"Fucking shit, Matteo. Where the hell am I supposed to pull a guy from? Rafe and Calix's men have the streets, but that doesn't mean that we're entrusting any of them with our women or the kids or the money. I don't want to give him someone we don't trust 100%."
"I agree. It has to be one of ours," he sighed. "What about Bryan? Give his cash drops to Benny. He can handle that. If I have to, I'll ask Rafe to supervise him for a week or so."
I paused, considering my words. "You trust Rafe that way?"
"Yeah. I trust him with my life. Don't get me wrong, the guy's fucked in the head, but he's loyal. Besides, he wants something from me. He can't fuck me over if he wants me to help wrap a bow around sweet little Isa and deliver her to Spain." Matteo sighed, and I could just imagine him hanging his head. "Ivory will kill me if she finds out."
"Then why do it?"
"Because I know how he feels. Would you let anything get in your way of making Sadie yours? We claimed our women and gave them the benefit of staying local to be with their families because circumstances allowed it. Is him luring Isa to Spain really any different than me having Scar deliver Ivory here and not letting her go? I swapped out her birth control for shit's sake. Lino carried Samara to their wedding over his shoulder while she screamed. Ryker used the kids to control Calla. Rafe promised me he won't abuse her. That's...all I can ask of him without crossing a line. He's not a man we want as an enemy."
"She's sixteen, Matteo," I groaned.
"And he won't touch her until she's eighteen. He's compromising where she's concerned. That's a first for him."
"Fine. I'll call Bryan and let him know to coordinate the changeover with Benny," I snapped, glancing over at Sadie. Hatred was like acid in my veins, wanting better for the pretty teenager I'd seen on the street with a friend. She was younger than Elisa, for fuck's sake. My baby sister was older than the girl Rafael Ibarra wanted to take away from everything she knew.
I didn't know what he'd do with her. Only that she'd never be an innocent teen again. I hoped she'd enjoy her last years of freedom.
"I need to know you won't interfere with Rafe's plans," Matteo said.
"I won't get in his way," I said slowly, "but if he hurts her—"
"He won't," Matteo said, ending the call.
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I tucked it into the pocket of my jeans and strolled over to watch Sadie more intently. Watching the women practice with one another and the way they interacted with Mike, it was obvious which had already been abused. Their bodies strung tight when he got too close to them, hesitance slipping into their features. I understood why Sadie seemed to try to keep it simple with only one man to help, but at some point, the women would need to practice with men. They'd have to overcome that fear to enact their training and defend themselves in the real world.
Making the note to make the suggestion to her later, I watched her try to coax the more nervous of the women into coming out of their shells a bit. She moved with a bright smile, easing nerves as she went like the ray of light she was. Her demonstrations were explained so smoothly I had no doubt she'd been teaching these classes for a long time.
My heart filled with a little more love for her, knowing that she volunteered her time to help women in need who had nowhere else to turn. She was my redemption. It was all worth it if everything in my life led me to the fire-cracker of a woman who wanted nothing more than to help others feel safe.
The most skittish of the women turned to her, shifting her weight nervously as she tried to make a fist properly. Sadie took her hand gently, untucking the girl's thumb and talking to her softly. I couldn't hear the words, but the shy woman smiled in response.
"Remember!" Sadie said suddenly as she turned to the rest of the women. "You want to break his face, not your thumb. Always keep them outside your fingers." She demonstrated, turning her attention back to the shy woman so she could kneel at her feet. She twisted her legs to plant her ankles shoulder width apart, tapping her toes until the girl watched the angle of her feet and studied them. Memorizing the position. "Knees loose and bent. This position is where your power comes from. When you strike, you use your entire body. A punch from a weak arm doesn't hold as much strength as a punch that has an entire body thrown into it. If you fight, you have to aim to incapacitate him long enough to get away. Otherwise you'll just piss him off."
Sadie touched the girl's shoulder gently as she stood, making her way around the room and correcting people as they helped one another find the right position. "I know this seems so basic, but it's really the root of your power. You have to have a good understanding of it before we move on, and we have some new girls here this week."
Nobody questioned her as she continued on with her lesson, demanding their attention like she so often did. It was impossible not to notice Sadie when you walked into a room, such was the magnetic energy that she brought with her everywhere she went. Even subdued to teach women to protect themselves, she shone like a radiant light.
A light that was all mine.
21 Sadie
After dropping Rebel off at home, Enzo had taken me for a ride on his bike. The purr of
