Page 38 of Property of Max
“Just like we did with Lila,” Skip adds, his voice low and dangerous, no hint of a smirk. “What gives us that right? We swore to keep Palm Springs clean and safe, but when it comes down to it, we protect the ones we decide matter and turn away the ones who come begging for help. What a great fucking club we are.”
The silence that follows is suffocating.
“Fuck,” Spike sighs. “Alright, let’s fix this before it gets worse. Start patrolling Whispering. I want those streets clean and safe. Get another team to reach out to the families of the missing people; I’ll bet the cops swung by and left with no intention of coming back. And find Cortez. I want this city locked down before he can get through.”
“What if he’s already here?” Crusher asks.
There’s a beat, then Maverick speaks up. “I know a guy on Border Patrol who can pull security footage…the legal way.” He gives a crooked half-smile just as Foster lifts a single finger. “Can’t be too careful when it comes to the border. And we need you to stay out of jail.”
“I wouldn’t get caught,” Foster says, shrugging. “Not unless I wanted to.”
“Foster, I want you searching for those missing women,” Spike says, glancing at his watch. “So much for getting out of here quickly. Get comfortable, brothers. This is going to take a while. Start with Whispering. I need five men.”
Hours crawl by while we stitch a plan together. Maverick pulls the Border Patrol clips, and so far, there’s no sign of Cortez coming into Palm Springs. Foster thinks he’s found where the women might be; he sent the coordinates anonymously to the cops. We should know something any minute now.
“Uhm, I have news,” Foster says, frowning at his screen.
“The women?” Skip asks. “Were they there?”
“Nope. Well, not those women,” Foster answers, looking from Spike to Bones. “Uhm! The women have been arrested. For assault.”
“Women?” Bones blinks. “What women?”
“Surely, you don’t mean…” Spike starts, and then Foster turns his laptop so everyone can see. Three mugshots fill the screen: Riley, Abby, and Sunny, staring into the camera like they didn’t give a damn about the judge’s opinion. Not a shred of remorse on any of their faces.
“I fucking love those women,” Skip bursts out, laughing. “Let’s go find out who they bribed to watch the baby while they didourfucking job.”
“Foster,” Spike calls as he moves for the door.
“Already working on their release,” Foster says, grinning.
Come on, Max,” Skip calls over his shoulder. “Let’s go free the women who hadyour woman’sback.”
“Not my woman,” I mutter, falling in step behind him with a sigh.
“Not your womanyet,” he shoots back without missing a beat. “If you’re anything like Spike and Bones, it’s only a matter of time. Or you can be like Tank and deny, deny, deny…and live a life of misery.”
The bastard grins as he says it, but I can feel the weight in his words all the same. And damn it if it doesn’t hit too close to home.
Chapter Eleven
Lila
“Why did you guys do that?” I ask, staring at the three women behind bars. “He could have seriously hurt you.”
“Because he deserved it,” Riley fires back without hesitation.
“He deserved far worse,” Abby adds, her chin tilting defiantly. “Matter of fact, break me out of this joint so I can pay him another visit.”
Sunny’s voice is softer, but no less sure. “We know that video wasn’t true. There’s no way you’d ever touch that creep. I just don’t understand why the guys wouldn’t help you.”
“Because I’m the little boy,” I say quietly.
Confusion flickers across their faces until I explain. “You know that story? The boy who cried wolf? So many women falsely accuse men of things they never did that when someone finally comes forward with the truth, no one believes her. Your men weren’t willing to risk their reputations on someone they barely knew. I get it. It made me angry, yes. But I do understand. And I had everything under control.”
“You did not,” Riley snaps, planting her hands on her hips even from behind the bars. “You did what you had to do to keep your job. But you never should’ve been put in that position.”
“I need a job, Riley,” I sigh, the fight draining from my voice. “I live paycheck to paycheck as it is. If I lose work, Bree goes hungry. And I can’t afford the extra hours the nurses have to cover.”
