Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
He shook his head. “Nope. I got a few questions myself. That’s a lot of fucking shit to dig up in a few hours. Well, I mean, unless you didn’t dig it up, and those are all setups to fuck them over.” He looked at me as it all began to dawn on him.
“No fucking way,” Ransom said, then let out a loud hoot of laughter. “Remind me not to piss you off. Fucking hell, man.”
“It wasn’t all a setup. I got lucky with the husband and his shadow family. That kinda shit would be hard to stage,” I told him. “But the bitch on the board, I had a little help cracking into online bank accounts and moving of money. As for the casino photos, I know a talented artist that is alive because we allow him to be, and he is producing those. If a man can fool the Feds with his hundred-dollar bills, he can handle putting an old bitch in a crummy-ass casino and make it believable.”
“I thought he was in prison.” Ransom sounded confused again.
“Gerard was the brains behind it. He’s in prison. Samson Zephyr wasn’t arrested because Gerard didn’t rat him out. We didn’t kill him, but only because Blaise paid him a visit, and he is indebted to the family for any service we may need from him,” I explained.
“So, what are we doing to this Voy guy?” Bane asked.
“Explaining the importance of the Baptist church not pissing off the Southern Mafia.”
“We’re threatening churches now. Awesome,” Ransom said.
I pulled up outside the gate to Gannon Rice’s house, the former leader of the Mississippi branch before his Parkinson’s got so far gone.
“Why are we at Gannon’s?” Bane asked.
The gates opened, and a figure came walking out.
When the headlights illuminated him, Bane sighed. “I should have seen that coming.”
The door behind Bane opened, and the man formerly known as Father by the local Catholic church climbed inside. He had given up his title and position when he went and fell in love with Gannon’s daughter this past spring.
“Father Jude,” Ransom drawled out on amusement. “Look at you, coming over to the dark side.”
Jude laughed. “Yeah, well, Rec Voy is a sick prick.”
“So, Jude is getting our face-to-face with Voy without having to break down doors and making it messy,” Bane said.
“No, Jude is there to inform Ric Voy that he will out him with proof of his extracurriculars.”
“Which are?” Ransom was getting excited. It was in his voice.
“Ric Voy has an addiction to watching underage girls on illegal sex videos he buys on DVD from a supplier in Mexico.”
“And we know this how?” Bane asked.
“He came to confession twice. He’s a deacon in the Baptist church, but was raised Catholic. Guilt got to him, and he thought he could confess it and stop.”
“What’s our proof other than your word?” Bane asked, covering all the bases, as if I hadn’t already.
“I know where he keeps them. That came out when he was sobbing and rambling on about it.”
“What about the principal?” Another question from Bane.
“Board fires him on our orders. Once we have Rec Voy by the balls, he will become our puppet,” I said.
“Damn.” Bane drawled out the word. “When is the fucking wedding?”
“What wedding?” I asked. I hadn’t mentioned a wedding.
He turned and gave me a pointed look. “This is a lot of destruction you’re about to rain down on numerous people because they made Winslet cry. If this is your reaction to her being hurt, then your ass is owned. You don’t do shit like this for a woman you haven’t handed your soul to.”
I thought about it for a minute. Had I? I was protective of her. I fucking wanted her. I could look at her for hours on end. But there were issues. Obstacles. Really big-ass ones that I wasn’t sure would allow this thing with us to continue once she found out. She wasn’t clingy and needy like other females I’d been around. And I didn’t know how to do a relationship. But the idea of her being with anyone else stirred that demented shit inside me up.
Well, fuck. Maybe I had handed her my soul.
“This wasn’t my initial reaction to them hurting her,” I admitted. “This is tamer.”
“What the hell was your first reaction then?” Ransom asked.
“He was gonna kill ’em all,” Bane replied, not missing a beat.
“Yep,” I agreed.
Thirty
Winslet
My eyes opened at six a.m. on the dot, and I hadn’t even set the alarm. I stared at the phone, then shifted to look at the window while I lay in bed. It was weird, not jumping up to get ready for the day. Memories of last night began to filter in through the sadness, and it eased. Oz had shown up and made a night that would have been difficult…incredible. A smile slowly spread across my face, and I stopped it.