Dingo
Grizzly had read Simon the riot act over letting Mei anywhere near the gate while Trotter was there. Even if the kid hadn’t known the asshole was armed, he should have protected Mei at any cost. While his quick thinking had gotten Demon there before anything worse could happen, it wasn’t enough when the entire situation could have been avoided. He never should have mentioned Trotter over the phone without knowing it was me and not Mei who answered.
Since Beau was still on my shit list, I’d asked Henry to stand guard outside my house in case Mei needed anything. Griz had put Carver on the gate for now with Beau and Simon helping in the clubhouse. We honestly needed some fresh blood. If any of these guys washed out before being patched in, then we’d be short on manpower for the shit jobs the rest of us didn’t want.
Some of the clubs had a barn or warehouse where they persuaded men to talk. I knew a few with underground bunkers for that sort of thing. Thanks to some fairly recent renovations, we now had a room under the clubhouse for those types of meetings. Griz had spared no expense to have the place soundproofed, added a drain to the floor, and a fancy lock that only patched members could access with a retina scan. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but it was understandable. We’d had enough men go to prison, and Griz was trying to protect his club while letting us get the job done our way. Not that this room would have saved Badger from getting locked up. He’d beaten a man to death when he caught the asshole raping a teen girl. Any of us would have done the same.
Now that teen girl was all grown up, and married to Badger. They’d had some bad luck, though. Adalia had lost their baby and it had hit her hard. We’d all worried about her when it seemed like she’d sunk into a state of depression. No one faulted her for it, but I’d watched as Badger tore into anyone who even looked at him wrong. He was so stressed and concerned for his woman that anyone was fair game as an outlet for him.
I glanced over at him. “You couldn’t have kept him breathing a little longer?”
Trotter, or what was left of him, was in a heap in the center of the room. He’d been hit by no less than six bullets. Somehow, he’d managed to stay alive long enough for my brothers to haul him down here, get him to talk a bit, and then Badger had let loose on him. If Trotter hadn’t been the worst sort of man, I might have felt sorry for him.
“Fuck, Badger. What the hell did you use on his eyes?” I asked, nausea welling up at the gruesome sight.
“Blowtorch,” he said matter-of-factly.
That would explain why it looked like his eyes had exploded. They’d probably popped from the heat before the flame even touched them. Badger was a sadistic fucker when it came to torturing men, but I’d also seen him treat Adalia like a damn queen. Watching the two of them, seeing how gentle he was with her, you’d never know he was capable of something like this.
“He came to get Mei because it seems she was just on loan to him,” Demon said.
“On loan?” I asked. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Demon rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. Whatever he’d learned, it had pissed off the Sergeant-at-Arms. Demon only ever did that move when he was ready to bathe in someone’s blood, and since Trotter was already dead, it couldn’t be him.
“What did Mei tell you of her life before working for Trotter?” he asked.
“She was in foster care. You saw the damn video in Church yesterday. You know what her foster family was like. Why are you asking me this?”
Demon rubbed at the back of his neck. “Because her foster father somehow managed to herd her toward Trotter. It was a form of payment. Trotter got to use her to earn some cash, but once the amount the foster dad owed was paid in full, then he was supposed to deliver Mei back to the guy. It seems she was due back now. Only thing I can figure is the foster parents were hoping to get in a few more videos and make more cash off her.”
Wait. What? “But she aged out of the system. How the hell could Trotter give her back? It’s not like she’s underage and needs a guardian.”
Demon looked away, and Wolf shuffled his feet, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Exactly what weren’t they telling me? Shit. “She is legal, right?”
“Yes,” Demon said. “Now she is.”
That… didn’t sound good. “The age of consent in Georgia is sixteen. Are you telling me that…”
Fuck. Even if it was legal to be with her, I’d never knowingly had sex with anyone under eighteen before. But no… Mei had said that she was fourteen when those videos were first taken, and that four years had passed. She said she’d aged out of the system.
“Relax,” Wolf said. “The reason Trotter was here today is that he fucked up. Mei was seventeen when the foster dad told her she’d aged out of the system. He lied. Trotter was supposed to keep a tighter rein on her and return her before she aged out for real. But Mei is eighteen now. Her birthday was last week.”
I was starting to get a headache from all this bullshit. “How did she not know that she hadn’t aged out of the system? Does she not know when her birthday is? Is that even possible?”
