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Harvey stays standing, his thick arms crossed over his chest as he glares at Ruby from the side of my couch. She pays him no mind as I explain how we found the girls; give her the limited information they have been able to tell us and the lacking results we’ve had from our own investigations. Her brows knit together as she takes in what I’m telling her, and she nods along thoughtfully.

“You think this has been going on in Talon territory?” she asks when I finish speaking.

“We haven’t been able to confirm it,” Harvey grumbles.

She sniffs, tilting her head in thought. “Tantos are disbanded,” she says, trying but failing to keep the bitternessfrom her voice. “But I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground and I’m fairly confident an operation like this hasn’t been happening in our area.” She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and levelling me with a knowing stare. “If this was an independent operation, it’s unlikely the facilitator would be smart enough to fly under the radar of whoever’s ground they’re encroaching on.”

“So, you think this is being driven by one of the other gangs?” Harvey asks, dropping his defensive position and coming to sit next to me, looking more invested in Ruby’s help.

“It’s most likely.” She nods. “That leaves The Daos and The Kukris. Now, Lance Preston may not be my favourite person in the world, but I can’t see him being behind this. Not to mention, my cousin is his right hand and a smart enough guy not to miss something like this within his operation.”

I nod in agreement. I never had any doubt that The Daos were innocent in this. I wouldn’t have aligned myself with anyone I could think capable of anything like this. “The Kukris.”

It’s so obvious. A small part of me knew they were behind this from the beginning.

“They’re ruthless bastards, the worst of the worst. I don’t know how much experience you’ve had with them but they’re more than capable of this.”

Her nostrils flare and her tongue runs over her top teeth beneath her lips, her eyes trained on her hands in front of her, lost in a memory. I wonder how close her experience with The Kukris has been to mine. “Your girls couldn’t give you any helpful information about where they’ve been or landmarks they passed while running, which makes it unlikely they passed through the city centre. They would have been able to describe buildings or traffic or something. They’ve probably been in residential areas, which means they would have come from Talon, Tanto, or Dao territory. I don’t think they’d be stupidenough to set up shop in Preston’s territory, he’s got the biggest workforce behind him and people like Grigoriy Volkov respect men in power far more than they would women.” We both screw up our faces at that. “It would be best for them to set up in Tanto territory, but like I said, I’ve been keeping in the loop and I don’t think something like this has been happening in my region, which would suggest to me that wherever they’ve been held was in your territory.”

I’d long since suspected as such but Ruby’s explanation makes enough sense for me to be certain and unbearable rage now fills my veins. I purposefully relax my muscles to stop the vibrating through my bones, a dangerous calm washing over me.

“I’d like to speak to them,” Ruby says, drawing me back to the conversation.

“No,” I snap, meeting her eye.

“I have pictures of some of the Kukri big hitters in my phone and I’d like to see if they recognise any of them.”

“They don’t need to be upset anymore,” Harvey says, matching my tone.

Ruby holds her hands up defensively. “I get that, and I don’t want to upset anyone, but if you want to find who’s behind this, you’ve got to ask the questions.”

I know she’s right but my instinctive need to protect my girls makes me sit still and glare at the woman across from me. A warm hand on my thigh brings me to look at Harvey, his eyes sympathetic and his mouth turned down.

“We need to do this,rainha,” he says softly.

My heart beats faster but I nod, he stands and leaves the room to collect the girls and I’m left alone with the Tanto. She smiles smugly again. “You hired a cop?”

I don’t answer, just stare back at her.

“And you’re fucking him?” She chuckles.

“That’s hardly your business.”

“Chillax babe, it’s just girl talk.” She crosses her legs and winks at me.

I clench my jaw but don’t rise to her teasing. “These girls are sensitive, and their experience has left them raw.” I narrow my eyes at her. “You will treat them with care and respect, or Iwillhurt you.”

Her eyes flare. “Now you’re just trying to turn me on.”

I groan at my own frustration, and she chuckles. “Relax,queenie.” She emphasises the nickname in a way to tell me she understands Harvey’s name for me. “I’ll be nice to your kids.”

The door opens and Harvey comes back in, followed by Mabel and Keeley. They’re both wearing their swimming costumes but are completely dry, obviously waiting for us before going swimming. Mabel frowns when she sees the strange woman on the sofa and looks at me.

“What’s going on?”

“Mabel, Keeley, this is Ruby,” I say. “She has some questions to ask you, if you’re up for it.” I try to keep my voice neutral to not let them in on my anxiety.

“Are you police?” Mabel asks, suspiciously.