I stole a quick glimpse at him, and I realized he was the same troublemaker I’d seen strutting through the halls of our high school, only worse. He might’ve looked the same, but that boy was long gone, and a more dangerous man had replaced him. And now I was stuck in this situation where he was in total control.
He held Lila Kate’s life in his hands.
And that meant he held mine, too.
3
GOOSE
To say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed was an understatement.
I was in a piss-poor mood, and it was getting worse by the second.
I hadn’t slept for shit, and now, I was stuck in church with all the brothers. The conference room was filled with all their chitter-chatter, clearing of throats, squeaking chairs, and clicking of pens, and it was more than I could take.
Even the sounds of their breathing were getting on my nerves, especially Rusty’s. Dude sounded like a fifty-year-old smoker the way he was wheezing, and I had a mind to put an end to his suffering.
I was doing my best to tune them all out when Prez stood and started briefing us on all the latest club news. I was struggling to lock in. I tried. I really did, but the conversation was being drowned out by the crazy thoughts I’d had since my father’s text.
Every now and then, a sentence or two would slip by.
“Creed and I have been doing some talking, and we think it’s time to consider stepping away from the casino. I spoke withSergei, and he was a bit hesitant but wasn’t completely against it.”
This wasn’t news to me.
Creed had filled us in on the plan the night before, so it was no surprise when he added, “Sergei and the boys brought us in to do a job, and we did it. We did it well. So well, we aren’t needed like we were.”
Ghost muttered something under his breath, and Rusty asked if this was something Sergei wanted. Somebody coughed. A chair squeaked. The usual background noise of the brothers trying to puzzle out a problem. But my focus was shot to hell.
I rubbed the back of my neck, earning a side-eye from Memphis. He knew me better than anyone. He knew something was up. But this wasn’t the time or the place for him to push for answers, so he turned his attention back to Prez, listening as his father continued with his spiel.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me. This was my family.My life. I wanted to know what was what, but today, my head wasn’t in the game. It was all because of that damn text. It was just eleven simple words, but somehow, they were louder than anything anyone else had to say.
Unable to resist, I took my phone out of my pocket and glanced down at the screen, checking to see if my ol’ man had responded.
Again, there was nothing.
Just our previous messages, aggravating me like an itch in the middle of my back that I couldn’t reach, no matter how fucking hard I tried.
Your brother’s back in town.
He asked about you.
I couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted with me. He hadn’t spoken to me in years, and now, he’s suddenly interested in me and what I had going on. It didn’t make any sense.
“Goose,” Prez barked. “You with us?”
“Absolutely,” I lied. “Just taking it all in.”
A couple of the guys snickered, and Prez immediately snapped, “Not the time. I need everyone’s head in the game.”
The room fell silent, and I leaned forward, doing what I could to force myself to pay attention. Or at least, look like I was. I tried to listen. I tried to care about the politics and turf lines and who might be trying to move against it. But Davis had taken over my every thought.
That was typical.
The asshole.
It had been two damn years since I’d last heard about him, and even then, it wasn’t an actual visit to see me. He’d come in like a shadow. One day here, and the next, he was gone. I didn’t even know he was home until Memphis mentioned seeing him outside Dad’s place, hanging out and talking shit with Dad and the neighbors.
