Page 9 of Carlos

TWO YEARS AGO

Clara,

I hope you are well. Jack says you rarely leave the cabin. I’ll take you and Kyle out during my next visit. Stay safe.

Conner

Clara,

I am finally free! The Marines are no longer my master and I am no longer their slave. I’ll be up in about two weeks. I have a present for Kyle that I think he’ll love!

Conner

Clara,

I got recruited into a motorcycle club today. I know, right? But they’re really good guys. The president and VP were also Marines. I know I complain a lot about my time in the military but I really do miss the atmosphere, the brotherhood. Maybe I’ll find it here.

If everything works out with them, I’ll be a patched member in a year. That will be 3 years since everything. I want to bring you to come live with me. We’ll fake being a family and raise Kyle together.

Think about it.

Conner

Clara,

Jack believes you are safe where you are, but I need to know you’ll be safe if something happens to me. One of my club brothers had a close call today. His entire family nearly died in a fire. I spoke with Jack. If something happens to me, I need to know you’re still protected. There’s no one I trust more than the brothers I have found here. Jack has your escape plan. I pray you don’t need it, but I also will sleep better knowing you’re prepared. Just in case.

Conner

Clara,

If you’re reading this, then I’m gone. All I can say is sorry. I feel like I keep letting you down. Follow the escape plan Jack has to the letter. I mean it. Don’t take any chances and do exactly as he says. The man you need to see is Jack Duncan—a different Jack. I know, confusing. No one calls him Jack, though. He goes by Steel. Give him the envelope with his name on it.

I know it’s too late but I feel like I owe you this, especially with the fact that you’ll only be reading this letter if I’m dead. You have to be wondering why I did all of this for you. Jack (the one you know in Montana) thinks it’s because I’m in love with you. I’m not, just to be clear. You’re a great woman and I do love you, but I’m not in love with you. The first day I saw your bruises, I felt like I needed to protect you. My parents weren’t killed in a simple car accident. My dad killed my mom and then killed himself. I was too young to remember but my grandparents told us about it. My dad abused my mom and, when she tried to leave, he killed her. I couldn’t let that happen to someone else.

I wish you the best, Clara. Trust Steel. He’ll protect you. Tell Kyle bye for me.

Love Conner

CHAPTER 3

Carlos stared at Hannigan, unsure he’d heard his boss correctly. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d heard any of this conversation correctly.

The Black Pythons were a notorious one-percent motorcycle club out of Pittsburgh. They were the stereotypical MC that people thought of. Unlike the Via Daemonia, the Pythons dealt in drugs and the flesh trade mostly with the occasional gun deal. Now they were trying their hand at dogfighting? Except that their dogfighting ring had been shut down. Steel hadn’t said it, but the implication was there that the VDMC had been the ones to shut it down.

In doing so, the Pythons now had their eyes on Mount Grove, when they had never ventured this far south before.

Steel had put his cards on the table: the VDMC would do whatever it took to protect Mount Grove with or without help from their police force.

Hannigan had remained silent for a long time. He’d studied Steel and Lucky, who was also his son-in-law. Then he sat back in his chair and let out a sigh.

“The council gave me an extension on my interim status after my attack. At the time, I was grateful, but now I’m not. I’m tired, Duncan,” he told Steel, using his surname. “The town council wants me to start campaigning to become the official sheriff after November’s election. I turned them down.”

The seven VDMC officers before them weren’t the only ones to look at Hannigan in shock. Jeff and Carlos did too.

“I’m resigning. I want to spend my time repairing my marriage. I want to spend time with my grandchildren.” Hannigan indicated towards Lucky. “It has been difficult knowing my own daughter did not want me to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. I want to fix what I broke. I can’t do that if I remain sheriff.”

Hannigan looked to his left where Carlos sat. “I told the council I’m endorsing you for the job. It should have been yours from the start, Santiago. I’m sorry it wasn’t. Miller’s a good cop. He’d make a good deputy sheriff.”