I nod, and head into the kitchen to make them a coffee.

“How are you settling in now?” Ciara asks.

“I’m good,” I say. “Jackson is amazing.”

“You care about him, right?” Addison asks.

I nod, swallowing the pain back down. “I do, a lot.”

“He cares about you too; I think he even loves you.”

I’m glad in that moment that Ebony races out with an old car Jackson gave her, because if I have to say anything about that statement, I’ll break.

“Who is this little cutie?” Addison smiles.

“That’s my daughter, Ebony,” Janine says.

“Hi Ebony!” Addi says.

“Hi!” Ebony waves. “Look at my car.”

“Hey cool, that’s real pretty.”

Ciara is smiling at the little girl, rubbing her belly protectively. My mind goes back to the tiny baby growing in mine.

God, what am I going to do?

~*~*~*

JACKSON

“More drugs are bein’ run, I want to know why?” I bark down the phone.

“We’re on it boss,” Spike says. “I have a lead, I should know more today.”

“Is it another gang?”

Spike sighs. “Fucks me, but it’s someone with some good support, there’s too many coming in.”

“Find out for me, and call me back.”

“On it.”

I hang up the phone, and turn back to the guys. Cade steps forward, giving me a questioning glance.

“Still nothin’. You guys manage to find the guy here?”

Cade nods towards the car, and I give them a flick of my hand. Granger and Muff open the door, pulling out a man in his late twenties, wearing holey shirts and crappy old jeans. His teeth are missing and his hair is gritty. Junkie alright. They walk the man over, and stop him in front of me. We got a lead, and came on this ride to get some information and find this man. He purchased drugs in town last weekend, and we need to know who from.

“We ain’t gonna hurt you if you talk, so you answer our question, and you’re good to go,” I say as soon as they guys stop in front of me.

The junkie looks up, narrowing his eyes. “You cops?”

I turn, showing him my colors, and then I turn back. “Worse.”

“I didn’t do nothin’ man! Nothin’!”

“If you did nothin’, then we ain’t got nothin’ to worry about. I need to know who you got your drugs off last weekend.”

“Don’t know.”

I close my eyes and sigh. I’m not a violent person, I always try to avoid it, but sometimes there’s just no choice. I grip the man’s shirt, and pull him close.

“This will go one of two ways. You tell me, I let you go. You don’t tell me, I beat the fuck out of you, and then I bury you. What’s it going to be?”

“I know nothin’.”

I drive my fist into his stomach, hearing his ribs crack. He bellows, and squirms in the guy’s grips.

“I’m not joking, tell me or I find something harder than my fist to beat you with.”

“I don’t fuckin’ know his name!” he bellows, groaning. “I just went into town, heard on the grapevine I could get some good stuff. I got it, and I left.”

“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me,” I bellow, driving another fist into his face. He screams as blood spurts from his nose.

“I won’t fuckin’ tell you!” he roars.

“Cade, get my gun,” I order.

Cade goes to my bike, pulling my gun out and bringing it over to me. I press it to the man’s head. “I’ve killed many men before; I won’t hesitate to kill someone like you. No one will even know you’re gone. You have five seconds.”

“I don’t know!” he cries.

“Five.”

“I don’t...”

“Four.”

I load the gun.

“You fuckin’ crazy...”

“Three.”

“I...”

“TWO!”

“It was Hogan!” he bellows.

I lower the gun, shaking my head. What?

“What did you fuckin’ say?”

“The man running the drugs, his name is Hogan.”

“Fuck!” Cade bellows.

“Shit,” Granger grunts.

I stand a moment, and then turn my eyes back to the guys. “Get rid of him, make sure he doesn’t speak. I don’t want Hogan knowing I am onto him. If that fucker is still alive, then he’s playing a game with us.”

“On it boss,” Granger says, and he and Muff drag the man off.

I turn to Cade. “We’ve got a fuckin’ problem.”

“No shit.”

CHAPTER 17

SERENITY

“What else?” Hogan roars, slamming his fist into the wall.

“That’s it. They’re very quiet. I can’t get anything else.”

“You know if they’re suspicious on anything?”

I shake my head. “No, they keep it quiet. I know they went on a run.”

“Where to?”

I don’t want to tell him where. “I-I don’t know.”

“I bet I fuckin’ know where,” he grins. “I set it up just right.”

Set it up?

“What did you set up?” I rasp.

“I have had them chasin’ their fuckin’ tails for weeks. I am runnin’ drugs through their town, and they’re suspicious. I had a junkie set up that I knew they could track. I know that’s what they’re doing. They’re tryin’ to find him to get information. He’ll give them my name, just how I want it. While they’re away, I’m setting up their compound just fuckin’ right. By the time they get back, it will be rigged and ready. They’ll call an emergency meeting, I know how clubs work. They’ll call it through because they have just found out I’m alive. I’ll move in then. My weapons arrived today. Machine guns.”