Chapter 96: Chapter 10

NATE

I lead the boys into the conference room, where families are already gathered. The room is buzzing with chatter until they see me walk in with Hank and Frank. The boys find seats, pulling their girls onto their laps, their faces buried in their chests.

The parents’ faces are a mask of confusion as I prepare to drop the bombshell.

“Their father was the social worker. He was in cahoots with the other lowlifes. He handed his own kids over to them.”

The room falls silent. The women gasp in shock, hands flying to their mouths. I sink into a chair, my mind racing with what comes next. I glance at the boys, my heart aching for them.

The thought of being discarded by your own father, your own flesh and blood, is unimaginable. I think of my own dad, who took in me and my mom without a second thought, treating me as his own.

I can’t stand it any longer. I walk over to the boys, motioning for them to stand. As they rise, the girls step aside.

I place my hands on their cheeks, forcing them to look at me. Their eyes are filled with pain and confusion.

“You are my boys now! Don’t ever doubt that! I’ll have paperwork drawn up for all four of you. You’ll take the Maxwell name. You’ll never have to wonder where you belong again!”

“The paperwork is already done. I have it right here!”

I spin around to see my father holding the documents. The kids burst into tears. I quickly snatch the papers from him, showing each of the kids.

Tears stream down their faces as I sign each document. Once I’m done, Andy pops his head in, grabs the papers, and dashes off, no doubt to file them at the courthouse.

I’m then engulfed in a bear hug by two girls and two giants, their grip slowly cutting off my air. I tap the boys, and they loosen their hold, allowing me to breathe.

I motion for them to sit back down, then turn to address the others.

“Here’s the plan. We have the others downstairs in separate rooms. We’ll go down and decide who to deal with first. You can choose to participate or not. This is our life. We only kill when it’s necessary.”

Jaime and Brittany’s parents shake their heads, declining. Anika also opts out, saying she can’t face them. So, it’s down to Mason, Sasha, Sasha’s dad Matt, my dad, and me.

We head downstairs, and as we approach the first room, I signal for a weapons check. Dad, Mason, and I all pull out our weapons, ensuring we’re ready.

I see Matt watching us, and I place my hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at me.

“Matt, Mason told me what he told you. I promise you’ll get your chance to beat the shit out of them. And when it comes to Donald, I’ll let you pull the trigger. You have my word.”

A tear rolls down his cheek as he nods. I turn to see who’s in the rooms and get the rundown from Sasha about their roles.

There are some guards, but the main players are Donald and his two henchmen, Arnold and Ramon. We decide to start with those two before we get to Donald.

We have the guards move them to the same room and bring in bats, handing one to Mason and the other to Matt.

As we enter the room and flip on the lights, they look up, trying to figure out what’s happening. They see us and look confused, until Sasha walks in.

Then, the hatred creeps onto their faces. I motion for Mason to stand on one side, Matt on the other. I pull up some chairs for us three, ready to start the interrogation.

“Here’s how this works. We ask questions, you give answers. If you don’t, you’ll regret it. First question! Is Donald the mastermind behind this operation?”

They glance at each other, clearly trying to decide what to say. They’re obviously living by some code.

“Five seconds!”

Still no answer. I signal to Mason, who grins at Matt. They both swing their bats, and the sound of cracking knees fills the room, followed by screams.

“Is Donald the mastermind?”

One of the men manages a faint “No” before the other kicks him to shut him up. I signal to Matt, who swings his bat, breaking the other man’s knee.

“Now, where were we? So, Donald isn’t the mastermind, and there’s someone higher up. Sasha, did any of these men do anything to you?”

Their faces go pale. I smirk, knowing Matt is waiting for her answer.

“Yes, they did.”

I signal for Mason and Matt to continue, and they unleash their fury on the men. Sasha flinches at every scream, covering her ears.

I move my chair next to hers, wrapping my arm around her as she buries her face in my chest.

“Do you want them to stop?”

She nods, and I signal for them to stop. Mason drops his bat and pulls Matt back.

Matt is furious until he sees Sasha covering her ears and face. Then he understands.

I signal to Mason that it’s time. He pulls out his gun, and I pull out mine. Two shots ring out, and the men slump over.

A scream fills the room, and I see Mason rush over to Sasha, holding her.

I watch Matt slump against the wall, clearly trying to process everything. I walk over to him, and when he looks up at me, I can feel his guilt.

“I didn’t protect her. I was supposed to protect her. That’s a father’s job.”

“Shit happens. We’re fixing it here and now. If you need to see our counselor, do it. But right now, she needs you more than ever.”

He nods, and we leave the room, guards following to clean up. We head to the next room, where Donald is waiting.

We enter and flip on the light. He looks up and sees Sasha, smirking. I see her shiver.

“I’ll ask you once, Donald. Who’s the mastermind behind all of this?”

“I won’t say anything!”

I know he won’t talk, so I hand a bat to Sasha. She looks at me in shock, and I just smile back.

“He’s tied up and can’t hurt you. If you want to vent your anger, now’s the time. Before your dad gets to him.”

She gives a nod, her fingers curling tightly around the bat. As she cautiously moves toward Donald, his laughter rings out, halting her mid-step.

“Really? You handed this little girl a bat? What the hell does she think she’s going to do with it?”

“Enough, Donald!”

“And what if I don’t? Your only worth is a quick, meaningless fuck! Hope you enjoy her, buddy. God knows I did!”

“Enough, Donald!”

“Ah, yell at me some more! It’s just like those times I fucked you senseless while you begged me to stop because it was too painful. I didn’t care if you were in pain, that wasn’t my problem! But I will miss that mouth of yours. The way it took my cock.”

Before he can utter another word, the bat swings into his face with a sickening crack, breaking his jaw instantly. She doesn’t stop there, continuing to batter him with the bat, his screams echoing around them.

After a few relentless minutes, she drops the bat and runs toward Mason.

I gesture to Matt, and the look on Donald’s face is priceless as Matt picks up the bat with a smirk. He doesn’t hold back, and soon Donald is barely conscious, his head hanging low.

I pull out my pistol and hand it to Matt. I watch as he turns to Donald, the gun aimed at his head. Then a gunshot echoes, and Donald’s head drops.

Sasha’s wails fill the air, her nightmare finally over. I gently take the gun from Matt, patting him on the back.

“Welcome to the family!”