Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 42863 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42863 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
“Alejandro saw members of the Bradley crime family going in and out of the Corey house,” River began explaining, not bothering with pleasantries, which I was thankful for. I didn’t need that shit—not when I knew he had information to give me. “You know who the Bradley crime family is?”
I was well fucking aware. More aware than River would ever believe. They’d been taken down once, but I was sure they thought they were smarter now. Had better plans in place to keep their ring from being dismantled again. But they’d fucked up when they came on our radar. When they’d touched two people I loved.
But knowing they were out there once again—ruining lives, selling, raping, and murdering innocent people—fucking made my gut twist. I knew the horrors they were capable of inflicting. Probably wasn’t the same people running it, but it was the same family, which meant they were still pieces of slimy shit and shady as fuck.
“I know who they are,” I told him, my teeth gritted.
“Alejandro tortured Amber and Carl before he killed them both. Managed to find out they did, in fact, sell Clarke to settle an arms deal.” I rolled my neck around. “The Bradley family wasn’t interested in money this time—not when they knew that girl would bring them a hell of a lot more cash. The parents earned fifteen percent of each sale they made off of her.” I clenched my fist, imagining my rage and disgust inside of it so I wouldn’t destroy something and accidentally wake up the two traumatized people in my bed who desperately needed their rest.
“What the fuck,” I growled.
“Alejandro is working hard to infiltrate the Bradley family, but it’s not proving to be easy,” River continued. “They’re smart, and they’re defending themselves well.” I imagined so after the last time they let an outsider in, only for them to turn out to be an FBI agent. As soon as that fucker had gotten close enough to the ring leader, the whole thing got shut down, and then everyone responsible got carted off to prison.
But if the Bradley family had reorganized, new people taking over, then the original family’s connection to the outside world hadn’t been monitored well enough.
“This isn’t the first time the Bradley family has done this,” I warned River. He went silent. I could barely hear him breathing. I sighed. “Alejandro should put some men inside the prison and see if they can find out who’s bleeding information, training, experience, and advice.”
Silence rang for another full minute. I waited, knowing River was trying to wrap his head around what I’d just said. “How do you know this, Tank?” River finally asked.
I swallowed thickly. I’d tried to keep my past hidden, and River had never demanded to know. But he was now. Because I knew something that might be able to help.
I clenched my jaw. “Because I was one of their victims,” I quietly told him. “You can do research and figure out how the ring got taken down the first time, but they went to prison. Weren’t taken care of our way.”
“Tank…” River breathed. It wasn’t often something affected the president, but I could hear the tiniest bit of horror in the way he said my name. “How long?” he demanded.
I swallowed thickly. “Fifteen years,” I rasped. “The first fifteen years of my life. It’s why I don’t know my birthday nor how old I am exactly.”
River was quiet again before he finally muttered, “Fucking Christ.” I didn’t say anything. Didn’t want or need his pity. I was a functioning human being. I knew how to survive, and after survival, I’d learned how to live. I was okay.
“I want them taken down,” I told him, my voice rough. “And I want them to fucking pay for everything they’ve put Beck and Clarke through.”
“As victims or as yours?” River asked.
I stared out over the scenery, watching as a slight breeze blew, rustling the leaves on the bushes and trees. The sky was much lighter now, the sun beginning its official rise for the day.
“As mine,” I told him.
“Understood, brother.”
I pocketed my phone before turning and twisting the door handle, pushing the door open so I could step back inside. I paused, surprised by the sight of Beck standing just inside, tears running down his cheeks, his face pale. My heart clenched in my chest all while anger burned low in my gut. I’d wanted to protect him from this. He hadn’t needed to know any of that.
“Were you listening in?” I demanded.
His lips trembled. “They really sold her, didn’t they?” he croaked, his voice ragged and full of agony—agony for everything Clarke endured. Everything he’d seen. Everything they’d been put through. I closed the front door before tugging him into my arms, holding him tight against my chest. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, his fingers pressing into my back when he wrapped his arms around me, clinging to me.