Page 49 of Property of Quake

“And?”

“I hadn’t been able to find shit. I followed him every day for a week and nothing. Never saw the girl again, either. He did take her to a sorority house, which points to her being older, but I haven’t been able to confirm that.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with Sacred Haven?”

“The night everything happened with Melissa stalled my investigation.” I open my mouth to apologize, feeling guilty about taking him away from his duties, but he continues before I can get a word out. “I was still working on it, but had some of the brothers help. And Romeo found something today.”

“What?”

Quake scowls, his excitement over the discovery bleeding into anger. “She’s underage, sixteen. Turns out, she’s super smart, graduated high school at fifteen, and is a freshman at the college. That’s why he took her to the sorority house.”

“That’s awful.”

“There’s more,” he says, and my eyes widen. “Romeo called the sorority and talked to a few of her classmates. Apparently, and these are his words, not mine… he’s got ‘swagger’ and ‘charmed them to give up info’.”

I roll my eyes. “Do all bikers have a ridiculous amount of confidence?”

“Yes. It’s a thing.” He smirks. “Anyway, the girls he talked to said that Jackie, that’s the girl, has a new boyfriend. They said he’s controlling, and they’ve reported some concerns to the appropriate people on campus, but nothing has ever come from it.”

“Quake, this is all very interesting and horrible, but what does this have to do with Sacred Haven?”

“We think Keith is trafficking Jackie, and he has a connection to the home.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. “Oh my God.” Without thinking, I grab his hand. “What? What is his connection?”

“He went to high school with one of the volunteers.”

“No.”

I fall back against the wall, my knees threatening to buckle. Quake is there, arms on my waist to keep me from collapsing.

“Yes.”

“There has to be some mistake.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so.” He rests his chin atop my head. “The guy’s name is Tom. I’ve seen him there numerous times. I think he does most of the yardwork.”

“No.” My denial sounds weak, even to my ears. “I know Tom. The kids know Tom.”

Immediately, my mind goes to Melissa, to her terror and torn shirt and refusal to tell on the person who hurt her. A chill skates along my spine, and I push Quake away so I can look him in the eye.

“You think he’s who hurt her, don’t you?”

“Honestly?”

“Always.”

He nods. “Yeah.”

The single word settles heavily between us. Deep down, I knew whoever hurt her had to be staff or a volunteer, or heck, even another resident, but I prayed I was wrong. I prayed that it was all a huge mistake, and we’d all look back someday and laugh at our gross misunderstanding of the situation.

But this isn’t a mistake. This is real, and it hurts.

Sacred Haven is my home, my safe place, my refuge. It saved me, gave me a family when my own didn’t want me any more. The idea that someone could abuse that trust, that privilege, is a betrayal of epic proportions.

Tears fill my eyes, spilling over my cheeks in silent streams. I try to look away, not wanting Quake to see, but he gently grips my chin, forcing me to face him.

“Whitney,” he says, his tone broken in a way I’ve never heard.