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Everyone’s eyes moved to me. I’d done all their background checks myself, including the last one Connor had given me. They’d all come back with nothing. “They’ve all had a thorough check, and we’ve just done random drug testing which all the girls came back clean,” I explained.
Deacon nodded. “What do you test them for?”
I shrugged. “The usual… amphetamines, coke, weed—”
“Prescription?”
I narrowed my eyes but shook my head. “Some of the girls are on different things to help with depression and shit. As long as they’re doing their job, that’s their business, not ours.”
We gave our girls as much support as possible, but the reality was that being a stripper wasn’t exactly a glam job. Some of the girls were there because they had no other way of making money and some dealt with other issues in their lives, scars from their past that wouldn’t go away without the help of a happy tablet or two. We didn’t judge them for that and often supported them if we felt like they needed some kind of help.
The sounds of a gate opening and a car pulling into the compound had my back straightening.
“It’ll just be Sugar dropping off Har,” Optimus commented casually, but my bristles didn’t settle. I hadn’t seen her in fucking weeks. She’d been avoiding the clubhouse like the plague, and in turn, avoiding anything and everything to do with me. I’d said some harsh shit and shit, I regretted it. I’d even tried to apologize, but her only response was to simply stay the hell away.
I’d had about fucking enough of it, and had driven past her house one too many times to count, wondering if I should go over. My gut told me she needed me, but my head told me to give her space. I couldn’t say for sure just how long my brain would win out over that churning inside me that told me things weren’t right.
“There’s a new drug building up a reputation throughout some of the main cities. And it seems to, for some reason, be moving in this direction,” Deacon continued to explain. “It was used a few years ago as a prescription med that I have no idea how they managed to get past the FDA. It was only out for a few months before it was pulled from distribution due to the side effects. It’s toxic as hell and addictive to boot. The street name they’re using is ‘Manic.’”
Blizzard frowned. “What was it used for?”
“To treat psychological disorders, schizophrenia and such,” Deacon explained simply. “They managed to get it recalled and banned, but not before the Cartel and others jumped all over the damn shit and figured out how to reproduce it. Anyone who’s into trafficking women has figured out just how well it works. It makes the girls compliant so high that they don’t even know what’s going on around them. And with one round they’re completely addicted, and they’ll do anything and everything in order to get more.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Op cursed. “Ain’t no way in hell that shit is coming to my town. You know we don’t deal in that bullshit.”
“I know that, but you’re gonna have trouble proving it if there’s someone in your club who is taking it, or trying to sell it to your girls,” Deacon said with dread in his eyes. “You’re gonna have an awful hard time explaining that shit away.”
I gritted my teeth. “You think one of the girls is trying to do the dirty on us?”
Deacon cleared his throat and shook his head. “I have no fucking idea what the plan is. Whether they’re just an addict trying to get by…” he scratched his head, “… it could be that simple. They might just need help—”
“Or…” Op growled, hearing the hesitation in Deacon’s voice.
Deacon pursed his lips for a moment before he answered. “Or… someone is trying to make you look bad. You can’t tell me that these detectives are just working on a hunch? No, someone gave them the information.” He sighed. “You guys are known for keeping the shit away from here. Basically, everyone is afraid to track drugs through the entire state because of the repercussions that you guys lay down.”
Blizzard groaned and hung his head. “But if we get caught, we go down—”
“It’s gonna be a fucking free for all,” I finished, clenching my fists around the arms of my chair.
“Goddamn it!” Optimus cursed, standing quickly and tossing the flimsy chair to the side. “As if we didn’t have enough going on right now.”
He was right.
We were already dealing with Hadley’s shit, trying to keep her ex-husband from hunting her down, and that was fucking complicated and dangerous enough as it was. Now we had it coming at us from more than one fucking direction.
Deacon pushed to his feet. “I’ve got a lead on a dealer just across the border in Georgia. I’m gonna hand it over to the detective in charge, and see if I can send them that way for a while. My advice though… find out if there really is something fucking going down, and remove it fast. Because they’ll be back.”
Optimus’ face was filled with anger, but he gave Deacon a sharp nod. “We’ll get it sorted.”
If Deacon was expecting thanks, that was all he was gonna get. Deacon dipped his head and turned to walk away, stepping around the side of the building.
“Hey Sugar,” I heard him say quietly, my body tightening at the sound of her name.
Just then, Harlyn came shooting around the corner with a wide smile on her face. I couldn’t help but grin back at her. “Mom took me to the shop and let me try on some clothes.” She beamed happily. She bounced up and down in front of me, and I laughed.
“They’re a bit old for you don’t you think, kid.”
Harlyn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but when I get older and go to prom, Mom said she will be able to make my prom dress, and that my date will have a matching tie. I’m gonna have a blue dress.”
