face, she walked through the doorway. “Hey, y’all, sorry I’m late. There was a wreck on the interstate, and I had to take the back roads. I got here as soon as I could.”
“No big deal.” Liam came over and hugged his oldest daughter, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “I’m just glad to see you. Haven’t seen much of your face lately.” He said it gently but meant it. She hadn’t been around nearly enough for his liking.
“I know.” She hugged him close, smelling the cologne he wore. The scent always took her back to simpler times when he was able to fix any problem she had with a stern voice. Those had been so easy. “I’ve been busy, but I promise to be around more.” She would need her family when push came to shove.
“I guess since Dalton’s taking some time off, you’ll be spending more time with him,” Liam was quick to drop the bomb he was positive his daughter didn’t know. She covered it up well, but Liam could see the surprise in her eyes. They obviously weren’t talking at all, and Liam wasn’t sure what scared him the most. The fact that she wasn’t talking to her family, or the fact she wasn’t talking to her long-time boyfriend. Either way, things were weird, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
“Yeah, we’ll both be around a lot more,” she lied through her teeth and hoped like hell her dad couldn’t tell. He knew though, she was positive of that, but he was too good of a man to call her on it.
Drew pulled her over to where he stood munching on some chips. “Speaking of Dalton, have you noticed he’s been off lately? What the hell’s going on with him?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she had no clue, but that would be admitting she knew even less than she already did, and her ego just couldn’t take it.
“Worry in one hand and shit in the other, Drew. See what gets filled first.” She turned her back on him, pulling her phone out of her pocket and engaging Tatum in a sigh-filled conversation about some music star.
She’d never so thoroughly dismissed him in her life. They had to stop meddling or she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.
*
Where are you?
Dalton almost laughed. It was a toss-up on lying or telling her the truth. In the end, he chose not to answer. Probably wasn’t a good idea to tell the woman who carried your child that you were at a strip club fifty miles up the road. “Has he been in here tonight?” He flashed a picture of Samuel to the bouncer. The bouncer was a friend of the club, and Dalton knew he’d tell the truth.
“Not tonight. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen him. Every once in a while, I see him at the poker game down the road.”
Dalton groaned. He and Deacon hadn’t heard from their uncle in days, and both of them were worried. Wherever he was, it wasn’t good. “Can you give me directions?”
Minutes later, he was back out in the parking lot, tagging his brother on the chest. Deacon looked up from his phone. “He here?”
“Nope, but the bouncer said he might be down the road.”
Like him, Deacon rode a bike, but he wore no cut and no patch. He was Nomad all the way, not wanting to have to answer to anyone but getting protection from everybody. It worked well for him.
“Shit.” Deacon tossed the cigarette he’d been smoking on the ground, grinding it with the heel of his boot. “What the fuck are we gonna do if we don’t find him?”
“We’ll find him,” Dalton gritted the words through clenched teeth. “If we don’t, Calvert’s gonna find him, and then he’ll be dead. We can’t let that happen.”
Deacon grabbed his brother’s arm. “Whatever happens, I want you to understand this isn’t your fault.”
Dalton nodded, but he knew this, like everything else, was totally his fault.
‡
Chapter Nine
T ired didn’t even begin to cover the pure emotional and physical exhaustion Dalton felt. Last night he and Deacon had gone all over creation looking for Samuel,
“No big deal.” Liam came over and hugged his oldest daughter, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “I’m just glad to see you. Haven’t seen much of your face lately.” He said it gently but meant it. She hadn’t been around nearly enough for his liking.
“I know.” She hugged him close, smelling the cologne he wore. The scent always took her back to simpler times when he was able to fix any problem she had with a stern voice. Those had been so easy. “I’ve been busy, but I promise to be around more.” She would need her family when push came to shove.
“I guess since Dalton’s taking some time off, you’ll be spending more time with him,” Liam was quick to drop the bomb he was positive his daughter didn’t know. She covered it up well, but Liam could see the surprise in her eyes. They obviously weren’t talking at all, and Liam wasn’t sure what scared him the most. The fact that she wasn’t talking to her family, or the fact she wasn’t talking to her long-time boyfriend. Either way, things were weird, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
“Yeah, we’ll both be around a lot more,” she lied through her teeth and hoped like hell her dad couldn’t tell. He knew though, she was positive of that, but he was too good of a man to call her on it.
Drew pulled her over to where he stood munching on some chips. “Speaking of Dalton, have you noticed he’s been off lately? What the hell’s going on with him?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she had no clue, but that would be admitting she knew even less than she already did, and her ego just couldn’t take it.
“Worry in one hand and shit in the other, Drew. See what gets filled first.” She turned her back on him, pulling her phone out of her pocket and engaging Tatum in a sigh-filled conversation about some music star.
She’d never so thoroughly dismissed him in her life. They had to stop meddling or she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.
*
Where are you?
Dalton almost laughed. It was a toss-up on lying or telling her the truth. In the end, he chose not to answer. Probably wasn’t a good idea to tell the woman who carried your child that you were at a strip club fifty miles up the road. “Has he been in here tonight?” He flashed a picture of Samuel to the bouncer. The bouncer was a friend of the club, and Dalton knew he’d tell the truth.
“Not tonight. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen him. Every once in a while, I see him at the poker game down the road.”
Dalton groaned. He and Deacon hadn’t heard from their uncle in days, and both of them were worried. Wherever he was, it wasn’t good. “Can you give me directions?”
Minutes later, he was back out in the parking lot, tagging his brother on the chest. Deacon looked up from his phone. “He here?”
“Nope, but the bouncer said he might be down the road.”
Like him, Deacon rode a bike, but he wore no cut and no patch. He was Nomad all the way, not wanting to have to answer to anyone but getting protection from everybody. It worked well for him.
“Shit.” Deacon tossed the cigarette he’d been smoking on the ground, grinding it with the heel of his boot. “What the fuck are we gonna do if we don’t find him?”
“We’ll find him,” Dalton gritted the words through clenched teeth. “If we don’t, Calvert’s gonna find him, and then he’ll be dead. We can’t let that happen.”
Deacon grabbed his brother’s arm. “Whatever happens, I want you to understand this isn’t your fault.”
Dalton nodded, but he knew this, like everything else, was totally his fault.
‡
Chapter Nine
T ired didn’t even begin to cover the pure emotional and physical exhaustion Dalton felt. Last night he and Deacon had gone all over creation looking for Samuel,
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