Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 72561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“No, not really. The Chief took me off the case. Put Hernandez on it. He said I was too involved, and I happen to agree with him. That’s not to say that I’m going to be just laying back and letting everyone else take care of my shit though. I was able to learn that Varian will be transferred to Huntsville the week after Christmas. He also gave up five other men and women; none of which admitted to murdering and raping anybody,” I said as I ran my fingers through my hair. I was frustrated beyond belief.
“Does my girl know you’ve had a man on her since that second murder?” Colton asked as he took a pull on his beer.
I looked at him sharply. “No, should she know? I didn’t really want her to know. She freaks out enough when a cop is within ten feet of her. I can just imagine what she’d do when I told her she has a cop and a couple of bikers following her around everywhere she goes.”
Colton laughed. “I guarantee you she already knows. She picked them up the first time they were sent over to watch her.”
I looked at him incredulously. “What makes you think that?”
“I taught that girl everything I know. I was a pararescuemen in the air force during Vietnam. I got out when Margery got pregnant with Channing, and I got back into business with my pop. Channing grew up on a shrimper, and I taught her everything I knew during our down time. She knows. I guarantee you,” Colton smiled widely.
My eyes narrowed on him, then I got up and headed to the table in the corner.
The table was a corner booth that held five max, but there were five women, a toddler, and an infant packed into the booth.
Channing was squeezed into the middle. Adeline and Viddy were closest to her with Baylee and Minnie on the outsides.
Minnie was the wife of another member of The Dixie Wardens, Porter. Minnie was a tailor, and the one who did all of the work for the club’s colors. She was also the one I’d be going to as soon as all the shit around me was done swirling. I wanted her to customize a property patch for Channing.
I already had it all planned out; all I needed was to get my life fixed, and then I’d make her mine.
Chapter 14
I won’t get jealous. I won’t get jealous. I won’t get jealous. Okay…who’s the whore?
-Channing to Brittany
Channing
Blaise was crawling over the five of us, using our thighs as balance beams.
I was holding Adeline and Kettle’s baby, Saylor, close to my chest, breathing in her little baby smell.
She was making the cutest snoring noises that made my insides warm and gooey.
“No, what I’m asking is, if you found out your husband was cheating, would you make friends with the mistress?” Adeline asked Viddy.
I rolled my eyes. They’d been going on and on about this for ten minutes now. It was like they were arguing with a brick wall.
“No! Because Trance would never cheat on me,” Viddy re-emphasized for the tenth time.
Adeline balled up her fists at her sister. “You little shit! That’s not what I mean!”
Viddy thumbed her nose at Adeline.
“My ex-boyfriend cheated on me. I found out when I answered a 911 call. The girlfriend had an allergic reaction, and they’d called the ambulance. Then I show up, and I have to save her slut ass,” Baylee grumbled.
“Were you living with him at the time?” Adeline asked her.
Baylee shook her head. “Yes, I was living with him, which was incredibly awkward. When I got home from my shift, he’d boxed all my shit up nicely and set it outside. Asshole.”
I snorted. “You should’ve retaliated or something. I would’ve made him move the fuck out.”
Then again, I was a vindictive bitch.
“It was kind of hard; he’d already changed the locks and everything. Plus, I’d moved into his place. It was only fair,” Baylee shrugged.
I never forgot anything. Never.
“My boyfriend from college did that. He didn’t leave me any of my things, though. He just locked it and left so I couldn’t get in. Although, I broke into the place with his old car. Drove it straight through his front window. Then I left so the cops wouldn’t know it was me,” I told them.
They all stared at me open mouthed.
“Why wouldn’t you be the first person the police contacted?” Viddy asked.
“I was, but Brody had tried to teach me multiple times how to drive a stick shift. I never figured it out. I was so pissed at that moment, though, that I just slammed my foot onto the gas, put it in first, and let off the clutch. I’m not quite sure I meant to drive it through his house or anything, but I did anyway,” I clarified.
The women surrounding me giggled, making the baby snuggled into my chest stir and let out a whimper.
Putting my hand under her bottom, I bounced her up and down, while I looked around the room.
“This is a nice place. Is this new?” I asked as I took in the nearest waiter who happened to be a firefighter with the Benton Fire Department.
I’d lived in Benton for a while now, and this was the first time I’d even heard of Halligans and Handcuffs.
The décor in the place was stunning.
All of the tables were made of diamond plated chrome, and the chairs were made out of what I expected was the material that firefighter’s bunker gear was made out of.
The lighting was suspended from the ceiling with handcuffs linked one by one. They had a perfect blend of both firefighting and policing. I loved it.
“Yep. We’ve put a lot of work into this place. All of us have done a little something. My contribution was the fire hoses that are housed in the glass of the bar. Adeline found all of the fire department signs. Viddy designed the handcuff lights. Minnie embroidered all the chairs. The guys did their part, too. It was a long process, but we like the outcome,” Baylee said.