Page 15 of I Should Hate You-but I Don't

"You need to take precautions before opening the bar to the public." His dad's leg bounced, jostling the table.

The agitation he spotted in his dad was new. He normally hid his emotions. Nothing fazed him.

"Make sure the members only let loose in the clubhouse. You don't want Gem Haven's business getting out to some strait-laced fucker who decided to stop in for a beer." His dad glanced at the clock. "I'll need some money put into my account before you leave."

"I'll do it as soon as we're done." He hadn't had time to use the machine to send the money to the commissary under his dad's name when he'd arrived.

"If Kingsley comes back with the Pruitt girl, I'll need you to get word to me," said his dad.

He nodded. For how much he wanted to know what his father had done to owe a man on death row, he knew asking wouldn't give him the answer. No amount of digging around had given him an answer in the last nine years.

"Son?" his dad said, leaning against the table. "Watch your back and protect your brother."

"Is that a warning or paranoia settling in?" he asked.

"There's talk going around." His dad lowered his voice. "Valdone voted in a new president. The guy is hungry to take over Gem Haven. With me gone—"

"They'll think I'm an easy mark." Zane gritted his teeth.

Valdone Motorcycle Club originated from Nevada and had slowly crept up into South Idaho over the last decade, taking out smaller clubs while leaving the bigger ones alone. The move surprised him, considering north of Gem Haven, Avery Falls, Moroad, and Bantorus Motorcycle Club resided. There was no way in hell Valdone had the numbers or the money to drive them out of the state.

But Gem Haven was at risk with its president in prison and its vulnerable location on the south side of Interstate 90.

It was one more thing for him to take care of.

"Visitation is over. Please say your goodbyes and line up at the Exit door," shouted the guard.

With the loud hum of tears, chairs scraping the floor, and people moving about, Zane held his dad's gaze. "Next time you get a chance to give a message to Pruitt, let him know I want to tell River he's alive."

"He'll never allow it, son." His dad hitched his chin toward the guard, signaling he was through. "Get out of here. Stay safe."

Dismissed, he walked toward the door without looking back as the guard stood ready to unchain his dad from the table. It would do no good to watch as his dad's long, brisk stride became a slow, shuffled walk back to his cell.

The visits never left him with hope or strengthened his resolve to lead Gem Haven to greatness. As he'd done at the end of every visit, he tried to change the favor owed to Pruitt. River deserved to know the truth about her dad.

The secret kept him from claiming the girl who captured his heart when she was only a child, and her world was in turmoil. He'd gone after her to fulfill a favor for his father, and it'd quickly turned into a personal endeavor to always protect the Pruitt sisters.

He followed the others through the lobby and then lined up to pick up his wallet, phone, keys, and pack of cigarettes from the guard who'd held his belongings while he visited with his dad.

Outside, he lit a cigarette and checked his phone. He'd missed a text message from Kingsley.

The trip was a bust. The contact confirmed he'd employed Kenna. She up and quit two weeks ago with no notice. He has no other information to share. I'm heading home.

Damn. He inhaled deeply, feeling Kingsley's frustration of coming up empty-handed again. Every time they reached a dead-end, River lost hope of ever finding her sister.

Chapter Seven

River

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A chittering came from the left of River. She stopped in the pathway and peered through the pine trees scattered around her, trying to find the source of the noise.

Several yards away, a squirrel popped out of the ground and dashed to a nearby huckleberry bush, disappearing underneath the foliage. For a moment, she was stuck to the spot, taken back to a time when she and Kenna played in the backyard after school. They'd line the pinecones up on the back fence and watch the squirrels come and pick from them.

A cheeseburger bird whistled, snapping her out of the past. She walked slowly, in no hurry to go home after working all day. She had the next two days off and hoped to hear something from Kingsley about her sister.

In her mind, she wondered if Kenna lived a different life—one that didn't include having a sister. Maybe she married or had a child at a young age and was busy earning a living and putting a roof over her baby's head. Maybe she joined the military and lived in a foreign country.

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