Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
“This whole time?” Kash smiles at him as if a proud dad. “You’ve kept this a secret? Why not just tell us?”
Adam sighs and ignores that. “The Lords want me dead.”
“No shit.” Saint snaps, “But why?”
“They—”
“The Lords are part of the problem.” Bill finally speaks and I was wondering why he’s even here. We all look at him. “They want Adam dead because he knows too much. To them, he’s turned on the society and betrayed his oath.”
“And you?” Saint arches a brow. “I’m confused…are you part of the Lords right now or have you too betrayed them?”
“I’m whoever I need to be,” Bill answers vaguely.
Saint snorts, not liking his answer.
“So what does that mean exactly?” Kash asks, looking back at Adam.
Adam drops his head once again, and Saint gets to his feet. “Goddammit, Adam,” he growls. “Your sister thinks you’re dead.”
“I’m protecting her.” Adam’s green eyes snap up to glare at him.
“Bullshit!” Saint argues. “She’s a fucking wreck…”
“They will come after her!” He jumps to his feet. “I’m trying to do something here! I’m trying to fix a problem that we’ve helped create!” He shouts and adds, “Your wife was raped. Again.” His words make Saint flinch. “My sister…” He pokes his own chest. “Raped...again. And she’s carrying that fucking bastard’s child! AGAIN! I’m trying to prevent another mother, sister, or someone’s daughter from having to go through that.”
I get to my feet and touch his arm. “Adam,” I say softly, trying to defuse the situation. He doesn’t need to bring up what we all know. It’s not going to change the past. Plus, I haven’t asked or heard if it’s been confirmed whether Benny is the father to one of Ashtyn’s babies. I’m just guessing Adam assumes the worst.
Adam steps back and falls into the seat between his boss and Bill. He opens up a briefcase and pulls out another manila envelope and slaps it down on Saint’s lap that reads TOP SECRET across the front.
“What is this?” he asks, opening it.
“It’s not just here,” Adam states.
“What’s not?” Kash questions.
Adam’s boss goes to speak, but Adam beats him to it. “The girls…the disappearances.”
“Tyler Cason Crawford.” Saint reads the name out loud.
I look at Adam. “Any relation to Tyson?”
“Not that we’ve found,” his boss answers.
“Is this Tyler guy a Lord?” Saint goes on, and his brows crease as his eyes skim the report.
“Not that we can tell.” Adam shakes his head.
“Eight cases—car abandoned on the side of the road…wallet and purse left behind.” Saint closes the folder and hands it over to me. “Why are you showing us this?”
I open it up and read over it myself as Adam speaks. “These are strikingly similar to the case that I was accused of being a part of. But those eight in Indiana were not made as public as those that took place here in Pennsylvania. Certain things were kept hush-hush.”
“They have to be connected.” Kashton nods in understanding.
“But those took place first,” Bill adds, gesturing to the folder in my hands.
“Indiana is about seven and half hours from here,” I state.
“It’s only three and a half hours from Chicago,” Bill announces.
I look up at him and frown. “LeAnne’s been in Chicago.” Lived there with her husband until Ryat killed him and she moved to Texas. Now she’s supposedly moving here, according to my wife.
“It would make sense that she’s involved in these young women disappearing. She’s Isabella’s twin,” Saint agrees.
“So you think they’ve been involved since the beginning?” Kash asks.
“I found it odd how Isabella had Sierra tied to the fence that night,” I admit.
“I thought it was some twisted joke referencing Adam.” Kash refers to his chosen and leans back in his seat. “The use of barbed wire…knowing Adam was on the run for the girls that were found brutally murdered. I thought she was just being a sick bitch.”
I toss the folder onto the table and run a hand down my face. It all makes more sense the more I think about it. And how Charlotte’s SUV was left on the side of the road for me to see. Isabella knew it’d catch my attention, and I’d be unable to ignore it. And she also knew that I’d call Adam, wanting him to freshen my memory on the cases from four years ago because it involved him.
“Adam—”
“I’ve got to do this, Saint.” He interrupts whatever he was about to say. “It doesn’t end because Ashtyn is back at Carnage with you.” Saint’s jaw sharpens, and he looks away. “I know you can take care of her, but who is going to take care of the others?” Adam points at the open folder on the table. Hanging his head, he runs his hands through his hair aggressively. “It won’t always be this way,” he says softly. “One day I won’t have to play dead.”