Page 87 of Boulder's Weight

"So why come to me now? Why warn Kelsey?"

Craig is quiet for a long moment. "Did she ever tell you about our other sister?"

The question catches me completely off guard. "What other sister?"

"Half-sister, technically. Dad's." His voice drops even lower. "When Cady was a baby, Dad brought home this girl. Said she was his daughter from an affair. Her name was Julie. She was around six at the time."

A sick feeling settles in my stomach. "Go on."

"She lived with us for about three months. Then one day, she was gone. Dad said she ran away." Craig's hands tighten around his cup. "Six months later, she turned up dead in Nevada. Overdose, they said."

"But you didn't believe that," I guess, bile rising in my throat.

Who would?

How does a six year old die from an overdose?

Craig's eyes meet mine, hollow with old horror. "I remember seeing my father with a lot of cash right around the time Julie went AWOL. He sold her, man."

I've seen some dark shit in my time with the club, but this... this is a whole new level of depravity.

"Does Kelsey know about this?"

He shrugs. "I’m not sure, man. She was a little baby. I doubt it, but she found out about everything else… so maybe she connected the dots."

"Jesus Christ." I run a hand over my face, trying to process this information. "So why are you telling me now?"

"Because Benji's not just our father's son—he's becoming him. And I can't..." Craig's voice breaks slightly. "I may be a coward, but I draw the line somewhere."

I study him, looking for any sign of deception. "So what are you saying? You want to help Kelsey?"

"I want her to disappear," he says firmly. "Deeper than she already has. Change her name again, maybe her appearance too. Go somewhere neither of us would think to look."

"She's not running anymore," I say, my voice hard. "She's claimed by the Reapers Rejects now. Under our protection."

Craig laughs bitterly. "You think that means shit to Benji? He's been asking all over town about your club, your territory, your allies. He's obsessed with getting her back."

This is news I need to take back to Amara immediately. "And what about you? Where do you stand in all this?"

"I'm trapped," he says simply. "But I can at least try to warn her. Tell her Sam says hi."

The message Kelsey gave me.

So, he must be in contact with Sam somehow.

"I'll tell her," I promise, standing to leave. "But you need to understand something, Craig. If your brother comes near her, I'll kill him. And if you're with him when he does, you're going down too."

Craig nods, no surprise in his expression. "Fair enough. Just... when you see her, tell her one more thing for me?"

"What's that?"

"Dad's dying. Cancer. He's got three months, max. That's why Benji's pushed so hard to find her now. He wants her to pay before the old man dies, as some weird ass parting gift."

With that final bombshell, Craig slides out of the booth and walks out without looking back.

I watch him go, my mind reeling from everything I've just learned.

On the ride back to the clubhouse, I don’t know how much to tell Kelsey.

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