Page 45 of True Bastard
That I was unwillingly connected to the Brotherhood.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Morpheus
I looked up just as Cerberus walked into my office along with Nano, the club’s intelligence officer. The man didn’t look happy.
“Henderson’s debt is past due. Tell Firestride to stop fucking the club whores and go collect what’s owed,” I stated, ignoring the grumpy bastard. I wasn’t in the mood for whatever had pissed him off now. Shit was kicking off within the Biker Federation, and I needed my focus on that shit before all hell broke loose, not whatever burr was up Cerberus’ ass. “Steele made his move. He’s aligned himself and the Silver Shadows with the Death Dogs.”
Groaning, Cerberus and Nano took a seat. “Irish fucker ain’t gonna be happy with that.”
“Reach out to your son and see if that pussy-whipped motherfucker is going to follow orders or if he’s finally grown some balls. Then call Daddy dearest and let him know that if his son aligns with the Death Dogs, our deal is off and his debt is due immediately.”
“I’ll call him today,” Cerberus grunted before adding, “With regard to that shit, thought you’d like to know Reaper is in Diamond Creek.”
“What the fuck for?” I asked, then held up my hand. “Don’t tell me. Massacre?”
Cerberus nodded. “You know that fucker well.”
“Son of a bitch is more trouble than he’s worth,” I grumbled.
“Speaking of trouble,” Cerberus said, turning to Nano. “Tell him.”
“Tell me what?” I growled, leaning back in my chair as my eyes wandered over to the club’s intelligence officer. Nano, like all my brothers, was a Bastard to the core. He was damn good at what he did, and no one around could compare.
Not even the underworld’s golden boy. Where Nano excelled was in looking between the lines. My brother had a keen eye for details, unmatched by anyone around.
“Think I have a lead on your sister. It’s thin, Morpheus; I need you to understand that now, but I want your permission to look into it.”
“What lead?”
“Years ago, you ordered me to dig into every member of the Soulless Sinners, knowing that it was George Stone who killed your parents that night.”
“Because he fucking did. Saw the motherfucker with my own eyes.”
“You also said that George Stone was under orders. That Albert Lansing ordered the hit.”
I sneered. “That’s what the motherfucker said.”
Nano shook his head. “I’m not calling you a liar, Morpheus, but I don’t think Lansing did it. Albert Lansing had no connection to the Soulless Sinners. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with the club. His only crime was that he lived next door to George Stone.”
“Bullshit!” I roared. “His fucking son is a branded brother.”
Nano nodded. “Yes, he is, but from what I just learned, it wasn’t by choice. George Stone blackmailed August Lansing into joining. Apparently, August got mixed up with a college girlduring his residency, and Stone wanted her real bad, only she disappeared a few months later. No one’s seen her since.”
“What the fuck does she have to do with my sister?”
“Crispin Sinclair helped hide her.”
“Crispin Sinclair helped hide her,” I repeated, the name a cold knot of dread forming in my gut. Crispin Sinclair was nothing more than a puppet for Jane Craven, the very bitch who kidnapped my son and raised him until eight years of age before he escaped with the help of a woman named Amelia Scott. Over the years, Crispin Sinclair had made a name for himself in the underworld. He was cunning, intelligent, and just as ruthless as I was. He was also a wildcard, a loose cannon who couldn’t be trusted and who operated outside the lines, even for our world. The man didn’t give a flying fuck who anyone was; if their needs didn’t align with his, he would ensure they did with blackmail and force. If Crispin Sinclair was involved in any way with my sister’s disappearance, then this just became bigger than any club turf war.
That fucker just made it personal.
“And this woman Sinclair helped hide,” I pushed, my voice a low growl that vibrated with a dangerous impatience. “What’s her name? And why would he hide her?”
I needed answers, and I needed them now.
Nano cleared his throat, his gaze remaining fixed on the flickering screen of his laptop. “Her name is... Diana Cooper. She’s the oldest daughter of Lucas Cooper and his old lady, Rhea Cooper.”
