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Even with what I know of enterprises like this, I can’t see how I fit the bill. “And what is it you thinkIcan do? What difference can I make?”
The tall man pulls out his phone. “You’ll have a drive that no one else will possess. It’s an opportunity to stay in the game and put a stop to this.”
Undercover. “From the shadows?”
He simply nods at my question.
I look down once more. The image of a child cut open. Lifeless. My skin crawls. “Whyme?”
He steps forward, turning the screen of his phone in my direction.
“Who’s that?” I ask. The picture of a man’s profile looks backat me. You can’t make him out. His face is unrecognisable.
“Check the time and date,” is all the tall man says.
Pulling the phone closer, I see it. The day everything changed for us. Anger claws up my throat. The rally. The man in the picture was at the rally all those years ago. My skin prickles as adrenaline suddenly swamps my veins.
Past and present unite. My promise back then clashes with recent events. The accident is patchy. The aftermath of what happened, tricky to piece together. But I’ll never forget the past. How could I?
Any scrap of composure I had flees me. “Who is he?” I force the words out as rage and hate suffuse.
“Former prospect. Presumably patched in. Never came back here as far as intel shows. That’s why you missed him.”
Missed him. The words sting like failure. I suck in a sharp breath. “Missed him?” I say harshly. My fingers tremble. The hairs on the back of my neck vibrate with every disbelieving breath of air I manage to take.
“He got away. We suspect he’s now tied to Costa. Intel confirms he moved to the UK and ran in similar circles to other MCs, committing similar crimes. But he went off grid.Heis how we know you’ll say yes.” More anger. More rage. More annoyance at their correct assumption of me. “He’s tangled in that web somewhere.”
“The image though?”
“It’s all we’ve got, but we know it’s him.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“He’s wanted for multiple murders, all with a unique brutality.” He drops his head before he continues. “He’s hidden. Unnoticed. All we have is an unconfirmed sighting that cropped up last year.”
There’s a silence lingering in the air around us. I study the picture, unable to fully make out the man’s face. “Do you at leasthave a name?”
He sighs. “No.”
All of the emotions from the past are driven home. They run deep, intoxicating me, surrounding me in a haze. I can’t see. Can’t think. Can’t control the sudden desire I feel to hunt this cunt down and destroy him.
Bowing my head, I rub my eyes with my hand as if that will help me to see. I can’t make sense of what my gut’s telling me to do. Costa’s actions are deplorable. But this man? This man wasthere. He unknowingly got away. I won’t let that happen again. “What would I have to do?” My voice is grave.
“You say yes, from this point moving forward you’ll no longer exist.”Live in the shadows. “There can be no communication with your family. No one can know what you’re doing.”
The weight of what he’s saying all of a sudden lands heavy. “What about—”
“—No one.” I stay silent. Taking it all in. “We’ll let you think on it.”
They leave the room, and I’m left wondering. Wondering how we didn’t know of him. It’s like we’ve lived a lie. We may have kept our promise, just, but ultimately I failed. I’m a man without purpose who failed. All those years that passed with me assuming I’d done right by her. Well I won’t fail her again.
This is the easiest decision I’ll ever make.
Chapter Twenty-Five
MADISON
It’s Saturday afternoon. My body aches. I’m tired. So, so tired. Pregnancy seems to be taking its toll on my body. It’s beautiful, if you count the fact I can no longer see my feet as that. My progress is good. The doctors are happy with the baby’s growth. I need to go tomorrow morning for another scan and blood test, but I’m doing okay. For now.
