Page 29 of Liberator

His eyes widened and I felt a tremor go through him. The space between our bodies widened minutely and the instant the song ended he left me. He too wandered to the bar, and I saw him whispering to the men who lingered there.

“I think we have frightened all the men away, Vikki. There is no more fun to be had here. I want to take a walk in the night air and lose the stench of this place. It doesn’t suit me as wellas I thought it might. I prefer our bar and our patrons. They don’t pretend to be what they are not the way these bastards do,” Flame announced.

The night air was warm but held a small hint of fall. The sky was filled with stars, and we could hear the sound of live music. We followed the sound to a park where a band played. Couples and families sat on blankets having picnics and listening to the music. A few danced beside their spots and made their children giggle.

We remained at the back of the crowd, leaned against some trees, and let ourselves relax.

“Do you ever imagine a life like this?” I dared ask Flame.

“Not since I was a small girl. It was a dream that wasn’t meant for me. Things happen for a reason, and I believe I came to harm so that I didn’t end up in a life where I was either bored to death or made into my husband’s servant,” she answered.

“What happened to you?” I asked. She knew everything about my past and yet she’d never spoken of hers. I hoped she’d open up to me the way Rage had done.

“I may tell you when the time is right, but that isn’t now. Tonight is for fun. My past has no place in it. I am content to be in the open air with good music and a friend. I don’t wish to ruin it.”

I nodded. She was right. It was a pleasant atmosphere and one that was nothing like the one we’d chosen for ourselves. So, we simply listened and watched as the night dragged on.

Chapter 21

Vikki

Soon the families beganpacking up their things and leaving. Flame and I wandered to the small lake that was in the park. Here it was dark and silent. In the darkness I was able to speak frankly. I told her that Rage had confessed to me about his past.

“His rage comes from his childhood circumstances,” I told her.

“That much we all know, chica. But I’m sure he told you the details. I ask that you don’t pass them on to me. His secrets are his to tell. Don’t break his confidence. It isn’t the way to uphold your vows as a Sinner,” she replied.

“I won’t. I made a promise to not speak of it. I just thought I should let you know that he was trusting me more. I wondered if he was using it to make me say I’d be his woman. Is he that kind of man? I don’t trust men, and I think you know that. You’ve been around him longer. What do you think?”

“I can’t say what he was thinking when he confided in you. Men have motives sometimes for what they do, but even they don’t always realize that’s what they’re doing. I do know it was very hard for him to tell you of his past because of how difficult it is for me to do so. Give him credit for having the bravery to give you that piece of himself whether or not he was using it to claim you,” she explained.

“What do I do about him? I miss him when I don’t see him, and I worry when he’s hurt. However, he keeps trying to protect me, even save me. I need to stand on my own. I don’t understand what I’m supposed to feel or do,” I exclaimed.

“Standing on your own and having someone who has your back don’t have to be exclusive from each other. It’s possible, even logical to have both. The MCs should have proven that to you. Each man can take care of himself most of the time, yet they aren’t so determined to do so that they refuse help when it comes. If the others hadn’t gone with Rage to the border he’d be dead now. If they hadn’t worked as a unit when you were rescued you’d be a captive or deceased. Heroes don’t always work alone,” she told me.

“It is difficult for me to see things in anything other than stark black and white, good or bad. I don’t know how to deal with the in between areas. I suppose it is something I need to work on,” I admitted.

I was pleased that we’d made it back to the club without detection, but my conversation with Flame kept me awake most of the night. I was so tired I didn’t noticed the voices until I’d begun mopping the floor in front of Prime’s office. The female’s voice sounded familiar, but not the male’s. It was gruff and held an accent.

While my head was trying to solve the mystery of who was in Prime’s office I rested my head on the mop handle. Before long I realized I was once again overhearing a private conversation thatwasn’t meant for my ears. The words mafia and cartel caught my attention and gave me a clue about the people talking. I was frightened to realize that the mafia boss Drago Petrov and his daughter Zoe were actually inside the room in front of me.

It was a rare thing for them to come to Prime instead of sending for him or just calling. The circumstances had to be very secretive and dire to bring them to McAllen. I had to bite my lip to stop the quivering. To me the mafia held the same position as the cartel. They would use me and torture me if I was caught.

I leaned the mop against the wall and was ready to run and hide when I heard the man mention trafficking. I couldn’t move any longer. I had to know the rest of the story. Was I to be a bargaining chip between the mafia and the cartel? Was this man trying to get Prime to agree to trafficking in order to pay the rest of the debt the club owed? If either were true I’d have to run not just from the door but also from the city, maybe even the country.

“Aguilar has had the audacity to bring his business directly into my territory. He does not even try to hide this foolishness from my eyes. He is visibly challenging me. I can only assume he wishes to die, especially since everything he is doing is set up to make it appear I am to blame. I cannot and will not tolerate this. He is destroying my name,” Petrov stated with anger.

“We overlooked the small things he did for too long,” Zoe added. “I begged Father to keep a war from occurring, now we have no choice. Aguilar has gone too far and will have us all in prison or dead if he is allowed to continue ruining the Petrov reputation.”

“Not only is he building up his trafficking business and making it seem as if it is my organization, but he is now taking girls and boys as young as twelve to fifteen and selling them to the highest bidder as labor or prostituting them. This I do not condone. I ama man of business, and I am known to be quite ruthless at times, yet I do not exploit children,” Petrov explained.

“I’m assuming you came to me about this because I still owe you a debt. What is it you want the Sinner’s to do? We can’t take down the entire cartel on our own,” Prime replied.

“I do not ask for you to do so. It is a spy I desire. I wish someone to infiltrate his business and send me proof of his actions. I have ways to use the proof, pictures and videos or paperwork, to have him taken down. He will pay the price for his actions with prison or death. I do not care which at this point.”

“Getting a spy inside his organization won’t be an easy task. I’m not even sure it’s possible. My men are recognizable by their tattoos and their demeanor. It might have to be a prospect who hasn’t yet become so immersed in our lifestyle that he can’t hide what he is. The problem with that is the prospects haven’t been challenged with any dangerous tasks. I don’t know that they can hold up to such a deep cover job,” Prime admitted.

“I told Father I should be the spy. It is better that a woman infiltrates the organization. A grown man will not be trusted. Only a woman can act as a prostitute that will not be questioned. However, Father refuses to allow me to be sullied in that manner. I am to remain pure to marry a man of his choosing,” Zoe said.

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