Page 32 of Bound by Adoration

“Grew up here,” I told him, and it was so slight that I almost missed it, but his shoulders sagged just a touch. What the fuck was that about?

I pointed to the sign on the door. “My dad passed and just finishing up the final paperwork. Plannin’ on headin’ home right after.”

“Sorry to hear about your old man,” he stated.

I was not sorry one bit that the fucker was eight feet under. But I didn’t tell him that. “Thanks. What about you? What are you doin’ being the chief in small town Sumner? Thought you were workin’ for Governor Runnerband?”

His lips shut as if he was thinking before replying. Denoting what he was going to say. Odd. “Still am. Gotta clean up the city.”

Clean up the city?

Seriously?

That shit I didn’t believe one bit. Ravage had it clean. Well, except for them, of course. This didn’t make sense.

“What’s dirty here?” I asked him, putting him on the spot.

“You know who lives here.” His brows lifted so I gave him the answer.

“The Ravage MC?”

He nodded. “Don’t you worry about it. Just get your shit done and get back to Atlanta. Heard things are spicing up there.”

It was my turn to pry. “What’s that? Did I miss somethin’?”

He smirked in that arrogant way that I’d hated from the first day I’d met him, but he was a colleague. A very respected officer according to the word around the precinct. Then to move up to work for Runnerband, he wasn’t a beat cop. He knew what was going on everywhere, or so I’d heard.

“Hawk is closer than we thought.”

It took every ounce of control in my body to keep my muscles from tightening and giving anything away. I placed my hands in my pockets to give them something to do so they didn’t clench into fists and reach out and pop the guy in his face.

That would get me nowhere. He had information.

And fuck me. This wasn’t good. I needed to go back to Nyx becauseHawkwas Cami/Nyx’s code name at the precinct. Which absolutely confirmed they all knew she was around here.

He was here to take out the Ravage MC and was on the lookout for Nyx.

Fuck me. A one two punch that I couldn’t allow to happen.

“Seriously?” I asked pretending to be stunned. “How close? Here in Sumner? There’s no way.”

His grin widened. “Within a radius.” He got closer as if someone was around to hear him. “Hamilton will be in Tifton in three days. Him and his people are going to start sweeping there and then branch out. We’ll get the little bitch.”

Red film covered my eyes, and my fists clenched in my pockets, pressing the fabric tight. I tried desperately to calm my breathing but fuck me, it was barely working. Hamilton had a lot of people, and if they were “sweeping,” it was only a matter of time before their search led here to Sumner.

I needed to talk to Raid. And Nyx. Fuck. And Screech for that matter.

We needed a plan. Needed to figure out where they were staying exactly. Create an offense instead of waiting like sitting ducks. At least he told me Tifton. That was at least a starting point.

“Damn. At least we’ll be able to move past Hawk and not be on the lookout all the fuckin’ time,” I said, acting caviler.

“Yeah, man. One thing off all our plates when that woman’s found. It’s been fuckin’ years, and I’m done with it. Find her and put her where she belongs.”

Yeah, with that psychopath and his kids. No fucking way was that happening.

“Alright, man. I gotta get this shit done and head back.” I held out my hand, and he took it. “Take care of yourself, Thompson.”

“You too, McMatthews. Be happy you can leave this God forsaken place. Fuck knows I can’t leave.”

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