“My nephew is fighting his own demons, some that have nothing to do with my niece. How is she, by the way?” Sullie asked. Then it occurred to me that this was the first time Sullie had seen Haley since she was taken.
Haley stepped up to the big man. “She is perfectly fine, I promise.” He smiled down at her, wrapping her in his signature bear hugs. “I knew she would be. Kay is built from steel.”
“Back to the Matthews: does that look like a man who has been living in the woods for the last five years?” I asked, jerking my thumb to the door. Ian looked good. Confident. Strong. Nothing like the guy I pictured.
“Exactly,” James mumbled, pulling out his gun and loading it.
“James?” Haley pulled away from Sullie with wide eyes.
“Just a precaution, princess.”
I snorted. “Precaution, my ass.” I pulled out my gun and loaded the chamber. There was no such thing as being too prepared.
“No blood in my bar, gentlemen,” Sullie repeated.
“I was thinking the river,” I mused, looking to the agent. He pursed his lips in thought.Holy shit, he was considering it.
“Both of you, stop,” Haley and Gwen hissed at the same time. Sullie shook his head and looked at me. “Couldn’t he have been in the cabin?”
“Unless Armani delivers to the sticks, no,” I grunted, shifting on my feet. Gwen came up to me, her brow furrowed as she looked at James.
“Wasn’t Matthews’ bank accounts frozen after his death?”
James twisted his neck, cracking it. “Technically, the account would have been closed by the bank, or the money would be divided up and sent to the beneficiaries. However, the Bureau seized all the funds. That money was linked to countless sports gambling crimes.”
“Perhaps more,” Haley noted. We were all thinking the same thing: the rings.
“What if Ian is involved in the rings?” I asked the room, darkness settling on my shoulders as my gut twisted.
“Flesh does pay well,” James growled.
“Seems like Kev has been lying to us,” Sullie said, scratching his thick beard.
“I am sick of lies. This shit needs to be over,” Gwen snapped before rushing out of the kitchen. The three of us stood there in silence as we listened to my woman.
“Let’s cut the shit, shall we?”
I smirked and looked at James, who was looking at the ceiling again.
“You know,” I drawled, “if God wanted to strike you down, He would have done it already.”
“Don’t fucking remind me,” he grumbled as he dragged his hand down his face before pushing the door open. Haley was about to walk through, and then his hand snapped out, gripped her arm and pulled her flush against his chest.
I shot Sullie a look letting him know that we should give them privacy. He brushed past the couple, and I followed, but not before I heard…
“Do you want me to find him, princess?” His voice was gentle. He was referring to Haley’s father. I didn’t know much about the man, but I had my opinion about him.
Gwen had her heel in Kevin’s crotch, a gun pointed at Ian. My eyes scanned her quickly. Her jeans were still tight as hell, hugging her curves in the most sinful way. Her torso was twisted, which gave me an excellent view of her breasts. Her curls were falling out of her bun, making me itch to yank it down. The look she was giving Ian was enough to scare your average man.
It just made me want to fuck her.
“Gwen, we can be civilized about this,” Ian said calmly, wiping his face. His mother was looking down at her plate, slowly chewing.
My head twisted to find Dom in the same spot, staring at the Matthews. His resting bitch face was superior. Sullie braced hishands on the bar. “Mr. Matthews, I let you come into my bar and eat my food. I pride myself on being a gracious host, but if you don’t start talking, you will find my patience doesn’t extend very far to those outside of my family.”
“That means it’s time for you to talk, pretty boy,” Dom growled.
Ian rolled to the front of the table and placed his hands on his lap. “I just want my brother to come back home.” My eyes flicked to his brother. His jaw was covered in dry blood, and it was tense, like he was agitated.
