Page 96 of Marcus: Sins of the Father

“We can stop them on the road, but it’d be easier for everyone if we did it at the pickup location. And if you don’t tell us what we want to know, you can bet we’ll tell them you talked to us.”

“You can’t… Please, I can’t…” Patterson rubs his hand across the tablecloth, and I watch his face as he comes to terms with the fact he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. There's no getting around it. He's fucked.

“Well, good luck with the Death Heads. You might want to pack your bags and run now.” Cole starts to stand.

Patterson almost knocks his water glass over as he comes out of his chair. “Wait! If I tell you, will you protect me?”

Cole pauses, then drops into his seat. “I’m listening.”

“They’re meeting in four days.”

"Where?"

“A trailer park just off Interstate 5 in Lathrop. It’s exit 465. There’s a truck stop at that exit. The park is off the frontage road. You’ll see it from the exit ramp.”

"What time?"

"Just before midnight."

“We gonna believe him?” Crash asks.

“Well, if he’s lying, he better run.” Cole’s eyes drill into Patterson. “And he better take his family with him, because you don’t fuck around with mine and get away with it.”

Patterson drags a shaking hand through his hair, his knee bouncing a mile a minute now. “I’m not lying, I promise you.”

“Your promises don’t mean shit to us,” Crash snaps.

“You’ll see I’m telling the truth, and then we’re good, right?” He stares beseechingly at our president.

“Not even close, but it’s a start.” Cole leans back in his chair, a little more relaxed now that the assemblyman has admitted all this shit so easily, while Crash recorded it all on a hidden device. He's in our pocket now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Brandy—

I pull into the lot of the Evil Dead clubhouse. I’d passed Billy on the way in, and he let me know Marcus should be almost back.

I’m brimming with excitement, and can’t wait to tell him I received an internship offer, and yeah, it doesn’t pay, but it’s a foot in the door. The woman who met with me said I had potential. My worries of being inadequate washed away when she spoke those three little words. She hadn’t even said them as a compliment—more of a statement that I may be worth her time—but they meant everything to me. I have potential. Me. I did this without my dad’s connections. And yeah, sure, Sara had gotten me the interview to begin with, but that was my connection and everything after was me. I finally feel worthy, like I’m capable of success on my own, separate from my family name, and I can’t wait to share my joy with Marcus.

After climbing from the truck, I rest on the bumper and wait for him to arrive. The rumble of motorcycles carries to me a few moments before they round the gate and roll onto the gravel lot.

He nods as he passes me, and the sight makes my mouth curve up. Damn, he’s sexy riding that bike.

Crash and Cole say something to him, and then he makes his way to me.

“How’s my babe?” he calls. I love it when he calls me his babe. It makes my stomach do a little flip.

“Hi.” My mouth spreads into a wide smile.

His eyes light up. “You look happy.”

“I am.” I take a breath. “I was offered an internship.”

“Babe, that’s great.” He wraps his arms around me, bringing me in for a kiss. His warm lips send a jolt through me. He picks me up and twirls me in a circle as I squeal. “Look at my baby, working toward her dream. We should go out and celebrate. Call the girls, and we can meet up somewhere.”

My eyes glaze because I love how proud he is of me. It melts my heart into a puddle.

“Let me wrap a few things up with the club, and then I’ll call you in about an hour to get the game plan?”

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