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“Isn’t he the man that pointed at Evanesce and Knix at the light like he was holding a gun?” Seer asks, peering at the screen over my shoulders.
I look closely, my frown deepening considerably. My stomach twists into angry knots the moment I recognize the lowlife vermin that had threatened my sister’s life – it doesn’t matter if he’d only used mere fingers. I still feel the urge to wrap my hands around his neck and sniff the life out of him.
He looks different in an expensive tailored suit, with his light blond hair parted in a sophisticated style. He looks to be in his mid-forties. I stare at his picture for the longest time, trying to see if I can feel any emotion from the moment he took that particular picture, but the bastard’s ruthless eyes are as void as the depths of hell. One thing is clear, though, this man right here is the spawn of the devil – and not even his fancy expensive suit and pretty camera smile can hide that fact.
“It’s definitely the asshole,” I say, revealing none of the murderous rage I feel pulsing through my veins. I’m supposed to be the level-headed president…
“What has he got to do with the eviction notice, Snake?” I ask.
“Plenty, it seems,” Snake replies. “As you instructed, Prez, I looked into the recent government projects and the construction companies bidding for them. I found out that there is only one company listed for the project – Pinnacle Construction. I dug further and found out that Pinnacle is a subsidiary of The Anderson Group.”
I blink rapidly at Snake, expecting him to carry on with his explanation, but he’s grinning at me like I should pat him on the head for doing a great job or even throw him a fucking bone.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes but can’t help an impatient sigh. “How do these facts correlate? Make it make sense, Snake.”
Snake looks around, taking in the stone faces of the other members in the room. He realizes no one is sharing in his excitement and awkwardly clears his throat. “Uh…The Anderson Group is owned by Anderson Grey. The man on the screen.”
“That son of a motherfucking bitch!” I mutter through gritted teeth as the dots begin to connect in my head.
“And guess what?” Snake says, beginning to sound as excited as he was just minutes ago. “Turns out he owns the club where Bones was arrested last night.”
“Does that mean he orchestrated the whole thing?” Hex asks with a scoff. “Hush!” he says to the empty space beside him. “No curse words, Cassandra.”
“Prez clearly warned you not to let ghosts into church,” Hemlock says, glaring at Hex.
“She threatened to destroy the lightbulbs in the whole clubhouse. Again,” Hex says, rolling his eyes at the empty space beside him. “I couldn’t let her do that.”
“No wonder I’ve been getting intermittent chills,” Sage grumbles, rubbing a palm up and down his arm. From the way he narrowed his dark gray eyes at Hex, I could tell he’d shoot the man on the spot if I let him.
I sigh heavily, rubbing my palm over my temples to massage the massive headache that’s starting to pound away at my self-control. “Can we fucking get back to business? One of us – my fucking sergeant-at-arms– is in fucking detention, and y’all are here squabbling about fucking ghosts! What…Merde!” I curse harshly and drop my head into my palm as a splitting pain bolts through my skull. I can feel the claws of the monster inside of me scratching just beneath the surface, itching to manifest itself.
Not now… Not here.
I remain that way for a second, waiting for the wave of pain and sizzling rage to pass. To the members of the MC in the room, I’m trying to contain my annoyance, and I won’t have them think otherwise. To show any form of weakness is the end of me.
When I raise my head again, they all have similar contrite expressions on their faces, except Graveyard, who levels me with a knowing look. He’s a doctor, after all.
“I’d like you to drop by my office after church, Prez,” Graveyard says, pinning me with a meaningful look. “I have some…uh…personal concerns.”
Seer narrows his eyes suspiciously at Graveyard and glances back at me with a slightly inquisitive expression, his icy blues eyes boring into mine as if he wants to see into my soul – as if I have one. Seer is the closest thing I have to a real friend in the clubhouse, and I know he genuinely worries about me. I wonder if he’d still have the same sentiments if he knew who I really am beneath the mask I put on for the whole world. I shake my head slightly at him to signal that I’m fine and he should let it go.
“So, who’s this Anderson guy?” Seer asks Snake. “And how does he have so much influence?”
“He’s a business magnate,” Snake replies. “One of the big names in the real estate industry. He has several businesses, hotels, and nightclubs spanning across the state and beyond. From what I gather, he’s affiliated with top players in the city, including The Department of Code Enforcement.”
“Figures,” Gator says with a snicker. “I suddenly want to feed the motherfucker’s head to my babies.”
Snake chuckles a little nervously. “Well, before you turn Anderson to alligator snacks, maybe I should tell you that he’s also the first cousin to the wife of the Deputy Superintendent of the NOLA PD.”
“Motherfucker!” Gator mumbles among other swear words.
“Why is he going so far to provoke us?” Seer asks in a speculative voice. “What exactly does he want from us?”
“Me,” I correct quietly. “What exactly does he want from me?”
I’ll find that out soon enough….
* * *
