Page 10 of Calypso’s Shield (Royal Harlots MC, Los Angeles Chapter #1)

CALYPSO

A few days after the boy woke up, Scarlett, Allura, and I question him.

Farris hasn’t left my side either, so it’s nice to have someone to hold me up when I’m hitting a low.

I need to tell him about my health, but I don’t want to burden him with the truth.

If he cuts and runs after finding out, that’ll leave me more broken than what my asshole ex did.

I can’t handle that. So, I shove the issue aside and focus on the conversation.

I shift in my seat, pulling the kid’s attention away from Scarlett. “We need you to start talking about what you know. Especially if you think they’ll move on soon. We want to take these guys out. How about we start with your name, age, and where you came from?”

He heaves in a deep breath, his eyes flickering for a moment, probably processing what I said. "My name's Gareth Downs, I’m sixteen, and I was living on the streets in L.A. when those fuckers grabbed me.”

"Do you know who grabbed you?"

He shrugs his shoulder. “It’s not like they introduced themselves or anything.”

Scarlett takes over the questioning. Maybe she’ll have better luck than me. “What about accents? The men who took you, where did they sound like they were from?”

He frowns, clearly trying to focus. “Most of them sounded like me. A couple of them had weird accents, but I have no clue where they’re from. I heard some of the others say they were Russian.”

“What happened after they took you? How’d you end up fighting?”

“They drugged me, and I woke up in the back of a truck with a bunch of others. It was a mix of boys and girls, mostly teens but a few younger, some older. I got no clue how long we were in there. It was long enough for everyone to wake up. When we stopped moving, they opened the door, and a man with an automatic gun, like you see in the movies, ordered us all to get up and get moving. Most of us were too fucking scared to do anything but what we were told. Outside the truck, there were at least a dozen men, all armed and watching us. One kid, a boy about my age, tried to make a run for it, and they shot him.”

He pauses, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. I give him a minute to process, but when he doesn’t speak, Scarlett gently prompts, “What else did you see? Street signs, buildings?”

A shudder runs through Gareth’s frame, and he inhales deeply.

His eyes lock onto Scarlett’s, but there’s a visible struggle in his gaze.

I can see him battling the horror of what he witnessed.

“Um, it was dark, so I didn’t see much.” He closes his eyes again, brow furrowing in concentration.

“It was on a corner, and there was a green street sign, but I couldn’t read it in the rush to get inside.

” His voice cracks, but he forces himself to continue.

“I’m sorry. That’s not really helpful, is it? ”

Scarlett reaches out, resting her palm over his forearm. “Anything you can tell us is going to help, no matter how small. What was the building like? Brick? Steel? Was it a warehouse?”

Gareth exhales slowly, trying to steady himself.

“I think it used to be a hotel or something. The outside was brick, with metal fire escapes. Three stories high. Sometimes, they’d have fights up on the rooftop.

It also had a basement. That’s where they took us.

Jammed us into this large room that was already crowded before we got shoved in.

It had a thick, iron door. There had to be at least one other room like the one I was in down there.

I know I later fought kids who weren’t in the room with me. ”

Scarlett exchanges a quick look with me, and I don’t waste any time. I pull out my phone and text Divine to research old, abandoned motels or hotels in the area.

They continue to talk, but I zone out, mentally planning my next move. If this is where I think it is, we’re going to need the Royal Bastards in on it, too. That’s a lot of ground to cover with just us.

My phone pings with a text. I glance at the screen, then look at Allura. “We need to call in the Royal Bastards.” I show her the address Divine sent me.

“I’ll call Capone and see if he can spare some men.”

“Thanks, Prez.”

“Don’t thank me. Figure out a way to make this happen tonight. The longer we wait, the higher the chance they’ll leave.”

“I’ll call Torch and work out a plan.” I swipe my screen and bring up Torch’s number.

“Calypso, what do I have the honor of this call?” I hear laughter in Torch’s voice.

“Remember back when I tattooed your Ol' Lady, and you said if I needed anything, I should ask?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I need your help. It’s a delicate situation.”

“I’m listening.”

“We found where the sex trafficking ring is. Right in our own backyard.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“As a heart attack. Listen, my girl from New York City, Scarlett, is here, and we’re going there tonight to slice the head off one of the snakes. Do you want in?”

“Scarlett? I’ve never heard of her, but yeah, count me in.” Torch’s voice drops, and I hear murmuring in the background. “Listen, Derange and a prospect, Haizem, will be there too. Text me the location and time. We’ve got your back.”

“Thanks, Torch. I really appreciate this.”

“No problem. I’ll need a bigger tattoo next time,” he mumbles before ending the call.

I look to Allura, who’s already pulling out her phone. “He’s in, along with a few other brothers.”

“Excellent. Ladies, we ride at midnight. Get rested up and ready for an attack.” Murmurs of “ayes” ripple through the room, and we all disperse, preparing for tonight.

It’s dark as hell as we head to the hotel. We left the bikes behind; rolling up on those would be like flashing a neon sign saying, Here we are.

The van slows to a crawl. Scarlett, Allura, Divine, and I file out the back, weapons in hand, ready for whatever’s coming. We breach the front door and start moving toward the basement.

Scarlett suddenly stops me, her voice low but firm. "Listen, I know you have your own way of doing things, but if you trust me at all, go find the kids and let me do my thing."

I pause, studying her face, wondering what she’s capable of, who she really is under all that tough exterior. "Are you sure?"

"Without a doubt. Once I’m done down here, there won’t be anything left to clean up. Find the kids, get them out. I’ll handle the rest."

I stare at her for a moment longer, something in my gut telling me I might not see her again for a while, but I nod and head downstairs with Divine.

We clear out most of the kids from the abandoned rooms, getting them secured one by one. I can’t help but feel a mix of relief and guilt. Relief that they’re safe for now, guilt for the things they’ve already had to endure.

Just as we’re about to finish, Allura approaches me, her face tense. "Calypso, we have a lead on Mercedes. We need to regroup at the Clubhouse."

“What about Scarlett?” The question slips out before I can stop it. I hate how much I’m worried about her.

“All the others are already out. Torch and a prospect are staying behind to make sure she gets out and heads to her next destination safely.”

"You’re acting like we won’t see her again." The words feel heavy on my tongue.

“We might not.” Allura’s voice hardens, but I can tell there’s something more behind her words, something she’s not saying. But it’s not my place to push right now. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

I brace myself, the unease crawling through my skin. “Prez, what’s going on?”

She sighs and meets my eyes, the weight of it all settling between us. "Dave’s been spotted nearby. And rumor has it, he’s coming for you.” I freeze, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Who’s Dave?” Divine asks, and I’m only half-aware of her voice, too caught up in the cold dread gnawing at my gut.

“Dave is my slimy, abusive ex-husband.” I swallow hard, my throat dry. “Last time I saw him, he tried to kill me.” I pull my long dark hair aside and show the scar running from just below my ear to the edge of my collarbone. "He did this... and left me to bleed out."