Page 93 of Nevada

“Did we learn anythin’ else?” Harlem strokes his beard.

“Only that Jefferson has young girls, and not just immigrants. He was quite proud of it,” I say. “He’s definitely workin’ with traffickin’ circles, admitted it and didn’t give a shit about Bane takin’ that chick. Called it a freebie.”

“What? So now he’s just giving girls away?” Star’s eyes are wide and I know she wants to go back in there and punch his face in. She’s not alone. We all do.

“Yep, and we have a viewing tomorrow night with Bane,” I add. “He has girls at the ready. We posed as strip club owners who need new girls, then with Bane needin’ sweet butts for his ilk, we get first dibs.”

Her hand slides into mine and squeezes it. I see the tension in her face, her eyes glaze over but she stands up straighter. “A viewing?” Her hand goes to her throat. “He’s a fucking monster.”

I cup one side of her face, not caring that everyone’s watching. “Don’t go losin’ it on me now, Estelle. Need to be strong. We don’t know what we’re gonna find.” It also doesn’t mean we’ll find Tilly.

“But we’re close,” she whispers. “I can feel it. We’re really close this time.” The desperation in her voice has me looking up at the other guys. I don’t want them to hear this.

“Cigar Haven,” I tell them. “We’ll have Kyle and Halo staked out near the front. Follow us.” I tug her by the hand and lead her to my truck.

“Nevada?” she says. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“You don’t think that she’s there.”

“I never said that.”

She pulls out of my grip and I turn.

“We don’t have time for this, babe. Get in the car.”

“We are close.” I go to cup her face again but she pulls away. “Nevada?”

My heart breaks for her. “Of course we are. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. There’s so many hurdles to get over.”

She frowns like she doesn’t understand. “Do you think I don’t get that?”

“Get in the car, Estelle.”

“Do you think she’s alive, Nevada?”

I swallow hard. “Yes, baby. I do think she’s alive, but the condition she’ll be in when we find her, are you prepared for that?”

She closes her eyes momentarily. “How does one prepare themselves for that, exactly?”

I pull her to me and this time she lets me. I kiss the top of her head. “If I didn’t think there was hope, I would tell you. We know the odds. We can’t think about any of that. All we can do is focus on this meetin’ and track her down.”

She grips me, her hands fisting my shirt. “I have to find her.”

“We will.” Fuck, I hope that’s true. “I just need you to be strong for a little longer.”

She nods. “You know I’ll fight to the death.” She gives me a watery smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “And I’m coming to see this Bane guy, tomorrow night.”

I roll my eyes. “Would I expect anythin’ less?”

This time the worry on her face lessens. “No.”

I open the passenger door and put my hand on the small of her back. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

It’s no surprise that Cigar Haven is just a front for a secret meeting room for Ridgehaven Hellions MC. It isn’t their clubhouse as they don’t reside here in Jackson, but when they’re here on business, this is where they hang out. The setup is pretty cool. It does actually sell cigars during the day, then the back opens up to a giant meeting room with tables and couches. There’s also an upstairs with three bedrooms and an office.

When the Sergeant at Arms, a scary motherfucker called Viking, begrudgingly let us through the back, his counterpart and the club’s Enforcer, Hornet, made it obvious he also wasn’t happy. There was a stand-off between them and Harlem and Tag, noticing their patches, but then all of a sudden, Harlem gripped Viking’s hand. “Good to see you, fuckface.”

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