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Hawke’s eyes danced between Cullen and Tex as Adelia’s heart raced. “What are you doing, Tex?”
“Ask her why?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Hawke finally said.
“Ask her why,” Tex boomed.
“What the hell.” Hawke ran his hand over his jaw. “Why?”
Adelia flicked a gaze toher Pops and Lenora, and neither gave her anything to go on. The truth was the only option. The night her biological father stole her from her family rushed to mind. Javier couldn’t save her. Her heart pounded for her little brother, the one she’d always protected when he tried his hardest to protect her. Their father might kill him, and their mother wouldn’t do anything to make him stop. Brazilseemed so many lifetimes ago, and she’d done as much good as she could.
Power surged in her veins. A confidence that bucked the fear that should have been there, thathadbeen there while she hid from the MC crawling at every corner of the country, knowing they had permission to shoot her on site. “I bought people.”
“You did what?” Hawke snarled.
Admitting what made her proud made her chestlight. “The ones like me. The scared girls and tortured women. The people who didn’t have Mayhem to save them.” Emotion tickled, threating to let tears slide free, and she knew her voice would shake. “Except, Mayhemdid.”
“Did what?”
“Save them. It was Mayhem’s money.” Adelia bit her lip, grinning at the memories. The first rush of adrenaline that came when she saved the first group of girlsand the anticipation of how she could do it again. “I became a buyer. A quiet one, known for settling quick and safe transactions, and then I worked them into a new life and set them free.”
The tears spilled as she smiled bigger. She couldn’t erase the joy she felt when the rescued people realized that they were safe. That they had options and autonomy. Adelia wished she could remember everymoment where fear and confusion morph in grateful understanding.
“That was a lot of money.” Hawke stepped closer.
She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “There were a lot of people.”
Footsteps shuffled behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. Javier. She couldn’t read his face, but she knew his mind. Her brother even had REVENGE tattooed on his body. Between him, Colin and perhaps even Tex,none would let Mayhem take her without fighting to their death. But it wouldn’t be that way. She could see it in Hawke’s eyes.
“I repaid the bank. Every time I moved money, I transferred it back. And I wouldn’t change a thing, knowing what you would do if you ever found out.”
Hawke’s gaze dulled. She’d lost him and didn’t know why. Hope was a bitch, and for a second, she’d allowed that temptressto slide past her defenses. What had her guard down? A semi-circle of family? Those who loved her surrounding her with their prayers for a different future?
“Wrong time to lie to me, sweetheart.” Hawke’s cheeks hollowed when he sucked them in. “It breaks my heart, I’ll admit that.”
Cullen snorted. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Nope.” Tex jutted in. “Try again.”
Hawke raised his hand.“We’ll talk later.”
“She didn’t pocket your money,” Lenora added. “And Cullen knows it.”
“I do?” He scoffed.
“Dead man walking?” Lenora stepped in front of Tex, staring past Hawke. “Money in his pockets?”
Cullen paused, shook his head, and kept going. “Nice try.”
“What’s Deacon have to do with this?” Colin said.
Lenora glanced over. “What do you know?”
“Where’d he go?” Hawke asked.
“Deacon’shere?” Tex snarled.
Cullen kept walking.