Page 55 of Shadow Obsession

Lincoln tried to smile, but couldn’t. “Thank you.”

He gave Matteo a polite nod and then headed for the door, anxious to collect Vivi and head home.

Chapter Twenty-One

They made it back to Cardinal in record time, and Lincoln dropped Vivi off at Brim’s house to keep Leia company. Then he drove to the clubhouse. Someone had brought floodlights, illuminating the darkness, and they showed the devastation. Half the building was either gone or still smoking. Men were all around, clearing debris, working to salvage what they could. Once they parked the truck, he hurried to see how he could help.

“Brim!” he called out.

The prez turned and waved him over.

“Good to have you back,” Brim muttered. “How’d it go with Romanelli?”

“I found the embezzler,” Lincoln replied. “The butler did it.”

“Seriously?”

Lincoln nodded. “Pietro said payment will be sent today. What happened here?”

“A bomb was left on the front step, apparently addressed to me,” Brim said, his tone low and inflectionless in his grief. “Bolt called, and I told him to put it on my desk. But when he moved it, it detonated. Unfortunately, there was a half-full gas can inside the door, and it just erupted, leveling half the building.”

Lincoln swallowed, choking down his own sorrow. While he didn’t know Tim well, he had still been a patched-in member. Bolt had been his friend. The loss of both in such a despicable way soured his stomach.

“Do we have any clue who did this?”

Brim shook his head. “No, but when I find the son of a bitch, I’m going to filet him. I’m going to rip him apart from top to bottom and hang his organs from a pike. Then I’ll burn him to ash.”

“What can I do to help?”

“How about helping clean up the debris over there?” Brim pointed to a section of the lawn where wood and metal had peppered the ground with broken pieces.

“Sure,” Lincoln said and hurried over to help with the cleanup process.

Everyone worked tirelessly through the night. At the break of dawn, most of the bits and pieces scattered from the explosion had been collected. Lincoln wiped a dirty hand over his brow and stretched, cracks going up and down his spine. The club gathered around Brim, waiting for more instructions.

“Thank you all,” he said. He rubbed a weary hand over his face. “I know everyone is exhausted, and I also know many of you that live in the clubhouse have lost your home. Those of us who have houses, I ask that you share them until we can make other arrangements.”

Lincoln was one of those men now left homeless, but he planned on taking a room at the local motel to grab a nap before returning and dealing with more. He walked over to Brim and Thorn, who were murmuring too low for Lincoln to hear what they talked about.

“Hey, Brim, can Vivi stay with you and Leia?”

“Of course. You won’t want her with you?”

“I’m focused on the club. At least with Leia, she’ll have company.”

Brim nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Leia is, uh, expecting.”

Lincoln’s eyes widened. “What? Congrats, man!”

He held out his hand and Brim shook it. “Thanks. Shit timing when we’re all in mourning.”

“Perhaps this news is a way to dig out of the sorrow.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m kinda freaked out. I mean, aren’t I a little too old to be a new father? What if … what if I fail again? I don’t think I can survive the loss of another child.”

Thorn laid a hand on Brim’s shoulder. “You never failed Nate. He would never blame you for anything. Just like Bolt and Tim. What happened is not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault except for the fucking bastard who did this.”

Brim rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. But moving past guilt is a daily struggle. Two steps forward and one step back.” He gave a weary smile to his VP. “I’m going to take a nap and then I have to arrange for their funerals.”

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