Page 75 of Smitty

A few minutes later, we were in one of the agency vehicles heading across town for the follow-up walkthrough of Jimmy’s house. I told myself that this was just like any other home visit. I just needed to focus on the case, on documenting evidence, and doing my job.

I had no way of knowing that in a matter of minutes, I would be staring at a wall full of pictures that would change everything.

15

SMITTY

Iwas dog tired.

Not the kind of tired that came from throwing wrenches or doing a double at the Vault. This was the kind that came after only getting a couple hours of sleep, and exhaustion settled into your bones. Normally, that would have had my ass dragging in the worst kind of way, but today, I felt like nothing could stand in my way.

And that was all due to my night with Brooke.

I couldn’t even close my eyes without seeing her sleeping there next to me. I didn’t want to leave her, especially when she was looking so damn beautiful, but I knew it was the right thing to do. We’d answered some hefty questions last night, but we left just as many hanging in the wind.

Ryan was still out there, and I had no doubt that he was hurting over all this. He was hurting because of choices neither Brooke nor I could take back or wanted to take back. Brooke built a home with him, and when they were ready, they would have to figure out the ins and outs of parting ways.

It wouldn’t be easy, and I had no idea when or how it would happen. But for the first time in years, I wasn’t wondering if she still loved me. I knew, and that alone was enough to put a grin on my face as I pushed through the clubhouse doors.

I was immediately hit with the scent of cigarette smoke and bourbon, and silence, something you rarely found at the Fury clubhouse. Memphis and several of the guys were in the bar, huddled up around Drifter, and whatever was going on, it had all their attention.

Drifter was the first to notice that I’d walked up, and he wore half a smirk as he asked, “You remember Pete and the breakfast burritos?”

“You mean the best ones in town?”

“Yeah, that’d be the place.” He cocked his brow. “Well, good ol’ Pete came through this morning.”

“Oh yeah?”

Drifter nodded, “One of his regulars came in this morning. Guy’s got ties to a club over there, and he let it slip that Stone’s shooting wasn’t just some random hit.”

“We already knew that.”

“But we weren’t sure that it was the Coyotes.”

“He confirm it?”

“He did, and he said they were bragging that more was coming Fury’s way.”

I thought back over the last few weeks with the fire at Prez’s barn, Maverick’s accident, Gus’s attack, and then Stone. At first, it seemed like separate incidents, and the fact they happened so close together was mere coincidence. Pete’s info proved that wasn’t the case.

“I take it you passed the word along to Stone.”

“Called him as soon as I got off the phone with Pete. They’re already making plans to put an end to their bullshit once and for all. In a matter of days, there won’t be a Coyote breathing in Kansas City.”

“Same needs to happen here and everywhere else, for that matter,” Prez growled. “I’m sick of these fuckers. I want them dealt with, and I want them dealt with now.”

“We’re right there with you, brother,” Creed answered back. “We thought we wiped them out when we dealt with the scouts.”

“Clearly, we were wrong.”

Those four words changed the conversation. Creed nodded. “We should’ve dug in after the fire. I knew something was off, but…”

“I put club duty in the hands of Sergei and his brothers. That was my mistake, and I own it,” Prez interrupted. “Now, we move on from it and fry these assholes.”

“We have to find them first.”

“I’m working on it,” Shep told him. “But I’m gonna need some help.”