“We told ’em that had to stop,” I grated.
“Boss. You know that, and I know that. It’s Junior who needs a little reminder. There are only so many times we can beat him up before it gets old. We need to make a statement.”
My jaw hardened. “Church meet when I get back,” I ordered. “It’s time to make hard plans to take him out.”
“We agreed it was better to wait.”
“We’ll look at our options. I’m sick of his bullshit, and the sheriff’s not handlin’ his son’s out-of-control ass. He’s skatin’ on thin ice already, especially after what happened with Gracie. You’d think he’d want to keep a low profile.”
“Yeah,” Boot agreed. “At this point, it’s like he’s trollin’ us.”
“Motherfucker,” I grunted.
“Just concentrate on gettin’ the boys home, Ade. I’ll handle the rest.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Thanks, brother. I’ll let you know what time we’ll get in. My bike’s at Rock Springs airport, so the boys will need pickin’ up, but if it gets too late, we’ll stay at the airport hotel in San Diego and fly in tomorrow mornin’. I’m just waitin’ for some luggage to turn up for my boys.”
“Doesn’t Bree have any?” he asked.
“Sold ’em,” I cut out. “Along with the washer and dryer, and lookin’ at the house, all her ornaments and the silver picture frames she kept the photographs of the boys in, too.”
“Fuck,” he muttered. “Didn’t realize how far gone she was.”
“Neither did I,” I admitted. “Should have known. The minute I knew she was buyin’ hard drugs, I should’ve rode my ass hereand got her into rehab. Things have been busy with the club and Ash, so I glossed over it in my head, thinkin’ she’d be okay, but I was foolin’ myself. I’ve let my boys down, Boot.”
“The fuck you did,” he protested. “You can’t control everythin’. Bree’s a grown-ass woman, and you got your ass to Cali the minute you found out how bad it had gotten.”
“Right,” I mumbled, but I took what Bootneck said with a grain of salt. He always backed me up, even when he shouldn’t. He was a good brother, loyal to a fault, but it meant he wasn’t objective when it came to me.
I turned at the sound of a car approaching. “Brother, I gotta go. My buddy’s here with the luggage for the boys.”
“’Kay, boss. Later.”
“Later,” I said before ending the call, tucking my phone away, and walking toward the black Jeep.
My lips quirked at the sight of the tall Hispanic dude almost leaping out of the vehicle, and I shouted over, “Wepa!”
“Mano!” he called as he approached me, a huge smile plastered across his face. “What, you don’t call, you don’t text?”
I grabbed hold of the dude and pulled him in for a man hug, slapping his shoulder. “Missed you, Gabe.”
“You, too, Aiden,” he muttered before pulling back to study me.
I’d known Gabriel Santos all my life. He was the kid on my block who I befriended and who taught me to fight back in the day. He was the youngest of three brothers and as tough as they came, except with the ladies. For them, he was an advocate, and they loved him—at least during the time he stayed around, which usually wasn’t more than two weeks.
I owed him and his mom, Paola, my life. Growing up, they made sure I was fed and gave me a safe place when I needed one. They even sent me care packages when I was deployed overseas.I was a kid with no family to speak of, but they gave me the lifeline I needed.
It was Gabe who had told me about Breanna and the drugs. I’d tasked him with keeping an eye on her and the boys when I moved to Wyoming. He was one of the few people in my life who I trusted implicitly.
Gabe jerked his chin toward the house. “You takin’ the boys back with you?”
I nodded. “Offered Bree a way out. She turned it down.”
His mouth tightened. “She’s in deep?”
“Seems that way, though I think the fucknut boyfriend has somethin’ to do with it too.”
“Kev’s a dick, and his crew are assholes,” Gabe declared. “They’re in the hole for fifty grand with an organization south of the border that they have no business owin’. It’s only a matter of time before they get hit. Bree’s gonna get caught up in it if she stays.”
