Page 75 of Haven

“You will get everything you desire, baby.” She kissed the tip of my nose. “When we get to Crestview, I want you to meet someone.”

“Who?”

“My best friend. His name is West, and he is like my Babs.”

I beamed. “I guess I have to meet the only man who could steal you away from me.”

Hades laughed, pulling me off the mat. “Yeah, absolutely not. It would take a lot for anyone to steal me away from you. I’m smitten.”

I playfully rolled my eyes, pulling her into me. “Yeah? Good, because I am too.”

I truly didn’t deserve this woman, but she was already devoted to me.

Sixty-Four

Vesper

It was hard seeing my mariposa so broken. She was fighting herself, believing her sister was gone and hoping that she was alive. Rory was strong. It would take a lot for her to crumble, but I saw her strength falter when she saw the pictures from the warehouse. Without her sister, something was bound to happen and she would need all of us there with her. Even Widow. Once she could get the stick out of her ass and be there for our girl.

Losing Cinder made me realize I never wanted to lose Rory. Cinder might not be dead, but she wasn’t here. It would be our job to protect Rory, even if she didn’t need it. I would protect my mariposa, even if it meant dying myself. The last thing we needed was for her mental health to decline.

She would be leaving with Hades, and I knew Widow hated that.

My phone rang and Melisa's contact lit up the screen. I loved her, but I was so sick and tired of seeing her contact every damn day. “What is it now?”

“Fire and medical were dispatched to the pier. I’m on my way now, but I figured you would like to know as well.”

“Fuck. We’re on our way.” I hung up and immediately called Widow. “Get to the pier. We have an emergency.”

“Last emergency we had, Cinder was taken. What is it now?”

“It’s on fire.”

I grabbed my keys and informed Mal and Parker so they could join me. The rest of the club would be on high alert, waiting for us to come back and debrief them. This person was getting on my last nerve, hiding in the shadows and attacking us when we least expected. It was a cowardly move, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him.

The three of us arrived just as Widow pulled up on her bike.

The entire pier was on fire surrounded by multiple firetrucks and ambulances. It was the middle of a workday, so there were dock workers who got trapped in the blaze.

After thirty minutes of helping the medics with the workers, the fire had been slowly contained and no one got severely injured. There was a lot of smoke inhalation and superficial burns, but that was it.

While the medics took care of the victims and the firefighters dealt with the remainder of the fire, Melisa pulled the four of us aside. She didn’t look pleased.

“If something else happens because of this bastard, I won’t be able to help you. I already have the FBI breathing down my neck about the Vipers.”

“What are they saying?”

“They asked a lot of questions about Cinder, and especially Rory. Somehow they know about her history and what Cinder did.”

“When did the FBI start asking you questions?”

“A week before Cinder vanished. It was after the storage container was found with the pictures. I figured it wasn’t worth worrying over since the FBI had been here before, after Diesel died.”

Nothing was making sense. The timing didn’t add up, either. While Melisa talked to Widow and the others, I stepped out of their vicinity. I needed to find out more information. This could be the lead we needed. I scrolled through my contacts until I found Detective Calloway's number.

“I was going to call you tonight,” her voice rang out.

“What is it?”