Page 15 of Chief's Addiction

Shit.

That was one hell of a pipeline.

“They were taken from nightclubs, bus stations, the redhead was snatched from her college campus.”

“How long ago?” I asked, the words tasting bitter in my mouth.

“Not long. A few weeks for most of them.”

Christ Almighty.

My phone started going off in my pocket. “Fuck this whole day,” I grumbled, pulling it out.

Viper’s name flashed on the screen. “Yeah?” I answered, moving back toward the front door for privacy.

“Morph says you have some trouble,” Viper’s deep voice rumbled through the line.

I leaned against the wall, suddenly exhausted. “Fuck, brother. Trouble doesn’t even cover it. We’ve got a bigger problem than we thought.”

“Talk to me.”

For the next few minutes, I filled him in on what we’d found, not sparing any details. Viper listened in silence, the occasional grunt letting me know he was still on the line.

“This ain’t just a local operation,” he said when I finished. “If they’re moving girls from one end of the country to the other, it has to be part of a bigger operation.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“You need backup? I can send some brothers your way.”

I considered the offer. “Not yet. But keep them on standby. Spike, the fuckhead who was in charge of the shit show and a couple others managed to get away. Zero’s trying to track them, but if they regroup with reinforcements...”

“Say the word and we’ll ride north,” Viper assured me.

“Do I need to be worried about Cora?” came a voice I hadn’t heard in quite a while.

Sparrow.

My head jerked back at the mention of his sister’s name. Cora Allen was the woman who’d walked away from me five years ago. Truth be told, I thought she’d left town.

“She’s here?” My voice was calm despite the tightness in my chest.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Yeah she’s there. She never left.”

How the fuck did I not know that? I shook my head. “Fuck, brother. Thought she’d moved away years ago.”

“Naw. She’s got a place downtown. Been working a few jobs while she saves up the money to get her business off the ground.”

Her surf shop. How could I have forgotten?

“Look. With this shit going down... maybe you could swing by, make sure she’s alright?” he continued.

I almost laughed at the irony.

The last time I saw Cora, she made it clear she never wanted to see my ass again. I’d really screwed the pooch by not being honest with her about my wife. Not that the marriage had been real. I’d only married Tonya because she’s claimed to be pregnant with my baby.

News flash: She wasn’t.

Once I’d learned the truth, I’d filed for divorce. Unfortunately, that was something I’d neglected to explain to Sparrow’s sister.

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