Trevor flicked his hand in the air. “I’m good, man. Got a doctor’s appointment coming up soon. Hope he can give me something to get this shit under control.”
New pair of lungs?Chase nodded, humoring the man. “Lots of new medicine out there.”
“Hmm,” Trevor said absently. He drew himself up in the chair, scratching his chin. “You still planning that trip down to Jacksonville next Friday?”
“I have to. This is the only chance I have to talk with that new captain I hired before the ship sails.” Chase was the sole owner of a cargo ship. He’d bought the old ship two years ago with his grandfather. They’d purchased it after meeting up with an old family friend who was tired of the industry and desperately wanted the ship off his hands. Chase had plans of turning that one ship into a successful cargo fleet sometime in the future.
Trevor knew this. Knew Chase wanted to keep everything legal without any authorities breathing down his neck for something he’d worked so hard for. But in the end, it would make no difference. He’d have to do what was best for the group. Antebellum Resistance was his legacy. He’dalwayshave to do right by the group and their struggle before himself. Staring at his stepfather and knowing what was about to come, Chase silently counted down the seconds, waiting for the order that would be wrapped inside a request.
Another puff on the cigarette. A fit of coughing and the countdown ended. “I got a friend who works near the port. Got himself an exporting company. Lots of connections with foreign ships and customs.”
“Trevor. Honest to God, I don’t have time for any stories. I told you last time that my shipping business is completely separate from AR.”
“I know. And I’m telling you I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t real important. I was trying not to say anything but since you’re dragging this out. Money’s running tight these days and some of our sponsors are getting stingy. Too many pussies out there scared of showing their pride.” A swirl of smoke rose from the edge of his mouth and drifted in the air. “You remember what that was like, don’t you? We got lots of kids here. Lots of em.”
Hungry children. Chase ground his teeth, holding tight to his anger. He got the damn point. Trevor didn’t need to drive it in. “How much money are we talking about?”
“Fifty grand. More or less. We can handle it just like last time. Use the same people.”
“Yeah, okay. Since you have it all planned out. All I wanna know is what the hell are we talking about this time? Old ass DVDs? Food? Bootleg crap? I’m lost here. Last time I let you do this, I said I didn’t wanna know what all that shit was, but fuck… Seriously, man. What is it this time?”
“Like I was telling you. This friend of mine took a trip over to Singapore the other day. Business.” Trevor rolled his eyes. “Trust me, he didn’t wanna go.”
Chase let out a loud breath. “No stories. Just say it. What exactly arewesending over there?”
Trevor chuckled. “You ain’t gotta look like that, man. It’s only liquor.”
“Liquor?”
“Nothing more, nothing less. Good ol’ American booze,” he said, holding his hands out wide.
Chase scowled. “You want to smuggle booze into Singapore. Let me guess–to dealers who’ll jack up the price for chinks who wanna get drunk?”
Trevor straightened his shoulders and snapped his fingers together. “Bout sums it up. You catch on quickly, boy. If that no-good mother of yours had stuck around, can’t say she wouldn’t have been proud of you.”
Chase snorted. He knew for a fact Louise wouldn’t have felt pride or anything for him. He wondered if Trevor even believed the crap that came out of his mouth. Luckily, Chase knew him well enough to see his smooth talk for what it was. Buttering up. Something his stepfather never had to do when Chase was a kid and had to follow instructions or feel the belt.
“Trevor,” Chase began, “you know I’m dedicated to everything my grandfather started. To everything we have and want to happen. But that doesn’t mean I want us to live with the Feds being more suspicious than they already are. I’m just saying, don’t make this a habit. I know you’re in charge and everything. I’m good with that. I respect everything you’ve done. But you gotta remember that everyone’s got a limit at some point.”
Trevor nodded while puffing away on his cigarette. “Gotcha. No hard feelings. I know you busted your ass working in Deek’s hunting store, taking all them crazy hours to save up enough money so Joe could see you were serious about buying that old ship with him.
Chase rose from his chair, pinning Trevor with a measured stare. “Then you know exactly what I mean when I say this is the last time.”
Trevor held up his hands. “As long as you get your ass down to Jacksonville, we’re good. I’ll give you the info later. You can take Jesse McNair with you. He can transport the liquor.”
Soon after leaving Trevor’s place, Chase forced himself to push his stepfather and his shady dealings from his mind. It wasn’t until an hour later as he climbed into bed that he remembered his plan to stop by Haley’s house and see what she had to offer. Chase groaned inside his head, knowing that idea wouldn’t have made one lick of a difference. He wouldn’t have gone through with seeing Haley because all he could focus on was Larke. Her dark eyes wide with fear and confusion, staring at the words and symbols on his arms.
He turned over in bed, angry that he wasstillthinking about her. Larke’s opinion meant nothing to him.Shewas nothing. He didn’t give one fuck what she thought about him. In fact, tomorrow he was going to pay Haley a visit and ride her so damn hard until a certain part of his body remembered exactly where its loyalty rested.
