Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
It wasn’t a fucking coincidence that Cressida was in Aunt Glenda’s Cadillac. Whatever the fuck my dad, Fender, and Linc were up to, I didn’t like them messing with Cressida’s life.
Why had she been in Glenda’s car? How had they connected the two? What other family did Glenda have? Was there a grandson or nephew I didn’t know about? Was Cressida with him? Did everyone know but me?
I stopped at the next red light as my internal battle waged on. My going to Glenda’s would get back to Linc. I’d likely be sent to fucking Alabama before nightfall. But they were keeping something from me. And Cressida was involved. What if she’d gotten married or was with some other guy?
My chest felt so goddamn tight that I had to rub it. FUCK! Why did I still care? She should be dead to me. What was it going to take to get her out of my head? I wanted my life back, here in Madison. And I’d gotten a chance to maybe convince everyone I was good to come home, and she had shown up.
When the light turned green, I didn’t go straight. I wasn’t messing this up. I had to move on with my life and let this shit with Cressida go. I turned right and headed toward the Carvers’ distillery instead. Gathe was there. He’d texted me to meet him and Than for lunch, but I’d ignored it because I was waiting to hear what Ted had found out on Cressida.
Time to change my focus. Get my head straight again.
Than slid another bottle of whiskey across the table toward me. “Damn, it’s good having you home,” he said, picking up the glass he had just filled and taking a drink.
“Ain’t that the truth?” Gathe said with a slur.
We’d been drinking for a few hours now. It started with a game of Texas Hold’em and moved to a game of pool, and then we’d ordered burgers and kept drinking.
“Seems the only way we get Than over here for a guys’ night is having you here,” Gathe added.
“That’s not true,” Than replied.
“Yeah, it fucking is,” Forge said, walking back into the room with a bag of chips.
“No it isn’t! I was at Bane’s for the Egg Bowl,” he argued.
“That doesn’t count. You also had Montana on your lap,” Forge shot back at him.
“All the women were there, not a guys’ night,” Gathe pointed out.
Than shrugged then. “Well, Six is prettier than the two of you.”
Six was his nickname for Montana, his fiancée.
“You’re pussy-whipped,” Gathe told him.
Than nodded. “Abso-fuckin’-lutely I am. Completely obsessed with her.”
I opened the bottle and filled my glass. I was glad Than was happy, but hearing how happy his woman made him brought back shit I was trying to shove away. Lock up. Forget.
“It’s almost nine o’clock, and you’ve had me for six hours,” Than said, taking another drink. “But Six will be home from her Christmas shopping trip soon.”
Gathe groaned. “Leaving before ten? The night is young.”
“And once I leave, the three of you can move this party to the strip club.”
He had a point. That would be a distraction.
“Good idea.” Gathe nodded.
“I’m in, but none of us needs to drive,” Forge replied.
“Where’s Locke?” I asked, realizing that we’d left the distillery and come to Gathe and Locke’s place and Locke hadn’t been home during that time.
“With Ransom and Oz. They’re handling a bet that is overdue. Oz is collecting this week, and they’ve got one that’s over five mil unpaid,” Gathe said.
Oz handled the gambling side of the business. He’d been the bookie for the Mississippi branch for years. Not a job I’d want. But my brother was good at it. Only once had he almost lost a large amount, and he abducted the man’s sister to draw him out of hiding. But while he was holding her captive, he had gotten obsessed with her. She was now my sister-in-law.
“Who went with the girls shopping then, Bane?” Forge asked before shoving a chip in his mouth.
“And Father Jude,” Than added.
“What’s he gonna do? Pray for them?” I asked, smirking as I took a drink.
“Jude’s gotten pretty damn good with his Glock,” Than said.
“I’ve been working with him,” Gathe added, leaning back in his chair.
“Well, I’m sure he’s lethal then,” I replied with a roll of my eyes.
Forge burst out laughing and sank down on the sofa.
“You’re all assholes,” Gathe grumbled and took another drink.
This was what I’d missed. It wasn’t the same in Alabama. The guys there weren’t the ones I’d grown up with and trained with. I wanted this back. Not going to Glenda’s today had been smart.
My text sound went off, and I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
Butler: Missing Bama yet?
Out of all the guys in Alabama, Butler was who I’d gotten close to. Dixon and I had been tighter once, but my fucking Jazz had made things different. I’d not realized it would at the time. Jazz was annoying at best. I hadn’t known he had a real thing for her.