Page 3 of Condemned Soul

“But you will?” I look him up and down.

“Anythin’ to keep our girl happy, right?” He throws my own words back at me and leaves me with no argument.

“Get Marilyn to hook her up with a cabin.” I sigh, struggling to believe the words that are comin’ outta my own mouth.

“I knew ya wouldn’t let her down.” Nyx nods back at me appreciatively.

“And get Maddy to find out who these loan sharks are, the sooner we solve that problem, the sooner we can be rid of her.”

“Got it, boss.” Nyx takes my instruction before heading over to tell Ella the news. I hear her squeal when he explains and she rushes straight toward me, throwing her arms around my neck and squeezing me tight.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” She kisses my cheek over and over again and I can’t stop my own smile from forming when I see how happy I’ve made her.

“It’s temporary, and I ain’t doin’ it for her. I’m doin’ it for you,” I warn.

“I know, and it means so much, Dad.” Ella is still smiling when she releases me, and as she heads over to her mom so she can explain, I get back to drinking.

Believe it or not, the whiskey helps with my problem-solving. And right now, Joanne is the least of ‘em. I’ve had Consuela on my back the past few days. She's waiting for me to come up with something that will take the heat off my club but still make waves in the organized crime department she works in. I’ve asked her to give me time, and I guess I should be grateful for the opportunity she’s giving me, but I can’t help questioning her motives.

I top myself up and stare at the amber liquid in my glass as I swish it around and think of all the ways I wanna end Cliff Adams. He’s the reason I’m in this shit, he’s fucked things up for the whole club with his selfishness and stupidity. It makes me regret the fact that I’m a man of my word right now, because I gave it to his son, Wrath, when I promised I’d let him be the one who kills him.

“Thank you.” I turn my head when I hear Joanne’s voice come from behind me, and I can’t help indulging in the look of lost pride that's on her face.

“I won’t have my girl worryin’ about a damn thing.” I shrug as if it ain’t a big deal.

“Our girl,” she reminds me, attempting to be friendly with the soft smile she offers.

“Not when you were in charge.” I finish up my drink and slam it back down, leaving her standing alone. Too much time spent with her can be dangerous, and I already know letting her inside the confines of my compound is gonna be another thing I’ll regret.

“So, he’s just gonna let her stay here?” Maddy turns down the bed while I finish texting Nyx the address of the lender he asked her to find, earlier.

“It looks that way.” I kick off my sneakers and step out my jeans so I can join my girl under the covers.

“Well, it’s gonna be tough, there's so much tension between those two, and I don’t know about you but I’ve noticed a change in Prez the past few weeks. He’s?—”

“I know what ya mean,” I cut her off because as much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree. Prez has been acting strange, and I’m as sure as I can be that he’s keeping something from us.

“I don’t think this could have happened at a worse time.” Maddy sighs as she rests her head back on the pillow.

“You need to stop worryin’ about other people's problems, darlin’.” I slide my hand around her waist and drag her closer.

“Sorry, it’s in my nature.” She turns her head and smiles at me. “And don’t try telling me you're not worrying about your sister. You can see how fond she’s becoming of that little boy.” She gives me that look, that reminds me I can’t keep a damn thing from her.

Of course, she’s right about that too, and I ain’t the only one who’s concerned. Troj has been talking to me about it, and he’s equally as worried that Shaniya’s getting too attached to the kid whose Mom abandoned him in the library a few weeks ago.

“I suggested the other day that Grace talk to the boy about what happened and that maybe Shaniya should talk to her too,” I admit.

“And how did that go down?” Maddy looks back at me awkwardly.

“Better than I thought, she wasn’t offended, but she still swears that she’s fully prepared for the boy's mom to come back for him. She’s just adamant that we don’t call child services, and I’ll stand by her on that. Ain’t no argument in the fact that the kid bein’ here with her is what’s best for him. I just don’t know if it’s what’s best for Shaniya.” I kiss Maddy’s head and take in the scent of her hair, it always does something to soothe me.

“I’ve tried finding out who his mom is but I’ve got nothing to go on. The kid still hasn’t spoken a word.” Maddy looks helpless and I know how much she hates that.

“These things take time.” I smile at her and stroke her cheek with my thumb.

“It seems like all things take time.” She raises her eyebrows and her smile quickly turns into a sad one.

“C’mon, Maddy, we ain’t been tryin’ at getting pregnant for no time at all. It’s gonna happen.”

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