Page 29 of Shadow and Skulls

Unknown: No way. I’ll get one of the guys to measure us and get back to you on that.

Me: So, things are going well?

I know I shouldn’t ask about club business, but I always worry about my dad when he’s on a run.

Unknown: Everything is good, little shadow. I’ll keep an eye on the old man for you. I know he’s getting up there in years.

Me: I dare you to say that to his face.

If my dad knew Tank was watching me right now, he would kill him.

Chapter Eight

Tank

For thirty minutes I watched her stare into space. At first I thought the video feed had glitched. I didn’t want her to know I had eyes on her, but I couldn’t let those little fucks live rent free in her mind any longer. It looks like I’ll have to pay the whole basketball team a visit. I thought it was just Jason and Lexi who were picking on my girl, but it looks like there is a bigger bullying problem at that school than I thought.

Cass orders another round for our friends from Nevada before pulling his phone to his ear and stepping outside. I do the same, shooting a text to my friend, Liam.

Me: He’s making a call.

Liam: Already on it.

I want to ask him if he’s gotten any more information on Kelsie, but I don’t. Right now, we need to focus on our current mission. Petey’s little girl is in danger. Cass told the club yesterday he had arranged a meeting tonight with someone who could tell us who was behind the murder of Charlotte’s mother.Whoever it is, they are into some shady shit. We aren’t dealing with a little dog here.

The guys I’m working for have been looking for this guy for a long time. He’s the missing link. We know he has information on a ring of men who have been trafficking kids from here to the east coast. I don’t really know much about it other than that. This isn’t my real profession; I’m just helping them out. This isn’t the first job they’ve hired me for, but it has been the longest. I fit the role. They needed someone who knew how to ride, drink beer, and cuss. I can do all three of those things in my sleep. The hardest part of the job was earning the trust of the Skulls.

Somehow, I managed to get in, and soon enough, I found myself the VP of the NorCal Chapter. Before you go patting me on the back, getting the position wasn’t as hard as you might think. Nobody wanted it. I think it has something to do with the fact that everyone secretly hates our president. Cass is an arrogant, morally disgusting man.

Liam: It’s a setup.

My head falls. Fuck. This is it. I’m going to have to show my cards soon. I can’t let that sweet little girl get hurt.

“Isn’t my friend pretty?” Petey’s daughter asks, leaning across the table from me.

I’m not here to look at the ladies, but I can’t ignore the kid. She’s cute as a bug’s ear. I follow her tiny finger. I squint my eyes, and then I see her. A young woman, sitting in the shadow of a tree by herself, her nose buried in a book. I glance around. She looks so out of place here.

“She’s been sad,” Charlotte continues.

“Why’s that?” I hear myself ask as my gaze goes back to the blond-haired woman.

“I think it’s because people are being mean to her at school.”

“Well, that’s not cool,” I mutter, turning back to my food. She’s in school? No thank you.

“Yeah, Kelsie’s nineteen.”

This little turkey must read minds.

“Almost twenty,” she adds quickly, when she sees she has my interest again. “And she’s so nice. Before I got my new mommy, Kelsie used to take me for ice cream every day after school. She likes the mint kind. You know, the kind with little chocolate chippies in it?”

My gaze goes back to the young woman. She smiles at her book and jealousy stirs in my gut. That smile is too pretty to be awarded to a book. I’ve never been more envious of an inanimate object.

“Do you like ice cream?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess.”

“You know, I heard her daddy ask one of the guys if they could change the oil in her car for him tomorrow. You like to work on cars, don’t you?”

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