Page 50 of Jericho

I curl into myself when a line of men walk out of the room. There have to be a dozen or more guys, and it's very reminiscent of the times my father would hold meetings at the house just before sending his men off to work a job. They always looked likethey were going to war, with frowns on their faces and vengeance in their eyes.

These guys look no different, other than the fact that they're much larger than the men who worked for my father. These guys look like they bench press cars for a living.

Each of them looks in my direction, dipping their heads in acknowledgment, before heading out the front door. It's completely different from the way my father's men acted. To them, it was as if I didn't exist, and for the most part, I liked it that way. Hames was the only one who took the time to look at me, and when he did, it made my skin crawl.

"Aspen?"

I jerk my head in the direction of the voice, seeing Nolan standing in the open doorway to the room they all just exited.

"Can you come here?"

I walk toward him, waiting for the last man to leave out the front door before giving him all my attention. Have they been in the house this entire time? Am I really as safe as Nolan assured me I was?

I'm scared and trembling as I join him in the room. Hemlock and one other man on a computer are in the corner. I think it's just going to be the three of us, but another man steps forward with his hand outstretched.

"I'm Kincaid, president of the New Mexico Chapter of Cerberus," he says.

I shake his hand, confusion drawing my brows together. "Cerberus?"

The man releases my hand, looking over my shoulder at Nolan.

"Have you explained anything to her?" Kincaid asks.

I don't know how Nolan responds, but it isn't verbally.

"We're a motorcycle club that specializes in rescuing sex-trafficked persons," Kincaid says, making my blood run cold.

I swing my eyes back to Nolan, and I see that he reads exactly where my thoughts go. He walks up to me, hands held up in mock surrender.

"We don't have any reason to believe that's what is going on with Eli."

"We're hoping you can give us some more information," Kincaid says, swiping his hand out to indicate the offer of a seat at the table.

I take it simply because I don't know how long my legs will continue to hold me up. I've considered a bunch of terrible things that could happen to my son but being hurt in that way wasn't one of them. It opens up a whole new level of terror for me.

"I'll help in any way that I can," I offer.

"We're hoping that you know the names of Gaines's employees who have children," Kincaid says, taking a seat across from me at the massive table.

I shake my head the second the words are out of his mouth. "I don't know anything personal about any of his employees. They're all terrified of him."

"And the ones who are still around after your father was killed?"

I shake my head. "They were scared of him too. No one speaks to me, and I don't mean they don't tell me things. They literally go the other way when I walk toward them," I explain. "I go days without seeing anyone other than Damien, and when I do see house staff, they make themselves scarce very quickly.I can't tell you who has children and if they do, if they've been taken or how long they've been gone. Is it possible that Samuel was lying?"

Kincaid looks from me to Hemlock as if wondering if they should share the information they have with me.

"What is it?" I demand.

I hate being on the outside of everything. I have lived that life every single day since I was born, but I'm tired of not asking questions, tired of people deciding what is okay for me to hear and what isn't.

"They found another body," Kincaid says.

"Another?" I breathe, my hands trembling as I lift them to my mouth.

I feel like I'm about to be sick.

"What do you mean another body?"

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