“I asked Outlaw to see what he could find, but he’ll probably have the others help,” Demon said. “Others” most likely meaning Wire and his woman, Lavender, another hacker who went by the name Dark Labyrinth. “I think this is much bigger than just Mei, possibly way bigger. We think that Mei’s social worker might be in on it. Maybe a kickback, or they might be blackmailing him or her. Either way, I don’t see Mei going back to that hell willingly. If she’d thought she’d aged out, I’d imagine she’d have fought against them. Or maybe that’s what they wanted, to have her struggle. Sick fucks.”
I didn’t know what to make of any of this shit. All I knew was that I wanted everyone who had hurt Mei, even if they contributed by not doing a damn thing and knowing she needed help, to be hauled to this room. And then I’d make them all pay. In blood.
“Go take care of Mei,” Demon said. “When we find out something, we’ll call or stop by. For now, she needs you there with her. Not lost in your head and plotting to murder half the men in the city.”
Wolf cleared his throat. “You do know if you want to kill every guy who’s touched her, the death toll is about to get a lot higher around here. The Ruby Slipper does a shit ton of business, and as far as those men know, the women chose to be there.”
“Just get me names, and I want details of how they hurt Mei. I’ll decide who gets marked off the list after that.” I turned to leave but paused. “She needs to know she’s not alone. I know Griz is overprotective of Shella and Lilian, but meeting them might help Mei.”
“Not Adalia?” Badger asked.
“Not if it’s going to make you want to kick my ass. If she’s up for it, then send her by. Maybe not right now, but tomorrow. Mei was resting when I left.”
I walked out of the room and up the stairs to the main part of the clubhouse. Not even nighttime and already the club whores were showing up. A few of my brothers were at tables or on the couches. More than one had their dick out, which wasn’t something I ever cared to see. I gave them a half-hearted wave as I left the building and went out to my bike.
Before I could swing my leg over the seat, a flash of purple caught my attention at the edge of the clubhouse. The skirt was too long to belong to a club whore. If Adalia was this close to the clubhouse, Badger would lose his shit. Deciding it was better to send her on her way before he came out, I headed over and turned the corner. Except it wasn’t Adalia.
“Lilian?” I asked, keeping my voice low. She always startled so easily. Getting close to her was sometimes as difficult as approaching a stray cat. “Is something wrong? Did you need Grizzly?”
She backed up a step and shook her head.
“You know he won’t like you hanging out here, especially while the other girls are inside. Better get home.” I eased back a step, trying to give her more space.
“I can’t. Not yet,” she said.
“Can’t or won’t?” I asked. What the fuck was going on? If Griz found out she’d been here, he’d lose it. I’d never seen someone so protective in my life. They might be his adopted daughters, but he guarded them like they were his flesh and blood.
“Maybe a bit of both. I’m supposed to meet someone. It’s only for a moment, but… they’re late.”
I snorted. “I’m not stupid, honey. You can say he. It’s obvious you’re meeting a guy, and since you’re still inside the gates, that means it’s a brother or a Prospect. Either way, Grizzly will be pissed as hell if they touch you.”
She glanced away, her lips pinched tight. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t sexual. So what, exactly, was she up to?
“I just needed some advice. Dragon said he’d help,” she said.
Yeah, I bet he would. He’d probably try to help her right out of her clothes. He was a decent guy, but when it came to women, he had a bit of an issue. He’d never met a woman he couldn’t charm, and their panties dropped within seconds of meeting him. I’d seen him make eye contact with a woman, give her a chin nudge, then go fuck her in a bathroom. For Dragon’s sake, I hoped he kept his dick in his pants or Grizzly might kill him.
“If he doesn’t show in another minute, go home, Lilian.”
She gave me a quick, jerky nod. Sighing, I turned and went back to my bike. As much as she needed someone to babysit her, it couldn’t be me. I had my own woman to take care of. When I’d heard that Mei had been shot, I thought my world was ending. I hadn’t even realized she’d gotten out of bed, much less left the house. It was tempting to handcuff to her to me when I went to sleep, but I couldn’t do that to her.
At the house, Henry was still sitting out front, leaning against his bike. He was near enough if Mei cried out for help, but had kept enough distance to be respectful. The club hadn’t had any issues with Henry since he’d started prospecting for us. It made me wonder if he knew anyone else trustworthy who might be interested. Even though Griz hadn’t exactly been recruiting, our numbers could drop in a split second. With as much heat as we ran into time and again, it wouldn’t take much to be down a few brothers. Either from bullets or jail, if not other means.
