Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
She was trying to be humorous, but Diesel’s Shadows were not to be messed with. Local and state law enforcement, as well as the feds, believed that group of former military special operators caused the disappearance of the Shadow Warriors. “Mercy’s little band of mercenaries are aging. They aren’t ghosts anymore.”
Aaliyah leaned closer to him to whisper, “That’s what they want you to think. Don’t let their wrinkles and the scent of Bengay fool you.”
Chapter Seven
“Anyway,” Liyah continued, “aging or not, they aren’t anyone to mess with. It’s better not to get in their crosshairs.”
“Like the Shadow Warriors did?”
“I… I’m not sure what happened to those nomads.” She had heard plenty of rumors and whispers. Her father also didn’t mince words when it came to that now defunct MC. Usually those words were peppered with a lot of “fucks,” “fuckers,” and “motherfuckers.” Nothing out of the ordinary for Magnum.
Nox murmured, “They seemed to have just disappeared. One by one.”
She had no doubt the Dark Knights had a hand in it. Unlike the Dirty Angels, her father’s club didn’t care about staying on the right side of the law. “I’m sure your department was relieved when the Warriors stopped causing problems in your jurisdiction.”
“We don’t like vigilantes.”
Most law enforcement didn’t. Vigilantes tended to be reckless. “The Angels didn’t like being shot at or attacked, even killed, their property destroyed, or their women being kidnapped, abused and raped, either. They had families to protect.”
“So, it was Diesel and his Shadows behind that club’s disappearance.”
Shit. “I don’t know why the Warriors left the area. They could’ve wised up. But one thing is for sure, southwestern Pennsylvania is a safer place with them gone.”
“Other MCs still exist in this area.”
“I don’t keep up with MCs other than the two I have ties with. I don’t live the lifestyle but the people I love do, so I accept it.” She overheard her father talking to his MC president Romeo about a club originally from West Virginia moving north. However, she normally didn’t pay attention to the Knights’ club business, so she never heard the name of the MC they were keeping tabs on.
“What about your younger son’s father?”
“What about him?”
“Does he have ties to either MC?”
She laughed. “No.”
“Is he still in the picture?”
Huh. Was this a way to find out if she had a man in her life? Or was he being nosy in general? “Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—he’s long gone.”
Even under his baseball cap, she saw Nox’s brow furrow. “What do you mean gone?”
“Like skipped town once he decided family life wasn’t for him.” But by that time, it was too late. “I thought Jason would be a good father figure to Devyn. I also thought he’d be a good father once I realized I was pregnant with Keenan. I was so damn wrong.”
“Was he a cop, too?”
“No. About eight years ago, I met Jason at the support group I was running in Pittsburgh. His brother had been a Baltimore officer killed in the line of duty and Jason was struggling to deal with it. They’d been extremely close, and it hit him pretty hard.”
“So, he began coming to the group.”
“Yes.” She sighed. “I certainly wasn’t looking for anyone, but one night after a meeting, he struck up a conversation with me and we ended up talking for hours. It quickly moved into dating, then living together, and eventually a proposal.”
She regretted letting him in. She didn’t think anyone could live up to Mark. Unfortunately, she’d been right.
“Even though it wasn’t planned and despite taking precautions, I found myself pregnant. I figured he’d be happy since, once we got engaged, we had discussed building a family together.” She pulled in a breath, and released it with, “Boy was I wrong. When I surprised him with the news, he reacted with shock instead of excitement. After he recovered, he only pretended to be happy about the news because a week later when I got home from the office, he was gone. All his stuff was gone, too. No note was left. Nothing. He totally ghosted me, leaving me to go at it alone with baby number two.”
A muscle jumped in Nox’s cheek. “Damn. You never heard from him again?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Did you look for him? To at least have him help out financially?”
“I didn’t need his money. And if I chased him down to get child support, he would have a say in Keenan’s upbringing. He gave up that right the second he scooted on down the road like a scared little shit.”
When she was five months pregnant with Keenan, she got an unexpected call from Kiki, the Dirty Angels’ attorney and the VP’s wife. She asked Liyah to stop in at her office to sign some paperwork. Apparently, Jason couldn’t give up his parental rights without Liyah’s consent.