AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sparky yells, “You can’t do that!”
The sheriff laughs. “Guess we’ll find out.”
Jerking his chin, Cas lurches forward, yelling for us to do what the sheriff wants. This is wrong. Then again, they wear the badge, so they can do as they like.
Brothers shuffle down to their knees, and then onto their stomachs. Alannah goes to help Cas down, but he shrugs her off, taking his time as he lies beside Sparky. Using the table for support, I take it slow, joining my brothers on the ground.
“Everyone else, you move, my men will shoot. This will all be over soon if your men cooperate.”
The sheriff’s boots come into my line of sight before moving on. Walking the line we’ve formed, he crouches down next to Cas.
“You’ve been out here for many years, keeping your business away from our town. Rumours circulate, and they’ve been ignored because you haven’t brought trouble to the good people of Willow’s Peak. But you’ve gone and done wrong by leaving someone alive to give you up. Someone in your club beat and tortured Preston Knowles, and he died last night after giving a statement that it was a Lost Soul who kidnapped him. So let me make this clear: you will not get away with murdering an ex-federal agent. You will all stay like this until the one responsible gives himself up. I have nowhere to be, and I’m prepared to stay here for days, weeks, if necessary.”
The fucking fed coming back to bite us on the ass. We should’ve expected this. His body would’ve ended up somewhere, and now we know it was the cops who found him. And he stiffed us because he knew full well it wasn’t us who grabbed him, hurting him so bad it killed him.
“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” Cas growls.
Snorting, the sheriff rises to his feet. “Of course you don’t. Maybe one of your women knows something.”
Brothers down the line start to move, but one of the cops fires off a shot, and fear for the old ladies’ lives has us staying in place.
“Alannah Jackson, you’re looking well. Give us a name, and you can get back to your little party, or whatever this gathering is.”
She says nothing. I can’t see what’s going on from my position, as the bench blocks my view of everyone to her left. It’s not until I hear his boots crunching against the gravelled ground that I know he’s close.
“What a cute kid. It’d be a shame if she lost her daddy, wouldn’t it?”
Twisting my head around as far as I can, I see the fucker is talking to Emma as he strokes my great-granddaughter’s cheek.
Emma pulls the kid away from him, and Myles jumps to his feet, stepping between the sheriff and his family.
“Touch my family again, I’ll cut your fucking hands off,” he threatens.
One of the cops breaks away from the rest and rushes toward Myles, causing Mason to jump up and stand side by side with his brother.
The sheriff smirks coldly. “Did you just threaten me, boy?”
“You’re damn fucking right I did. No one touches my kid, especially a fucking pig.”
Cas yells at the twins, and Penelope starts to cry. Cops shout for calm while my boys stand back, readying themselves for a fight.
I woke up this morning expecting it to be just another day with my brothers. I didn’t foresee my life changing irrevocably. As I lie with my cheek brushing against the ground, my family prepared to fight for their blood, my club facing backlash for a crime we didn’t, for once, commit, I know what I have to do.
It’s clear they’re not leaving without someone in cuffs, and the longer this goes on, the more chance someone will be hurt for not abiding by the sheriff’s tactics. I’ll be damned if I let this club get dragged down into the pits, which is exactly what the sheriff is after.
Pushing up to my knees, I use the bench to fully stand and clear my throat. It gets the attention of my boys, and I jerk my chin for them to join the rest of the brothers. Myles falters, but beside Mason, they lie back down, keeping their eyes on me.
“It was me.”
The sheriff’s eyes widen, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. I’m sure he didn’t expect one of us to own up, hence his heavy-handed approach.
“Pope, lay the fuck down and shut your mouth!” Cas shouts.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mason growls.
Myles roars, “He didn’t do shit!” but it’s no use.
I said what I said. Clearing my throat once more, I repeat, “I just told you it was me. Arrest me, or fuck off.”
