Page 24 of My Prince

“Skill, cupcake,” I chuckled, “and also skipping school to hang out by the lake.” I smirked, remembering the countless hours I’d spent here as a kid, avoiding responsibilities and just being free.

Adalee laughed, the sound musical and light. “I bet you were a troublemaker,” she teased.

“Maybe a little,” I admitted, grinning. “But I turned out alright.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Debatable.”

We sat down on a patch of grass near the water, the sunlight warm on our faces. Adalee leaned back on her hands, her eyes scanning the horizon. “It’s beautiful here,” she said softly.

“It is,” I agreed, watching her more than the scenery. “Sometimes you need a place like this to remind you there’s more to life than the clubhouse.”

Adalee turned to look at me, her expression serious. “I think that is the perfect segue for you to tell me just what the hell is going on.”

I knew there weren’t any cameras around, and in my gut, I knew I could trust Adalee. Sure, she was part of the production crew, but I knew she wouldn’t repeat a word of what I was going to tell her. It was a rare thing to trust someone outside the club, but Adalee made the cut.

“Some of the stuff I said on camera is true. You know that, right?” I started, needing her to understand where the lines of truth and fabrication lay.

“I’m assuming the stuff about Faye and Anthony dating is true.”

I nodded. “Yeah. And Anthony did blow up the gym trying to kill Faye.”

“Did he also blow up the garage?” she asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

I shook my head. “That was actually Poppy.”

“What?” Adalee gasped. “She’s with Yarder.”

I chuckled, though there was no humor in it. “Yeah, she is now. Before that, she was used by someone to get to us.” Even though I was going to tell Adalee the truth, it was still hard to do. Trust wasn’t something I gave easily, but Adalee had earned it.

“Someone who?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the fragile truths I was about to share.

I paused for a second. This was all going to sound crazy. “Someone high up. Someone who has a lot of power and isn’t afraid to use people like pawns.”

“I’m gonna need more than that, Fade.”

“Boone Drake and Craig Gibbs.”

Adalee furrowed her brow. “Um, I know who Boone Drake is, but I’m clueless on Craig Gibbs.” She tipped her head to the side. “Are you sure you have the right name? Boone Drake is the US Attorney General.”

I nodded and pulled a cigarette out. I quickly lit it and blew out a plume of smoke. “I got the names right, cupcake, and that is exactly who he is. Craig Gibbs is a hotshot lawyer from Houston. Put a notorious gang behind bars, and he’s looking to climb the political ladder.”

“And what does that have to do with the Iron Fiends?” she asked.

“I’ll start from the beginning, cupcake, and try to condense everything down.” I could barely keep all of this shit straight.

“I am ready for this.”

Might as well just get it all out. “Dove’s dad is Russ Finley.” I waited for Adalee to be shocked by that name, but then I remembered she wasn’t from Texas. “Russ Finley is the Texas State Attorney General.”

“Oh,” she said, catching up.

“When Boone Drake retires, Russ was hand-picked by Boone to be his predecessor. Boone told Russ he just needed one good case to put away some big names, and the job would be his. So, Russ started to set us up and then take us down. Well, that was the plan until Boone and the party changed their minds and decided they wanted to endorse Craig Gibbs. So, Russ was out, and Gibbs and Boone took over taking us out. But now they really want to take us out because we know all the dirty shit they’ve been up to.”

Adalee blinked rapidly. “You’re telling me the US Attorney General and the dude who is going to take his spot are trying to frame you and kill you? The whole club?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s it in a nutshell.”

“But, uh... this is insane.”

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