“I’ve got an assignment for you.” He handed him a picture. “I need you to get close to this kid.”
“He’s in college.”
“Last time I checked you had a bike. Besides, I’m not asking you to enroll into college. I’m asking you to get close to this kid. Find out what his deal is. Why he’s always in trouble. It doesn’t require you to actually do anything about it.”
“I’ll go and start now.”
“Anyone home?” Bear called.
“In here.”
“See you later,” Bishop said.
As his son left, Bear entered.
“I thought you wanted to talk over the O’Klaren problem. Rebecca’s shitting herself. Apparently, he approached her at the grocery store. He wanted to take her for coffee. That kind of thing. You think he’s after free pussy?”
“Does it bother you?” Preacher asked.
“With Rebecca? Hell no. If she can help us get this son of a bitch out of our business, I’m all for it. You know I don’t like it when it gets too slow.”
“I’ve got Bishop on the son’s case. He should give us some information.” He rubbed the back of his neck. The urge to kidnap and torture O’Klaren was strong. The biggest problem was it would all come back to the club for now. He needed to know exactly why O’Klaren was here and what he had to do. Preacher was a patient guy when he needed to be, and he wouldn’t get what he wanted for just killing. It would be fun, but not necessary, not right now.
He had to be smart about this, even if he was begging for blood, and he was.
He wanted to wipe that smug smile off the bastard’s face. He really thought he’d won this little war, but he hadn’t even come close.
“You think the son’s going to give us info on the dad?”
“There’s a reason a kid acts out. Think about it, his dad is right up there, being one of the proudest men on the force. Any crew that gets him, always know their figures are going to improve. He’s known for getting the crook and tossing away the key. How does someone who is all about the law and rules, deal with a son who is starting to look like one of mine?”
“Bishop doesn’t have this much on his rap sheet,” Bear said, lifting up a copy of the official document. He let out a whistle. “Attempted sexual assault?”
“It’s not clear. They were in a public restroom. Whoever made the statements didn’t have the best kind of handwriting.” He groaned. “It would be so much easier if I could slit his throat.”
“I know you. If it could be done, you’d have done it already.”
“You’ve got that right. What’s going on with your kid?” Preacher asked.
“Robin?”
“You got any other kid I don’t know about?”
Bear snorted. “Hardly.”
Preacher knew if Bear had fathered any kid, he’d have laid claim to them. He held family in high regard, and even if he hated Rebecca, he still stayed married to her for Robin’s sake.
“Well, how is she?”
“I don’t know. In all honesty I haven’t really seen her. The few times I have, she looks like she wants to say something. I don’t know. She has this guilty look, which makes me wonder if she’s had sex.”
“Do you think she has?”
“Again, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “If she has, then it had to be on Bishop’s birthday, right?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s Bishop,” he said. He shrugged. “Forget I even mentioned it. I don’t know why I even bothered. My kid, he’s worried about her.”
“I’ll go and talk to her. See what’s up, but she is still a teenager. It was probably girl stuff.”
“I wanted to thank you,” Preacher said.
“For what?”
“The girl you sent me on Bishop’s party night. She was amazing.”
“I didn’t send you a girl.”
“What?”
“I didn’t send any girl to your room.”
“There was one waiting for me.”
“Then I guess you got lucky. The boys and I only took care of you having a good time, keeping you plied with drink, and to have fun. We didn’t organize any girl.”
“Well, I wonder who the fuck that was then,” Preacher said.
“Do you know what she looks like? I’m sure one of the guys or girls will know.”
Preacher shook his head. “Nah, it’s all a little vague. The fact I fucked her is a miracle.”
“You were pretty wasted. There is no doubt about that, but you deserved it. I had my fun that night as well. Finished it with screwing Rebecca. Not my highest moment, but still.”
Preacher laughed. “I still can’t believe you two managed to make a kid like Robin. How that girl is sane is beyond me.”
“I guess two wrongs really do make a right, because there is nothing right about Rebecca and me.”
He burst out laughing.
****
Robin sucked at lying.
Wherever she went, she was sure people could see she was nothing more than a lying whore. That’s what she was, right? A horrible person.