Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
“And he makes you feel safe?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s all that matters.”
“It’s not just about me, though. I want the boys to like him, and things are complicated right now, especially with Dan and CeeCee expecting. It’s just a lot being thrown at the boys right now.”
“Don’t give those two a second thought. Pfft. They’ve already taken enough from you, and as far as the boys go, they’ll see what you see… Children always do.”
“I hope so.”
She leaned back and gave me one of her looks as she told me, “You know, I wasn’t sure about your father at first either.”
“What?” I gasped. “I never knew that.”
“Well, that’s because I never told you,” she said with a quiet laugh. “He was handsome. There was no doubt about that, but he was stubborn, and arrogant, and my heavens, he thought he knew everything.”
“That sounds about right.”
“I worried he would be too much, but he had such a big heart, and he loved me so. He never once made me feel like I wasn’t enough. And one day, I realized, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.” She gave my hand another squeeze. “So, I married him.”
“Thank heavens for that.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank heavens for that.” She shook her head. “He still loves me, even when I’m half the woman I once was. If you find a man like that, you hold on to him, you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
And just like that, my mind was at ease, and I felt like I could breathe again. That was my mother. She had a way of making things make sense, and I hoped one day I would be just like her.
19
DRIFTER
“Hey, man,” Goose called. “Where ya headed?”
“Got a shift at the Vault.”
“Me, too.” He started toward me, and I could tell by his expression that something was on his mind. “I’ve gotta make a pitstop first. You up for tagging along?”
“Depends on the pitstop.”
“Gotta run by the Black Crown.”
When you run with Fury, you learn which names carried weight and which places you didn’t walk into blind. The Black Crown Casino sat high on the list. Partly because it had ties to Preacher and his ol’ lady. And partly because her sons, the Volkov brothers, owned the place and had connections to the Russian mafia.
“Something going on?”
“I don’t know yet. But I plan to find out.”
“Think you’ll need back up?”
“Nah, nothing like that.”
“Alright… yeah, I’ll go.”
Goose nodded, then walked across the parking lot and got on his bike. A minute later, we were both pulling through the gate and driving toward downtown. The ride over seemed to take forever, not because of the distance, but the fact that my head was all over the place. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to settle.
Goose rode ahead of me, steady and sure, like he’d made this trip a hundred times before. I kept pace behind him, and it wasn’t long before the casino came into view. The place was enormous and sat right on the river like it belonged there. It had sleek lines, dark glass, and polished steel that caught what was left of the daylight.
It was all class, which made it easy to see why the place was packed. Goose didn’t hesitate. He cut straight toward the front, and I followed. We pulled up to the entrance like we had every right to park there. We killed the engines, and a few glances darted our way as we removed our helmets and started inside.
Inside was exactly what I expected and more. The lighting was low but intentional, just like everything else in this place. While it was clean and polished, it was still just a casino with your typical slot machines and game tables that were filled with both high rollers and blue collars.
There was security, too. Lots of it. Hell, there was a guard at every corner, and more cameras than I could count. None seemed to be bothered that Goose stormed through the place like he owned it. I stayed a step behind, watching as he walked up to one of the suits and announced, “Looking for Nikolai.”
The guard didn’t hesitate. He just tilted his head and replied, “At the main bar.”
Without missing a beat, Goose was on the move again. I kept following, and when we reached the bar, I spotted him. I didn’t need Goose to point him out. He had owner written all over him. He was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, and he was dressed in a black button-down and slacks that looked like they’d been tailored.
But it wasn’t his clothes that caught my attention.
It was the ink.
His sleeves were pushed up just enough to reveal the edges of tattoos that wrapped around his wrists, disappearing beneath the fabric. I had a feeling there were more, lots more. I watched as several moved around him. They gave him space without making it obvious, and their eyes tracked him without staring. Some of it was out of simple respect, but there was more to it than that. Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was simply awareness.