Chapter Eleven
Out in the garden, Emily ran her hands across flowers that were growing up verandas, which gave her tunnels to walk down that were the most beautiful. Jake and his friends had left an hour ago, and she couldn’t stay indoors listening to children having fun. It was great they were having fun, but she felt sick to her stomach.
Her man was out there, and he needed help. She felt so useless being cooped up while her was out there and she was just here, walking around a stupid, pretty garden.
Dropping her hand from the bright red rose, she closed her eyes and tried to get her emotions in check.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” her father asked.
She turned to find him approaching. The sunlight caught the graying hair at his temples.
“Do you mean walking around while people you care about are in danger? Yeah, it’s hard.”
She averted her gaze and began walking, aware of Bracken stepping beside her. Whenever she had these moods her mother always sent him out to find her. This was not the first time she’d struggled like this, and she doubted it would be the last.
“You care about Jake?”
“Out of everything I just said that is all you can think about.”
“It’s a big step considering you hated me for agreeing to give your hand in marriage.”
“Yeah, well guess what, it’s everything you hoped for.” She’d always had a love/ hate relationship when it came to her father. She loved him, there was no denying that. He was a good father, the best. She had been lucky. Of course, he made decisions that made her hate him for a short time, or even longer.
“It was actually. You think I just dumped you with the first available man, but I didn’t. Do you really think I’d have risked you being miserable?” he asked, catching her arm and forcing her to stop to look at him.
Gritting her teeth, she stared at his hand and rolled her eyes. “Fine, I care about him, Dad. I think I may even be in love with him, and that is so scary.” She blew out a breath as tears flooded her eyes. “This is hard, okay? You said I’d never have to marry anyone, and now I’m scared. This would be so much easier if he wasn’t so nice.”
“The Family boys, they have all had to go through a lot. Donnie, he had to hold his dead brother in his arms and deal with a lot more. He’s the head of The Family. Luiz’s father was a monster, and he had to hide the girl he loved for fear he’d kill Christie. Tonio, he was part of a fucking child porn ring that fucking sickens me. Jake, all of his life he’s been told that his life means nothing. He’s expendable, and not worth the time or effort.”
The tears that had only been in her eyes fell down her cheeks, and she turned her back on her father, wiping them away.
“I knew the moment I met Jake, and everything I’d heard about him that you would be the best thing that ever happened to him. You want me to regret my decision? I can’t. You’re good for him. You care, and I know in time, if he’s not already, he’s going to fall in love with you.” He hugged her close. “You’re a strong woman, Emily. Never forget that. You have power yourself, and no one can stop you.”
“I want to help him.”
“You can’t help him like that. You know this. He’ll be too worried about you, and he’ll slip up, get himself hurt or killed. You wouldn’t be able to live with that.”
He let her go, and she continued to walk to try to clear her head.
“I know what you say is true. It doesn’t make any of this any easier for any of us.”
He laughed. “I know. You’ve always been a strong person, Emily. Even when you were younger. You were so determined all the time. When you went to nursery,” he stopped to smile, “if there was a bully in the playground, it didn’t matter if they were bigger than you, you’d step up. You would always fight for that other person. Even if you got hurt, you never stopped. Day after day, we were called to the nursery, and every single time I was so angry with you, and yet so proud.”
The tears didn’t let up, and she openly cried.
“Tulip said that something would happen to break that spirit. I knew all those years ago that no one was going to break my baby’s spirit. I was going to make sure she could handle herself.”
Memories came to her, of him training her to defend herself, using a gun, the basic fighting moves. Everything he had taught her had helped in her mission to help those who needed it. From school through to high school. Even when she no longer went to school and passed something that she didn’t like, she couldn’t walk away.
“I’ve been very stubborn.”
“You and Jake are a lot alike. Neither of you can walk away, and together you are going to make great things.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I can’t have my little girl looking at me with anger. I love you, Emily. You’re my eldest child.” This time she saw tears in his eyes, and it shocked her. She didn’t recall a moment growing up when he ever cried. Emily knew he suffered from nightmares from his past abuse that had brought him to where he was now. Never had he cried though. “I can live with you hating me for a little while, but I can’t have you not come to me when you need help. Hate me all you want, but don’t think badly of me. Know everything I have done, I have done it for you.”
She couldn’t resist anymore and walked into his arms. “Daddy, I’m so scared. I don’t want him to die.”
“I know, honey.” He kissed the top of her head. “He has his friends. There is nothing more that you can do.”
She nodded, even as she wanted to argue. It was next to impossible not to worry. The docks were known for having a lot of bad shit going on.
