4

Cassidy sighed. “But, if that’s the best solution for Dylan, I think you’re right. I love that kid. I know he’s been having a hard time at school. If Ace can help him manage his dragon, I think it’s worth it.”

I blinked. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Don’t sound so shocked. Obviously, I’ll gut him if he hurts you or Dylan.”

“I’d gut him first,” I said with a smile. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I like it when you go protective mama-bear mode. Or should I say mama-dragon?”

“I’m not the dragon in the picture,” I said. “Sometimes I wish I was. It’d make this whole process a lot easier.”

“I know. But I think you’re making the right call, all things considered.”

“Thanks, Cass.” Upstairs, the music cut off, and I heard Dylan shuffling around. “I’ve got to run. I need to order some wings and try to get this kid to eat a vegetable.”

Cassidy laughed and wished me luck. I felt better after talking to her, but the reality still loomed over me like a thundercloud. A summer back in Lakeview. A place I hadn’t been in a decade.

Would I ever be ready to see Stephan again?

2

ACE

“Y

eah. Yeah—just the body repair? We’re still on track for next week. Nope—no, we can’t speed it up. Right. We’ll see you next week. Thanks for calling Cole’s.”

Dropping the phone back into its cradle, I leaned back in my desk chair. I tipped my head to one side, then the other, cracking my neck. I’d been sitting at my desk for way too long now, but I was responsible for managing the shop’s invoices, so I’d be here for at least another hour or two.

I stood and stretched my arms over my head with a groan. Internally, my dragon stretched too, and I felt the rustle of his wings. Unfortunately, there was no time for a quick head-clearing flight, not until I finished all this paperwork.

Stepping forward, I looked out over the shop. My second-level office wasn’t big, but it had an immense glass window overlooking the shop floor below. From here, I watched my employees work. We’d been booked for weeks, and it didn’t look like it would be letting up anytime soon. On the far end, my guys were painting a Mustang a pearlescent green; in the middle a coupe was having its doors adjusted to butterfly-style; and close to the entrance a Nissan’s body was being lowered so much the driver would be hard-pressed to get it out of the garage at all. My guys were skilled and fast. I paid well enough to attract the best mechanics and technicians in upstate New York. And on a beautiful day like this, I let them work with the garage doors flung open and classic rock blasting through the speakers.

I ran a tight ship, which was one of the reasons we were so booked. But it wasn’t just a body shop. That Mustang was a special order, and I had a lot of others like it.

I turned back to the desk and thumbed through the special orders. Each invoice was for a body repair or enhancement—a new trim, new rims, bumper fixes, or paint jobs. Each repair corresponded to the client’s special order—a half dozen handguns, a semi-automatic rifle, and all kinds of ammunition. The clients brought their cars in with cash tucked into certain compartments, and we stocked them with the ordered weapons.

I withdrew an invoice from the bottom of the pile and scanned the list. This sprawling order had come in the previous week. It was like this client wanted to do a taste-test of all the weapons we had to offer. It was a vetted referral, but something about it made my hackles rise.

I sat back down at my desk. When running a front like Cole’s, you couldn’t afford to ever let your guard down. That’s why I triple-checked all the referrals and managed our client base. The feds had been after us for years, but hadn’t managed to find any evidence of wrongdoing. But if they found me running this? I’d be locked up again in a heartbeat, and this time, it’d be for a lot longer.

And those seven years had been a really long time.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number on the invoice.

“Mr. White?” I asked.

“Speaking.”

“This is Ace from Cole’s Body Shop. I’m calling about your recent order.”

“Is there a problem?” the client asked.

Feds always had a tell. They’d tried this scheme before, and once I got them on the phone, it was easy for me to tell whether the client was in the life. Plus, I had a slight advantage over humans.

My dragon was already perked up, listening intently to the conversation.

“No, no problem,” I said. “Just confirming, since it’s a big order. You said you’re dropping off the cars next week, and all are getting a full paint job with tinted windows to start?”

“Right.”

“Have these vehicles seen any recent trouble?”

“...Trouble?”

“Trouble, brother.”

Anyone in the life would know I meant gunshots or other damage, either in the car, or the people driving them. The client hesitated for a second too long. “No, no trouble. Not a repair job, just a customization.”

Lying. Plain as day. My dragon could sense it like a scent on the wind. This new client was a fed.

“Great,” I said. “Then we’ll have no problem filling this order. Bring the cars in next week at your convenience.”

“Will do,” this ‘Mr. White’ said, and hung up.

I circled the client’s name on the invoice for later reference. No matter how many times they tried to catch me moving weapons, it wouldn’t work. It’d be a cold day in hell before I ended up in prison again. These feds were in for a disappointing sting when they got their cars back with perfect bodywork and zero weapons. I’d tell my guys not to open the cash compartments in the cars.

A knock on the door jerked me out of my ruminations. It swung open before I answered, which meant it could only be one person.

“Yo, Ace,” Hawk shouted over the classic rock filtering in behind him. “Sorry I’m late, that meeting ran long.”

Hawk was two years older than me and my second-in-command. We both had blond hair, but he was clean-shaven where I had a full beard.

As the alpha, I led our clan. Even though he was a beta, Hawk had stepped up and kept everything running while I was locked up. He’d been more than happy to hand the reins back when I got out. I was lucky to have a brother like him on my side.

He closed the door, and the soundproofing cut off the rock music. Hawk looked relieved. “I don’t know how those guys get anything done. It’s ninety-percent karaoke down there.”

“Hey, whatever gets the work done.”

“And makes the money,” Hawk said. “How’d the new invoices look?”

“One’s a fed. The others look good, though.”

Hawk snorted. “They’re never going to give it up, are they?”

“No. Which is why we’re getting out of this.”

“I know you don’t love gunrunning, but it’s a lot safer than moving drugs,” Hawk said.

I grimaced. “You say that, but we don’t really know that for sure.” Before we’d turned to weapons, we’d sold drugs out of the body shop. It was good money, and we had a reliable source for good product across the Mexican border. But when our source was caught, he’d turned us in. The feds had hit me with a distribution charge. The weapons were a cleaner operation than the drugs, but I didn’t like it, and it made my dragon antsy. It felt like only a matter of time until we got caught.

“True. So, you’ll be glad to hear that this meeting went well.” Hawk sat down and slid a file folder across the desk to me. “You remember what you told me the last time I visited you in prison?”

“You told me Mia was pregnant, and I told you we were getting out of this trade. It’s been three years, and we haven’t done it yet. We need to get things moving fast. If something happens, and you miss something in your daughter’s life⁠—”

Hawk waved a hand before I could go down that spiral again. “And I’m not leaving the clan behind, either. You know that.”

I nodded. We’d had this argument before. I’d tried to get Hawk to move away and leave the crime life behind. But he insisted that if he was out, I was getting out, too.

“The gunrunning has been good to us financially.” He flipped open the folder and tapped his finger on a long list of numbers. “I followed all the instructions you gave me from prison, managed the money to your specifications, all that stuff. It’s grown a lot. And I know I was iffy on this distillery idea, but after talking to these guys, I think you’re right. This is a killer opportunity.”

I was surprised to hear him so excited. Hawk had been reluctant to take the meeting at all.