“That’s a lot of information.”
“I’ve got a lot of nice friends who are willing to give me their information,” Dog said. “The deal is we go down in force. These are your docks as well. United, we’ll deal with this problem. If someone is stealing from us, then my gut is telling me whoever wants it is willing to pay a decent price. They’re doing it on purpose.”
“Then lead the way. I’ll follow,” Preacher said. He walked back to his bike.
“When did you become good pals with Dog?” Grave asked.
“Is that any of your business?”
“Men talk, Preacher. We’ve all accepted your obsession when it comes to Robin, but there’s a whole lot of us pissed off with how you handle business with Dog. From the fights and now this.”
“And who exactly has an issue?” Preacher asked. He stepped up to Grave.
“I guess we’ll find out come church time.” Grave stepped away.
Preacher was aware of his men’s lack of encouragement when it came to his dealings, but with what they were about to face, his men would understand why he was keeping Dog as an ally and not as an enemy.
He wasn’t afraid of Dog. The man was as vicious as they came, but what benefitted him with this friendship was having him on his side. They all had enemies and Preacher wasn’t a fool to think he could take them all on. Look what happened with Bishop. He’d been so concerned with finding Robin, he hadn’t given himself time to think of his son’s betrayal.
It had been obvious, though. He simply hadn’t seen it. There were a lot of mistakes he’d made with his son and with Robin. He wouldn’t repeat them, and he certainly wouldn’t make himself weak, even if it meant forming an alliance with Dog.
****
Working at the library was fun. Robin enjoyed it.
First, for the most part, it was quiet, which she liked. The quiet always made her feel at peace. Then of course there was being surrounded by books. She didn’t need a rocket scientist to tell her she felt at one with all the books. They were everywhere and helped her to feel calm and ready to face anything and everything.
Her first day went by way too fast, and by four o’clock, it was time for her to leave. She knew she would be asking for more hours, as the thought of spending the next two hours by herself didn’t appeal right now.
She’d told her father she was finishing at six.
Yes, a small lie, but she needed the peace, wanted it even. Only now, being on her own, she had to wonder how wise it actually was. Not because she was afraid or anything. Being alone wasn’t a problem. She didn’t mind it, in fact.
No, it was the complete lack of memories. The knowledge people were waiting for her to figure out the life she once had. A life she could no longer remember.
Grabbing her bag, she made her way out of the library and went straight toward the diner where she’d ordered herself a burrito to go. She was hungry and it was the first thing that came to mind. She paid for the food and headed out to walk down the long stretch of the street. There were several shops. One for clothing, another offering fabric, each one seeming to offer a special something or a trinket. None of the shops sparked anything within her.
She came to a stop near a park. It was quite busy and she watched the children playing, feeling a yearning within her, but again, she didn’t know why. Everything was always a little unclear to her.
Shaking her head, she finished her burrito and came to a stop near a church.
There was a cemetery off to the side.
Did she like going to church?
Staring up at the large, imposing building, again, she felt nothing. Rather than head back to the library, she walked into the cemetery. Some of the dates on the stones were old, and as she moved around, she saw some with recent dates.
Walking up and down the paths, she tried to find her mother’s, only she came to the end without finding her. She returned and followed the same path.
Nothing. No sign of her parent.
She hadn’t seen a picture of Rebecca. Only the name of her mother, but there was no marker on any of the stones to say where her mother’s final resting place was.
This … unsettled her.
Checking the time, she saw she only had twenty minutes to head back to the library. Picking up her pace, she ran back to the library and was relieved to see no sign of her father. He hadn’t arrived yet.
There were three benches nearby, two of which already had people waiting. The third was empty and she took a seat to wait. It was here Randall found her.