“You know you could come in and help,” he said. “You know you’re good with kids, and you’ll be able to calm them down. Maybe tell them a story.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s why you came out to find me.”
“No, not at all.” He kissed her head. “I came out here because I’ve never seen you look so lost before, and you’re still my daughter. I can help you when you need it.”
She took her father’s hand, and they made their way back inside. “How come you didn’t go with them?” she asked.
“I’m staying here. They told me that this was their mess, and I am more than happy for them to clean it up.”
“Are we under threat?” she asked.
“Always, Emily. Has Jake shared everything with you?”
“Yes. I know what happened yesterday.”
“Good. It won’t be long before Damon gets suspicious.”
“Over a hundred men defied The Family,” she said, shaking her head. “Is it really because they’re so young?”
“It could be. Some men really don’t like taking orders from people they consider nothing more than boys. Whatever Damon was offering it was better than what they had. Add to the fact that he could drum up doubt on your ability to rule. You killed your fathers, but you weren’t in a position to lead. People who want to listen, will. Fear is also a great motivator. One day you guys will be taken out, and who better to lead than him? He’s better than you, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s older, and shit like that. All of this can be used, and I’m just thinking of it off the top of my head. There are plenty of men ready to take their place and more than happy to kill for it. Damon was just one person who decided to stand up for it.”
Entering the kitchen, she went straight to the freezer and took out a carton of chocolate ice cream. Milkshakes always calmed kids, or at least it had her siblings.
“You’re a target, Emily,” he said.
“I know.”
“You do?”
“The moment I became Jake’s wife, I knew I was a target. I’m careful. I promise. I won’t put anyone else in danger.”
She made her way over to the food blender, but her father hadn’t left. When she looked at him, she saw he was still struggling. “What’s up, Dad?”
“You know how I told you when you were younger you had a history of being stubborn and doing whatever the hell you wanted.”
“Protecting others?”
“Yes. I want you to think twice about that.”
She paused in scooping out the ice cream. “What do you mean?”
“Damon is a sly bastard. He will take you out. He knows you’re my daughter, and that you’re married to Jake Carter. He could reach out to you. Don’t fall for any of his tricks, and don’t put yourself in a situation that could get you hurt.”
She nodded. “I won’t.”
“Good.”
It was the first time that she had seen her father really nervous. It didn’t settle well in the pit of her stomach.
****
“I was walking past your bedroom last night, and I heard moaning,” Luiz said. “I take it your marriage is in full effect?”
Jake didn’t take his eyes off the road and shook his head. “You need to think about your own relationship rather than mine. Wow, I can’t even believe you stayed to listen. Did you get your rocks off?”
“I didn’t stay to listen. I was … curious.”
Donnie and Tonio were chuckling in the back.
“You’re a perv.”
“I couldn’t resist, okay? You sounded happy. It’s not normal, and with how chipper you are right now, clearly, it was a good night.”
“I’m not talking about my sex life with you. It’s never going to happen, so get you head out of your ass.”
“I hear anal sex is fun. You’ve got to tell your woman you’ve got a small dick, and all that.”
Jake held his hand up. “Luiz, shut the fuck up.”
“What’s the plan?” Donnie asked. “We go in guns blazing?”
“I think we have a nice little chat at reception. I want to see my signature.”
“Why? You think you’ll figure out who signed it from a simple signature?” Tonio asked.
“I don’t know what. They also have security footage, right? We can see who they’re meeting up with.”
“I’ve got Brian on the ready for when we crack open the crates,” Donnie said. “Can you believe they’re actually storing women, children, and men at the docks? They have sales late at night, and the guards are paid handsomely to look the other way.”
“It’s fucking sick. Is it like an auction?” Tonio asked.
“According to our new information,” Donnie said.
“I just can’t believe for a fucking second that our men would think we sign off on this.” Jake was so fucking angered that someone had used his signature. It had been a soldier who was already dead, and he had a feeling he was going to wish that fucker was still alive just so he could kill him again.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Jake pulled into the dock’s parking lot. It was nearly deserted, but in a few hours, it would be humming with activity. None of them intended to do much killing. Jake had learned from the dead soldiers that there were only a few guards during the day. The noise and exhaustion kept their victims quiet. Also the threat of being hunted down and killed if they made a noise kept them good little puppets.
Jake had seen some sick shit in his time, and he just knew it was about to get worse.
There was no time to back down or to pace, or to prepare. They just needed to get in and get the job done.
“Are you going to have kids?” Donnie asked while they were at the trunk of the car. Jake put the relevant guns in their holders beneath his jacket.
“Kids? You want to talk about them right now?”
