Page 79 of Victorious: Part I

“I don’t know all of them,” she admits. “But one name kept popping up in meetings. One I am sure Iwasn’tsupposed to overhear.”

“And?” I urge.

Nighthawk meets my eyes, then Alpha’s. “Senator Wilson, the man who was trying to get Governor Marshall into the VP position, to be his running mate.”

The two names fall like a bomb in the center of the table.

Senator Cormac Wilson—one of the most powerful politicians in California, a man with presidential ambitions and ties toeverymajor government agency.

And then Governor Bennett Marshall.

The man the club just got locked up.

The man whoweknow is Nighthawk’s father.

The man who sold her to the Cartel when she was two years old.

An awkward vibe moves around the room, Nighthawk instantly picking up on it as she turns to me. “What’s going on? You’re all looking at me weird.”

Alpha glances at me like he wants to tell her, but I make the move first. “Nighthawk, what do you know about your past? About your birth name. Do you remember any of it?”

She furrows her brows, jerking her head back like she’s confused by my questioning, and then she hesitates for a moment. “I mean, not really. I was taken in at two years old to The Nest. Given my bird name at five, and after that, on missions, I’ve had to use aliases. And you know the first rule.”

“Never tell them your birth name,” Poppy and I both say in unison, causing the rest of the room to stare at us.

Alpha shifts uncomfortably as I reach out, taking his hand in mine to ease his discomfort.

“Exactly, so after so many years of not saying my real name, I guess I just… forgot it. I never knew where I came from. All I have ever known is that IamNighthawk.”

Rolling my shoulders, I swallow a lump down my throat. “When Alpha and I disbanded The Nest, we were able to gain access to the files that Crow and Vulture had on us, including the folders from our pasts.”

She scrunches up her face. “Okay?”

“Nighthawk, the thing is, we weren’t chosen to be birds, no matter what we were taught. Our parents sold us to the Cartel for a quick buck or for a favor from them.”

She furrows her brow as the realization sinks in. She sits forward, letting out a long breath. “Wow. So my parents, whoever they are, fucking sold me when I was two?”

Grimacing, I nod. “Yeah, and we have your file. So,weknow who you are, who your parents are, andwhythey sold you.”

She sits back in her chair, her eyes wide. “You know my real name?” her voice is barely a whisper now.

With a weak smile, I nod. “I do.”

She rubs at her face like she’s trying to decide her next move. She stands and begins pacing, then turns back to face me. “Okay, I guess if I’m free, I should probably have a civilian name.”

Smiling, I glance across the table at Loki. He opens his laptop, types in a couple of things, then slides it across in front of her. She hesitates, walks to the laptop, goes to look, then backs away. “But we’re not supposed to know, Blue Jay.”

I shrug. “Hi, my name is Haven Cadell. It’s nice to meet you.”

Her nostrils flare as she begins pacing again like she’s unsure. The conflicting emotions of eighteen years of training tell her that she most definitely shouldnotbe looking at those files.

Poppy walks around to her, reaching up for her hand. “Hi, I’m Poppy Landry. It’s nice to meet you.” Poppy follows suit, showing her that she, too, has let go of her bird roots.

Flown free of The Nest.

If both of us can do it, Nighthawk can too.

I smile at Poppy, showing that I’m proud of her. Nighthawk lets out a long breath, her eyes beginning to water as Poppy leads her back to the laptop. “I know this is scary, but youcando this,” Poppy urges.

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