Thumper (Cerberus MC)

The conference room only holds some of the guys that were in here the first time I stepped over the threshold.

“Cara,” Kincaid begins. “We’re going to be leaving soon, but I wanted to touch base with you first. I want you to be as comfortable as possible, so everyone is going to introduce themselves. My real name is Diego Anderson. I’m the president of the Cerberus MC. You can look at it like a non-profit organization, and I’m the CEO.”

The guy that looks like him gives me a small smile. “I’m Dominic. Diego’s older brother, and I’m more like an employee of the MC rather than an actual member.”

“I’m Max. I handle a lot of the IT stuff for the club. Also an employee and not really a member.”

“I’m Morrison,” the next guy says pointing to the patch on his chest. “Or you can call me Shadow. I’m the Vice President of the MC and do a lot of the IT stuff as well.”

“Do you have any questions so far?” Kincaid asks as he lowers himself into a chair at the head of the table. “I don’t want you to feel intimidated or scared. There isn’t a person allowed on this property that will hurt you.”

My throat clogs with the same emotions I felt before walking in here, but they hit me ten times worse. Emmalyn slides a box of tissues in front of me before the first tear can fall.

“You do this a lot? Comfort women who have been in my position?” I dab at my eyes with the tissue.

“You heard a lot of the story about Thump—I mean Javier—being a part of this club, and it’s no secret what we do, but I’ll explain a little of what I can. Cerberus MC was organized a long time ago to help people and families that don’t have the skill set to do certain things that need to be done. Operations have shifted a little over the years, but our main line of business is tracking down people who have been abducted and sold into slavery, be it sex trafficking, people paying for a child when they can’t have their own, people taken for revenge, or because someone wants to control a person in power, but the end is the same. We rescue people.”

I forget about the tears on my face and the tissue in my hand as he continues to speak.

“I know you felt the anger in the room when Javier was mentioned, and that’s because we trusted him, and then discovered information that we now know is false. Before you and Lauren showed up today, we were ready to hunt him down. We thought he was exactly as you did. He violated our trust. He was around my daughters, my wife, my grandchildren. He was around and spent time alone with my niece. We were mad.”

“Hell. I’m still mad,” Dominic mutters.

Emmalyn huffs and shakes her head like the man is being silly.

“I say all of that because we protect those around us. Everyone that lived off Cerberus property was required to move back when we found the information that Javier was a sex trafficker.”

“Not everyone,” Dominic grumbles.

Emmalyn leans forward. “His daughter Sophia refused to come back, but her husband is a police officer and perfectly capable of protecting her.”

The last part she says more to Dominic than me, as if this isn’t the first time the topic has been discussed.

“Let’s get back on track,” Kincaid says. “We will protect you here. If Em hasn’t already, I want to offer you a room to stay in.”

“I can’t. I’m—”

“You’re safe here. I promise. We’re all leaving. Max is the only Cerberus member that won’t go to South America, and he doesn’t live on the property. Shadow’s son, Cannon, lives here, but I have no problem issuing a women-only order for the clubhouse, and there isn’t a single man connected to this club that will break it without permission from Emmalyn, Khloe, or Misty.”

“Misty is Shadow’s wife, and Khloe is Kid’s wife,” Emmalyn explains. “I can introduce you to them later.”

“You give me the word and that’s what I’ll do,” Kincaid vows. “Whatever it takes to make you feel safe. Now, I know I’ve said more than once that I want you to feel safe, but I have to tell you that Wren found the information sheet you completed in El Salvador, and none of the information lines up.”

“I was protecting April.”

“Is April your daughter?”

“My younger sister.”

“And where is she? Is she safe?”

I don’t know if he’s asking if she’s in a situation exactly like mine or what, but there’s just something in my gut telling me I can honestly trust these people.

“April Gibson—”

Max’s fingers begin to fly over the keyboard as soon as the name is out of my mouth. “She lives at Knight Salvation Ranch.”