CHAPTER SEVEN
Year Eight
Rio—
The guard leads me down a hall and into a room I’ve never been in before.
My suck-ass attorney is waiting, sitting at a table. I haven’t seen him since the trial, so this is surprising.
The guard unlocks my cuffs.
“You’ve got twenty minutes,” he says, then steps out of the room, locking us in.
I take the seat opposite.
“Rio,” the man says, like it’s just an ordinary Tuesday.
“What’s going on?” I frown, wondering what he’s doing here and why we’ve got this private room with no one watching or listening.
“We need to discuss some things.” He opens his briefcase, then slides a stack of papers across the table to me.
It’s legal mumbo jumbo, but it looks like a motion for appeal. “It’s a little late, don’t you think? I’ve already served most of my time.”
“Look at page two, paragraph three.”
It’s a personal note buried among the legal jargon.
Rio,
My father was murdered two years ago. Since then, things have been turbulent. The club voted me in. I know what you did to save the club’s money. I also know you took the fall and didn’t talk. My father spoke often of your sacrifice and held it to the club as an example to be followed. I know he wanted you to be rewarded, and I know your release is coming soon. What do you want when you get out?
– Ghost
My eyes lift to my attorney. “Storm is dead?”
He nods.
“Two fucking years now, and nobody bothered to tell me?”
He shrugs. “Not my department. You got any message you want me to carry back, write it down.” He reaches into his briefcase and tosses me a pen.
I think for a moment. I barely remember Ghost. Shit, he was just a kid when I got sent up. Maybe seventeen or eighteen back then. And now he’s running the whole show? But he hasn’t forgotten me, so that’s something.
I don’t need to think too long. I’ve had years to know what I plan to do when I get out.
I scratch my request at the bottom of the page.
I WANT MY OWN CHAPTER.
The attorney stares at the words and blinks. “He’s gonna want to know where.”
“I want to go back to that fucking town and take over.”
His brows lift. “Las Cruces?”
“Yep.”
“Guess some shit’s hard to forget. They did give you quite a beating. You sure about this, son?”
“I’m not your son,” I snap. “Just give him the message.”
“Sure.” He starts to grab the papers.
“Hey.” I stop him. “Someone’s been putting money in my prison account. Is that the club?”
He shakes his head, and that tells me what I need to know. Shelby. It’s got to be her. There’s no one else who’d care enough. She’s been giving me what she can out of whatever little money she has.
My attorney rises. “We done?”
“Hang on a minute.” I’m not sure he’s coming back. This is my one shot at communicating with the MC. I quickly write something else on the paper.
I’ll need some land outside Las Cruces. See what you can do. I got away with more than we owed the club. There should be enough. I want Zig as my VP, and Blue, Mauler, Bagger, and Bandit, too, if they’ll come.
Thanks Ghost.
I stare at the words, then grin and shake my head. I scratch out Ghost’s name and write Prez above it. Then slide the paper to my attorney.
He shoves it into his briefcase, then moves to the door and taps on the metal.
The door opens, and he steps through.
The guards return me to my cell. I’m grinning the entire trip.
I’m sorry as hell that Storm is gone. I wonder who took him out. But I’m glad his son is stepping up for me.
I have big plans, and it’s starting to look like they may work out.
Once I get out of here and put my plan in motion, Las Cruces is going to be mine, and I’ll be its fucking King. I’m coming for every single one of those motherfuckers. No one will ever mess with me again, because I’ll own that town and everyone in it.
I sit on my cot, and my eyes shift to the one picture I have taped to the wall.
Shelby.
I stare at her pretty smile.
She stopped coming to visit me five years ago, but I don’t blame her. It’s what I always wanted—for her to go on with her life. To forget about me.
Until it happened.
I stare at the ceiling and think about the future. I get out of here next summer, and I’ve got big plans. I’m going to blow that fucking town up. I look back at Shelby’s photo.
“And when the dust settles, I’m coming for you, too, sweetheart.”