Page 80 of Queen of Anarchy (Dirty Broken Savages 2)

We move around each other like we always do, making coffee and foraging for breakfast, finding places to sit or lean in the kitchen. It’s always been the place where we have our meetings and discussions when we’re at home. Mostly because Knox always wants to be eating something and it was just easier than waiting for him to cook, but also because it feels kind of like the heart of the house.

We all have our own spaces, where we like to be when we want to be alone or need to get shit done, but this is a place where we come together, and River has worked herself into it almost seamlessly.

She side-steps Knox and fills up the dog’s bowl before going to make her own coffee.

We all know we have things to discuss, but it waits until we’re settled with our breakfasts, and then Gage speaks up.

“I think we have to consider that Julian might actually be behind the Ivan St. James thing,” he says.

I look at River, watching her to see if she’s going to be upset talking about the fucker who abducted her, but she’s just drinking her coffee and looking at Gage, eyes narrowed.

“His alibi from before still checks out though,” Knox says around a mouthful of toast with eggs heaped on top.

“True. We don’t have confirmation of anything, but this new development changes things somewhat. It would make sense if he was trying to smoke River out. If he knew she was the one who killed Ivan.”

Priest sets his cup down and shakes his head. “It could be, but it doesn’t quite add up. It doesn’t seem likely that these two things are that related.”

“Does he know you killed his dad?” Knox asks River.

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so, or he would’ve killed me outright and not even bothered capturing me. Given how fucked up that family is, I have no idea if he loved his father, but losing Lorenzo fucked their business pretty bad.”

“So it’s more likely that he didn’t have anything to do with Ivan’s body and only picked up River because she was following him. Like he said,” Priest puts in. “And if he’s had her sister this whole time, then he clearly would have known who she was. He probably doesn’t even know that she was involved in either death—his father’s or Ivan’s.”

“Shit. Everything being weirdly connected like this isn’t making it any easier,” I say, propping my chin on my hand.

Gage shrugs. “That’s how it works. The higher you climb in the criminal underworld, the more shit gets tangled up together. Ivan and Lorenzo were both big players in Detroit, and it just so happens they were both sick fucks who messed with River and her sister. It would be nice if that made everything else fit together too, but apparently not.”

“Unless Julian is just a really good liar,” I point out.

Knox shakes his head. “I don’t think he’d be that good. And like River said, if he knew she killed his dad, he probably would have taken her out on sight.”

River drums her fingernails on the table, and I glance over at her as Gage speaks again. I can see determination rising in her like steam building up in a pot of water left on high heat. She looks fierce as fuck and so damn gorgeous like this, but worry pokes at my chest. Last time, she tried to go after Julian alone, and wejustgot her back from him.

We can’t let her do that again.

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