There’s a hardness in his eyes that I only ever remember seeing once before, on the day Antonelli’s men came and stole Evie from her own front yard, shooting up the street while they were at it. That day changed our entire lives. It ripped apart the safe bubble we lived in, where, as children, we thought we were invincible, and exposed us to the true horrors that exist in this world. It was the day we stopped being children and became adults, hardened to the world around us. It was a day I’ll never forget.
He leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the wooden desk. His features are tight and his nostrils flare as he says, “We’re going to get her back, brother. Then we’re going to make sure they can’t steal another kid ever again.”
An hour later, Cain leads me into the front room of his house where, at first glance, there are about twenty men waiting for us. They’re relaxed, lounging on the sofa, until we enter. Then they all straighten, their full attention on their leader. It’s interesting to watch, to see the respect and power Cain has over these men. Long gone is his easy expression, instead he’s wearing the impenetrable mask of a leader, ready to direct his men.
Cain slowly looks around the room, meeting each of their eyes, and giving a few of them nods of acknowledgement before he addresses everyone.
“My brother, Beck, has brought a serious matter to my attention. He has informed me that kids are being stolen from our streets.” He pierces each man in the room with a steely gaze. “Turned into soldiers; forced into being killers. All so some rich fuckers can line their pockets.”
I’m watching his men closely, assessing them. While I trust Cain, I don’t know any of the men in front of me. So I notice when their jaws clench and their eyes narrow in anger.
No one speaks, though, and Cain continues on, “You all know I don’t stand for children being taken against their will and used as pawns.” A few men nod or murmur their agreements. “As if that isn’t insult enough, they’ve now taken Beck’s girl.”
All eyes fall on me, and I subtly straighten my spine and lift my chin, letting them see the parts of myself that are still very much Black Creek. I allow the darkness that resides in me to rise to the surface and shine out through my eyes; let each and every one of them see that I will destroy anyone who gets in the way of me saving my girl.
After an assessing moment, one of the men focuses his attention back on Cain and speaks up, “We can’t let them get away with that. Tell us what you want us to do.”
The rest of the gathered men give sharp nods of agreement, and the room fills with determination and a willingness to fight as shoulders are pushed back and everyone leans forward to hear what Cain’s plan is.
Cain lets a small, prideful smile lift the corner of his mouth before he barks orders at his men. “The organization is Nocturnal Mercenaries. Beck here is able to give us a schematic of the compound where they are keeping the children, and his girl, but we need to know as much as we can about their setup before we go wreaking havoc—guard changes, security systems, any potential weaknesses. Reach out to your contacts, see if you can find anyone who knows anything about them. We need to move quickly on this, so get it done, boys.”
With renewed energy and the promise of impending violence, the men quickly get to their feet, pulling out their phones and talking to one another as they leave the room.
“What now?” I ask Cain, unable to sit still and do nothing, but not knowing what it is I should be doing.
“Now you go back to that stuffy school and I’ll call you when we know more.”
“The guys and I are going with you when you go,” I tell him in a fierce tone that brokers no argument.
He quirks an eyebrow. “The guys?”
I might have conveniently left that detail out earlier. “Her brother…and the other guys Hadley is…dating.”
His eyebrows climb to his hairline and I can see he’s smothering a laugh. Questions dance in his eyes, but now isn’t the time to get into any of it, something he realizes as he lets the topic go.
“They can handle themselves?” he asks, and I nod. “Fine. We could do with all the manpower we can get. You should get back though, before anyone notices you’re missing. The last thing we need is them realizing you’ve been up here.”
I agree. We have no idea how close of a watch any of our parents are keeping on us. Before I leave, I draw up a schematic of the compound and Cain gives me a burner phone which he’ll use to contact us when he’s got more information, so we can all work on a plan. He promises it will take no more than a day or two, and I’m holding him to his word. I don’t know how I know, but I can feel it in my very bones. My girl doesn’t have much longer. It’s like I can feel her giving up with each passing day. I need to get her back before she’s irreparably damaged.
Chapter 3
“Fucking hell,” I snarl, banging my fist against the table as I glower at the computer screen in front of me, ignoring the tired itch behind my eyes and the jittery adrenaline from too much caffeine. Ever since we got back from the open day, I have spent every moment trying to hack into the compound’s security system. To have any hope of getting Hadley back, we need access to the compound's cameras and security, yet I can’t find a backdoor into either.
Huffing out a breath, I grit my teeth, and for what feels like the millionth time, change part of the code before grabbing my mug and going to top it up with a fresh cup of coffee. God knows I’m going to need it. We can’t go after Hadley until we have a way into the compound, and we can’t get a way in until I crack this fucking code. Until that happens, I won’t be sleeping, or doing anything else that takes time away from helping Hadley.
The kitchen is empty, and checking the time with the clock on the oven, I realize it’s only four a.m.—no wonder no one else is about. My sleeping pattern is completely out of sync. Rubbing at my tired eyes, I brew a fresh pot of coffee.
Once it’s done, I fill the mug to the brim, taking a long, much needed gulp of its life-sustaining properties.
“What are you doing up?” Hawk’s voice is thick with sleep as he pads barefoot into the kitchen. In his half-awake state, his eyes roam over my face, likely seeing the exhaustion from too many days of no sleep. “Ah, haven’t been to sleep yet.”
I rub at my lids with my fingers and shake my head.
“Not having any luck with the compound’s security?” The strain of being away from Hadley for so long is getting to him, evidenced by the fact he’s awake at the ass crack of dawn, but regardless, his tone is soft.
“I can’t de-code their encryption.” My voice breaks, exhaustion and defeat making me feel completely worthless. This is what I’m good at. It’s the only thing I can do to help. “If I can’t get in, then we—”
Hawk claps his hand on my shoulder, cutting me off. “You’ll get it.”
I lift my head and look into his eyes, seeing the swirling storm of emotions in his gray depths. We’re all a complete fucking mess without Hadley—even Hawk. He might have been the last one to come around to having her here, but now he’s as invested as the rest of us, if not more so.