“No clue,” Smoke replied. “It’s like she fell off the face of the fucking earth. Also, I think we need to send a couple of the brothers to Nebraska to check the place out because my gut is telling me something isn’t right.”
Chains perked up and asked, “About the mother’s accident.”
“That and other things. The house they lived in was purchased by the father’s brother, but after digging, David Halcomb didn’t have any siblings, nor did Kelly. Also, he sold the house well below market value, yet he has over a half mill in his account. Sorry, but bankers don’t make that much money. Then there is the police officer who was on the scene when Remi’s mother died. He has a record.”
Savage grinned, looking at Chains, “Which means he’s dirty.”
“Exactly.” Both men fist-bumped, eager for the chance at a road trip.
“All right you knumbskulls. You can leave in the morning but no side trips, no pussy, and no drinking. And don’t get fucking arrested. You do not want me to show up there, understood?” I ordered.
“Sure boss,” both men nodded in understanding.
“What did you find on‘The Collector’?” Player asked curiously. “I have a techie friend who loves the deep web crap. I could ask her to investigate it if you haven’t found anything. She loathes fuckers who takes kids.”
Looking at Player, I raised my eyebrow, questioning him, “A chick? Can she be trusted?”
“I’d trust her with my life Reaper. She works with abused and tortured kids. She will want to help with this. A chance to bring down a big fish, oh yeah, she’d be all over this.”
Nodding, I motioned for Smoke to continue.
“As for‘The Collector,’I haven’t found much, but flags went up instantly. This fucker is wanted by Homeland, FBI, and Interpol for close to twenty years, and now Mossad wants him. There are no pictures of him, no paper trails, nothing. I couldn’t even follow the money, and you know I’m all about the money. It’s like the man’s a ghost.”
“Yeah, a really sick fucking ghost if you ask me,” Hellhound growled.
“What I can say is that everyone believes he lives somewhere in the United States, and he has connections, lots of them.”
“And no one is talking,” I surmised.
“Nope. They are making bank Reaper. They don’t want to destroy their gravy train. This year alone, over four hundred kids, ranging from four years old to eighteen, have gone missing without a trace. It is believed that‘The Collector’had something to do with their disappearance. Every year, thousands of kids go missing worldwide and depending on sex and age, these fuckers could make up to two grand each, more if the kid is a virgin. That’s roughly a billion-dollar a year industry in human trafficking, folks. These bastards are methodical, trained, and equipped. They know who to target and when to take them without getting caught. They are that good.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Chaos muttered, covering his mouth. I couldn’t blame him. He was one of the youngest at the table, and with two sisters, he was currently supporting and taking care of this really hit home. Hell, this bothered all of us for different reasons, but the main thing was none of us jived with hurting kids, ever. There was something sinister, evil about anyone who would willingly harm a child. Those fuckers had a special place in Hell reserved for them, and I was itching to send the fuckers there.
“And where does Remi fit into all of this?” I asked, knowing what Smoke was going to say. Bracing myself, I waited to hear the words.
“Aside from being taken by him when she was eight, it’s my belief that he grabbed her again, and she somehow escaped. Whoever this sick fuck is, he has a hard-on for her Prez, and he isn’t going to stop until he has her again.”
The time had come. I couldn’t hide my past from my brothers anymore. They needed to know how close I was to this situation and how I knew Remi. Of course, Hellhound and Nitro already knew because they were there in the beginning, but everyone else was in the dark. Taking a deep breath, I began. “I met Remi twelve years ago. I was fifteen. She was eight. We were taken by this sick fuck. I won’t go into details about my time there, but let’s just say I still fight the nightmares regularly. When my pops and the rest of the club found me, they rescued over thirty kids that day, including Remi, and killed every fucker there. Ask Hellhound and Nitro. They were there. It was a gory shit show. My pops never did figure out who was holding the purse strings for an operation that big, but now that we have a lead, I want this fucker found and fast. He will never get his hands-on Remi, ever again. Am I clear? Get with all your contacts. Dig deep and find me this bastard because when I get my hands on him, I am going to rip him limb from limb.”
“What about Remi?”
“She stays here. She’s under my protection. Treat her as if she were my ol’Lady. Give her the respect she deserves. Make sure the others know that because if I hear of one mother-fucking member touching her, he’s gone, permanently.”
“That’s if I don’t kill the fucker first,” Hellhound added, getting to his feet. “Nitro and I were there. It was a real shit show. Imagine your worst nightmare, and you wouldn’t even come close to what we all saw that day. The shit we saw…it was…there are no words. We lost three good brothers because of that day. They left us. Couldn’t handle what they saw, and we couldn’t blame them. It was that fucked up. One of our brothers killed himself. It was that bad. As for Remi, my Princess is nothing but sweetness and joy. Any fucker touches her. The hounds of Hell will tear them apart. Got me?”
All the men nodded quietly. It was rare for my Uncle to speak during Church. Generally, he stayed quiet and let the others lead, but all bets were off when it came to Remi. Not only was she going to have my protection, but she would always have Hellhound in her corner.
With Church over, I left to check on her.
God, she’s so beautiful.
I just stood there, watching her sleep as if none of the horrors of the world could affect her. She looked so small in my king-size bed, her soft pale creamy skin against my black silk sheets. Her blonde hair, still unruly, fanned over the pillow. Her long black eyelashes kissed her cheeks, but it was her rosebud lips that captured my attention. Slightly parted, they were plump and luscious, utterly kissable.
Healer wrapped her wrist after he found out that it wasn’t broken, just badly sprained. Though three of her ribs were cracked, Healer decided against covering them if she stayed in bed and didn’t overexert herself. As for the rest of her body, it would heal in time, but the scars unseen, deep within her were another story. I was still fighting those same scars myself, so I knew what she was going through.
I really hadn’t gotten to talk to her much since she arrived. Healer kept her pretty sedated, so he could do what he needed without causing her further harm. I agreed and just stayed by her to make sure she was safe. I didn’t mind as much as I thought I would, being in one place for an indeterminate amount of time. I thought I’d be clawing at the seams to run away. Instead, I just stayed, held her hand, talked to her as if she were an active participant.
FOUR