Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Fuck. I know how rough that was on you. Not to mention Val and your mother. How’d you meet the sister?”
“The first night I was down at the Viper’s Den.”
Fletch’s brow creased. “Viper’s Den?”
“That’s what they call their party house down in West Virginia. I thought you knew that. Haven’t you been keeping up with the fucking reports?”
“Look, I struggle to keep up with writing my own reports. Do you think I have time to read everyone else’s dailies? I figure Crew will bring up anything major or important that I need to know at our task force meetings.”
He was right. Crew might be an asshole—just like the rest of them—but he was damn good at his job. He did not hold back with sharing important info.
“So, what’s with the sister, the one living with you?”
Decker sighed. “Sloane came barreling through the Viper’s Den looking for her younger sister. I pulled her out of there before she got caught in a bad spot. We made a deal that I’d continue to look for Sadie if she moved in to watch Val for me.”
Fletch didn’t hide his surprise. “Whoa. You moved in a drug addict’s sister to help you with Val?”
“She isn’t like her sister. Sloane’s been hell-bent on getting Sadie help. She became financially crippled trying to do just that.”
“Rehab?” Fletch asked.
“A few times.”
“Damn. That shit ain’t cheap.”
“Yeah, I found Sloane living in a fleabag motel since she used every dime she had to pay for the rehab stints her sister kept walking away from.”
Fletch scrubbed a hand over his head while he shook it. “What are you going to do if you find her,” Fletch lifted a finger, “hopefully still breathing?”
“Don’t know yet. She really needs to go somewhere where she can’t just walk away.”
“Can she be held against her will? Like being committed?”
“Only with a court order, I think. But to do that, we’d have to get her arrested and then try to get a judge to order it.” He hadn’t looked that deeply into it because that decision would be up to Sloane, not him.
“It’s a possibility. But man…”
“Sloane’s trying to keep what happened to Amelia from happening to Sadie.”
“Addiction’s rough.”
“Not just for the addict but for the people who love and care about them, too. And that’s one reason why this task force is important. The more meth we prevent coming into PA, the better.”
“No doubt,” Fletch agreed. “Especially after seeing the shit you and your mom dealt with. You might have gained a daughter, but you lost your only sibling and your mom lost her only daughter.”
“We might not be able to save the world, but it would be nice to save this one person.”
“Sloane mean something to you? Or is it just a platonic deal?”
Decker scratched the back of his neck and sighed. “Started out platonic…”
Fletch smirked and whacked him in the arm. “Damn, Deck.”
“Again, it’s only a mutual arrangement.”
“Uh huh. Look how that mutual arrangement worked out with Finn.”
“That dick lucked out with Mel, though. She’s awesome.”
Fletch tipped his head to the side. “You saying that Sloane isn’t awesome, too?”
Sloane was fucking awesome.
Shit. He’d been envious of what Finn found with Mel. Even with what Fletch found with Nova. But was it possible that he could find the same with Sloane?
And if he could, did he even want to go down that path?
Just because he was thirty-seven didn’t mean he was ready to settle down. He didn’t need a woman to make his life complete. He had his career, his brotherhoods with both the Blue Avengers and the state police, and his family.
He was happy with his life as it was. He never felt like he was missing anything just because he wasn’t married or in a committed relationship. Or even because he didn’t have children of his own.
Valee Girl was enough for him. He wanted to concentrate on her so she was raised right.
“Sloane just wants to find her sister before it’s too late,” he said finally.
“You sure that’s all she wants? What do you want?”
“To find her sister before it’s too late,” he confirmed. “That’s why I’m asking for your help. Wilder’s, too.”
“Dude…”
“Drop it, Ghost.”
The smirk still remained stuck to Fletch’s face. “Ooooh yeah.”
“Shut the fuck up. As soon as her sister’s straightened out, I’ll be on the hunt for another nanny.”
“Is she actually a nanny?”
“Not officially,” Decker answered. “But she’s great with Val. Val loves her. And…”
“So do you?”
“Wasn’t what I was going to say. I was going to say Finn.”
“The four-legged or three-legged pussy?”
“Four. She hasn’t met the real Heat Miser yet.” He shook his head. “Anyway, do me a favor and keep your eyes and ears open for Sadie. You hear anything, let me know.”
“Will do, brother, but do you have any fucking leads at all or are you just spinning in the wind?”