Page 71 of Declan's Dove

Declan

“All right, sit down and shut the fuck up!” Pres roars. “I want answers, and I want them fucking yesterday!” He looks around the room at each one of us. “Someone explain to me how the fuck Thomas escaped not only his cell, but the basement, and this goddamn clubhouse with no one noticing? How is that even possible with all the fail safes we have on the property?”

Hawk’s shoulders tense. He’s got his laptop open with Ghost sitting next to him on his.

“I had Wyatt go through the cameras. They were cut off at eleven p.m. The last bit of movement near the basement was Sadie and Jayde coming out of the bathroom laughing and talking with each other. But nothing on the basement door or inside the basement itself. The last footage of Thomas showed he was lying on his cot with his arm over his head, sleeping. He’d been in the same position for a while.”

“How do you fucking explain it then, Hawk?”

“I don’t know, Pres.” Hawk looks up at me. “I’m thinking it’s those Trident fuckers or Parisi. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.”

“Trident?” Gabe’s eyes snap to mine. “What do you know, Declan?”

“Fuck.” I scrub my hand down my face and drop them to my hips. “I made a deal with a friend, Kayce Eaton. He owns Trident Elite. He and I served together years ago. Anyway, I found his business card in Violet’s apartment after she disappeared and asked Hawk to reach out inconspicuously.”

“And?” Mack chimes into the conversation, looking pissed. As he should be. I asked Hawk to do something that could’ve had blowback on the club without checking with Pres first—and it might have.

“Hawk tapped into their security system and left a message asking Kayce to reach out to me. He did. Then he had Violet brought to me.”

“And so, what? We think they let Thomas escape as a payment or a ‘fuck you’ for Hawk breeching their system? Did they know we had a prisoner down there?” Jameson asks, glaring at the both of us.

I shrug. “I don’t know what they know about the club or who we have on the premises. We didn’t discuss the club, only Violet and her son.”

“But he works with Vincenzo Parisi.” Hawk says it so easily, like he’s ordering food at a restaurant and wants to add a little something extra to his plate. Almost like he was saying, “Hey, while you’re at it, just add a little pineapple to the plate.”

I turn my glare on him, and he shrugs. “It’s not a small thing to overlook, Dec.”

“Did you talk to Violet and find out what her involvement with Parisi is? Maybe this was the payment she owed him? Did you consider that?” Gabe turns his ire on me, and all heads snap my direction. I throw my hands up to keep the room calm while I explain what I do know.

“Yeah, I know what she gave Vincenzo as payment to help her and Carter escape her asshole husband.”

“Annnd …” Jameson drags out.

“She collected some evidence Swanson had planted that would incriminate Parisi in a crime he actually didn’t commit.”

“How can you be sure he didn’t?” It’s Mack asking now, and not looking the least bit convinced.

“Violet heard Swanson telling his boss about his plan to frame Parisi,” I explain. “I only have Violet’s word on the matter, but Parisis accepted it as payment in order to put Carter and Violet under his protection.”

“And what does she owe him for this latest adventure?” Gabe asks, exasperated. “What’s she doing for him in return for helping her friend?”

“He made her contact Kayce and set up a meeting with him.” I sigh. I run through the story about how Violet’s asshole husband hurt Carter and her meeting Mili and the men of Trident. I give them everything I can without exposing Violet too much. “Violet has never breathed any of this to anyone else except to those who helped her escape, and now me. So, I’d appreciate it if you’d all keep this shit to yourself. She feels ashamed enough for letting it happen for as long as she did.”

“It’s not her fault her husband is an abusive piece of shit. She did the right thing getting them out of there,” Caleb comes to Violet’s defense. I nod my agreement with his statement. “It’s club business now.”

It doesn’t leave this room.

“Okay, but you said Matteo brought Violet out to the cabin then took Kayce to meet Vincenzo, right?” Jake asks. “How do we know they weren’t conspiring to free Thomas after they left you there? I mean, it makes sense. You would be preoccupied with your woman, and you said you were told to stay there for at least three days. Maybe they planned it that way.” Jake looks around the table.

“What difference does it make that Declan was away?” Gabe snaps. “Whoever it was got past all of us. We had a fucking party going on last night. No one even noticed he was gone until early morning. I don’t see how removing one club member would be so significant in planning an escape!” Gabe roars. “What about everyone else who was here? The rest of the club, and why didn’t my goddamn alarm system alert anyone of the breach?”

The vein in Gabe’s temple is visibly throbbing. If he doesn’t calm the fuck down, his damn head’s going to explode.

“The cameras were cut after the girls left the bathroom. The living area was loud, and brothers were drinking and shooting the shit with the club girls or their women, but it was nothing too chaotic or overly loud,” Hawk says. “The prospect was at his post on the front gate. No one came or went through the gates until Sadie and Jayde. They left a half an hour after the cameras kicked off. Then Ethan took Sky home. Jake and Avery were only ten minutes behind them. The rest of us crashed here. Nothing was out of the ordinary, Pres. I’ve gone over it all a thousand times.”

“Then how did he get off the fucking property?” Gabe shouts again, shoving his hair back with his hands. “Who was supposed to be watching the cameras?”

“Calm down, son. We’ll find him.” Caleb tries to comfort Gabe.

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