Donnie shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I want to do anything but go and find out what exactly we’ve let happen right under our noses.” He shook his head. “These fuckers need to be taught a lesson.”
Jake couldn’t argue with his friend. Damon had made a big fucking error in thinking he could take The Family from them. They were young, but they had lived, breathed, and been completely devoted to The Family ever since they were kids. Gripping the back of Donnie’s neck, he pressed his forehead against his. “Don’t let it get to you. We’ll fix it, and that’s all we need to do, brother. That’s all we’re doing. No more half assed shit. This is our Family. It’s time for us to prove that we’re better than our fathers. Come on, let’s go and handle this shit.” Slamming the trunk closed, they spent ten minutes in the office, and Jake scrunched up the letter, pocketing it.
They gave a strict order that next time, they put a call through to one of them. The Family belonged to them, and they did not handle human trafficking of any kind.
Leaving the office, they had the guard take them to the crates that were right in the back, far away from any activity. There was no one guarding the three of them, which pissed Jake off. Damon was so sure they wouldn’t figure this shit out, or that they would have been dead. One by one, the three crates opened up, and Jake held his gun up ready. The door cranked open, and the scent of piss, shit, and death was heavy in the air. In one crate, there were about fifty women, three of them were dead on the floor. The others looked filthy. Three men were in another, and again, they looked close to death. What broke Jake’s heart was the third and final crate. Five children, all of them pale, and all of them looked terrified. One was on the ground. It was a little girl with blonde hair, and vomit was coming out of her mouth. He pocketed his gun and went to her. She was hot to the touch.
“Jake?”
“She needs a hospital.” Something inside him was telling him that he couldn’t leave her. “Call our guy. I’m not waiting around. I need to get her to the hospital.” He picked her up and rushed out of the crate. He was going to find Damon and kill him with his bare hands. He was going to make that fucker rot, fester, and pray for death long before he gave it.
He got to the car and found Tonio had followed him. “I’ll drive.”
Climbing into the back of the car, he held the girl and tried to rub her back. She had so many bruises.
“We have to kill those fuckers,” Jake said.
“We will, Jake. You can guarantee it.”
“They were doing this shit right under our noses. We’re going to find every single person they have taken and sold. We’re going to bring them back.”
“You got it.”
His rage was so fucking strong that he could taste it. His thirst for blood was right there. If Damon had any sense, the bastard would run.
Jake would find him, of that there was a guarantee.
The girl coughed and began to throw up. She was all skin and bones, nothing to her.
Entering the hospital, he barked orders, getting nurses and doctors to help.
Jake made sure they focused on the girl, and when she was taken, he followed. They tried to hold him back, but he wouldn’t have it.
“I found her. I will make sure she is fucking protected.”
He followed, watching as the doctors worked. Tonio said he would handle everything. With their contacts in the police force Jake didn’t anticipate any problem on that front. Time passed, he didn’t know how much until he had no choice but to leave to take a piss.
After taking his bathroom break, he went in search of Tonio and found Emily sitting next to him with Bracken. His father-in-law nodded at him, and Emily went to him. He held his arms open, and she stepped right into them. “Tonio told us what happened.”
“Who is taking care of everyone else?” he asked.
“Donnie and Luiz are back at home,” Tonio said.
Jake nodded. “Thank you.”
Emily pressed her head to his and kissed his lips. It was a relief having her with him.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“I know, but I’m here if you need me. You know that.”
He held her tightly, breathing in her sweet scent. “She’s so young.”
“Take me to her,” Emily said.
Jake took her hand, and they made their way back to where he had left the young girl. She was hooked up to tubes, and per his request, there was a nurse providing twenty-four-hour care.
“She looks a little like you,” Jake said. “I just saw her, and I had to help.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Jake. I’m here with you, remember? You did the right thing.”
She took his hand, and he felt her strength.
“I’m going to kill the bastard, Emily.”
“I know. I hope I can be there to watch.”
He glanced toward her. “I’m not so sweet throughout, Jake. Even I want to see the end to this monster. Men, women, children, nothing is sacred anymore, and it needs to be. That young girl shouldn’t be in hospital, beaten, hurting. She should be at home enjoying a warm meal, her family’s love around her. Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.”
Jake squeezed her hand. “You’re doing everything that I need. You give me strength.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
Silence fell between them.
“Your men in the force have taken care of the people they’ve found. From what I heard they are being sent back to their families.”
“They weren’t even strays?” he asked.
“No. They just disappeared, and there are searches out for them.”
Jake shook his head. His temper growing. “I hate these monsters.”
“You’re helping to stop it though.”
Emily squeezed his hand, and he was thankful for it.
Never would he turn his back again.