Page 36 of Bullet

Dante says, “I’ve done some digging, and Sebastian has reached out to our connections. Jonah’s not the loving father he makes himself out to be. His sons don’t like his tactics, and they’ve told him so. This got them both shot, directly by their father. Not fatally wounded, but enough to make them toe the line. Or so he thinks,” Dante says with a devilish grin.

I raise my brows and wait for what comes next. Reno continues, “Keenan and Kalen O’Malley are biding their time to cut off ties with dear old dad. Rumor is that the soldiers are split down the middle. The older leaders like to stick with what they know and are loyal to Jonah. The up-and-coming bosses want to work smarter.”

“Dissension will make the job of dismantling their clan easier,” I say.

Reno nods, but adds, “That’s only part of the plan. Getting rid of Jonah will stop future dealings with Satan’s Pride, but we still need to settle the issue about the dirty cops hunting for War, Blade, Roscoe, and Bullet,” he tells Guard.

“I got thoughts on that,” Risk jumps in.

“All ears,” Guard says, setting his hands on his hips and focusing on Risk.

“We have a list of dirty cops. We know that with Dante, Orion, and Wildcard searching the dark web, or whatever it is they need to do, they’ll find their kryptonite. We need to turn them, make them work for us,” Risk says.

“We don’t want dirty cops associated with the Pride, brother. We’ve worked too hard to extricate ourselves from the shit that was killing us,” Guard states.

I agree with our prez. Crush and I joined the club because it’s one of the few that are totally clean and running solid businesses. This would totally shake the club and morph it into something we’d all hate.

“Satan’s Pride doesn’t need to turn them. Nostra Casa has no qualms in having a few more cops on staff. As always, our world doesn’t touch yours. Just know that you’ll be free to run your club without interference,” Reno tells him.

“What about Violet?” I ask. Crush is into her deep, whether he admits it or not. I also know that it would devastate Amelia if something happened to her.

Reno quirks his brow, confused. “Violet?”

“She’s Sal’s daughter, although she refuses to acknowledge it. He came to her and told her so. She wanted nothing to do with him. When she was in dire straits, he went back to her and gave her a job. They never spoke more about it. But she saw her father die. She knows the men who pulled the trigger, and they’re looking for her. She’s in a safe place and being guarded by one of our own, and the Redemption Riders have stepped in to help. She needs to be free of the men who are after her,” Guard says.

“Is she one of yours?” Dante asks.

“Unofficially, yeah,” Guard confirms.

“Only way to make sure she stays safe is to eliminate the threat. She needs to identify the men she saw. We’ll take care of the rest,” Reno answers.

“We can’t ask that of you,” Guard responds. “She’s ours. We need to deal with it.”

“Your call,” Reno states. “Whoever finds them, they come to you. I have to head back, but Dante and some of my men are staying. We’ll reconvene soon. Just so you know, Jonah is a brutal man. He doesn’t care who or what he hurts. His daughter is a prisoner in her own home. My plan is to contact Keenan. He’s the older brother and next in line of succession to rule the O’Malley clan. I think he would be more than willing to strike a deal to remove his father, and in return, he sticks to what he knows and stays out of our business. I hear that Keenan and Kalen are worried about the plans their father has for their sister. I think we can use that to our advantage.”

“Right,” Guard agrees. “We’ll work together on this. You connect with his sons, and we’ll all dig deep to get what we need on the long list of cops. We’ve gotta work fast. Our lawyer has been told that they want the men and Amelia back at the station for more questions. She doesn’t like it, and I really don’t like it.”

This is the first I’ve heard of this, and I don’t like it either. I can handle my own, but I don’t want them to take another shot at Amelia.

“I can slow that down for you.” Dante turns to Orion. “It’s amazing how schedules and rosters can get changed.” He snaps his fingers. “Just like that.”

Orion chuckles. “Imagine that. We’d better get to work.”

Dante, Orion, and Wildcard leave, and I know they’ll be holed up in Orion’s workspace. It’s a digital fortress. There’s so much tech in that room, I’d be lost. That’s what makes Orion so unique. Wildcard has a natural aptitude for technical shit, but his mentor is Orion, and one day, he’ll be just as good.

Our meeting is finished, but Risk and Reno want their time alone. All I can say is that I’m damn glad Reno’s on our side.

Twenty

Family Is Everything

Amelia

“All right, Joseph, your mother is coming to pick you up,” I coo to the five-year-old, stroking his hair with my fingers. Miss Forester, his teacher, brought him to me after lunch, explaining that he hadn’t eaten his lunch and looked pale. Not only that, but when the school nurse took his temperature, he had a slight fever.

I had Kate call his mother to let her know he needed to be picked up. However, his mother works more than half an hour away, and his father is out of town on business. I had Joseph lie down on the sofa in my office, which is there for just such occasions. I grab a blanket from the cupboard and get him comfortable, making sure that he drinks water and a few sips of his juice box to keep him hydrated. This isn’t the first child who has needed to come in and wait for his parents to come for him, but Joseph is such a sweet little boy; it tugs at my heartstrings to see him so sad.

When Joseph drifts off, I walk back to sit behind my desk and get some work done while I wait for Elaine, his mother, to arrive. I love my job, but sometimes I miss the classroom. There’s something about watching the change in the kids that come through the class and that special gleam in their eyes when they know they’ve accomplished something.