Page 51 of Victorious: Part I

“Afraid so, and this is where you’re allreallynot gonna like what I have to say.”

“We alreadyhatewhat you’ve said so far, Pres. With all due respect, of course.” Dutch chuckles.

Smirking, I tilt my head. “Of course. Well, Loki figured out thetrueidentity of Nighthawk.”

They all groan, Ink slamming his forehead onto the table with a thud. “God, if she’s someone important, I’m gonna need a fucking drink, a tattoo, and a good dose of Adderall.”

Grimacing, I huff. “Hope you filled your prescription then, brother.”

He lifts his head off the table, his eyes wide as everyone else stares at me. “Oh fuck! Who is she?” he asks, his tone deflated.

Casually, I point to Loki. “VP, you wanna do the honors?”

Loki moans, curling his lip. “Not really,” he mumbles, but he opens his laptop, types in a couple of things, and then turns the screen so everyone can see her picture. “This is the image we have of Nighthawk. Every source of information I can find tells me that her name is Cassandra Marshall. She was taken at two years of age and has been training at The Nest for the last eighteen years.”

Their faces scrunch, trying to figure out how they know her name, trying to put the pieces together. “She’s a hardcore assassin just like Haven. Been in it all her life?” Strings clarifies.

Nodding, I fold my arms over my chest. “Correct—”

“Wait! Did you say her last name was Marshall?” Maverick asks, his brows knotted together in concern.

And the pieces start falling into place.

Loki simply nods, not adding anything else as Maverick groans audibly. “As in Governor Marshall, who sold his fucking daughter to the Cartel when she was two to boost his political campaign? The assfucker we just sent to prison?” Maverick snaps.

The rest of the brothers sit taller, their eyes widening.

Loki closes his laptop softly and shrugs. “So now you know as much as we do and what we’re all up against.”

Silence floods the Chapel as I take in my brothers’ stunned faces. I knowexactlywhat they’re feeling because I feel it too.

But the more time we waste on the weight and heaviness of this burden, the less time we have to prepare. So, I just need to get the fuck on with it.

“Right, so, this is what we’re facing. By no means is this a small task. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t even know if we can take on something this big with this many moving parts… a Cartel, The Nest, a corrupt prison system, and the Governor’s daughter, who’s also an assassin. This fight’s gonna be big, and I honestly don’t know yet how the hell we’re going to come out on top.”

Pausing, I take a breath and peer around the room. “Maybe thisistoo big for us. Maybe we should back away from this fight and let Javier have whatever fucking territory he wants. Butthatwould be the easy way out. It would be letting Rico and Javier get away with all the injustices they’ve done to not onlymy familybut to the club over themany yearsthey’ve been terrorizing us just to gain more territory in California.” Shaking my head, I turn up my nose. “That doesn’t sit right with me. These Rojas assholes come, and they take without care or prejudice. They burn our lives to the ground and dance on our ashes. Well, not anymore! We took out the Cartel once, we can do it again, and again, anda-fucking-gainif we have to.” A loud cheer roars through the clubhouse, my brothers thumping their fists on the table in support.

“We’ll come up with a plan, a solid one, and wewilltake Javier down. Wewillfigure out this prison shit and make sure that Valerie is safe in the process.” Montana’s shoulders relax as he dips his head at me in thanks. “And as for The Nest and the birds? I think we have to bring in Nighthawk to see where her loyalties truly lie.” I take a deep breath. “But before we initiate all of this, my previous offer is still on the table. Anyone who wants to leave before we create this game plan isabsolutelyallowed to do so. As I have stated, this war willnotbe easy. Fuck, the chances of us winning are probably impossible, butI knowI am going to give it my all. And I expect that if you stay, you’re going to fight witheverythingyou have for yourself, your brother beside you, and anyone else who fights alongside LA Defiance in this. So anyone have anything they want to say, now is the time?”

A comfortable silence floods the room, eyes shifting between each brother, though no one speaks.

A slow smile crosses my face, and I sit back in my chair, letting out a long breath. “Okay then, we move ahea—”

“Actually, Pres,” Maverick speaks up, interrupting me, his expression falling like he’s ashamed to be talking right now. Everyone stares at him, not with judgment but understanding. Sadie’s pregnant with their first child. It’s completely understandable for him to step out of this fight.

Sitting forward, I raise my hand, not needing him to say anymore. “Understood, Mav. You need to take care of Sadie and your baby—”

“No. I mean, yes, I do, of course I do. But that’s not what I’m talking about.” Furrowing my brow, I tilt my head for him to continue. “I’m staying. There’s never any question about that. This was always going to be my fight, but Clover was due to take off for that road trip to Vegas for her paid social media, whatever fucking thing she’s supposed to be doing. She delayed it for a few days, but I’dreallyappreciate it if she got out of town while all this shit is going down. Idon’twant her here while this is popping off.” He clears the evident emotion from his throat. “We’ve been throughso much,and I foughtso fucking hardto get her to a good place. My baby sister meanseverythingto me, Pres. I can’t… I can’t have her here for this. Iwon’trisk her.”

I can’t help but notice the way Phoenix drops his chin to his chest, almost as if a wave of relief washes over him as he stands behind Maverick like a statue against the wall.

The way Phoenix and Clover act around each other hasn’t gone unnoticed. The clear chemistry they have but never act on—probably because Maverick is so intensely protective of Clover. But also, Phoenix is Sadie’s younger brother, and Sadie is Maverick’s Old Lady.

It’s a complicated web, for sure.

But young love always is.

“Maverick, if you need Clover to get out of town, you tell her to go. If you want Sadie to go with her, I’m all for it. I just needyourhead in the game. If that means having your girls gone, then do what you gotta do, brother. We support you no matter what. And to me, it makes sense. Hell, if I could ship Poppy outta here, I would in a goddamn heartbeat. But I know if I tried, she’d probably kill me herself, the fucking little freak of nature.”

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