Page 50 of Victorious: Part I

“More men, more birds. He has The Nest back up and running—”

“What?”Seems to blurt from almost every mouth in the room.

Raising my hands to placate them, I dip my chin in understanding. “I know, but there’s a difference. I don’t think he’s been training them from an early age. He hasn’t had the time. He’s using these women to gain the numbers he needs for his army.”

Dutch raises his brow in curiosity. “In that case, then maybe these birds aren’t as lethal as Haven’s generation?”

Nodding slightly, I agree. “It’s possible, but we also don’t want to go into any fights with these women thinking that. We all know from seeing Haven, fuck, even Poppy in action that these birds could take any of us out within a second. I don’t want to risk that. I don’t want to risk any of you. We play it smart when it comes to the birds…understood?”

“Yes, Pres,” they all reply in unison.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the end of it. I don’t know why Loki and I haven’t been able to figure this shit out yet, but Javier’s moving his new birds throughout the female prison system, or at least into Valerie’s prison. We know there are already birds with her, and we’re currently working on a way to help her and deal with the bird issue.”

Everyone snaps their heads to Montana, their eyes wide. “You know about this, brother?” Maverick asks.

Montana rubs at the back of his neck, the bags under his eyes showing that he hasn’t slept at all. “Yeah, man, I went and saw my mom, and shit in there was fucking weird. Mom wasn’t her normal self, and the guards were warning me about the vibe changing. I knew something was going down, but then everything was happening with Livvy. Anyway, I spoke to Loki and Haven, and here we are.”

Maverick leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Fuck! Okay, let me get this straight. We’ve got Rico’s nephew, who’s been building an army for this exact moment, ready to step in and claim the Cartel throne. He’s training a new squad of female assassins, and we’ve got no idea how. And for some reason, he’s funneling them through the prison system, including the one where Montana’s mom just happens to be? That about sum it up?”

Shrugging, I sigh. “Just one more small thing.” The guys scowl at me, slumping down into their seats, as I continue, “When Haven was captured by Javier and being held with Livvy, they had an old member of The Nest with them. One who was sent to work with Javier when The Nest was still operational. So, from what we can tell, because she was on mission when we disbanded The Nest, she has no clue it’s gone and that she is technically free.”

Phoenix steps off from his place against the wall, his brows furrowed. “This bird, the one with Javier, did she haveanythingto do with Livvy?” he asks.

We all turn to look at the newly patched member. He shouldn’t even be here for this, and hedefinitelyshouldn’t be talking.

But I need all brothers to know where we’re headed.

Fighting all my instincts to mouth off and say how much I want us to find Nighthawk and take her out, I know Haven wants the opposite.

She might be too close to it.

She might be hoping she can save Nighthawk like we saved her.

Maybe we can.

Or maybe we’ll have to feed Nighthawk to the pigs.

Either way, if I don’t give Haven the chance to at least try, she will never forgive me, and I already lost one wife. I haven’t even been given the opportunity to marry Haven yet. I don’t want to lose her before I get the chance to officially make her mine.

So, if I have to bite my fucking tongue and let her play out this fantasy of being able to turn Nighthawk to our side, then I will do it.

But I will also be here for her if it all falls into a heap because, if there is one thing I have learned, it is that you cannevertrust a bird.

Exhaling, I nod my head. “Her code name is Nighthawk, and from my understanding, she was tasked with the mission from Javier to torture Livvy—”

“So, shekilledLivvy?” Pheonix barks, marching right up next to Maverick beside the table.

Maverick glares back at Phoenix, his eyes wide. “Step back from the table, Phoenix,” Maverick warns.

Phoenix looks down in shock, seeing where he is. Then, almost as if a rubber band snaps him into place, he jumps back against the wall and into his original position, his eyes instantly locking on me. “Fuck. I didn’t mean to step out of turn, Pres. It’s just, you know, I appreciate patching in here after being a Prospect with the Serpents, and—”

“All right, relax, Phoenix. We’re all on edge, but in answer to your question, yes. I think Nighthawk’s torture is what inevitably led to Livvy’s death.”

The brothers around the table scowl in their discontent, all except for South, who I notice is back on his cell, completely ignoring the conversation around the room. But I choose not to bring attention to that in front of everyone at the moment. The intensity of the way he’s typing a message into his phone already has my alarm bells ringing.

Shifting my gaze to the rest of the guys, I continue, “And the last piece of information you all need to know about Nighthawk—”

“There’s more?”Eggs burst out, causing a joint grunt around the Chapel.

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