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“I gotta go. I hope you get settled,” I tell her, politely raising my hat before I stomp past her and get the hell outta there.
* * *
“How’s things?” Noah asks when I get out of the truck and head toward him. I’ve come to meet him and the others out on Shelby’s ranch. The boys are attempting to repair one of her fences and making it obvious that they ain’t got a fuckin’ clue.
“About to get hectic.” I fold my arms and wait to find what he knows.
“So, I spoke to Harvey, he’s the one who kinda runs things—”
“Kinda?” I frown at him, while Zayne smashes his thumb with a hammer and starts hopping around in pain.
“There are a few senior members. Harvey was… He’s the one who originally sent me here. He doesn’t usually deal with external problems but I tried to contact Felix and—”
“Is there gonna be an issue with us killin’ Walker?” I cut him to the chase. Ever since we found out Mayor Walker was the man who knocked up our sister, me and my brothers have been imagining all the ways we’re gonna make him dead. Knowing that she didn’t kill herself and that he pushed her makes me want to make that death a very slow and painful experience for him.
“Depends how you look at it.” Noah shrugs and I really don’t like the look he’s shooting back at me.
What Walker has coming to him is long overdue, and watching him stroll around town like some kind of messiah is getting progressively harder. Wade ain’t here. Garrett’s got a distraction. Me, I ain’t got nothin’ but a heart full of hate and a short temper that's quickly running out.
I’m feeling the pressure of all the limitations that we got on us right now. Old Man Mason and Mayor Walker should both already be rotting.
“Harvey’s in agreement. He wants Walker outta the picture, and he’s happy for you to do what ya gotta do, but—”
“I ain’t likin’ the sound of thatbut, Noah,” I warn him, feeling my face turn to stone.
“He needs to find a replacement before you can make any kinda move,” Noah informs me. “As you can imagine these things take time, the Organization usually have men lined up, but those men have to be fit for purpose.”
“I don’t care about the fuckin’ politics. When do we get to kill fuckin’ Walker?” I interrupt him again.
“Soon, but not now.” Noah knows I don’t like what he’s telling me. “What a greater concern is gonna be, is who he decides to put in power. I don’t know why this town is so important to the Organization, but he’ll be lookin’ for someone who’s familiar with it.”
“You're thinkin’ he’s gonna line up Mason?” I furrow my brow even more than it already is.
“I got no idea what he has in mind. I just know Harvey wants ya to make whatever happens to Walker look like an accident when you do it, and that he’s askin’ you to give him some time. Cole, I get that you're mad, and I understand it, but ya don’t want the Organization to become a problem for you and your family.” The worry on his face is unsettling. “I ain’t bein’ the man in the middle here. I’m tellin’ you as a branded brother. Ya gotta let this play out the way Harvey wants it to.”
Iwannatell him that I don’t gotta do jack shit.
Iwannatell him to go tell Harvey, whoever the fuck he is, to go screw himself… but I won’t destroy everything my family has built here, and I won’t fuck up the chance Garrett’s got for his future. I ain’t ever seen my brother as happy as he is right now. And if me toeing the line and swallowing my anger is what's gonna keep him that way. I’m gonna give it my best shot.
Noah looks relieved when I nod my head at him, and as I watch Sawyer continue to fight with the barbed wire he’s trying to pull taut, I roll my eyes.
“Keep us informed and, in the meantime, I’ll send someone out here who knows what they’re doin’ to fix this shit up.” I shake my head at the lame-assed attempt they’ve made.
“That would be appreciated.” Noah nods at me before I get back in my truck and head for home.
My phone is ringing on the dash as I get behind the wheel and when I see Garrett’s name flashing up again, I pull it to my ear.
“What d’ya need now?” I ask.
“Cole…” I can tell by the urgency in his tone that whatever this is ain’t good.
“Are Maisie and the babies—”
“It ain’t them… It’s Mom.”
“Good work today.” Connor slaps my shoulder as he sits his ass on the barstool beside me. I nod my head back at him and manage at least half a smile. It’s only been a few weeks since I’ve been back on the road, and instead of the days getting easier, they just keep on getting harder.
My muscles ache, my bones feel sore, and worst of all, this whiskey I’m drinking ain’t helping me forget her.
