Blake, Abby - Mikayla's Family [A Bride for Eight Brothers 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read Online Free Page A

sold her into prostitution, was walking around as a free man. There had been overwhelming evidence to convict Jet for his part in the human trafficking ring that Mikayla had uncovered accidentally, but it had been Mikayla’s and Tracey’s testimonies that had given the judge reason to apply the maximum sentence.
    The fact that a retrial had been granted at all was seriously questionable.
    “But they have our testimonies on file. We won’t need to be involved in a retrial,” Mikayla said, trying hard to make it sound like a confident statement and not a frightened question. Tracey shook her head.
    “It would seem that our recorded testimonies—and all of the backup copies—were somehow destroyed in an unfortunate string of coincidences.” Mikayla could hear the anger and sarcasm in her friend’s words. Somebody was going to a lot of trouble to erase the evidence that convicted Jet Killarney in the first place. “Rick, Tony, and Ashton believe that whatever is going on involves people high up in the justice system. They don’t trust anybody now, not even police officers, lawyers, or judges they’ve worked with for years.”
    Mikayla could feel her knees wobbling as reaction began to affect her physically. Tracey’s husbands were all levelheaded, sensible men and not prone to overreaction or paranoia. If they didn’t know who to trust, then it was a safe bet that things were very serious and probably very dangerous for Mikayla and Tracey right now.
    Tracey must’ve noticed Mikayla’s reaction because she grabbed her hand and practically dragged her into the house. Mikayla didn’t miss the fact that all eight of her husbands had somehow managed to greet their visitors despite their heavy work schedules. And she certainly didn’t miss the fact that all eleven men watched Mikayla and Tracey enter the house. Whatever they were planning, Mikayla had no doubt they’d keep their women safe, but she also knew they’d all lay their lives on the line to protect them. Losing any of hers or Tracey’s men was not an option.
    Damn Jet Killarney and his interference in their lives.

    * * * *

    Peter watched from a distance as the color drained from Mikayla’s face. All eight of the brothers had discussed how to break the news to her but had finally agreed that letting Tracey tell her would be the best choice. Mikayla worked so hard to remain strong and independent that she would’ve denied the fear and refused their emotional support. At least with Tracey she would feel more comfortable reacting honestly.
    Of course her husbands would give her all the support she needed, but at least this way she didn’t feel completely dependent on her men.
    Peter, his brothers, and Tracey’s three husbands deliberately gave the women some time together as they stood on the front lawn and discussed how best to keep them all safe. It was a very real possibility that Jet, or someone working for him, would come after Mikayla and Tracey to make certain that their testimonies wouldn’t be rerecorded for his retrial. And it was also likely that they wouldn’t be concerned about collateral damage.
    “We’ve organized for the research lab-ship to be taken out of orbit and parked permanently on the land behind the house,” Ryan said as he ran an agitated hand through his hair. “The local planning council took some convincing. We’ve had to promise to build a façade over the ‘ugly’ outer shell so that it blends with the local building code, but at least we’ll have the security and protective shields available to us if the need arises.”
    “I don’t want anyone on the property besides us,” Ashton said with a worried frown. “If the work needs to be done, we’ll have to figure out how to do it ourselves. I don’t want any strangers wandering around the area.”
    “Agreed,” Peter said with a nod of his head. “We have no clue who to trust. We need to keep this between the thirteen of us.”
    “Terrific,” Matt mumbled.