Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69993 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69993 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Ace nods again, but his gaze lands on me because he knows that would be my last option.
“I’m inclined to agree with Shades. Braden deserves it, but we don’t need the heat that will come from killing such a fine, upstanding citizen.”
The derision and sarcasm in his tone are lost on none of us.
“We can always hand him over to the law,” I add quietly. “There’s more than enough to get him locked up for a good long while.”
“Jail?” Shades snorts the question. “So he can get a cushy prison job, three square meals a day, and a place to lay his head safely each night? I don’t fucking think so, man. He’s got to die. Because of him, Letty almost died.”
“But she didn’t,” I insist. “And had she died, we wouldn’t know what we do now about Braden’s involvement in all of this. This isn’t just about him and his life. It’s about the MC and our ability to operate without interference. What do you think Doherty will do if we kill him?”
Coop snorts. “Not a goddamn thing. That cop is so far up our asses, he’d probably look the other way.”
“I’m with Preacher on this,” Wild Man says. “Get every fucking thing we can from his ass and send him to prison.”
“Underneath the prison,” Nova grunts and shakes his head.
“Incoming,” Wild Man calls out, and all conversation stops. “Doherty is here, and he’s in his patrol car. Looks like official business.”
My jaws clench tightly at the arrival of Doherty. The man is one of ours, he’s firmly on Reckless Souls payroll, but his arrival rarely means good news. “Fucking great,” I mumble under my breath.
Shades smiles. “What’s wrong with Doherty?”
I shrug. “He’s the bringer of bad shit. Period. It’s nothing against the man personally. It’s just that whenever he comes by, bad news usually follows.”
Ace laughs and pushes off his work stool, wiping the black grime from his hands before tossing the rag over his shoulder. “That’s the nature of his job, but it’s better to know what we’re up against than be surprised by it later, right?”
I nod because Ace is right. But that doesn’t mean Doherty isn’t the bringer of bad news. “I guess.”
Ace nods again and turns to the group at large. “Give me five minutes with Doherty, and then make yourselves visible.” Ace walks through the back exit and the rest of us work quietly until Wild Man signals that time is up.
Shades flashes a wide smile and claps me on the back. “Come on, Preacher. Let’s go say hi to the Sheriff.”
I roll my eyes and fall in step next to Shades as we all filter out of the garage and into the rear parking lot reserved for employees.
Doherty and Ace stand about five feet apart, both of them wearing unhappy expressions. “I don’t like this, Ace. People are starting to notice Braden’s absence.”
Ace clenches his jaw and nods. “That’s what the fifty grand is for, to get them to stop noticing. Hell, you’re the law. Just tell them the same bullshit you do when it’s a missing gangbanger. That you’re looking into it. Forever.”
Doherty doesn’t like the reminder of his force’s bias against the city’s dark yet lucrative underbelly.
“A woman’s been calling the station desperate to file a missing person’s report. Kathy MacFarlane. Name ring any bells?”
Ace doesn’t miss a beat and shakes his head, but I know that name. I met the woman and helped her clean her house. “Nope. Should I know her?”
“According to her, she’s Braden’s fiancé and has been for a few years now.” Doherty laughs. “I’ll bet that comes as a surprise to Mrs. Braden.”
“Might come as a surprise to her, too,” I snarl at the cop, angry on Kathy’s behalf. She’s a nice woman put in a position she doesn’t deserve by a scumbag.
To his credit, Doherty’s smile fades and he nods before turning back to Ace. “Either way, she’s calling, and she’s insistent, and I can’t say Mrs. Braden isn’t too happy about our perceived indifference either. Something needs to be done, Ace.”
“We need more time, Doherty. Braden’s put himself in a really fucked up spot, double-crossing us and the Iron Kings. If I hand him over to you now, he’s dead by the end of week anyway, and that’s only if you can scoop up Hector and his boys by then. Any progress on re-arresting them?”
Doherty’s shoulders fell. “Not really.”
“That’s what I thought. I need to know every fucking thing Braden knows, and then I’ll figure out what to do with him.”
Doherty’s eyes widen. “That’s not what we agreed on, Ace.”
“We didn’t agree on shit. I told you I had him in respect of our relationship, so you wouldn’t waste time looking for his remains. Tell the people what they need to hear, and I’ll keep you informed.”