Page 26 of Cheshire

Mock scoffed, his gaze darting between us. “Vouched for him? What, because he says he wants to help? Words are cheap, man. We need more than that.”

I took a step forward, squaring my shoulders. “We need all the help we can get, and you know it. This isn’t about the club. It’s the entire damn town. Not to mention, Park has already stepped up to lend a hand once. He’s assured me he’s on board no matter the risk.”

Tweedle’s scowl deepened, but I could see a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He knew I was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“Park here is a good deputy. He’s one of the few left in this Godforsaken place. If he says he’s in, then he’s in. End of story. I’m not going to make him sit on the sidelines.” Mock opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off with a sharp look. “We’re all on the same side here, fighting the same battle. We can’t afford to be divided, not now.”

Silence fell, heavy and tense. I could practically hear the gears turning in their heads, weighing the risks against the potential rewards. I’d meant what I said. If I thought Park would do anything to hurt the club, I’d have never brought him here. It wasn’t like we were running guns or drugs, or doing anything illegal. Although, if I thought the best way to handle Holmes was to put him six feet under, I wouldn’t hesitate.

Finally, Tweedle nodded, a single, sharp jerk of his head. “Fine. But if this goes sideways, just remember I said I didn’t trust him.”

I met his gaze steadily, unflinching. “I’m willing to bet Park will make you eat those words.”

Mock said nothing, but the set of his jaw told me he wasn’t happy about this. Tough shit. We had bigger problems to worry about than his delicate sensibilities.

I turned to Park, clapping him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the fight, Deputy. Let’s hope you’re ready for it. Something tells me this is going to get real ugly.”

He met my gaze, and there was no fear in his eyes. Only determination and a fierce, unshakable resolve.

“I’m ready,” he said simply. “Let’s bring these bastards down.”

And just like that, the deal was sealed. No going back now. God help us all.

“First things first, we need to figure out our next move. Sheriff Holmes isn’t going to go down without a fight.”

Park leaned in, his voice low and urgent. “I’ve been thinking about that. If we could get some hard evidence of his involvement in the trafficking ring, something that tied him directly to it… Maybe the Feds would step in?”

“First off, we’ve already found some women who he’d grabbed in order to sell them. Not sure there’s more damning proof than that. But… even if it was enough to take him down, the man has more layers of protection than a fucking onion. I have a feeling he has ties outside of Warren, so going to the FBI or anyone else would be risky.”

Park’s brow furrowed, his green eyes intense. “What about Eliza? His daughter. Is she safe? Should we get her out of there?”

The question caught me off-guard, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I hadn’t expected him to ask about her, not here, not now. What connection did Park have with Eliza? And how the fuck did he know her? I’d thought the sheriff kept her under lock and key.

“She’s as safe as she can be,” I said finally, choosing my words carefully. “We already got her away from the sheriff. How come you don’t know that?”

Park paused. “What do you mean?”

“Is the sheriff not actively searching for her? Has no one noticed she’s missing?” I asked. “Wait… she said something about him telling everyone she’s sick, and she was even homeschooled. So has anyone in town seen her before?”

There was a flicker of something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read. Concern, maybe. Or something else entirely.

“Um, no. As far as I know, no one has really seen her. Not since she was just a little kid. Once her mom died, everything changed. As for how I know about her, I’ve met her a few times at the sheriff’s house.”

I clenched my hands into fists. “You’ve met her but never thought something was off? Why the hell has she been abused all this time?”

“I never saw signs of him hitting her,” Park said. “If I had… Honestly, I’m not sure I could have done anything. One deputy against the entire Sheriff’s Department? But for what it’s worth, I’m really glad she’s safe.”

An uncomfortable silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken words and unanswered questions. I cleared my throat, eager to move on. The way he looked when he talked about her… I didn’t like it. I had to wonder if Park had feelings for Eliza.

“We need to be smart about this,” I said, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. “Holmes is a slippery bastard, and he has eyes and ears everywhere. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. After we freed those girls before, he probably locked down his operation pretty tight. It’s what I would do. So getting to him won’t be easy.”

Park nodded, his jaw set with determination. “I’ll do whatever it takes. This ends now.”

“Damn right it does,” I said. “Let’s get to work.”

As Park and I had headed out of the clubhouse, the cool night air hit my face like a slap. I lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag before exhaling slowly.

“I wish I’d known about Eliza’s situation sooner,” Park said suddenly, his voice low and full of regret. “I don’t know how I could’ve helped her or gotten her out of there before things got so bad. Just the same, maybe I could have thought of something. Knowing she’s been suffering all this time… Man, that hurts my heart.”

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