Page 75 of Victorious: Part I

I glance at him, a smirk crossing my face. I go to speak, but Alpha beats me to it. “Blue Jay was hired to assassinate me. Sent by my VP to take me out so he could take over my club. His father and me went way back. We had history, and they came up with an elaborate plot to have the son join my club, work his way up, earn my trust, and become my VP. Which he did, and then they hired Blue Jay to take me out.”

Nighthawk purses her lips, seemingly impressed. “Wow. Mad props to the VP. Needless to say, he’s six feet under now?”

Alpha cranes his neck to the side. “When I found out that he helped orchestrate the lie that the Cartel killed my daughter, when in fact, he helped them take her into an elite training facility, and she was kept away from me for years, being trained as a bird. Yeah, he’s six feet under.”

Nighthawk widens her eyes in shock, turning to me. “Did you know who his daughter was?”

Exhaling, I let out a small laugh. “That was my problem… while on my mission with Alpha, I found out about his daughter’s past and started putting the puzzle pieces together. I not only knew his daughter was alive, but I also talked to her and trained her. I was at the club to kill Alpha, but after being there, after spending time with the club, and learning about everyone, I started questioning, and once I started getting answers, I didn’t like what I was finding out about The Nest. About the Cartel who ran it. We were pawns, Nighthawk. It’s why I had to set the birds free.”

She narrows her eyes on us.“Youtook down The Nest?”

Chapter Eighteen

HAVEN

The way Nighthawk is glaring at me like I’m her enemy at the moment lets me know I need to calm her down really fast.

Tilting my head, I sigh. “At least we thought we took it down. Once I found the information I did about why we were there in the first place, that as birds, we weren’t there to help but were used as weapons for evil, I had to dismantle the system. There’s so much more you don’t know, and Iwilltell you, but it’s clear now that Javier has some version of it back up and running again. That’swhywe need your help.”

She slowly nods her head in understanding. “All right. What are you offering?” she asks cautiously.

“Protection. Freedom. The same thing I found with the club,” I reply. “But first, we need insights that you might know on Javier’s operation.”

Nighthawk studies me, then Alpha. Her shoulders relax fractionally as she walks over to the television, moves her hand behind it, unclips a small recording device that I knew was there, and flicks it off.

Alpha glares at me, but I smirk, knowing it means she trusts us enough now to talk freely. She throws it on the bed, then grabs a chair, sits, and makes herself comfortable. “Now that we trust each other, let’s talk candidly—”

“Nowwe trust each other?” Alpha snaps.

I raise my hand to stop him and move to the edge of the bed, taking a seat and patting it for Alpha to sit beside me. “Babe, c’mon,” I state.

He grumbles something unintelligible under his breath but moves to the bed, his eyes hard on Nighthawk.

Her eyes follow him the entire way until he sits, and then she exhales. “Alpha, I know what I did willneverbe okay in your eyes. And I also know that nothing I say willevermake you understand that even though I do feel deep remorse for what happened to Olivia, it was my mission. There wasnothingin my mind at the time telling me that this was someone’s mother. Or ex-wife.” She glances at me. “Or friend…” Then she turns back to Alpha and continues, “As a bird, we don’t look at our targets as people. Just a mark. A mission parameter. It’s how we are taught. For me, since I was two years old. Iliterallydon’t knowanyother way.”

Turning to Alpha, his eyes glass over, his jaw clenches so tightly that I reach out for his hand, holding it in mine. “You okay?” I whisper.

His eyes flick up, the fog lifting as he clears his throat. “Talk to me about Javier. About his plans for thisnewversion of the Cartel he’s building.”

Nighthawk weakly smiles, realizing she needs to move on from talk of Livvy. “It’s extensive. He’s been planning this takeover for years, even before Rico died. And it’s not just about the Cartel.”

“What do you mean?” Alpha presses, his brows furrowed.

“Javier wants more than territory or drug routes,” she explains. “He wants to build something bigger, something that combines The Nest’s training methods with the Cartel’s resources. That’s why he’s been recruiting women from prisons and training them as birds.”

My stomach drops, thinking back to the phone call from Garver. “Like Valerie’s prison,” I mumble to myself.

“Exactlylike that. It’s no coincidence. Javier chose that facility specifically because of its connection to your club. Montana’s mother is there. And the Warden, well, he ties back to you, Alpha. Your bond to him is unbreakable.”

Alpha’s face darkens. “Wait! You know who Valerie and Montana are and that the Warden is my friend?”

Nighthawk grins with a shrug. “I told you I started digging. I needed to know whythe greatBlue Jay had thrown her life to the wind for this club. It didn’t make any sense in the meat packing facility. All I knew was that when I saw you there, trying so desperately to help my target, I knew something was wrong and that I had to put my trust in you over Javier. So, I did. I helped you get out and fought them off for as long as I could. Copped a bullet in my shin for the trouble, but I’m pretty sure I landed a blade across Javier’s face. It was enough to drop him and give me time to take off. It’s the only reason I was able to get out of there alive, though, unfortunately, I’m pretty sure Javier is still alive.”

My shoulders slump. “Well, thank you for helping us get out. If, even in the end, Livvy didn’t make it, Iamglad you tried to help.”

Her somber eyes shift to Alpha, and she nods. “I trulyamsorry for your loss, Alpha.”

His nostrils flare, and though he says nothing in return, his simple head nod conveys enough meaning behind it.

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