Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
His fingers work over his keyboard, several of the screens flashing like I’ve only seen in the movies.
“Jesus Christ,” Deacon mutters when a face pops up on the screen.
If it weren’t for the sneer on the guy’s face in the image and the height lines behind him making it clear it’s a mugshot, the guy looks like any other late-twenties to early-thirties dude.
“Who is that?”
“Adrian Larrick,” Deacon says.
“You’ll have to fill me in. I don’t recognize the face or the name.”
“He’s the president of the Keres MC,” Wren says.
“Shit,” I snap. I may not recognize this individual, but Keres is well known around St. Louis. They were around and causing problems when Carlen and I were in high school. We’d never met any of them, but we were warned by teachers and our parents to avoid those in the MC every time their names were brought up in some news report. It’s as if our parents thought the club members were known to go to schools and try to recruit like the street gangs and military recruiters did.
“So, you’re familiar?”
“I’m from here. I don’t know of anyone from here that hasn’t heard of them,” I answer. “What has this got to do with Carlen and Janet?”
“I’ve been able to find connections between the club and Carlen Clarke.”
I shake my head, immediately rejecting what he’s saying. “Carlen was an account manager at ShopSmart.”
The man worked at the local grocery chain in high school and eventually went to college so he could work his way up to an executive position in the company. He never quite made it to the top, but he also never stopped working hard to eventually get there.
“All ShopSmart stores closed two years ago when the company went bankrupt,” Deacon says.
“Carlen’s connections stemmed from his connections through his job. The CEO of that company wasn’t exactly the most law-abiding citizen,” Wren adds.
“Old man Plank?” I ask, shaking my head. “I met him. I find that hard—”
“His grandson took over the company after his grandfather passed. It took the weasel less than a year to run the business into the ground,” Wren says. “Noah Plank had the bad connections, and it didn’t surprise me to find emails sent to Carlen from Noah threatening his job if certain things weren’t done.”
“Carlen wasn’t a criminal,” I growl.
“People will do all sorts of things to protect their families,” Deacon counters. “Carlen was a father. As a father myself, I can tell you there isn’t a single thing, legal or not, that I wouldn’t do to protect my son.”
“So you think Carlen and Janet were killed by the Keres MC?” I ask, unsure of how to proceed if that’s the case.
I’m no longer a scared young man, afraid from being conditioned by my parents to avoid danger, but at the same time, I know the MC is really fucking dangerous. In the past, they always had an uncanny ability to avoid arrest. I wouldn’t doubt they’re able to do that by threatening the lives of those who might make the mistake of thinking of prosecuting them. I’m sure there’s no shortage of bribes and kickbacks from the club to officials in a position to keep their names off of warrants.
“Finn’s woman got tangled up with them a while back. Well, her ex got tangled up with them and they went after her,” Deacon says.
“What can you tell me about them?”
“Not much,” Wren says, the tone of his voice showcasing his irritation. “They’re incredibly low tech. Either that or they’re so high tech that they go undetected. I was asked to help the FBI gather intel on them, and it was impossible. The information I found connecting Carlen to Keres was through Noah Plank, not the club.”
“Are they ruthless enough to go after the Clarke family just because Plank fucked up and sent him some emails?”
Wren shrugs. “I have no way of knowing.”
“Do you have any contact information for Plank?”
Wren frowns. “Dead men don’t talk.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, running my hand over the top of my head. “Keres?”
“Very possible,” Wren answers.
“And Keres is known for what?”
“All of it. Trafficking drugs, weapons, and women. Theft, robbery, home invasions. At least those have always been the rumors.”
“And what was he charged with?” I ask, pointing to the computer monitor.
“Possession of marijuana,” Wren says.
“It’s legal in Missouri,” I argue.
“It wasn’t when he was busted with it. He served eight months in jail for it. It cost the prosecutor his life.”
“They killed him?”
“That’s the rumor.”
“Shit.” All of this means that Mila and the boys are likely in danger. “How did Finn solve the problem his woman had with them?”
Neither Deacon nor Wren are quick to answer.
“Good men will do what it takes to protect their families,” Deacon finally responds, and I know with that information that what Finn had to do wasn’t exactly lawful.