Malo - Page 59

Beast glances around to the rest of us, and gestures inside. “We need to strategize,” he bellows. “War room. Now.”

We follow him inside, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Of course he’s not going to let them get away with it that easily, not after everything they’ve done. These are the people responsible for the violation of his daughter, the people who’ve rained down holy hell on so many in this city. They need to be brought into line, once and for all.

Q takes off into the night, with strict orders to get back to us with anything and everything he sees or hears. He’s young, but there’s a determination in his eyes that tells me he takes this seriously. I pause for a moment, wondering what he’s seen, everything he’s been through to bring him here, but I brush that aside. If Beast trusts him that’s good enough for me. We’ve all been through some shit to land us here in the first place. What matters is that we keep our focus, and keep moving forward, no matter how tough it gets.

In the war room, Beast plants his hands on the table. I can see the anger, fully unleashed now, at the offer they’ve given to him.

“They really think they can come in here and just tell us how it’s going to be,” he mutters, shaking his head. “After all they’ve done… what do they take us for?”

“They think we’re weak,” Thor cuts in. “And that’s a good thing. That means they’re not ready for us to make a hit against them.”

“Good point,” Beast agrees. “As soon as we get the info on where Fenix is hiding out, we’ll make a move. I want to hit them now, while they think we’re considering their offer.”

He spits those words out, as though the very thought of them disgusts him. I can tell it’s getting to him. He must know as well as I do that Rebel would never agree to this, even if he somehow would. Rebel knows what they deal in, trafficking isn’t something he abides, and he’ll break from the pack if it means doing what’s right. It’s what makes him such a good sheriff, even if he pretends to hate the position.

I feel a smile spreading over my face as we begin to put a plan of attack together. I know we still have a hell of a lot to do, a hell of a lot to take on, but right now, none of that bothers me. I am ready to handle it, whatever they throw our way.

CHAPTER 41

MARIA

The door swings open, and I breathe in a sigh of relief when I see Malo stepping over the threshold to greet us.

“Oh, thank God,” I greet him, and I wrap him in a hug before I can stop myself. Everything has been so tense here, my nerves fraying at the seams the longer we sat here waiting for something to happen.

“You two okay?” he asks me, and Bella and I nod. Bella is starting to get tired, but I know they’ll be no chance she will get any sleep tonight. It’s not that kind of evening, not by a long shot.

“Good,” he replies, and he pulls away from me. “Maria, I need to talk to you. Alone.”

“I’m going to bed.” Bella stretches, stifling a yawn as she gets to her feet. “Where’s Beast? I need to talk to him.”

“Downstairs, in the bar,” he replies. Bella heads down the stairs, leaving the two of us alone, and I turn to Malo, raising my eyebrows.

“What went down out there?” I demand. “Why was there only one man? What’s going on?”

“They sent someone out to offer us a deal,” he explains.

“A deal?” I ask, knitting my brows together.

He nods, grimacing. “Yeah, they said they would get out of Houston if we dropped all investigation into the human trafficking,” he replies.

My heart drops. “No way,” I breathe. “You didn’t… I mean, you didn’t take that, did you?”

He shakes his head at once. “Of course not,” he replies. “You know I would never do something like that. Neither would Beast. He’s just asked for some time to think, making like it’s a possibility. At least for now.”

“So what’s the plan when the time is up?” I press. I need to know what’s going on here, I need something to make sense of all of this. I can feel energy tingling in the tips of my fingers, lighting me up from the inside out. All I want to do is get out there and take them on. My trigger finger is already itching.

“There’s someone tailing the man they sent here to deliver their proposal,” he explains. “He’s going to report back to us with a location as soon as he figures it out, hopefully, it’s the place where they’re operating from. Once we have something we’re going to go after them.”

His face hardens when he says that, and I can tell how ready he is for this fight. Just like me. I feel it, too. I feel this thrill, this finality hanging over tonight, and I’m ready to take it on, once and for all.

“I’m coming with you,” I tell him, and I turn to head down to my room and gather everything I need.

His face drops, and he follows after me. “What the hell are you talking about?” he grinds out.

I shoot a look at him over my shoulder. “You think I’m going to leave it up to chance whether my father gets out or not?” I reply, matter-of-factly. If he thinks he can just brush me off that easy, he’s got another thing coming.

“No, you’re not,” he tells me, leaning in the doorway to my room and crossing his arms. I turn to face him, eyebrows raised. “You think you get to make that choice for me?”