“Relax, brother, let her finish,” Riley says, grabbing his arm.
Vic grins at Riley before focusing back on Porter. “The pills weren’t the reason I left, Porter. I stopped using when Jim promised to keep me supplied. I realized he was trying to keep me high, and I needed to stay sober to see what was really happening around me.” She shakes her head, dropping her eyes to the floor. “That’s when Jim tried making a move on me. When I told him I was happily married and not interested in him that way, he threatened me. Told me if I didn’t leave you, he would put charges on you. I told him to try, and he laughed and told me that he didn’t need to try, that he was a successful prosecutor, and that making up his evidence was simple. I was scared. I didn’t want you to end up locked up because of me. He knew exactly what he was doing with me. A desperate young mother looking to escape the troubles I was feeling. Once he thought he could control me with drugs, and I stopped, he tried his next angle.” She lifts her head and looks around at all of us, keeping her eyes on me longer before sliding them to Porter.
“He told me that he wanted a life with me. That he would provide me with everything I ever wanted or needed. That he would take care of Mia and me. He would protect us and provide for us. I laughed and told him to shove it up his ass, but he crossed his arms and pulled out a photo of you and the rest of the club. He told me he would bring down Shattered Souls and kill you if I didn’t agree to go with him. I told him good luck, and that’s when I learned the truth.”
Porter leans over the table with his hands clenched tightly. “Vic, get to the fucking point so we can save our daughter.”
Tears roll down her cheeks as she holds back a sob. “He is a prosecutor, a dirty one, but he does hold that position. He holds it because he’s doing favors for all his friends.” She cries harder, and my patience is wearing thin.
“What the fuck is going on?” I growl.
“Jim is the President of LA Demons MC in California. They are big-time into drugs. Used to be real friendly with Kingsley,” she says, looking at Zane.
“What the fuck!” Porter shouts.
“He’s an MC president?” I whisper.
“Son of a bitch,” Brooks hisses.
There are other comments made and shouting happening, but I’m oblivious to it all. Mia is in more danger than I ever imagined. A fire burns inside me as I stand up and slam my fists onto the table. Everyone turns to look at me, and I nod.
“I don’t give a fuck who Jim is. We’re gonna put our heads together and get my girl. After that, if you all want to torture him or kill him, I don’t care. I just want Mia safe, and sitting here going down memory lane isn’t doing shit.” I turn my attention to Vic and feel myself shaking as I cross my arms over my chest. “Where’s he set up at? Does he have any safe houses or buildings he uses for his deals?”
“That’s the extent of what I know. I’ve never even met another member. He kept that part well hidden. He’d go for days, sometimes weeks at a time, telling me that it was because of a case, but I knew better. I’m sorry, everyone. I brought this evil to you. I tried to keep it away, and I did for nearly twenty years. I tried to protect everyone,” she says, crying.
Porter walks around the table and wraps his arms around her. She cries into his chest as he rubs her back. “You caused unnecessary suffering for yourself and me. I would’ve killed that son of a bitch. Shot him between the eyes if I knew. You should’ve come to me, Vic. You shouldn’t have taken this on, but now the truth is out, and we’re going to handle it our way. Go talk to the girls. Tell them whatever you want them to know. Let them help you. We’re gonna find Mia and take care of Jim.”
I scrub my face trying to keep my temper in check, but it’s impossible. “We need something! We need a location at the very least,” I shout.
“Finn, sit your ass down,” Porter says.
I give a bitter laugh and pick up my chair, throwing it against the wall. “Fuck you, Porter. I’m glad you got the answers you’ve been hoping to hear the last twenty years, but the woman I love, the only person I’ve ever loved, is in the hands of what we now know is an MC president who was friends with Kingsley. Am I the only one who remembers what that piece of shit used to use Harper for?”
“Easy, Finn. You’re out of line,” Zane growls.
I shake my head and grab my chair off the floor. “Am I?”
Zane stands up, and Kace jumps up, putting his hands on Zane’s chest. “Relax, Z,” he hisses.
“Everyone shut the fuck up and sit down,” Brooks shouts. He turns his attention to Vic and nods. “Thank you, but you need to leave the room now. We’ve got club business to handle.”
She kisses Porter’s cheek and stares into his eyes. “Find our girl.”
“You can count on it,” he says.
She grabs my hand and smiles. “She’s lucky to have you, Finn. No one loves their old lady like a Shattered Soul.”
As the door closes behind her, Brooks lights a cigarette and leans back in his chair. “Call our brothers in Cali and fill them in. Find out what the fuck they know of LA Demons,” he says to Enzo.
He turns his attention to Zane. “Talk to Harper. See if she ever heard anything about them or maybe a spot in California Kingsley used to meet up. Anything at all.”
Next, he turns to Porter. “You will take Vic into one of the rooms and see if there’s anything she didn’t wanna say in front of us. I don’t give a fuck how small of a detail it is. We need something to go on.”
Lastly, his eyes land on me. “You take that anger and focus it on Jim. We’re all well aware of the shit Kingsley did and don’t need a fucking reminder. Jim raised Mia much differently than Kingsley raised Harper. He’s not going to hurt her, not right away. He wants the upper hand here, and now he’s got it. Let’s think clearly here.”
I fucking hope he’s right.
Being scared isn’t something I’ve ever experienced. I never had time to allow it to happen. I handled whatever situation I was in and moved on. But sitting here, not knowing where Mia is. Not knowing what is happening to her. Not knowing anything.