Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Then, maybe, Dell would tell me.
And I could stop fucking worrying too.
“You’re right. I think—“ she started, then cut off when a car pulled up out front.
Some irrational fucking part of me hoped to look and see Nyx’s old car there.
But it was Cillian’s car instead.
There, no doubt, to see his nephew again.
“He’s got baby fever,” Dell said, shaking her head as she watched her eldest brother make his way to the door. “I hope he finds someone to give him some of his own soon. He’s right there in the—“ Delaney said as Cillian came in. But she cut off when he already made a beeline for the crib, scooping up the baby, but making his way toward us with a stern face.
“Everything okay?” Dell asked, frowning at her brother.
“Yeah. I’m actually here for Slash,” he said, nodding his chin at me.
“Oh, okay. Do you want me to take him?” she asked, reaching out toward her son.
“No,” Cillian said, taking a step back.
“Oookay, well, I am going to go take a shower then,” she said, rushing off toward the elevator with just a bit too much pep for just taking a shower. Unless Judge was going to join her.
“What’s up?” I asked as Cillian popped the baby up on his shoulder when he started to gurgle and squirm.
“Rian saw him,” Cillian said.
“Rian saw who?” I asked as Cillian started to pat the baby’s back. “Think you’re making it worse,” I said when the baby started pulling up his legs and letting out little shrieks.
“He’s got gas,” Cillian said, unbothered by the ear-piercing cries. “Rian saw Erion,” he told me. “There you go,” he said, nodding, when the baby let out a burp.
“How the fuck you know that shit?” I asked. I mean, sure Cillian had sort of raised Dell and his younger brothers when their old man died, but they hadn’t been babies. And, as far as I could tell, there were no babies in the family aside from this one.
“Dunno,” he said, shrugging. “Instinct, I guess. But, yeah, Rian saw him.”
“He’s sure?” I asked, dubious. “Erion went away a long-ass time ago.”
“He’s sure. I downloaded some of his pictures to refresh everyone’s memory. Rian said he looked bulkier than he used to, but that it was definitely the same guy.”
Yeah, it was no surprise that he’d put on some muscle while inside. Nothing else to do but workout.
“Where’d he see him?”
“Rian was coming into town. Erion was heading out.”
Hopefully for good. We didn’t need any more issues in Shady Valley.
“What kinda car?”
“Black sedan. He said it wasn’t new or old, just completely forgettable. Rian tried to turn around and follow him, but by the time he could turn around without being seen, Erion was long gone.”
To that, I let out a deep sigh.
“Yeah. That about covers it,” Cillian agreed.
“Well, we can hope he was on his way out of town for good.”
“Come on,” Cillian said, shaking his head. “You don’t believe that.”
“No, I don’t.”
“And, unfortunately, a black car isn’t much to do on,” Cillian said. “Though we are going to take turns driving around town, looking for it. And him. Just so we know where he’s at.”
“And maybe what he’s up to,” I said.
“Yeah. Gotta be prepared if there is going to be a street war.”
“Especially with The Bog being so close to the pool hall.”
“Exactly,” Cillian said, sighing. “Alright. That’s all I had to tell you. I will keep you posted. Where’s his stroller?” he asked, glancing around.
“Back of Dell’s car,” I said.
“Tell her I’m taking him for a walk,” he said, already making his way toward the door.
“Will do,” I agreed before taking a long sip of my coffee.
Well then.
As if the shit with Nyx wasn’t enough to worry about, now we had to figure out if Erion was going to be a problem for our organization, or just mind his business.
Something told me there was no way he was going to try to be a new player in town and shit was just going to go smoothly.
I never could have imagined as I went about the day that, somehow, the shit with Nyx and the shit with Erion would all meld together in a giant goddamn clusterfuck of a situation.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Nyx
The absolute last thing I needed after an already epically shitty day, week, month, was to have to deal with going through my shit and filling out a police report.
That was what my mind was on as I walked up to my door to find it slightly ajar.
It wouldn’t be the first time I’d dealt with a break-in.
As a whole, Shady Valley was a relatively safe place. But that didn’t mean there were no assaults or break-ins.
The last time I’d had my place broken into, though, was because of some shithead friend of a friend who’d been to my apartment for a party and had come back when I was at work one night to rob me blind.