Chapter Thirty-Nine
James
Knowing who took Shiloh from us doesn’t get us much closer to finding the man. He seems to have disappeared, and we only have so much time to look for him. The week is excruciating with how much stuff we have to do.
After Theo kills Diego, we have two bodies that need taken care of.
Typically, we’d assign the dirty work to the prospects or new members, but Theo won’t allow anyone else to see June’s basement or associate her with more death.
Despite how over budget we are, timing isn’t in our favor, so once again, we hire Actaeon’s Custodians.
Meanwhile, Maple has successfully hacked into the records of the South Five’s casino and strip clubs, and we put together all the information we’ve gathered on the gang’s illegal activities.
With the financial data, we have plenty of suspicious activity but not enough to confidently send it to the police.
Getting the Fivers’ legitimate businesses shut down legally would take too long and be too much of a risk.
Especially with how much illegal shit we plan to do in the near future.
So, we avoid getting the cops more involved right now. Instead, we plan to wait until the last second, when we’ll use Ace’s contacts, which will give us more control over the situation.
What we do have is pictures and proof that the South Five have used a hotel owned by the mob for their prostitutes to work.
Surprisingly, Ace has contacts in the mob too, so we leak our proof with the assumption that the South Five haven’t paid for the right to use their hotel, especially since their drug suppliers are rivals of this particular mob family.
The other major legal front the gang uses is a trucking company.
That one’s easier to hit. A leak about a serious safety violation to the right people is enough to bring inspectors down on them.
While the review drags on, operations get shut down, the fleet gets grounded, and a whole income stream freezes overnight.
If we’re lucky, the insurance company will start asking questions too.
I’m at the clubhouse when we get word that the company is temporarily shut down.
“It’s crazy how pulling one domino can cause everything to fall,” Nico comments.
“Oh, we should play dominos,” Luna replies.
“Finish this for me,” I tell them, gesturing to the paperwork on the table so I can step outside and call Sadie.
She’s been working hard to ensure her part of the plan goes smoothly, and the whole thing is genius.
But with us both being so busy, it means I don’t see her nearly as much during the day as I’d prefer.
And despite the lack of free time, my mind still finds a way to torment me.
Every passing second is a hot iron poker on my nervous system.
Only these random unnecessary calls with Sadie keep me sane.
It’s like I’m microdosing my Sadie fix since she insists on going to work.
June does too, which is driving Theo mad.
Even with a constant guard, neither of us likes the idea of them being out of our sight. Vulnerable.
Ace, too, seems on edge. He’s at our house all the time now. His connections seem endless. He grew up in the system too, so how he knows people in the FBI, I have no idea. Much less how these people owe him favors.
He’s not helping us just because of his friendship with Theo.
That much is obvious. The way he watches Evelyn when she’s in the same room reveals the real reason he’s been so involved.
Because of their friendships, both she and Rose are targets.
Thankfully, the latter leaves town on Tuesday to visit her sister, at Maple’s insistence.
I have a suspicion Maple did that on purpose.
If she knows what’s going on, she’d likely want to get Rose out of harm’s way.
I consider contacting Dad about thirty times a day. But I can’t. I can’t hear his excuses. I just… can’t. It’s pathetic, but I physically can’t stand the thought of talking to him.
His calls start on Wednesday. I ignore each one.
Then come the texts.
ROCKET HARTLEY
I can explain.
Talk to me.
You can hate me. I hate me. But don’t shut me out.
Son, please.
I read them but don’t reply. Instead, I drag Sadie into my bedroom, lock the door, and tear her clothes off.
She selflessly surrenders her body to me anytime I need a release.
It’s never gentle. In fact, I’m rough enough to leave bruises.
But Sadie being Sadie simply wears them like badges of honor.
Thursday morning, I’m lying in bed while she gets ready.
I watch her put on a halter top, look in the mirror, notice it does nothing to hide the love bite on her neck or the light bruises on her left arm where I held her tight, and smile.
Another girl would’ve changed into an outfit that hid the marks. Not my Sadie.
“Fuck. Get over here right now,” I demand, sitting up in bed so the sheets pool around my waist.
She smirks and saunters in my direction. She’s wearing a floral print skirt I’ve never seen before, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t see her put on underwear.
“Legs apart,” I say. She obeys, her hand naturally going to my shoulder to steady herself.
I inch closer to the edge of the bed, reach out, and drag a hand up her inner thigh.
When my fingers find no fabric blocking access, my cock instantly starts to harden.
“Were you planning to leave the house like that?”
She winks. “Maybe I knew you’d want a taste first.”
“Well, you were right.” In a flash, I tug her onto the bed, laying down and positioning her over my face. “Ride my tongue, sweetheart.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sometimes, it can take Sadie a long time to come. Especially if she’s in her head. But when she’s feeling sexy and confident, like now, it barely takes any time at all. Which is good for me, because I’m not fucking her until she comes in my mouth, and I know we both have to leave soon.
As soon as she finishes, I pull her from my face and she helps maneuver herself down my body.
Still twitching from her orgasm, she reaches between us and grips my cock, holding it still so she can sink down.
Her skirt fans out around us, covering where we’re connected, and even though I prefer her nude, there’s something incredibly erotic about her riding me like this, in the outfit she’ll wear to work.
We don’t move after we finish. Her knees are clenched against my sides, and our foreheads are pressed together, lips nearly touching. Her golden-hazel eyes meet mine, and she smiles.
I love you.
The thought comes out of nowhere. I expect to feel horror or fear, but I don’t. In fact, I only feel a relief, like my brain had been thinking it for weeks but couldn’t figure out the words.
I don’t say them, though. She could think it’s just the post-orgasm haze. I know it’s not, but would she? Besides, we’ve only been official for a week. I haven’t even asked her to be my ol' lady yet.
It’s too fast. Too soon.
But for the first time, I understand my brother and father. I get it.
I get why my dad never once seemed to regret loving my mom, even though she left him, ruining his ability to ever feel that delirious happiness again. I understand why, despite experiencing the earth-shattering pain of losing Scottie and Shiloh, Theo willingly opened himself up to love again.
I even understand why both would’ve sacrificed everything else in their lives for their women.
I think, until this moment, I privately resented Theo for letting June in when he knew the risks.
There was harbored bitterness for the knowledge that Theo would choose June over the Saints, over me, every time.
But this thing with Sadie is so new, and I’m sure I’d do the same. If she ordered me to my knees, I’d fall to the floor and grow roots.
Everything about her draws me in. Her loyalty, humor, selflessness.
The way she has insisted on helping the Saints since the beginning, despite the danger.
The way she owns her insecurities and her past. How she didn’t blink when confronting me about my bullshit or telling me about the things she’s most ashamed of, even though I know that went against her natural instincts.
Underneath the extroverted, blase attitude, she’s the stable, trustworthy friend who constantly doubts her own abilities, despite being the one person in her friends’ lives they’d never doubt.
Sadie is afraid of crumbling under pressure, when, to those who love her most she is the cliff face that has stood tall for a millennia.
She is a sanctuary for her people, a home that will not falter.
People like me, Theo, and June crave the thrill of cliff jumping, but that wouldn’t be possible without the secure place from which to leap.
That’s who Sadie is. She is safety and stability. She is lightness and joy. And she is just as brave and dangerous as those who need the jump to feel alive.