way I feel. My gut is telling me it has to be me to save her, and I won’t listen to anything else.
Bree can obviously see the determination in my gaze, as she lets out a sigh. “They will know who you are. Which means they will know you are with me. They know you’d never want to buy an auction lot under normal circumstances. This will expose Teigan, and it will tell everyone how much she means to you. It could put her in a lot of danger.”
“I know all that, but I still don’t care. I will fight hard for her, and I won’t leave without her, so it doesn’t matter if they know what she means to me. I will pay whatever the price, no matter how high,” I state firmly.
Bree nods her head once, resigning herself to my stubbornness. “I’m not happy about it, but I will agree. There’s not a single person in this family that wouldn’t walk through fire to get to the person they love, and so I can’t ask you to step aside while someone does it for you.”
“I don’t love her,” I snap, and I catch Liam shaking his head in despair out of the corner of my eye.
“What? So you’re doing all this for an ex?” Kian asks, sounding a little dumbstruck.
