Page 10 of Creed

I roll my eyes. “That’s not saying much. How high can you count?”

Cowen pulls his laptop closer with a chuckle. “Alright, give it to me.”

“Morgan Simmons. Looks mid-twenties, I guess. Was working in Sedona according to the Sinners. ”

His fingers hover over the keyboard. “Simmons? Like our chief deputy, Simmons?”

I shrug, not liking how quickly he connected those dots. “That...I don’t know, but what is the chance of it being a coincidence?”

“Slim, but I don’t remember seeing anything about a kid when I first looked into him.” My stomach drops at that, because things missed can cost lives with some of the men we used to deal with.

“That’s what I thought, but I wasn’t gonna doubt you.” I never have. Sure, when we were younger, he wasn’t that great at whatever he’s doing behind the screen, but as time has passed, he’s become more than just your everyday hacker.

Cowen rubs at his jaw, scratching through the overgrowth of his beard. “Someone could have hidden her easily. I wasn’t looking that deeply for family. We ain’t the type to threaten the ole wife and kids, so it wasn’t my priority.”

I nod. “Still, if she is his kid, it’s gonna complicate things.”

“Because you want to fuck her again?”

I rub ‌my jaw. I do. I want to fuck her again. “Yeah, and also because her old man already hates me, and he doesn’t need another excuse to ride my ass.”

Cowen snorts. “He hates all of us. You just annoy him the most because he can’t lock you down. If he hates anyone, it’s Judge. He knows he’s a brother, but for the life of him can’t fucking prove it.”

We both laugh. Not everyone knows that Judge is one of us because they’ve never seen him in a cut. Never caught him with a clubwhore, and that’s the way we like it.

He gets to live his life as a hotshot attorney to the public, but behind closed doors, he’s our secretary. A secret weapon when the law tries to fuck with us.

“We could use her against the chief,” Cowen says, treading carefully.

I sigh. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it since I saw her again. She was more than willing in that bar across state lines, but it’s different now that she’s here as a deputy for the county.

Something tells me that she isn’t going to be so willing to jump into a bathroom stall with me again. Especially not after seeing the clear distaste her partner has for me and my club.

“I’m not against it. Just keep it between us until I gauge how she feels.”

Cowen hums under his breath. “If our prez asks, I ain’t lying.”

“No fucking shit. Don’t give him a reason to ask,” I growl.

He grins. “Of course. Discretion is my forte.”

“No, it’s not. You enjoy stirring the pot like the fucking troll you are.”

He laughs loudly, throwing his head back. I take the beer and sip it before relaxing into the seat and glancing around the bar.

This place feels like home; even when I start to feel restless and have the itch to hit the road, this is always where I end up.

As if he can hear my thoughts, Cowen smacks my shoulders a few times. “It’s good to see you home. It’s not the same without my brothers here.”

Creed

It was so nice to feel welcomed home. Not you, Dodge. You left as soon as I got there

Dodge

I never knew you were so clingy

Creed