“Henry, you have any friends outside of the club?” I asked.
“A few.”
“Any who might want to prospect for the Devil’s Fury?” I asked.
He tipped his head back and seemed to think it over. When his gaze locked with mine again, he gave a nod. “Know of two. Military backgrounds on both. One just came home a few months ago and has been a bit lost. Club might give him a bit of direction.”
Good to know. “I’ll talk it over with Grizzly. Text me their names and any info you have on them, but don’t mention this to them yet.”
I left Henry in the driveway and went in to check on Mei. She was still asleep in the bed, but had shifted onto her side. The white bandage was stark against her red hair and I rubbed at the pain in my chest. I could have lost her. I’d barely found her and already she’d been in danger. If her foster father thought he was getting Mei back, he’d better think again. Not only would he never see her again, but I was going to ensure that he couldn’t hurt anyone else either.
Fuck! He had to have other kids in that house. Was he abusing them the way he had Mei? I pulled my phone from my pocket and shot off a text to Outlaw, asking him to look into it. Knowing the club’s computer guru, he was already on it. He seemed to know what we’d want or need before the rest of us did. Even if he couldn’t work the same magic with a computer that he once had, Outlaw was still a big asset to the club. He was something of a hero not only to us, but to the Dixie Reapers too, after he’d nearly died to keep Lavender safe. I’d gladly have him at my back any day.
I removed my cut and set it on the dresser before pulling off my boots. Mei was lying on my side of the bed, so I slid under the blankets on her half and scooted as close to her as I dared. If I jostled her, it might cause her pain, or wake her up. I didn’t want either to happen. Even though I wasn’t tired, I just needed to be near her. Reaching out, I twirled a strand of her hair around my finger. There were so many shades of red. I’d be willing to bet when the morning sun hit it, it would look like living flame.
Mei kicked out and twisted. Before she could put pressure on her wound, I managed to turn her back onto her side and pull her against my chest. With my arms around her, she settled down again, not even fully waking up.
I wanted to keep her safe, to make sure the world was a better place for her. I just didn’t know how to do it. Evil lurked in the shadows, and even if I took down everyone responsible for ever hurting her, there would just be more hiding somewhere. Each of the women who were now part of this club had come here as a last resort. Adalia had been raped and was adopted by Grizzly and his wife, May. Then we’d lost May and Griz had adopted Lilian and Shella. Lilian had suffered horribly in Colombia, and had come here after a rescue mission was launched to bring Havoc home. As for Shella… she’d had to grow up fast even though she didn’t seem to have been abused as badly as Lilian or Mei. Griz had taken her in when she was fourteen and had nowhere else to go.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, answering as quietly as I could so I wouldn’t disturb Mei. Outlaw’s name flashed across the screen right before I accepted the call.
“You find something?” I asked.
“I’ve found a fuck ton, and we’re going to have some major problems,” Outlaw said.
I eased away from Mei and got out of bed, going into the living room. Sitting in my favorite chair, I braced myself for whatever I was about to hear. If Outlaw thought we were going to have some issues, then shit was seriously about to hit the fan. I’d found over the years whatever he couldn’t bury in his lines of code Wire, Shade, or Surge could. Sometimes they all worked together, and that’s when the truly magical things happened. I’d seen them make people or even entire companies vanish like they’d never existed -- wiping out someone’s identity or creating new ones was simple enough for them. Sometimes it seemed like they were playing God in some ways.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Did you know that Mei’s name is actually Meiling?” he asked.
“Beau called her that when he asked for our help, but she insists we call her Mei. Why? What does that matter?”
“Because her full name is Meiling Shan Young. Her name means beautiful coral, in case you wanted to know, but it’s her last name that poses a big fucking problem. Like, you need to marry her right the fuck now so you don’t die kind of problem,” Outlaw said. “And this is just what I’ve found so far. Wire is working on some other stuff with Lavender’s help. I’ve never seen anything this fucked-up before. I know you and Blades will want justice for Mei, but I’m going to put as much as I can into the Feds’ hands and let them handle at least some of it. The rest we’ll bury.”
“What the hell does that mean? Who’s her dad?”
“Does the name Robert Young ring any bells?” Outlaw asked.
It suddenly felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Holy. Fucking. Shit. I was so Goddamn dead it wasn’t funny. How had no one in the club known who Mei was? Or for that matter, how had she ended up in foster care to begin with? The entire club was about to implode once Outlaw shared this latest bit of news.
