Page 17 of Sinner's Fury

Rarely did an absentee father of three little girls and their aunt, the latter married to a man who had his own adopted daughter and recently had twins, come together to make a unique family unit.

We were the quintessential modern-day family, and I loved every fucking thing about it.

“DADDY!” my middle child, Brianna screeched loudly, causing every nerve in my body to shiver, almost like she raked her tiny little nails on a chalkboard.

Plowing into my legs, I grinned when I bent down to pick her up. The second she was in my arms, she stuck her tongue out at her sister Andi and then at Elizabeth, Vicious’ adoptive daughter, the oldest of the children on this floor.

“No fair!” Beth cried, pointing a semi-automatic Nerf gun at me. “No parental interference allowed. Hand over the perp and you won’t get hurt, Uncle Chris.”

Trying hard to hold my laughter, I looked at the young girl, cleared my throat, and asked, “As the attorney for the suspect, I demand to know what crime she is being accused of tonight?”

“She’s a thief!” my oldest, Andi, huffed. “She took my Barbie.”

“Did not!” Bri shot back.

Looking at Brianna, I sighed. “You know it’s not good to lie to your attorney. How can I defend you if I don’t have all the information?”

“I sorry, Daddy,” Bri muttered.

“Now. Did you take Adrianna’s Barbie?”

“I jus’ wanna play with her. She got pretty hair.”

“Brianna, you have your own Barbies.”

“But they have no hair.”

“That’s because you cut it all off. We talked about this, sweetheart. When you stop cutting your dolls’ hair, Aunt Linsey, Uncle Gregory and I will start buying you new ones. Until then, you have to play with the ones you have.”

“I sorry.”

Kissing her chubby cheek, I earnestly added, “I know you are. Now be a good girl and give your sister her doll back, please.”

Placing Brianna on her feet, I said nothing when my dejected little girl marched back into Linsey and Vicious’ penthouse, as ifshe were heading off to the gallows, followed closely by Elizabeth and Adrianna.

Chuckling, I headed for my penthouse, leaving the front door open and dropping my bag on the floor near the table. Emptying my pockets, I divested myself of keys, phone, and any loose change, which I dumped into a large plastic gallon water jug.

Shortly after we all moved in together, I started collecting change for the girls. Each girl had their own water gallon with their names on it. The second I looked into college for three girls, I damn near had a heart attack. That wasn’t including the cost of raising three girls and all that entailed, like clothes, shoes, unmentionables, plus, future cars, hair and nail appointments, and whatever else their hearts desired.

I needed all the help I could get!

Seeing Shame’s phone, I picked it back up and frowned.

Heading to my bedroom, I shucked off my coat and placed it on the back of a chair, before kicking off my shoes. Walking over to my bed, I sat, looking at the phone in my hand.

The black burner phone was the only thing I had left of one of my best friends. I thought it odd that this little piece of machinery was all Pippen found in Shame’s office. Shame had been a brother in the club for years, and yet, this was the only personal effect he left behind.

I wasn’t buying it.

Flipping the phone open, I brought up the contacts.

Like Pippen had stated, there was nothing in there.

Opening up the call log, it too was devoid of anything. It was like Shame never used the phone. Yet, it was the only thing Pippen found of any significance in his office.

“What do you have there?”

Sighing, I muttered, acknowledging Vicious, “Shame’s burner phone.”

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