“How about you show me how to run this place?” I change the subject.
At least that will keep me busy for now. Then I won’t obsess over Kane and broken hearts.
11
Kane
“You all right?” Jason asks from beside me. Before I can respond, he realizes what I see and lets out a curse himself. I was all right up until this very moment. Fuck, I was riding a damn high with how things have been going with Addilyn. “Tell me that’s not the house we’re going to.”
“It’s the house.” I roll my truck to a slow stop a few blocks down from it. My father and Ben do the same but on the opposite side. They pulled around the block.
Things were going too well, all of the pieces falling right into place. My Addilyn is not even putting up a fight. She’s been melting at my every touch. I’ve been getting nothing but sweetness from her.
“You sure that’s her car?”
“Yeah, I know the plates.” I unclick my seatbelt, leaning over to grab my Glock. “You carrying?”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to,” Jason responds.
“You shouldn’t even be here.”
“Yet here I am.” His smirk turns into a full-on smile. “Ollie needed some girl time, and we could use some brotherly bonding.”
“You really going to give me shit about Addilyn?”
“Nah, I see the way you watch her. I’m glad you took a shine to her. You know how many motherfuckers I’ve had to throw out of my club over her.” A rumble leaves me. “You’re a jealous bastard. I did not see that coming.”
I ignore him and send my father a text letting him know about Addilyn’s car being outside the house we’re about to roll up on and to keep an eye out for her brother. What the hell is he doing here? This is not good.
Cory Walker’s bond has been pulled. Dad got a tip that Cory is about to be hit with a bunch more charges. Charges that are going to send his ass running for sure. One of the perks of still working with the force is we get information like that. Hell, Dad doesn’t even work there anymore, and he still gets a ton of tips. He’d actually gotten this one.
He retired from the force over a decade ago when he’d had a close call and would have been dead if not for a vest. He wasn’t going to leave Ollie without a parent. That’s when Hart Bonds was formed. We do some security and even a bit of PI work too from time to time. That’s more Ben and his crew. He never wanted to go into regular law enforcement. He’d gotten his college degree but worked with Dad from the start.
“I knew something was off with him,” I say more to myself.
“Drugs, though?” Jason shakes his head, getting as pissed as I am. “He’s going to get himself tossed into the system.”
“Or prison,” I grit out.
He’s not going into foster care. Kid is seventeen at this point. He’d take off before that happened.
“I should have been watching him better. Fuck.” Jason runs his hand down his face.
“I’ve been watching him. It’s only recently that I thought something might be up. This is new, and I don’t think he’s using.” I would have definitely noticed that shit. “I’m handling this with him.”
The inside of the truck grows quiet for a long second. “All right. I respect that and what you’re trying to do, but I gave my word to Addilyn’s father that I’d watch out for them.”
“I hear you.” He wants to be kept updated on whatever’s going on. I respect that.
I send Ben and Dad a few more texts before I slip from the truck. I’m going to be hanging back. I’m not here for Cory anymore. I’m here to get my hands on Carter. To try to talk some sense into him before he makes a mistake that could alter the rest of his life. Something like that would break Addilyn.
Dad goes straight for the front door. Jason goes with him. Ben heads around to the back, and I head for the left side of the house. The right has a giant fence that I don’t see any of them trying to jump.
“Cory Walker,” Dad shouts. Even I stand up straighter at his firm tone. Not two seconds later, four people come bolting out the back of the house. I spot Cory and two other men I couldn’t care less about. I focus right in on the fourth—Carter.
Ben is already on the move for Cory. I dart back beside the house, having a feeling Carter is going to run this way since his car is over here. Not five seconds later, he rounds the house. I put my arm out to stop him. His chest collides with it.