Page 17 of Going Down Smooth: Part Two

“Christopher is desperate, he must deliver what he promised. There are a lot of powerful Alphas who don’t want things to change. The best way to do that is. . .is to control the narrative. What better way to do that than through the bible?” Stefan shrugs, clearly, he doesn’t believe the words he’s saying himself, yet he followed this asshole. “The schematics were a contingency plan. If Mercy didn’t die. . .he would hire a team to make her dis—disappear. He was going to sell her.” He really begins to cry once he’s finished. This is it. I don’t want to hear another word. “Please. . .please, it was the last thing I was paid to do. I was going to leave, lay low. I promise.”

“Oh, no need to beg, you’re going to lay low alright. I’m going to make sure you do exactly what Christopher asked of you. He won’t know where you’re hiding,” I say sweetly, as if he has given me everything I need. I look over at Lox. He’s moving before I can say anything.

“You—you. . .you’re going to let me go?” Stefan sounds surprised but relieved. “You’ll never see me again, Knight. I will leave Frankfort now.”

“I know, Stefan, lay low, deep underground. I’m going to personally make sure you do.” I smile menacingly at him, my eyes filled with my own promise as the door opens and two of Dez’s security team members follow Lox into the room.

“I want to thank you, Stefan,” I say kindly. The shift in my demeanor seems to have him straightening in his chair as the two men come into view.

“What—”

“I think he’s given us more than enough, Knight, don’t you?” Lox asks with a nod to the men.

“Indeed, brother, indeed.” I turn and roll my sleeves back down, wondering why I didn’t take my pound of flesh. I guess there’s no need to when I know his end. “You can take him away. Oh, and boys, make sure it’s slow,” I say as Stefan begins to plead for his life screaming, kicking, and crying as they drag him out of my office. His cries fade until there is only silence.

“I want to fucking kill Christopher,” Lox says finally. “His plan is to sell her, make her disappear, Knight. Traffic her.” He begins to pace as I slide my last cufflink into place and grab my coat. I don’t even bother cleaning up my office. M. Bar is closed until further notice. We have other things that are more pressing.

“He didn’t get the schematics and our security is ironclad. Dez made sure of it. Plus, we have our own men in place. Nate and Trey are home with her. Mercy is fine,” I say as my phone rings in my pocket.

“I know she is, but Christopher is the lowest of the low, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. If what Stefan said is true, then this is bigger than we thought. There are bigger players in the game, Knight. We can’t let our guard down for a second. We can’t let them get to her again,” Lox says fervently as he follows me out of my office, only stopping to lock it.

I don’t answer him right away, choosing to pick up my phone instead. “Dez.”

“Knight. My men are handling your rat problem as we speak,” Dez’s deep voice booms down the line as laughter catches me off guard from the background.

“You’re still at my house?” I ask as Mercy’s sweet laugh makes my heart pound with just the sound of her happiness.

“Yes. Freeya wants to have lunch here, so we are hanging out. You have a spitfire on your hands. The little Alpha threatened to cut our, and I quote,‘dicks and balls off and shove my knot down my throat if I ever hurt Freeya’. I mean, not a man’s balls, Knight.” He chuckles nervously, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. Of course she threatened him. That’s my girl. I’m just glad Freeya came clean, one less secret to keep, but it wasn’t our story to tell.

“Well, I’m not surprised there, Freeya is her pack,” I say seriously. I know how much they mean to each other. They were each other’s lifeline. I get it. I will protect Freeya just as fiercely because I love Mercy.

“I told her to put her knife away, Freeya is in good hands,” Dez replies. “But before we get into our own bro chat.” Dez pauses, the sound of him moving away from the noise in the background is a dead giveaway that he doesn’t want Mercy or Freeya to hear what he has to say. Good. “I want you to know that Derrick, Chasson, and Mal have taken Faith from their pack house. According to my team, it looks like they took her and ran.”

“How much of a head start?” I ask, shooting Lox a worried look.

“In my opinion, the minute they found out Mercy was pulled from the Distillery. They’ve had a few days to get as far away from Frankfort as Derrick’s money can get them. So, they could be anywhere.” Dez tsks in irritation.

“I wonder if they were told to lay low,” I mutter noncommittally down the line, recounting Stefan’s words from earlier. Of course, Christopher would demand they disappear so no one could question them. Well, he underestimated me, my brothers, and our friends.

“Is that what the rat confessed?” Dez asks, hearing my musings.

“Yes,” I reply, my own irritation returning now that we’ve hit a dead end. I know we are going to have to play the long game here, but for Mercy’s sake I want it all to be over as soon as possible. The sooner someone is held accountable, the better. Namely, Christopher. I know we are all ready to move forward with our lives. We’ve waited so long for this moment, for Mercy, for peace, for our futures to begin. I don’t want to waste another minute.

“He can run but he is a wanted man. I applaud you for your diligence in giving Mercy’s clothes over to Detective Franklyn. The information he’s given me is they already have proof Derrick was there that day. The blood on her clothes was both hers and his. The case is being built discretely so that Christopher doesn’t get wind of what’s happening. They won’t be able to hide from us for long. I will find them, and most importantly, Mercy’s sister.”

I sigh as Lox and I reach the exit of the bar. “Thanks, Dez, I owe you for this.”

“It’s in my best interest to take down as many of these assholes as possible, you are helping me in the long run. But, most importantly, a threat to your mate, is a threat to mine, and we can’t have that,” Dez says as the sound of feminine voices filter down the line once more.

“Indeed,” I agree. I hang up the phone without a goodbye, our conversation over now that Mercy and Freeya are in earshot. I am sure by the time we get back to the packhouse, they will still be there.

“Home?” Lox finally asks. Opening the driver's door of our SUV we’d left parked haphazardly by the exit, I climb in beside him, full of the weight of the news we are about to deliver.

“Home.”

ELEVEN

LOX

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