Page 38 of Striker's Yield

“Striker,” Lila cries out as I step through the door to the little room they put her in.

“You okay?” I move straight to her side and pull her in my arms.

“No,” she admits, shoving her face in my neck. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to fight more.”

“Shh,” I murmur soothingly. “You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.”

“But Autumn isn’t.” Lila sobs. “She went to them willingly to keep me safe.” She curls herself deeper into my chest and cries even harder. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been running behind for school . . .”

“If you hadn’t and they still wanted to get you, they could’ve run you off the road,” I tell her. “No one is mad at you. Just glad you’re fuckin’ safe now.”

“Do you know who took you?” Twister asks, and my sister nods. He and Horse had come back with me along with Vera and Adam. Everyone else stayed in the waiting room.

“Who?” I demand, keeping my voice gentle for her sake.

“Your friend . . . the one who knew Autumn. He and his friends who came to the house.”

“You mean Tony, Rolland, and Jason?” I ask, leaning back in order to see her face.

“Yeah, them,” she says, sucking in a breath. “It wasn’t Tony who took me, though. It was his friends, but they took me to Tony, and he’s the one who drugged me.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Are you talking about Tony Decker? My daughter’s ex-boyfriend?” Adam speaks up, stepping closer as Vera comes around him, moving to my sister.

“Yeah,” I confirm, giving him my attention. Not liking the expression on his face.

“Son of a bitch.” He sneers. “That little bastard?—”

“Language, Adam,” Vera snaps. “Not in front of Lila.” The way she curls her arm around my sister is something I don’t think Lila’s ever experienced. Other than from me and those close to us, surely not by our mother. And that’s exactly what Vera has her in—a motherly embrace.

Adam glances toward Lila, and his gaze softens. I can see it now, these two are going to attach themselves to my sister’s life, and I’m definitely not going to complain.

“Didn’t you send Tony here to check on Autumn?” I ask, remembering the conversations from the house and at the café when he first showed up.

“I wouldn’t have that bast, ugh, weasel check on a damn thing of mine, let alone my daughter. I hated Tony, always have, always will,” Adam mutters.

Athena rushes into the room to grab my hand and pulls me, not bothering to say anything. I don’t question it because she wouldn’t have done it unless she had something for me.

In the waiting room, she comes to a halt next to Brass and twists to face me. “I was able to get some security footage from the building on the other side of Emerson’s hair salon,” she announces and goes on. “Autumn went out the back alley, got in the trunk of a black sedan. Lucian ran the plates for me. Came up with nothing important there, but . . . that same car was used to take Lila to the school. The men inside, they’re the same ones who’d broken into her apartment.”

“We know where they are?” I ask.

“Yeah,” She smiles mischievously. “I’ve already rounded them up. Did that before coming here,” Athena says and looks to Brass, “Lucian is taking Jesse for the night, so we’re kid-free, and I’m more than ready to make these boys sing.”

“Jesus,” Brass mutters.

“Where’d you take ‘em?” Hades asks.

“Took them?—”

“Shhh, cops comin’,” K-9 mutters.

I cock my head in their direction. “Officer Ryan.”

“Striker,” Officer Ryan greets. “Mind if we talk to your sister?”

“Yeah, I’ve gotta head out, but she’s in there with my woman’s parents. They’re staying with her, so don’t try to get them outta the room,” I tell them and turn my attention to my brothers. “Let’s go.”

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