Prologue
Abel
“What do you mean missing?”I kicked the chair that was in front of me, sending it flying through the dark living room of Bear’shouse.
He shook his head. “I don’t fucking get it either. That’s why I called you in the middle of the damnnight.”
“I just don’t understand how a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of product can just vanish from thin air.” I was ready to put my fist through the fucking wall. How could I have been so stupid as to let Bear talk me into dealing with this shit anyway? I stayed away from drugs for a fucking reason.Thisreason—it was messy as fucking shit and nothing ever worked out in thelongrun.
“Do we have any idea who is behind it at least?” I asked my fellow president while he poured us glasses ofbourbon.
He chugged his glass down like a shot before answering me. “I know that the Sinners are in on it in some small way. Other than that, I got fuckingjackshit.”
Bear was one of my most trusted counterparts. I would never forget when he was a prospect for the Unacceptables’ charter in Atlanta. He was a beast of a man with a heart of a fucking lion. I knew that he was going to truly go places with this club, but right then I had started to second guess allofthat.
“All I know is that if this shit winds up in my fucking neck of the woods, it’s your ass that is going to have to clean it up.” I snarled at him before shooting the amber liquid down the back of my throat like it waswater.
“We made a bad call. We will fix it.” Bear’s confidence never wavered as he locked eyeswithme.
“We fucking better fix this and fast,” Isnarled.
“I already have Jaxon and Rigger on it. They’ve been tracking a few guys locally, trying to get moreinformation.”
“Do not make me regret this more than I already do, brother.” I grabbed my keys from the table and started to make my way for thefrontdoor.
“That’s it? You’re leaving?” Bear shot up from his couch in completeshock.
I nodded. “There’s nothing left for me to say and without any leads, there’s nothing left for me to dodownhere.”
“That was a long drive for an hour of yelling.” Heremarked.
I got right up into his bread-covered face. “When business needs to be taken care of, I do it in person. I have a family that needs my protection. So, yes, it was a long ass drive, butnecessary.”
* * *
After a tiring drivethrough the night, I finally walked through the front door of my quiet home right as the sun was coming through the windows. It was only a few days until my daughter’s wedding and the house was a wreck. From the center pieces and decorations, all the way to the bridal magazines and everything else, it looked like a frilly glitter bomb had gone off in my living room. But, I couldn’t say that it bothered me in the slightest. It was quite the opposite—I fuckinglovedit.
Raine was the most precious thing in my life. Well, her brother was a close second. There’s just something about the bond between a father and daughter though. Collin didn’t need his old man now that he was an adult. But Raine did. She was and had always been my little girl and watching her get married was going to be the hardest and best day ofmylife.
I made my way into the kitchen. Even though it was barely six in the morning, I poured myself a glass of Old Crow on the rocks and grabbed a packet of Fun Dip out of thepantry.
Throwing my boots up onto the kitchen table, I indulged in my two favorite vices—whiskey and blue powdery candy. Well, they weren’t as good as sex but Crickett would have killed me if I woke her up this early. Usually it wouldn’t have been a problem, but my wife had been so stressed with wedding planning that if she didn’t get some sleep she was a bitch todealwith.
Happy wife,happylife.
I made a mental note to remind my future son-in-law about that when I saw him later onthatday.
“Dad?” Raine’s soft voice came from behind me. “You’re homealready?”
I jumped to my feet and wrapped my baby into a tight hug. “Of course I am, sugar. I have a suit fitting today. I wouldn’t miss it for theworld.”
She started to make some coffee while giggling toherself.
“What’s so funny?” I asked taking a seatagain.
“It’s just hilarious to me that I find you in the kitchen at the ass crack of the morning with bright blue lips and a glass full of liquor and it doesn’t faze me one bit. Actually, if I had found you down here doing anything else after visiting Bear I would beworried.”
I put my hand on hers. “Well, I am glad that I didn’t worry you,sweetheart.”
