Page 26 of Shadow

I listened as Hope reached across the table and took her hands. “If there is anything I can do, please let me know.”

“Thank you,” Kali said as a man walked up behind her.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Stone,” the man said.

“Detective Conroy. How are you today?”

“Good, and how is that husband of yours?” the police officer said, looking around the marketplace. For a man in his position, he looked twitchy, which was never a good sign. “Is Kansas with you?”

“No, he’s at the clubhouse. You should stop by and say hello.”

“I might just do that,” he said, before leaving rather quickly. Watching him leave, Kali whispered, “Hello,Shadow.”

“Mrs. Stone.” I nodded.

“Please call me Kali. Everyone does.”

And have Kansas decapitate me? Hell no! I liked my head right where it was.

“I can’t do that, ma’am. You are the ol’ lady to the President of a club. It’s a respect thing.”

“Can I ask you something?”

Cautiously, I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“How do you know Kansas?”

Well shit, I silently cursed. I did not want to have this conversation, especially with the wife of the President. Kansas was fucking clear with me. I was to stay the fuck away from his woman. I looked everywhere but at her before taking a deep breath and saying. “His club and my club worked together for a while.”

“You’re in a club too?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m a patched brother of the Golden Skulls motorcycle club.”

Well…was. But she didn’t need to know that.

“I heard of them. They were on the news several months ago. You helped bring down some unsavory people, correct?”

I smirked. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Zeke and my older brother, Balthazar, are both members of the same club,” Hope said proudly, smiling up at me.

“My brother was in a motorcycle club, too,” Kali muttered.

“What club was he with? I might know him,” I asked, not knowing why I wanted to know. I was just trying to be polite. Kali seemed like a very sweet woman and Hope liked her a lot. The least I could do was make general conversation.

Kali took a deep breath before admitting. “With the Diamondbacks, like Kansas. You might know him. His name was Jinx.”

I froze.

“She needs you. Save her. Tell Jinx I love her,” I heard Jinx say as his face flashed before me. My heart raced, pumping my blood expeditiously through my veins. My world narrowed until all I saw was Kali’s face. Her brother screaming in my ear, frantically.

She couldn’t be.

I knew she looked familiar.

It was her eyes. She had the same eyes as her brother.

I couldn’t be here. I needed to leave. If she found out that I was the one who killed her brother, Kansas would kill me. Hell, he was going to kill me, regardless. Nothing was going to stop him now.

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