I never take my eyes from Luke’s. “Drugs go missing during the night shift. Trafficked girls go through the hospital from time to time.”
I swallow and rub Luke’s hair between my fingers, trying not to shudder at the horrible things William Foster was responsiblefor. “According to my mom, the drugs still happen, but it’s been a long time since the girls have been in.”
“Fuck.” Eli’s whisper is harsh.
“We met.” I smile softly at Luke and his gaze refocuses on me. “When we were kids. Mom found out about the trafficking. That email was a meeting to threaten my mom but give her a chance to help the women.”
“What did he threaten her with?” Luke’s voice grows dark.
I can’t keep this from him. I want to though. His father has already hurt him so much. I cup his jaw between my hands and search his eyes. “He said he didn’t deal in children, but he could make an exception.”
He clutches my hips as if he could keep me from his father. Which maybe it’s foolish, but I believe he can.
“We were too young to remember, but it kept my mom quiet. My dad was gathering evidence to escape here. He knew money was coming in and going out. She thinks my dad caught on about the drugs, but she isn’t sure about the trafficking.” I tug on Luke’s hair to bring his gaze back into focus on me. “I love you.”
His eyes soften and his fingers relax on my hips.
“We don’t know what our fathers’ involvement is.” Nico draws my attention. “From the sound of it, at least, Caden’s, Luke’s, and my dads were involved in the disappearance of your father. I’m sorry, sunshine.”
“Not your fault, Nico.” I remind him. “It’s none of your faults.”
Luke brushes his lips against mine and I suck in a breath at the warmth that pours through me.
“Mom said your fathers’ relationship was always contentious. It’s not like you guys where you’re stronger together. They were competitive. Jack’s dad was the first to separate from them. Then Eli’s. Then Nico’s. Then Caden’s. Leaving your father alone.”
Luke releases a breath. “What else did you hear, Eli?”
I shift to sit beside Luke, but he keeps ahold of my hip, so we touch all the way from hip to ankle. I lean into him because we both need to feel close.
“They know about all of us with Harper.” Eli reaches out to take my hand. “They want to know what we know. William was the man my mom had an affair with. She’s also involved somehow. Her interior design company hides whatever shady shit William does. He threatened my dad with my mom going to jail.”
I squeeze his hand. “Your mom hung out with the guys in high school. It sounds like she was the Sidney to their horsemen.”
Eli takes his hand away and presses his fingers to his temples. “Okay, what we know. Zach and his gang are selling drugs, running drugs? Hopefully we find out more with the footage of the house. William might not be trafficking women anymore, but he’s still in the drugs. And if my mom is culpable of something recent then maybe she’s involved in the drugs as well. Maybe just her business is laundering the money from it.”
“I can see what I can find on her computer.” Jack makes a note.
“But first, you need to find out what evidence my dad had.” I straighten and gesture to my backpack. “Mom found his laptop practically destroyed and didn’t touch the hard drive he hid.”
“Does she have any idea what type of passwords he would use?” Jack goes to grab my backpack and sets it down in front of his chair. He pulls out the hard drive and looks it over before setting it to the side.
The laptop is in a plastic bag. There are brown streaks on it that I don’t want to think about.
“Where was this?” Jack looks it over, taking in the cracked screen and all the damage.
“Mom didn’t say. I didn’t ask. When she looked at it, she would tear up.”
Luke wraps his arm around my shoulders and I lean into his warmth.
“Why do our fathers think you have information after all this time?” Caden leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “That’s the thing that keeps tripping my brain. If Sean is dead and they know that, what are they afraid will come out?”
“My dad thought whatever evidence was destroyed.” Nico’s eyes linger on the laptop.
“Maybe they tried.” Jack turns it over and sighs. “If he’s as good as your mom says, I might have issues getting in.”
“It’s worth a try?” I shrug. The amount I know about computers is limited to using them. What Jack does is magic.
“If he has safety protocols on it, I could destroy what’s on it with too many attempts.” Jack sets the laptop on the coffee table. “Then we have nothing.”
