“How was school?” Luca asked Felix while we ate, and Felix chatted about his day and the new girl at school. I got the impression Felix might have a bit of a crush.
“May I have ice cream for dessert?” Felix asked.
“You had cookies for your snack after school, but nice try,” I said.
The rule in our house had always been one bad food snack like chips and one sweet treat per day. We were allowed to have them whenever we wanted, except breakfast, but we only got one. It’s something Maria had continued with Felix, so I had as well.
Felix sighed, dropping his head back. “I thought I could be sneaky.”
“Oh, I’m aware,” I said. “Go ahead and set your dishes next to the sink.”
He slid off his stool and hugged me. “Sorry, Auntie.”
“Always forgiven,” I said, and he carried his dishes to the sink.
“You go get your PJs on and Uncle Luca will play with you in a minute,” I said. “Brush your teeth, too, please.”
“Okay,” he said, and ran off.
“You need to give me information, pronto, big brother,” I ordered.
“Why? Specifically?” he asked. “And why do I feel like this has something to do with more than Fox?”
“You don’t think it’s important that Felix be with someone safe?”
“You opened that can of worms, Bree. If you cared about Stoney and the Howlers’ being unsafe, you would have stayed the fuck away from their club.”
I let out a frustrated groan. “I couldn’t keep him from Felix, Luca. It would have been wrong.”
“I get it, sissy, but you understand this makes things complicated, right?” he asked, starting to rinse the dishes.
I nodded. “But I want to know exactly how it makes it complicated.”
He sighed, setting a plate into the dishwasher. “Honestly? We don’t have any evidence of illegal activities. They own grow businesses all over the state, pay taxes, appear to be above-board, but I also know bikers from rival clubs have come up dead and the Howlers’ have more than enough motivation to make them that way.”
“Motivation how?”
“One of them allegedly killed Sundance’s wife more than ten years ago now. He was found soon after her death. It was a gruesome scene, so I know he didn’t go quickly.”
“Tell me honestly, if your wife was murdered by someone, wouldn’t you want to kill them too?”
“Of course I would. But I wouldn’t do it. I’d let the system deal with it.”
“Unless, they don’t feel like the system would deal with it.”
“Are you seriously defending them?” he growled.
“They haven’t done anything wrong.”
“That’s incorrect. We just haven’t caught them. That doesn’t mean we won’t,” he said.
I crossed my arms. “And you’re gunning for them, I take it.”
“No, sissy, I’m not. But they don’t make it easy to turn a blind eye.”
“I don’t think they’re asking for you to turn a blind eye. I think they just want you to mind your own business.”
He frowned. “So, you’re an expert on all things Primal Howlers now?”
