Page 85 of Legacy

“Makes sense.” Havoc nods. “And I second the trafficking confirmation. They’ve been closing Wicked Pole on Sunday nights these past few weeks. And when they do, there’s lots of activity in the parking lot. Nice cars. High rollers. Whatever’s going on inside isn’t regular business.”

“The question is, where are they keeping the women? We all know they’re not stupid enough to house them at their own strip club.”

“That’s something we need to find out before we make a move,” Steel says, dragging a hand through his hair.

“They’re escalating,” Soul says.

Steel nods in agreement. “Ghost, I need you to determine our exposure outside the compound. I want a list of anyone tied to the club who’s not in Vegas, and they need to be accounted for. They took Sera from Oregon. Everything is within the limits now.”

My mind goes to Mom, who thinks she left this place behind when you never really can.

“Legacy, you still have the money stashed away, right?”

“We’re not giving it back.” My fists clench.

Steel shakes his head. “No, but we’re done sitting on it. If they want to start a war, let’s use their own fucking dollars to fund it. Coordinate with Havoc where it’s needed most. Chaos and Soul are going to tap our connections with the Gaming Commission to see if they can get any information. Or at least something to temporarily shut their doors at Wicked Pole. Anything to distract them while we make a plan.”

We all nod, accepting our orders.

“Get to it.” Steel dismisses everyone, but as I reach the door, he calls my name. “Legacy, hold up a second.”

“What’s up, Prez?”

He crosses the room to meet me at the door. “Go see her.”

“I’m headed there now,” I grumble. “I tried checking in a couple of hours ago, but Patch said the drugs would have her knocked out pretty heavily for at least another hour.”

“Sera was sleeping last I checked.” Steel shakes his head. “But that’s not who I’m talking about.”

He claps me on the shoulder, offering a look that reminds me of the one Ghost has been shooting me all morning. Then he walks out of the room ahead of me, leaving me to my thoughts.

I try to ignore them as I head to the club’s infirmary. I’m not ready to face Sera, but I’m the reason she’s in this mess, so I owe it to her. Regardless of my personal feelings, she’s still the mother of my daughter.

Patch is inside when I get there. But when he spots me lingering in the doorway, he meets me in the hall.

“How is she?”

“It took a while, but I managed to get the barbed wire off, and the bleeding has stopped. She’ll be in those bandages for a few weeks while she heals. But that wasn’t the extent of it. She had a couple of cracked ribs. A missing molar. They worked her before they left her for us.”

“I figured,” I grumble.

Still, hearing it hits deeper.

“She’s in and out right now and heavily medicated. It’s gonna be like that for at least the next few days. But you can drop in anytime you want. I’m gonna grab a coffee and give you a moment.”

Patch walks away, blood still soaking his shirt. He’s been working all night, and while the ranked members get all the praise, he does more than most of us.

Stepping into the room, my gaze fixes on Sera. She’s lying on a bed in the corner with her eyes closed. Her face and arms are bruised, with bandages where the wire wrapped her limbs. There’s a blanket covering her from the chest down, and her bleached hair makes her face seem even paler.

She looks nothing like the woman I remember.

The floorboards creak as I cross them, and her eyes flutter open.

Her gaze is hazy at best, and her squint makes me wonder how many of me she’s seeing.

“Legacy.” My name chokes from her lips. “Where am I?”

“You’re at the clubhouse.” I stop beside the bed. “Patch fixed you up, but you need to rest.”

---