Page 45

“Blythe asked her to sit at her desk so they could look at them. That wasn’t anything unusual.

As they did, Tavia asked about the baby and when she was due.

It was all friendly, and Leon, Thoryn, and I were close by but not breathing down their necks.

Something tipped Blythe off, I think, but by the time it did, the woman was up and behind her with a gun in her ribs. ”

He paused and gave me an apologetic look.

“We were caught off guard, and she threatened to shoot Blythe if we didn’t do what she said.

She intended to get away one way or another.

We were forced to sit against a wall, hands on our heads and ankles crossed.

She watched us as she and Blythe talked.

You should be proud of Blythe. Even in the middle of this, she had the sense to question Tavia about why she was helping Deon and what she got out of it.

“It seems, if Tavia is to be believed, she’s Deon’s partner.

He finds and lures the women, does the deed, and then waits for the babies to be born.

This woman has the contacts and sets up the contracts with the buyers.

She confirmed that once the babies are born and given over, she and Deon sell the moms south of the border to whorehouses where they don’t last long.

She’s all about making money. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself and maybe Deon. ”

“How did you get the upper hand on that bitch?” I asked impatiently. I was okay knowing the background, but I needed to know how. The thought that Blythe had a gun in her ribs and they got her away somehow worried me.

“Dimitri and Blythe did it. I don’t know if Tavia didn’t know there were four of us inside with Blythe, or forgot.

Maybe she assumed he left. But when she came in, Dimitri wasn’t visible.

He was checking in the back. They did constant rounds.

As she kept up her speech, he came out of the back and sneaked up on her.

Blythe saw him, and to keep Tavia from detecting him or getting herself shot, Blythe brilliantly acted.

“She doubled over, moaning and complaining of stomach pains. She cried about losing the babies. It was so realistic that I thought it was real. It scared me to death. Tavia panicked and yelled at her to stop, and Blythe yelled back that she couldn’t.

Blythe acted as if she were about to puke and suddenly dropped to her knees on the floor.

That put her below the level of the gun.

That’s when Dimitri struck. He grabbed her from behind, gripped her wrist, and did something to make her drop the gun.

By then, Leon was up, and he applied a sleeper grip to her neck to knock her out.

As soon as she was unconscious, they tied her up.

We decided to get Tavia out of there and not have everyone converge, in case more people were watching.

Then Thoryn called you, and Dimitri called Agony. The rest you know.”

My head felt like it was whirling with everything he told us.

I was still stuck on the fact that Blythe had been threatened and could’ve easily been taken or killed.

My fists came crashing down on the table.

It vibrated. Alfred snatched up his water bottle before it fell over.

My brothers were quiet and watched me. I was there.

On the brink of forgetting that I was a doctor and switching into full-on biker mode—the one who could torture and kill without remorse.

I had an errant thought. I wondered what Jameson and our parents would think if they knew this side of me existed.

I bet they wouldn’t want me back as a partner.

I breathed heavily. A hand on my shoulder jerked me out of my head. I glanced up to see who it was. Spartan stared back at me. His expression was grim.

“Contain it just a little longer, then let it loose. It’s quitting time. Blythe and the others should be here in less than an hour.”

“Agony messaged and said they’re headed home,” Wire said from behind me.

When did he get here? I twisted and found he was by the entrance to the hallway where his office was.

He was holding onto his tablet. I hadn’t known he was here today, rather than at Souls’ Striptease with Hulk.

While Hulk was the main manager of the strip club, Wire assisted him.

If he wasn’t here, he could usually be found there.

He walked over and took a seat next to Alfred.

“Alfred, nice to see you again, even under these circumstances. I see you have water. Can we get you anything else?” Despite his tough exterior, Wire’s solicitous tone made me realize this was hard on Alfred. He was elderly, and he had been in fear for his life.

“I’m sorry, Alfred. Wire is right. Let us know if you need food, more to drink, or a place to lie down.

I’d like to check your blood pressure, if you don’t mind.

It would make me feel better to know you’re okay, and Blythe will ask as soon as she gets here.

She worries about you. Please let me do it, or she’ll take my head off,” I joke.

He chuckled. “I doubt she’ll do that, but if it makes you feel better, go for it.”

That was how I ended up taking him to my treatment office, giving him a basic checkup, and killing time until my woman made it home. He helped to distract me and pull me back from that edge for a bit.