Page 29

Three Months Later

It’s been three months since the shit went down with Hammond and The Revenant. Thankfully, that shit’s dead in the sand and there’s no coming back from it. Everything that was in the crates was burned. There’s no fucking way we’d let the names of the corrupt high officials into anyone’s hands.

Grá stays with me here at the clubhouse. She never returned home to her apartment. Something I’m pleased about. I want her with me, always. The woman is my everything, and as soon as she’s ready, I’ll be knocking her up. I see the way she looks at the other brothers’ kids. She’s especially fond of Eva, Wrath and Hayley’s daughter.

I can’t wait to have what my brothers have. But I’m more than fucking happy with having Grá in my life.

“You good, brother?” Cowboy asks as he slides onto the stool beside me. “Where’s Grá? I’ve not seen her today.”

My eyes narrow on him. “Why are you looking for my woman?”

He laughs. “Just asking. Everyone knows she’s yours. I don’t poach my brothers’ women.”

“She’s working for Jer today. Jer called her early this morning saying he needed her.”

Grá found it hard going back to the hospital, so she now works as a doctor at a local clinic. Thankfully, she’s able to work whatever hours she wants and was supposed to be off today anyway.

“Oh, it must be the women Jer found,” Tank tells us as he joins us.

“What women?”

Tank leans in, lowering his voice. "You haven't heard? Jer's men busted a human trafficking ring last night. Found a bunch of women locked up in a warehouse on the outskirts of town. You’ve got to be a scumbag to be involved in that shit."

My grip tightens on my glass. Even after taking down Hammond and The Revenant, there are always more cunts rising to the surface.

"Shit," Cowboy mutters. "No wonder Jer called Grá in. Those women are gonna need medical attention, not to mention some serious psychological help."

I nod, a mixture of pride and concern washing over me. Of course Grá would drop everything to help. It's who she is. But the thought of her dealing with the aftermath of such brutality makes my stomach churn.

"Any idea who was behind it?" I ask Tank.

He shakes his head. "Not yet. Jer's men are still investigating. But Jer’s beyond pissed, from what I heard from Jason."

Jason’s Tank’s cousin and works for Jer. Of course he’s going to know the ins and outs of what’s going on.

"Fuck," I growl. Just when we thought it was over.

Cowboy puts a hand on my shoulder. "We all know that this shit doesn’t happen here. Once the news hits Prez and the Gallaghers, I’m just going to say good luck to whoever the fuck is behind it."

At once, our cells buzz, which could only be one thing. Prez.

Prez: Meet me at Jerry’s. ASAP.

"Looks like we're about to find out more," Tank says, sliding his phone into his jeans pocket.

It doesn’t take long for us to get to Jerry’s house. The second we’re off our bikes, Pyro’s there. “This shit is some of the worst that I’ve seen,” he growls.

Jer’s face is grim as we approach. "Glad you’re here. We’re going to need all hands on deck."

"Is it a trafficking ring?" I ask.

He nods. "Sort of. The women we rescued? They're not just random victims. They were targeted."

"Targeted?" Cowboy asks. "What do you mean?"

Jer runs a hand through his hair—a sign of frustration I've rarely seen from him. "Basically, someone pays a fucking lot of money for someone, they give a detailed description, and then they’re delivered to that person."

The implications hit me like a punch to the gut. "How young are we talking?"

Pyro shakes his head. “Think the youngest Jer’s men found was six months old.”

Fucking hell. What the fuck?

As I walk into Jer’s home, I see Gràinne talking to a young brunette woman. The moment Grà sees me, her shoulders slump forward and she gives me a soft smile. “Hey, Con,” she greets me.

I move to her, needing to hold her and make sure that she’s okay. I wrap my arms around Grà, feeling her tense body relax against me. She buries her face in my chest for a moment, taking a deep breath before pulling back to look up at me.

"It's bad, Con," she whispers, her eyes haunted. "These women, these children... what they've been through..."

I stroke her cheek, wishing I could take away the pain I see in her eyes. "I know, Sunshine. But you're helping them now. That's what matters."

She nods, squeezing my hand before turning back to the young woman she was talking to. "Caoimhe, this is Connor. Con, this is Caoimhe. She's one of the women Jer’s men rescued last night."

Caoimhe gives me a wary look, shrinking back slightly. I keep my distance, not wanting to frighten her further.

"Nice to meet you, Caoimhe," I say softly. "You're safe here. No one's going to hurt you."

She nods but doesn't speak. Grà puts a gentle hand on her arm. "Why don't you go rest for a bit? I'll check on you later, okay?"

As Caoimhe walks away, Grà turns back to me, her face set with determination. "We need to find who's behind this, Con. These bastards can't get away with it."

“Caoimhe?” I hear Cowboy growl.

Turning, I watch as my brother storms toward the frightened woman and hauls her to him.

“Ciarán.” The woman shudders against him. “Ciarán,” she whimpers.

“I’ve got you, Caoimhe,” he says gently, something that I’ve never heard him do before. “You’re coming with me,” he says, his tone brooking no arguments. He turns his stare to Jer. “I want to know everything,” he snaps, before walking away with Caoimhe in his arms.

“What just happened?” Grá asks, her eyes wide and her lips parted. “Is she okay?”

“He’s not going to hurt her,” I tell her. There’s no way he’d do anything to her other than protect her. I’ve never seen Cowboy even remotely protective of anyone. Until now.

Whoever the fuck has done this, God help them. Cowboy is going to tear them a-fucking-part.