Page 122 of Colt

Pushing them open, I walked inside the bar to see Prez sat next to Kady who strummed the acoustic guitar like a pro. The place wasn’t busy. Weekdays never were because all the brothers were out working in the construction company, or down at the bar we owned.

“Colt!” Kady cried. “You wanna learn the ‘From the Vault Tracks’ from 1989 Taylor’s Version with me?”

“Later, pretty girl.” I grinned. “Got work to do then I’ve got Church.” My eyes slid to Dagger. “Right, Prez?”

He jerked a nod. “Waitin’ for Kennedy to get back from her office. Kady wasn’t well this mornin’ so she got the day off school.” He puffed his chest out. “I’ve been looking after her, haven’t I, little Kady girl?”

The pretty blonde girl looked up at Prez with her big blue eyes and nodded earnestly. “You’ve been a good babysitter, Grandpa. You’re so much fun and you know all about Taylor and Travis.”

Prez nodded seriously. “That’s right, Kady girl. That’s ‘cause your Gramps is down with the kids.”

I brought a hand up to cover my smile.

Prez’s gaze landed on me, and he cocked his head. “Where have you been?”

“Went out last night,” I muttered.

“And you’re just getting’ in?” he questioned.

I shrugged, deciding the less I said, the better.

Prez leaned forward. “Gotta say, I’m happy you got rid of that Lucy. She’s stuck up.”

“Yeah,” Kady agreed. “She’s jealous.”

My head reared back slightly as I took in the little girl. “Kady, how do you know when someone’s jealous?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. Breaker had told me how Kady could feel people’s emotions. I just put it down to her being sensitive, but maybe there was more to it.

She looked up from her guitar, her brow furrowing as she tried to find the right words. “It just feels icky.” She scrunched up her little button nose. “Like there’s a scratchy cat inside them.”

I nodded thoughtfully, struck by the raw honesty of her answer.

It made sense that Kady had picked up on Lucy’s personality—the envy had always been there, lurking under the surface, even before I fully acknowledged it myself. Lucy’s jealousy toward the club, Freya, and my work had driven a wedge between us a long time ago and I couldn’t help wondering why I’d let it go on for so long.

“Does it make you feel sick when people around you are jealous, Kady?” I asked, for the first time trying to gauge the impact it must’ve had on her.

“Sometimes,” she admitted. “But Gramps says people just need to figure themselves out.”

“Your gramps is a wise man, sweetheart,” I said, looking over at Prez with genuine admiration. You could say what you wanted about Dagger, but he loved his family. I’d never known it with my own father, so it was a trait I admired.

“I’m the boss for a reason, right, little Kady girl?” Prez smiled down at his granddaughter who gazed back up at him with shining eyes and nodded her agreement.

The sudden creaking of the heavy doors drew everyone’s attention to the main entrance. With a swagger, Atlas sauntered into the room. His eyes scanned the room, settling on Prez. “Need a word, boss.”

Kady caught Atlas’s pointed stare and must have sensed something heavy was going on. “I’ll go and see Iris,” she sang, scrambling down from her seat and heading toward the corridor to the kitchen.

As soon as Kady disappeared, Prez fixed his gaze on Atlas. “What’s goin’ on?”

Atlas’s muscles visibly tensed. “Gotta problem, boss,” he said in a strangled tone. “Me, Bowie and Reno were patrolling, and we ran into some Sinners heading outta town in a van.”

My heart started to race as I watched Dagger’s eyes narrow on the SAA.

The mere mention of the Burning Sinners was enough to make his jaw harden and his hands clench into fists. “Go on,” Prez said through gritted teeth.

Atlas hesitated for a moment before continuing. “We got ‘em to pull over and found a girl in the back. One of the assholes got away, but we managed to detain the other one. We’ve got him and the van outside.”

A feeling of dread settled like a heavyweight in my stomach.

“Damn it,” Dagger muttered under his breath, running a hand through his beard.

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