Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Haze
I pause for a few moments after Cameron’s revelation. “What kind of trouble?”
“Trouble that leaves me no other choice but to call you.”
I rub a hand over my scruff. “I’m listenin’.”
“I prefer to do this in person.”
“That’s not really necessary.”
“You work in the security business,” he says. “That’s all I’m saying until I’m certain the line is safe. I’ll be there in half an hour. Don’t tell Willow about this and make sure you’re still there.” He hangs up the phone.
I hold the receiver out, staring at it for a few seconds before dropping it back onto the receiver.
Son of a bitch.
Until he’s certain the line is safe? What in the actual fuck?
Since when is Willow not safe? I know she’s been involved in some heavy police shit lately, but no more than normal.
I’d like to think she’d tell me if things were that bad, but who fucking knows anymore.
Willow and I haven’t exactly seen eye to eye on a lot of things.
While I’m glad about her promotion, it also puts her in the firing line because now she’s captain.
Willow has always been accountable. She was the best detective on the NOLA force, but with responsibility comes more risk.
I shift in my chair, trying to fathom what to do. Cameron will be here soon, and I’ve got to fucking deal with him.
It’s worrying that a man like Cameron Sinclair would contact me, of all people, because I’m by far the last person on his Christmas card list, let alone a sit down about his daughter.
I stand, pacing. I’m not scared of the man, in fact, on more than one occasion I’ve wanted to punch him in the face for how he’s treated his daughter, but I’ve held my tongue.
Of course, that all went out the window when we broke up.
He really let me know what he thought of me then.
I press the intercom, and Nova picks up. “Yo, cuz.”
I clear my throat. “Cameron Sinclair is headed over here in about ten minutes,” I say. “Let him through to my office.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and Nova, I could do with a drink.”
“Sure, I’ll get you a coff—”
“A real drink.” I usually have a stash in here, but I’m all out. I wouldn’t say I’m a heavy drinker, but I think an impromptu meeting with Willow’s dad calls for it.
“Uh, oh, is everything okay? Wait, Sinclair, isn’t that Willow’s—”
“Just get the bourbon,” I say, cutting her off. I run both hands through my hair when I hear:
“Bro? You okay?” Brew is frowning at me from the doorway.
“Fuck off.”
“What did Sinclair want?”
I let out a slow breath. “He’s comin’ here.”
Brew’s eyes widen. “Why? Does this mean we get to rough him up for bein’ a dick?”
“No, it means he’s got somethin’ to talk about, and none of it’s good.” I pull him inside the office and shut the door. If Sawyer or Nova overhear, it’ll be all over the town before we can blink. “He said Willow’s in danger and he needs my help.”
“She say anythin’ to you?”
“No, obviously, but that doesn’t mean shit.”
“True.” He scratches his chin. “Must be bad if he’s comin’ to you for help.”
“No shit.” I roll my eyes. “This has fuckin’ bullshit written all over it. I can’t deal with that man, he hates me.”
“But you’ll do it for Willow.” It’s not a question.
I meet his gaze. “Of course. I want to hear what he has to say.”
Brew points at me. “If you need me to whack him, just say the words.”
I roll my eyes. “For fuck’s sake, bro. He’s a retired cop. I think sooner or later Willow’s gonna notice he’s missin’.”
“Still, the offer’s there.” Brew saunters off and leaves me to my own devices.
The intercom buzzes, and it’s Nova again. “Sorry, Hazey, we’re all out of booze,” she says. “I could run to the store if you’d like. I’ll need your credit card.”
Fuck. There’s no time for that. Glancing at my watch, Cameron will be here in five minutes.
“Thanks, could’ve let me know ten minutes ago,” I grumble sarcastically.
“Wow, grumpy much? I expect that from Brewster, but not from you.”
Another thing about Nova is she loves calling everyone stupid extensions of their names, or dumb nicknames. I fucking hate it, and she knows it.
“Shut up and get back to work.” I click off and sit back down.
I begin going through the jobs in the tray, but I can’t concentrate on anything.
More to the point, why am I acting like I used to?
A raving lunatic. When Cameron thought I was unworthy of his daughter, he made our life hell.
He used to intimidate me, and not because I was scared of him, I was scared of losing Willow.
I guess a lot of things changed over time, but our mutual dislike for one another definitely didn’t.
I know better than to try and think that this is anything but business. That business being Willow.
The only thing we could ever agree on is that Willow is a precious commodity. Her father may have favored her brother, and put unnecessary pressure on her to succeed — he’s an asshole — but I don’t believe he has anything but her best interests at heart. He just doesn’t know how to show affection.
A few moments later, the intercom buzzes again.
“Sorry, Haze,” Erica says. “It’s Mister Sinclair, should I send him down?”
I clench my fists, wanting this to be over. “Sure, thank you, Erica.”
A few moments later, Nova buzzes again. “How come you’re nice to her and snippy to me?”
“Nova, I swear to god if you don’t get off this goddam intercom—”
There’s a knock at my open door and I glance up.
Cameron Sinclair is just how I remember him, only older and with more gray hair. Is it just me, or has that hairline receded just a little?
“Austin,” Cameron says as I stand.
“Cameron.”
He hesitates, like a fucking vampire waiting to be asked in. So, I do the honors.
