“You seriously think I don’t know what the guy I’m fucking looks like? Or that I can tell the difference between you and him?”
Rook laughs but it’s hollow and has no humor to it. He grips the steering wheel in a death grip causing his knuckles to turn white.
“Yeah, well, my twin needs to wake the fuck up and realize you’re the enemy.” The hatred in his tone is clear. I don’t give a fuck what he thinks about me. His opinion is irrelevant to me. I don’t give a fuck about him!
“Turn the fucking car around now, Rook!” He takes the next corner so fast the back end of the car slips on the wet road. I grip the oh shit handle above my head and reach for my phone in the center console. Rook is quicker than me. He grabs my phone and tosses it out the fucking window! “What the fuck?” I scream at him.
“You are not calling my fucking brother. You are nothing more than a fucking distraction. His head isn’t in the game because of you! He needs to focus right now and your lying ass is fucking with him!”
“I haven’t done shit to your brother––”
“You lying bitch. We know Koby isn’t your real fucking name!” I tense and clamp my mouth closed. Rook chuckles darkly. “See, you’re all bark and no bite aren’t ya, Anya?” My blood turns to ice at the mention of her name. They all think I’m her but they are so wrong. I keep my mouth closed as he continues to weave us through the darkened streets, the rain begins to pour making it hard to see out of the windshield. Rook doesn’t ease off the gas. He continues speeding, making worry churn inside me as we leave the city limits and head toward the port.
“Why are you taking us to the docks?” I ask as I grip the door handle ready to launch out of the car as soon as he slows down. If he plans to kill me, he’s going to have to fucking catch me because I won’t go down without a fight, that’s for fucking sure. He ignores me as he continues to drive. We keep driving through the horrendous rain until we reach the hill that overlooks the docks below. I grip the handle, ready to launch from the car but he clicks the locks in place before placing the car in park and turning to me.
It's too dark out to get a clear view of his facial expression. What I can feel though, is the hatred from his gaze pinning me in place. I remain still and wait for him to explain what the fuck is going on and why we are here.
“You have three minutes to explain before I drag you down there.”
“Explain what and drag me where?” He grinds his teeth so hard I can hear it from my side of the car. He doesn’t respond, just clicks the locks, exits the car and comes round to my side. He wrenches my door, immediately I kick out and throw a punch that connects with his jaw. He grunts and grabs my arms before I can scream, pushes me inside the car and covers my mouth with his hand, using his body weight to hold me still. His face is so close to mine, I can feel the heat of his ragged breaths fanning across my face. All the training with Gage is useless in this position.
“You are going to keep your fucking mouth shut! I’m taking you down there and you are going to watch and explain to me who each of these motherfuckers are!” I search his gaze trying to decipher what he means but I come up blank. “Nod if you understand.”
I nod, he shoves off me and I drag in a ragged breath as I glare at him. The rain is pelting down on him but he seems unfazed by it, he flicks his head nodding for me to follow him and I do. We trek down the hillside, staying low and quiet. A shiver of unease rolls down my spine, something feels… off about this whole thing. My foot slips and I nearly slide down the steep bank but Rook reaches out and grips my arm halting my fall.
“What are we doing?” I whisper shout. He scowls at me before darting his gaze around, then points down to a cargo ship that is being unloaded.
“A shipment has just come in.”
“And?” I growl, while still keeping my voice low.
“Your fucking daddy is still doing deals with Pauly and Vinny. Girls are being shipped here weekly and you’re going to help me stop it.” I reel back in shock. He has it all wrong, so fucking wrong. I don’t get a chance to tell him that before he is dragging me after him. When we reach the dock, we stick to the shadows, staying hidden from the workers. We dart behind the buildings. When the building Allison and I were held in comes into view, my breath hitches as memories begin to resurface. The trauma my friend suffered at the hands of others will forever haunt me. We stop a building away from a group of men who stand in front of a container in the pouring rain. I squint my eyes trying to get a look at what is inside the metal box. I run my gaze over each of them cataloging their features and stances to memory—it’s a skill that has been ingrained in me since I was a child. The man with the bulb shaped nose and receding hairline steps forward reaching inside the container. A scream pierces the air and my insides turn to ice when a young girl is yanked out by her hair.
The girl is dressed in what can only be described as rags. Her long blonde hair is a wet matted mess and I can see the fear in her eyes from here. My stomach churns at the sight of her, she can’t be any fucking older than nine or ten. These sick fucks have brought her here to hook her on drugs and pimp her out on the nearest corner to make a buck off her body.
“This bitch is coming home with me first,” bulb nose says, the others around him laugh like everything about this situation is okay. Rook’s grip on me tightens, that’s when I notice I have unconsciously taken a step forward. He shakes his head in warning. I glare at him.
“We have to do something!” I snarl. He slaps his hand over my mouth and shoves me against the building, keeping me pinned there by the weight of his body. I feel his lips brush the shell of my ear, a shiver doesn’t roll through me like it does when it’s his twin’s lips are on me.
“Who the fuck is sending these shipments,Anya?!” I shake my head, unable to answer his question because I don’t know. “See, I think you’re fucking lying and those girls are paying the price for lies.” I fight against his hold, shoving him back a step before crowding him again.
“I don’t know who the fuck they are!” His gaze searches mine for a minute before his eyes widen, a cool smirk touches his lips.
“You dirty little liar, I can see it in your eyes. You know exactly who they are and who sent these girls.” I don’t deny him, what’s the point when he can see the truth in my eyes. Before he can question me on it more, a car pulls in and stops near the men. He slinks against the building hiding in the shadows as we watch. I brush my wet hair from my face, straining my hearing and trying to see as best I can through the rain. I watch as a man exits the car and within a minute of him and three others exiting the idling vehicle, everything turns to shit. Shouts erupt, more cars pull in and shots ring out. When the driver of the first car spins around I gasp, Rook’s arm wraps around my waist as he tries to haul me back the way we came but I’m frozen.
“There she is!” he yells as he points in our direction.
Knight
I sit here and scroll through all the information I have on Koby and the Russian’s. I find links between them and Pauly and Vinny. I don’t see how the other families were able to gather the intel they would need to make contact and be able to fulfill these orders with Bratva if they didn’t have an inside man! There are only a few that are trusted enough to be present when we discuss things, and my mind immediately swings to Gage. I may not trust the fucker but I also know he wouldn’t betray Kiara or the other girls. He may not trust us, but he sure as fuck wouldn’t hurt the girls. But if it’s not him then who does that leave us with?
I growl as I rock back on my chair and scrub my hands down my face. I need a fucking break from this shit. I’ve been holed up in my room for hours trying to figure this shit out. I may get lost inside Koby every night but that doesn’t mean she isn’t the rat and I need to accept that. I’ve bugged her phone and make sure to check her calls and messages daily. The girl doesn’t fucking talk to anyone outside of this house. I stand and exit my room, as I make my way to the kitchen to grab a beer, I round the corner and slam to a halt. Bishop, King, Kiara, Ally, Mela and Gage all stand around the kitchen island eating takeout. Their gazes swing my way but I’m focused on one person only.
“Where the fuck is she?” Bishop and King both swing their gazes to Gage, who looks just as shocked to see me as I am him.
“Dude, what the fuck areyoudoing here?”
“I fucking live here,” I grit out through clenched teeth. I spy Ally out of the corner of my eye pick Mela up and take her from the room, she doesn’t like us cussing around her daughter. Kiara hops off the counter top that she was just sitting on and steps between Bishop and Gage ready to defend her best friend if it comes to it.