Atlas - Roberts Alyne - Страница 26

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Stella didn't argue but didn't agree either. She sat perfectly still, her breathing shallow and controlled. She asked for the truth so I gave it. She would quickly wish she wasn't so curious. I exposed myself when I pointed my gun at Sal. Along with everyone else in the room, she knew I didn’t want her dead. What she needed to know was that I would do what had to be done in the end.

"It was my responsibly to recruit new guys in. They wanted young and strong to join as lower level men. That's how I met Ace. He wanted the money and excitement. It didn't take much to convince him to tag along with me."

It was my fault it took so long to learn his dad was one of Chicago's finest. Ace and I took to each other, and I instantly trusted him. By the time I learned of his family, he was in too deep. I knew he was committed and one of us.

"We stuck to the usual. The stuff you see in the movies," I said with a smirk. "We put pressure on those who owed the family money. We ran security at the casinos, moved guns if needed. Met with contacts for various deals that weren't legal either. We thought we were untouchable."

Stella stiffened and I start to pace the room. She was smart enough to know that it was going to get bad real soon. She was smarter than us. Two boys who thought they ran the city. We had no idea what was coming for us. It was Chicago for fuck's sake.

"Ace met a girl. She worked one of the casinos, faking the books. We aren't supposed to fuck the help, but Ace thought he would never get caught. Soon, she disappeared. Ace was pissed, wanting to know who did it and what they did with her."

I looked back at Stella. Her eyes were glistening.

"They killed her?"

"That's what we thought for a while. The family isn't much for talking things out. We solved things with blood and tears. Hard lessons. But Ace didn't care and went digging around, wanting to get revenge on whoever pulled the trigger. He found something else."

"What?" Stella asked, sitting straighter and leaning forward with interest. Her eyes were wide and bright, hanging on every word. This was the answer she needed. Like Ace, she lost something and needed to know why. This was a family that believed in justice and balance. Not so different from mine in that way.

"We trade guns, funny money, and anything else for profit. One thing that set us apart from the lowest of the lowest monsters was that we didn't trade women. Until we did."

"Women?" she asked, voice tight.

"That's what's going on but we don't have the proof. It's hidden and only a few know. Those in charge know that not everyone will agree. After some digging, Ace found something that led us to think she was alive."

I hated that I believed my next words, let alone that I needed to say them.

"They sold the girl from the casino."

"Human trafficking," Stella whispered.

Silence hung in the air. I let her collect her thoughts. I shattered her image of her older brother. I probably shattered her image of me and my family. I didn't want her to believe I was a good guy like she said. I wanted her to know that we wouldn't stand for kidnapping and selling women. My mom raised me better than that.

It took losing my mom to realize that a woman was something to be treasured and cherished. They put up with our shit and bring us into this world. Their bodies were built for our enjoyment and pleasure, and vice versa. A woman would give us the world without force if earned. And nothing was ever as sweet and fulfilling as something earned.

"Your dad?" she asked.

"Nothing gets past my dad," I said bitterly.

He knew. He was most likely in control of the whole operation. The fact that he allowed me to stay locked away in this lake house this long confirms my suspicion. Up here, I'm out of his way and not snooping around in his little side business.

"And your promise to protect me? Does that still stand?"

I walked back to the foot of the bed and stared down at her.

"I had to get to you before they did. My father and his people would have no mercy."

I finally saw the fear I needed to see in her eyes.

"You are a traitor's sister. You witnessed one of us killing," I explained, drilling it deeper so she would understand. "They would torture you, make you suffer, kill you slowly or maybe even sell you off to the worst of bidders."

Stella blinked and looked down at her hands. There were red marks from the belt last night. I left my mark on her and, realizing that, I started to get hard. Knowing that I owned her like no one else had and that she let me was empowering. It was exactly what I needed after losing my control because of her. It was a fucked up balance in a way.

"He was there for Ace," she said. "The killer. He asked them where he was. They wouldn't tell him, so he killed them."

"You heard that?"

 "He said that Ace pissed off the wrong people," she said with a tight voice.

My dad. Ace and I were digging around where we shouldn't have. We didn't have enough yet, but we had enough to piss him off. I was now positive that Ace and the Harlows died under my dad's orders. He knew we were on to him, but killing his son would cause a scene. Every member in the city would be looking for justice.

"You are just telling me this now?" I asked.

"It's the only thing that was keeping me alive," she spat. "Once you have what you want, I'm of no use."

"And now?"

"Now, I want the fuckers found, and I was raised to believe that lives are worth fighting for."

XIX

Stella

"Stella, you need to leave your room," Tony yelled from the other side of the bedroom door.

Atlas was successful in avoiding me for two days. Sal and Tony constantly hovered, sitting outside my door and never letting me out of their sight. I had never felt so alone and so crowded at the same time. I wasn't sure what to make of Atlas's disappearing act. He gave me a look into the past and the deep secrets he was trying to unravel, only to abandon me when he needed my help.

I swung the door open and stared at Tony. The concern on his face was unmistakable.

"Why do you care?" I asked. "Where is Atlas?"

"He went into the city but should be back tonight," he explained. "You need food and sunlight."

"Trying to keep me alive just long enough?" I asked. Without waiting for a real answer, I pushed past Tony and started down the hall.

I wasn't stupid. From the moment the shock wore off in the hospital on the worst night of my life, I knew my greatest possession was what I had seen. It could get me killed or save my life. In the beginning, keeping that secret was the key to my survival. I saw nothing, knew nothing, remembered nothing. When Atlas came and demanded the truth, I held it as my last bargaining chip. It would be the key to unlock my freedom when the time was right.

I wasn't too sure what I would eventually earn when I traded my knowledge in the end. Somehow, I couldn't see myself walking the streets carefree ever again. A normal life seemed so far away and impossible anymore. If I was honest, normal died with the rest of my family.

I missed them. I missed my big brother. I hated feeling this alone when I needed someone the most. I couldn't let them die for nothing. Ace obviously believed in what he was doing. If Atlas was telling the truth, they wanted to put an end to the trafficking his father was doing. If I could help them, I would like to try. I really didn't have anything else to do with my life anyway.

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