“Come in.” I gesture to the seat in front of my desk.
He walks in, not before closing the door behind him, and all of a sudden it feels much smaller in here.
We don’t shake hands. We’re both as awkward as you’d expect after all these years. Let me tell you, he had a lot to say about it when me and Willow finally broke up. Here I was thinking he’d be over the moon, not yelling at me to grow some balls. I could never win with him.
“Got yourself set up, finally,” he says, looking around the office. We have nice digs, but it’s just bricks and mortar. He knows only too well how I’ve always wanted my own business. I just never had the money. “Did you get it legally?”
“Like I’d tell you.” I sit when he does, and he has the good sense to chagrin. “But if you’re askin’ if I’m a criminal, the answer is no.”
When he’s done examining my office with his eagle eye, he has no choice but to look at me.
“The NOLA Rebels MC.” He shakes his head. “I heard all about them from my daughter.”
“I’ll bet you have.”
He clears his throat. “Let’s cut to the chase of why I’m here, shall we?”
“After your cryptic message, I’m all ears.”
“I can assume we’re good to talk freely and off the record?”
“If that’s your way of askin’ if there’s any listenin’ devices, there aren’t,” I reply, annoyed. “You said Willow was in trouble. What kind of trouble?”
“The kind that can’t be overheard by the force.”
I stare at him for a long moment. His face is serious. The years are showing, but he’s still solid.
“Here I was thinkin’ you were all goddamn saints.”
“Only my daughter can be included in that statement.”
“Really?” I balk. “I really didn’t think you even cared.”
“We’re not here to discuss my shortcomings as a father, Austin.”
I fucking hate it when he uses my real name. It doesn’t have the same ring to it when Willow says it.
“In trouble with who?”
He assesses me for another infuriating moment before saying, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
I lean forward. “For a smart guy, you’re not really makin’ any sense.”
“Can I trust you?”
“You know you can,” I say. “Though, you didn’t think much of me before.”
He looks down at the desk, but I continue to stare at him. “The one thing about you is you can’t be corrupted.”
I frown. Is he fucking serious? I guess he really doesn’t know me at all. “Funny, that time you accused me of corruptin’ your daughter sure as hell sounded like I was the devil himself.”
“You don’t have children,” he fires back. “If you did, you’d know exactly where I was coming from.”
Well, he’s got me there. I’ve never really thought too much about kids, or if I’d ever want any. The truth? Would I really want to bring a child into this motherfucking fucked up planet the way it is? I don’t think so.
“Just spit it out. The suspense is killin’ me.”
I swear to fucking god a chill runs up my spine when he says, “I don’t know who to trust.”
I’ve never seen him like this. He’s not unglued, per se, but he’s worried. Worried enough to come to me, the person he hates the most. He really is more fucked up than I once thought.
“And you think you can trust me?”
“No, I know I can. You’d never put Willow in harm’s way, not on purpose.”
I like that he thinks I’m incorruptible, not that I really believe him. He needs my help and he’s out of options, but what’s worse is the idea that his words are really true. He doesn’t know who to trust.
This is serious.
“What happened? Start from the beginning.”
“Assuming you have a decent bottle of scotch stashed around here?”
Jesus, things must be bad if he’s asking for liquor. I don’t like this one little bit.
I press the intercom on the desk phone. Nova picks it up. “What now?”
“I’m gonna need you to go to the store after all,” I say, ignoring her sarcasm. “A bottle of top shelf scotch.”
“Anything else, your Royal Highness?”
I’ll deal with her later. “Just that, and make it snappy.” I hang up. Sitting back in my chair, I prepare myself. “You were sayin’?”
A moment passes, and I think he’s still trying to figure out if I’m full of shit or not.
“You can trust me,” I remind him. “Despite everything in the past, you know I’d lay my life down for Willow if I had to.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “That’s why I’m here. There’s been a threat on my daughter’s life. It seems as though there are some people who don’t like the idea of her making captain.”
“There’s a threat on Willow and you’re sitting here with me?”
“She’s with her brother.” He shifts in his seat. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear.”
Huh. Willow didn’t say anything earlier, and that brother of hers is a loose cannon. A big heart, yes, but wild all the same.
“Didn’t hear what?”
“Max is part of the Ridgehaven Hellions now.” His tone indicates he’s very unhappy about that, but also not entirely surprised.
Our Mississippi brothers. No fucking way.
“Since when?” I balk.
Bane is the MC prez over in Mississippi and we have an alliance. I can’t imagine fucking Max being useful to any of them, but he must be prospecting.
“That doesn’t matter right now, what matters is she’ll be safe until I can get back.”
“And then what? If there’s been a threat, we need to deal with it.”
“As I said, that’s why I’m here. Do you think I haven’t thought about all the consequences of my even being here?”
“What about your trusty friends on the force?” I throw back. “And anyway, we made sure the majority of corrupt cops went down not so long ago if you recall.”
“Like I said before, I can’t trust anyone.” He shifts again, and an uneasy feeling washes over me. “I have to show you something.” He pulls out his phone and slides it across the desk.
Chills already rise on my arms when I glance down at the first photo. “What the fuck?”
“Now you believe me?”
“Start from the beginning,” I say. “I want to know every single goddamn thing you know.”