Page 80 of The Good Girl

Elmo frowns. “Driller told us you broke up with her when you were sentenced. Said you knew something was going on between him and Lola and didn’t want her waiting around.”

I huff out a laugh. “And Lola backed that up?”

Elmo sighs. “Lola’s changed. She doesn’t talk to any of us. Keeps to herself. Only comes around when Driller wants her here.”

“Can’t say I feel sorry for my cheating ex. She made her bed.”

“There was no breakup, was there?”

I give Ferris a look, and he shakes his head.

“Gotta say, though, finding out my brother was banging my old lady and that she was pregnant felt like shit. But knowing they were playing happy family, and none of you blinked… You knew me. You saw us together. Do you honestly think I would’ve stepped aside for Driller?” I scoff.

At least the three of them have the decency to look ashamed.

“I should really thank them, though. If it wasn’t for them hooking up, I wouldn’t have Nevaeh.”

“I gotta say, Lola and Nevaeh couldn’t be more different.” Byte grins.

“Yeah, in more fucking ways than you know,” I growl, and the smile falls from his face. I sigh. “Look, I can’t tell you everything right now—not until I know for sure who I can trust. But you should know—if you back Khan, I’ll take you down with him.”

I turn to Ferris. “I’m not transferring you—not yet anyway. But if you want to prove your loyalty, I need eyes and ears. I’ve only been here a day, and I already don’t like what I’m hearing.”

“The missing girls aren’t us, Havoc. I know you have no reason to believe us, but we’d never be involved in that.”

“I’m sure you believe that, Elmo. But if you’re as clueless as you say, then a lot of shit’s already happened right under your nose, and you missed it.”

“Taking girls is on another level, though. We’d never miss that,” he argues.

“We were called here because of Acid and Knuckles. Khan says he sent them to welcome me home, and now they’re missing.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. Out of all the brothers, those are the last two you’d want to see, not counting Driller.” Elmo frowns.

“Exactly. But he sent them, and they did head down my way, but it wasn’t to welcome me home. They thought G was me and ran him and his old lady off the road. Almost killed them both.They came back, and when they saw they were still alive, they started shooting. G was unconscious, and Amity threw herself on top of him. She took a bullet protecting him.”

When Elmo opens his mouth, I hold up my hand. I’m not going over this shit again. I can still hear Amity’s voice, trying to hold herself together in a fucked-up situation she should never have been in.

“Now, Acid and Knuckles aren’t missing—G and I showed them our special kind of hospitality after they admitted Khan sent them to kill me.”

Mac cuts in, his voice cold. “You breathe a word of this to anyone outside of this room, and I’ll come back and kill you all myself. My loyalty is to Havoc. I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the rest of you.”

“We won’t say anything. You have our word,” Ferris says. “I’m guessing you’ve got a plan, and I know we won’t be told shit. I get it. But when this is all over, we’d like a chance to make things right.”

I knock on the table before standing. I’m not promising anything. “Give me everything you have here and send the rest to G. I don’t care how small or insignificant it seems—I want to know everything. Khan can’t stay in power, but if there’s a chance he knows anything about the missing women—and they’re alive—I won’t risk them. I can’t take out Khan until I know for sure what happened to them.”

“I’ll dig too,” Byte says. “Now that I know what I’m looking for. Khan told me it wasn’t our business, but I don’t give a fuck. Even if he’s innocent of this, someone out there has them.”

“Run everything through G. I want this done clean. We can’t afford any mistakes.”

“You got it.”

I head to the door, and they all follow me. My phone chimes, so I pull it out and see a message from Crane.

On our way back. Your old lady got some of the town folk to talk. You’ll want to hear this.

“Change of plans. I need this room. Crane and Nevaeh are on their way back—send them in when they get here.”

None of them argue. They leave with a nod and a look of shame that isn’t theirs to carry if they were kept in the dark. Once they’re gone, I close the door and lean against it as the guys go sit back down.

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