Since Bree had graduated high school last spring, currently there were no more club kids at that school, but Ghost still left Jigsaw in place to keep an ear to the ground on things the town’s youth were getting up to.
“I’ve met Rockland on numerous occasions,” Lucky argued to Keys. “He’s a good man! He stood up for Scotty. He’s Harper’s boss! Ineverwould even suspect him of using meth.”
“Would you suspect me of using heroin?” Ranger asked, staring Lucky down.
Lucky immediately snapped his mouth shut. After a second, he said softer, “That’s not what I meant.”
Ranger nodded, knowing Lucky hadn’t meant anything malicious by it. “You don’t know how or why someone chooses to use. To assume all are street rats or low members of society is ignorant, and frankly, stereotyping.”
“I know,” Lucky told him gently. “I’m sorry. I’m just surprised, and I misspoke.”
There was a heavy moment of silence in the room before Keys spoke up again, his voice hesitant. “Based on the numbers we found in his ledger, we don’t think meth was the only productPike was dealing, or collecting money for. We don’t have a record of what Rockland was buying from Pike.”
“I’ve been in contact with Colby,” Ghost told the table. “We’re going to have our hands full trying to reach out to all the townspeople on this list, but any who wish to go to rehab, we will sponsor and pay for with Pike’s money. Any who wish to get sober will have a number of options presented to them.”
“I want to talk to Cross, too,” Ranger added. “Nothing specific, obviously. But tell him I’ve met someone who doesn’t want to get sober and see if he has any suggestions of how to approach talking to them and encouraging them.”
It wasn’t like Ranger had any personal experience in that. When he’d relapsed, Ghost hadn’t given him much of a choice about going to rehab. And by the time Ranger was cognizant enough to realize what had happened and what he’d done, there’d been so much shame in him that he hadn’t fought Ghost’s decision in the slightest.
Ghost nodded his approval to Ranger. “Not a bad idea. With this number of people, chances are we’re going to have people who fight getting clean.”
“I’ll take Rockland,” Lucky said, his voice proclaiming it wasn’t up for discussion. “I don’t want to ambush him or embarrass him. Maybe we can come up with a way to discreetly get him to rehab.”
“Either way, he’s going to lose his job,” Jigsaw murmured. “The school’s no drug policy includes faculty and staff. I don’t know about anyone else, and I mean no offense by this,” he said specifically to Ranger before addressing the whole club, “but I certainly don’t want an addict in charge of the town’s youth.”
Ranger wasn’t happy about it, but he did agree with Jigsaw. What happened if a student found out? How easy would it be to bribe the principal into compliance?
“Let’s see who we can discreetly help,” Ghost said, playing peacemaker. “Ranger, you concentrate on Toni. The rest of us will work to figure out who wants to get clean, and if any troublemakers arise, we’ll bring Carlos in. Scar, I—” When Ghost paused speaking, everyone turned to the last place anyone had seen Scar. Hasty looks around the room confirmed the former enforcer was no longer present. “Well, shit.”
“I’ll find him,” Keys muttered, getting on his laptop.
“You don’t think he’s going after Rockland?” Lucky asked Bulldog.
“For potentially being high while being in charge of our town’s youth?” Bulldog shot back at him.
“Fuck,” Ghost snapped, standing. “Let’s get him. The rest of you, get your assignments from Keys.”
Apparently Church was adjourned.
* * *
Toni dozedwhile waiting for Ranger. She specifically did not want to fall asleep, knowing she’d have to call Becks once Ranger arrived. The past couple of days had been trying, to say the least. And yet Toni couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier in her life. It seemed so contradictory, but it was true.
While living in the club’s trailer wasn’t ideal, going back to her house hadn’t even crossed her mind. Becks, Jasmine, and Sophia were slowly introducing her to the club’s ol’ ladies, and true to her initial assumption, Toni had started creating a list to remember them all. And did the men of the club have a breeding kink or something? Toni hadno ideaof the actual number of club kids, which was still growing with Becks’ pregnancy and Oscar’s recent addition.
Given Pike’s appearance at her office and Gwen as a witness, the club was able to twist the false trail they’d initially put inplace to explain Wayne Anderson’s whereabouts into an identity theft situation. Learning neither of her parents had had jobs for several months broke Toni’s heart and increased her guilt, but it allowed Keys and Rose to fake Wayne Anderson’s death as if it had happened a few days before it had. They spun it as a suicide by overdose. Toni did not bring up personal matters at work, so it was reasonable for Gwen and others that she worked with to believe that Toni would keep the death of her father private. But the man who posed as Wayne Anderson to extort money out of Toni, claiming her dad died owing him money, made the matter public.
Toni honestly should be terrified how easily the club lied and manipulated the situation to fit their narrative, but she was too grateful to be scared. Their lie allowed her to grieve her dad, officially declare her mom missing, and take time off work without raising suspicion. Carlos even stopped by the club property, along with his wife and kids to express his condolences. She didn’t know if Carlos was in on the lie, and frankly, did not want to know.
Toni just wanted to move on.
Strong arms wrapped around her middle, startling Toni awake. “Shhh,” Ranger soothed. “It’s just me. I’m sorry I woke you.”
Damn, Toni must have drifted further off into sleep if she hadn’t even heard him enter. “It’s fine. I need to call Becks.”
Ranger kissed her cheek. “I sent a picture of you sleeping to her and told her I was here.”
But Toni shook her head. “We can’t get complacent, Liam. That’s how mistakes and assumptions get made. Get me my phone so I can call her.”