“Are you telling me the woman in my bed, the one I just claimed, is the daughter of Blades?” I asked, trying to remain calm even though I felt like I might have a heart attack. I’d never personally met him, but the stories Grizzly had told over the years… Damn. That was one man I never wanted to meet in a dark alley, and I’d not only claimed his daughter but possibly knocked her up?
“The one and only. As to how we never knew about her? I’m not entirely certain. He signed the forms for her birth certificate and he’s listed as her father, and since I’m looking at actual signatures on one of these, it seems legit. I think he honestly knew about her. But therein lies another issue. The birth certificate I found was buried. Like professionally buried, and another was placed in Mei’s file with social services. It lists father as unknown and mother deceased, and it has her age as being off by nearly a full year -- about nine months actually -- which makes no fucking sense to me. I mean, what was the point in changing her age? And them telling her she’d aged out of the system? What the hell? Even by the fabricated birth certificate their math would be off. How did Mei buy that line of bullshit?”
I sighed and closed my eyes. This was a mess of epic proportions. “Check into the social worker. I think you’ll find your clues there. Or even higher up the food chain maybe. This is such a clusterfuck of epic proportions we may never unravel all of it. Any news on her mom or how she got into the system to begin with?”
“The mother was listed as Xi-wang Chen. She was here on a student visa around the time Mei was born. Looks like she gave birth, and about a month after Blades went to prison, the mom vanished and Mei was placed in the system. It wasn’t until she was older that she ended up with the foster family from fucking hell,” Outlaw said. “The assholes who abused her didn’t get their hands on her until she was twelve, or what her new birth certificate indicated as her twelfth birthday. She was actually thirteen at the time. Maybe they wanted her to seem younger, or needed a thirteen-year-old but wanted control over her past when she’d actually turn eighteen? Fuck if I know. I’ll dig deeper into the social worker’s files and find out why she was transferred. She’s been in the system since she was just a toddler.”
“So Blades has a daughter that he’s never mentioned, hasn’t seen since he was locked up, and he has no fucking clue that she went into foster care or what she’s been through,” I said just to sum everything up. Fucking perfect.
It was quiet on the other end and I heard some tapping on his keyboard. Much slower than what he used to do, and I knew that this was costing him. Outlaw had to be in a lot of fucking pain, but he was helping anyway. It was just who he was.
“Something else going on?” I asked.
“I’ve had Wire and Lavender helping me out, and Surge has been digging too. So… congratulations?”
I knew exactly what that meant. “They married us, didn’t they?”
“Yep. As of two minutes ago, there was a marriage license and certificate placed on file with the county courthouse. And you know how damn good Wire and Lavender are. Everything will look one hundred percent legit. They’re working on changing Mei’s name legally right now on all her other documentation. She’ll officially be Meiling Shan Withers.”
I snorted. “If they’re so handy, once we have all the details of what happened, just have them wipe out the last decade or so of her life.”
“Not until everyone has paid the price,” Outlaw said, his voice low and deadly. “There are things I’ll never tell you or show you, and I doubt she’ll bring it up either. Don’t push her to open up. Dingo, those people were seriously fucked-up. The video from Church was nothing compared to the other stuff Wire found. We’re taking every last one of those fuckers down, no matter what it takes.”
“Tell everyone I said thanks for helping. Let me know when you have more.”
“You got it,” Outlaw said. “Just… maybe break the news to her about her daddy a bit gently? And definitely tell her you’re married before she asks to meet him.”
“Right.” That was a no-brainer. Dingo hung up.
Sure, just go talk to the most deadly member of the club and tell him all about his precious girl sleeping in my bed. Even telling him I was his son-in-law might not save my ass. If anything, it was possible that would make it worse. He hadn’t seen Mei since she was a baby. I wasn’t sure how that visit would go over, or if she’d even want to meet her father.
Movement caught my eye and I glanced over at the doorway just as Mei came in from the hall. The look in her eyes told me that she’d heard at least part of my conversation. I’d hoped to ease her into everything, but it seemed that wasn’t going to be possible. Now I just had to hope that she’d listen calmly and not freak the fuck out when I told her about her parents and what little else I knew about her situation.
“Did my wife sleep well?” I asked.
Her mouth dropped open and snapped shut. Yeah, this would be a fun conversation.