Page 87 of Colt

I sucked air in through my nose to settle my swirling gut. “We said the Sinners must have friends in low places. Knew Henderson was a dick, never once thought he was a skin trader.” My eyes met Prez’s again. “Why aren’t you tellin’ the boys?”

“And have Atlas wanna do recon?” Prez challenged. “The boys would ride down there all guns blazin’. We need a more subtle plan.”

“Fair point.” My eyes narrowed as a thought came to me. “What if I recon the place?”

“That’s not what we want,” Prez told me, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. “Me and Abe have been thinkin’. What if we can get cameras in his office?”

“It’s a good idea,” I replied. “I can do it, but I’ll need access and someone to look out for me.”

Dagger’s face blanked. “I know someone who may help. Thing is, if we get caught, it won’t be good for her.”

“It wouldn’t be fuckin’ great for me either,” I responded. “So it’s good for her that I’m invested in gettin’ in, doin’ the job, then gettin’ the fuck outta dodge ASAP.” I noted Prez had paled slightly under his weathered tan. “Who’s your contact? And are you sure they can be trusted?”

He lowered his gaze. “Elise Henderson.”

An angry sound escaped my throat. “Hiswife? Are you touched?”

His mouth set in a thin line. “Elise helped us before, brother. She saved Layla’s life.”

My eyebrows shot up.

Prez’s eyes lifted to meet mine. “I’d like to think she can be trusted; I feel it in my gut. She betrayed me when we were young, but still, she’s one of the best women I know.”

I studied Prez’s pained expression.

He was highly protective of the club. He wouldn’t put any of us in danger. He’d rather die himself than send any of us to our destruction.

“I trust you more than anyone in this world, Dagger,” I muttered. “If you think she’ll help, we’ll go with it.”

Prez’s eyes darted over my face, and he grinned. “We fuckin’ lucked out when we got you, Colt. Don’t mind sayin’ I look at you as another son. Never known a man smarter or more loyal, not only to me, but to my boys and my girl too. I know you came here off the back of a betrayal, and I know what you had to overcome to be the man you are. Proud of ya, Son.”

My gut sank down to my ass.

If Prez knew his so-called loyal brother was his biggest betrayer, he’d shoot me. Every word that came out of his mouth stabbed like a tiny blade. I was treating John like my father treated me, and the realization sickened me.

“I’ll message her and arrange a meet,” Prez continued. “Gotta test the waters first.”

“What if she’s in on it?” I asked.

Prez rubbed his temple contemplatively. “Then we’re fucked.”

Abe sat forward. “The Elise Bell I knew would never be involved in that shit. She was always a good girl, kind, sweet, and she cared about everyone.”

I dipped my chin, staring at Prez. “Didn’t she fuck you over and marry the mayor?”

Prez tilted his chin proudly. “There were extenuating circumstances, but yeah. We were together before I went away on a mission and got captured by the enemy. By the time I got back, she’d married Henderson and had a kid.”

I closed my eyes, my heart hardening at what Prez had endured. “Did she Dear John you?”

“Nah.” He sat forward again to study me. “She thought I was dead. Married him on the rebound, from what I can gather. Asked her to divorce him, told her it didn’t matter to me and that I got how she must’ve felt when the military told her they’d presumed I’d been killed. Leesy told me there was no goin’ back and that it was over. Three days later, I met Adele in a bar, got drunk, knocked her up, and the rest is history.”

“Fuck!” I muttered.

“Yeah. That’s about the long and short of it.” Prez said quietly. “Throughout all that, she remained kind and caring. Does a lot for charity, especially for kids in need. When we were young and together, she told me how she wanted to be a social worker and have a house full of rugrats.” He smiled at the memory.

“Crazy how she only had one, and he turned out to be a menace to society,” Abe said thoughtfully. “She was a born mother, but he was a born pervert.”

“It’s lookin’ like he got his proclivities from his dad,” I mused. “Maybe Elise saw deep down what her boy was and closed shop.”

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