Page 9 of Gator

“I can’t do that. I can’t betray them. I don’t even know where I’m located, so I can’t tell you. Stop asking me that. I won’t do that to these people.” Her breathing was becoming more rapid, the tears falling in buckets now. “No! Please! Don’t hang up! Don’t…”

She fell to her knees, the cold earth soaking through her trousers, and Gator took a step toward her, purposely shuffling his feet to make noise. She gasped, staring up at him.

“Something you want to tell me?”

“Yes. Kill me because I can’t stand to see my son die in the hands of that man.”

“I won’t kill you,” said Gator, taking the seat beside her on the ground. “But I do need some context to that conversation.”

“I’m sorry, Gator,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know who to turn to. I don’t know what to do! I’m so scared and confused.” She lowered her head to her knees, her tiny shoulders shaking with her cries. Gator never could stand to see a woman crying.

“Hey, hey, now, it’s going to be alright. Start from the beginning.”

“That would be a good idea,” said Cam and Luke, standing in front of them.

“Dad? What are you doing here?” asked Gator.

“We monitor all incoming and outgoing calls nowadays. We get off when we know they’re personal, but this one was something different. This was a number we recognized. Care to tell me how you know Hanz Metzger?”

Gator frowned at the woman beside him as she looked up with red, swollen features.

“He was my guardian. My u-uncle,” she said, practically gagging. “He isn’t blood. My parents were killed in a plane crash when I was three, and he raised me. He was my father’s business partner. About two years ago, I came home from studying at culinary school abroad, and he raped me.”

“Jesus,” muttered Luke. “Did you report it?”

“To who?” she scoffed. “He owns the Hamptons community. They do whatever he tells them to do. No. I ran. I stayed with a friend in New Orleans and then realized I was pregnant. I didn’t know what to do, but when I saw him, when I looked at the sweet, adorable face, I knew I was keeping my son.”

“Where is he now?” asked Cam.

“He t-took him,” she cried. “He took my son!” The three men were dying a little as they watched her heartbreak.

“Where? Where did he go?” asked Luke.

“I can only assume to the Hamptons. I don’t know. He told me I could have him back if I found out where REAPER-Patriots were located. I didn’t know. I didn’t know until this morning that it was all of you.”

“What did you tell him on the phone?” asked Cam. He knew already. She’d said nothing. But he wanted to hear it from her.

“I told him I was working for a security agency, but it was all top-secret, and I had no idea where I was located. I begged him to give me my son back, but he refuses. I can’t leave him with him. I can’t.”

“Come with us,” said Luke. Gator stood and reached out a hand to her.

“Are you going to kill me?” she asked innocently. Cam smirked at Luke.

“No. Mama Irene doesn’t let us kill employees anymore.” She looked terrified, and Luke shook his head.

“He’s kidding. We want to help, Dylan, but we need to ask you some things and tell you some things about Hanz you may not know.”

“I know this,” she said, standing and wiping the dirt off her bottom. “The night he raped me, there were five other men at the house, and they were talking about coming after someone that had stopped their businesses. I think it was you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Sara and George frowned at the young woman across the table from them. They knew she had a secret, but this was one that could kill them all. Cam, Luke, Hex, and Eric were at the end of the table, Gator and Jak seated on either side of her. Also in the room were Hazel and Piper, along with their husbands.

“From the beginning,” smiled Eric.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am for this. When I interviewed, I had no idea who you were or what you did. I just thought it was a gated country club community. You sent that man, Parker, to come and pick me up, so the windows were blacked out. When I moved the boxes out, I just followed the directions that had been put in my phone.”

Cam nodded, realizing the tech boys had probably put in directions to the stealth roadway. The directions would be erased by now, and she wouldn’t be able to forward them to anyone.

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