Page 36 of Declan's Dove

“Okay. Hawk,” Gabe says, “I want you to start searching WITSEC, see what you can find. Let’s rule out that possibility first. Last thing we need is the fucking Feds at our door.”

“On it,” Hawk replies.

“Declan, you keep trying with the kid. Maybe he knows more about this friend. Where she lives. What kind of car she drives. What hospital she’s working for. He’s a smart kid. He pays attention. You’ve just got to get him to trust you enough to open up.”

I nod. It’s not like I wasn’t already planning to ply the kid with junk food and get him talking.

“Until then, we have little else to go on.” Gabe looks at Caleb and says, “You think you and Ma can help with Carter? Keep him at the farm while Declan works, and we look into this shit?”

“I’m keeping him with me,” I state, not willing to pass him off to anyone until I know good and goddamn well that he and his mama are not in some kind of crazy ass trouble. “Violet entrusted Carter to me. I’ve got this.”

“And I agree, and you’ll have him with you at night and on your time off. However, you still have a job to do and a woman to find. Let him stay on the farm while you handle your day-to-day shit while he’s out of school. Ma will be happy to have him, and they’ll run him until he’s tired, doing chores and shit to keep him busy.”

“It’s fine, Dec. Liz would be more than happy to have a youngin’ to look after and keep distracted. Hell, it might keep her from moping around the house and giving us shit about Thomas being locked up downstairs,” Caleb grumbles.

It has to be hard knowing your son is locked in a basement cell at the clubhouse, mostly because no one knows what else to do with him. Gabe’s torn between killing the fucker for his betrayal and keeping him alive to help us nail Marco Cusenza. The problem is, we don’t know if we can trust the son of a bitch because he’s been playing double agent for fucking years.

We all know he played a part in the death of Gabe’s wife, but new information was brought to light about her own fucking mother actually being the one behind the hit that was ordered. Thomas thought he was just supposed to scare Maggie, but the Devil’s Order and Nate, Hawk’s dad, had other plans which led to Maggie’s death.

The fact Thomas recently saved Avery’s life is the main reason Gabe has kept him alive. That, and Vincenzo Parisi told us all, “Thomas may be the link that we need to bring Eleanor and Cusenza down together.” And Pres wants Eleanor to suffer for everything she’s put his wife and daughter through. It’s that need for revenge—to make things right. It’s the real reason Thomas is still breathing.

“I’ll talk to the kid about it,” I tell them. “His mama left him with me, and if he’s not comfortable leaving my side, then I’ll take him to work with me or whatever the fuck I need to do to work it out.”

“Look at you, sounding like a proud daddy,” Hawk teases. I flip him the bird.

“All right. If there’s nothing else.”

“Actually, Pres.” Jake says, raising his hand. “It’s a little off topic, but I want to sponsor Trevor as a prospect. He’s a good kid. He works hard for us at the auto body shop. Recently, he came in for a tattoo and we discussed it. He asked me if I’d be willing to bring it to the table and vouch for him.”

Gabe looks up, leans back with a smirk on his face as he rubs his beard. “Linzie is going to be pissed. She doesn’t want him to be a part of the club. She’s made it clear to me on several occasions.”

“With all due respect, Pres, he’s a grown man. It’s Trevor’s decision if he wants to become a brother. The boy’s twenty-one years old. And Jake’s right,” Jameson says. “Trevor’s a hard worker and a good kid. He’d make a damn good brother.”

Gabe nods. “All right. Take it to a vote. All who agree say aye.”

The entire room erupts in a unanimous, “Aye!”

Gabe slams the gavel on the table. “All right, assholes. We’re adjourned for now.”

“Hey, Pres,” Hawk calls out. Gabe turns to meet his gaze. “You know Linzie’s going to hand you your ass over this, right?”

Gabe smiles. “She can try.”

We all make our way out into the common area, where a not-so-happy looking Sadie stands by the bar talking with Blake. He nudges his head in our direction, and Sadie heads straight for us.

“Gabe. I, uh, I want a few minutes to talk to my—Thomas.”

Gabe narrows his eyes. His playful demeanor from a moment ago is gone. “What the fuck for?”

“Well, for starters, he’s my piece of shit father. I think I should be allowed to tell him my thoughts. Second, I have some questions I want answers to,” Sadie says, her arms crossed over her body defensively. “He owes me that much.”

“You aren’t going down there alone,” Gabe demands. “Declan, Mack, Hawk, with me. And you,” He points at Sadie, “You have ten minutes. Not a minute more. It’s going to take everything I have not to kill the motherfucker as it is. It’s why I haven’t been down there.”

Mack steps up, placing his hand on Gabe’s chest. “Why don’t you sit this one out, Pres? We got this.”

Caleb steps forward, standing toe to toe with his son. “Gabriel, let me go down with them. You’re still too raw, son. You can’t kill him, yet. And not just because it would break your mother.” Gabe flinches back at Caleb’s words. It hasn’t been easy for any of us, but Liz has taken her son’s imprisonment the hardest. “We may need him. Stay up here. Have a beer. I’ll go with the boys and watch over Shortcake.”

Gabe grumbles, then lets out a quiet curse. “Fine.” He scrubs a hand through his hair. “Ten minutes Sadie Jay.”

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