Victims No More: Daddy Dearest (Phoenix Club: No More Victims - Volume 2)

Chapter 14

Wil's cell went off in the middle of dinner. He checked his phone. "I should take this." He left the table and walked into the living room. "Max Raines?" It took a moment for Wil to place the caller. "Clint's friend."

"Yes." Max hesitated. "Clint asked me to call you... hoping you could help."

"Help how?" Wil listened as Max explained the dire circumstances—and why the cowboy had requested his involvement. The young girl was missing again? He'd just found her about a month ago, living in a fucking dog kennel. Wil remembered her well... so frightened and lost. The thought of her back out there in the hands of a horrible man tore at his heart. And pregnant. He hadn't known she was pregnant when his team found her and the other girls.

"I realize you don't know me very well," Max replied thickly, voice straining with emotion. "But we need your help. Please..."

Frank appeared in the living room doorway and paused, watching Wil.

"I'll do what I can," Wil said. "See if I can take the case."

"Thank you." Genuine gratitude resonated through the phone.

"I'm glad to help," Wil murmured. "If something comes of their lead, contact me immediately."

"Of course."

Frank entered the room when Wil ended the call. "Who was that?"

"A friend of Clint's. Max Raines. He runs The Phoenix Club. We met him at the kids' funeral."

Frank nodded. "I remember. Nice enough fellow."

"Yeah." Wil stared at his phone, troubled by the call.

"What did he want?"

Sighing, Wil explained the situation. "That little girl..." His throat knotted. "I thought she was safe now. I really believed her life would be better from here on out." He hung his head and rubbed his eyes. "I didn't know she was pregnant. And now she's lost again. That poor child."

Frank rubbed his mouth and asked with a note of uncertainty, "And if the cowboy finds her first... what do they want from you?"

After a slight pause, Wil replied, "They need to fly under the radar of the law. It's in their best interest if their... participation... is kept quiet."

"So, they want you on the case so you can fudge the details?" Frank looked concerned. "Is that in your best interest? You've been involved with them twice now. And one of those times, you got the shit beat out of you."

"That was a consensual beating," Wil reminded. "It had to look like I resisted."

"And what if you had resisted? Do you think the outcome would've been any different? Those agents would've still beaten you, and you know it."

Wil sighed. "I understand your concerns, I do. But I'm in no danger of bodily harm this time."

"Maybe not," Frank said. "But what about the danger to your job? If it ever comes out that you've been covering for the Sanitini family... you can kiss your career goodbye. And you wouldn't only get fired, but your good name would be trashed as well. You'd be marked a dirty cop and might even go to prison. Are these people worth jeopardizing your career, your reputation, and your family for?"

Walking closer, Wil cupped Frank's neck with both hands and kissed his mouth. "Nothing is more important to me than my family. The boys, you, Vanessa... you're all at the top of my list. And of course, my career is very important to me as well. But you must understand, these men are helping children. The things they do can't be done out in the open. The authorities can't know they're involved."