Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
“Too fucking late.” I told him how James called us, how the whole thing had gone down.
At the end, after I quoted him word for word what my dad said, Channing’s mouth hardened. He flinched. “Fuck.”
“Tell me I can kill this motherfucker.”
He shook his head. “I wish you could. But no.” He drew in a deep breath, exhaling as he said, “He’s mafia.”
I stared at him.
I heard him wrong.
“Say again.” It wasn’t a request.
Channing’s mouth firmed even more. “Mafia, Mason.”
“My dad cut all that shady shit a long time ago. He wouldn’t have any dealings with the mob, not anymore. Try again, Chan. Who is he? Why can’t I kill him?”
He grew wary before flinching all over again. “I can’t give you a different answer. He is, quite possibly, one of the most powerful crime lords this side of the world. And he is still growing in power.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
I frowned. “I feel like I’ve heard his name before.”
“You remember Quincey’s father?”
“Nate’s wife? Her dad?”
He nodded. “The one that your dad told you had mob connections, and because of that, there was a conflict of interest for him?”
Anger burned through me. I clenched my jaw. “That was when he was into some questionable business dealings, but he went straight.”
“I’m not saying that. I know your dad went straight and has been for a while. I’m saying that’s the mob connections to Quincey’s dad. I’m sure it was probably some of his minions down the ladder that loaned Quincey’s dad money. But, follow that chain of command up and there you go. Same guy. Same name. He’s at the very top.”
Well, shit. “Fucking mafia?”
A look of pity flashed over Channing’s face before it hardened. “You need to go through your dad’s books. I’m talking go tonight and get them. They’ll start an investigation and they’ll freeze everything. With his company being as big as it is now, they’ll look into it. You might not get out from underneath this.”
“You think my dad owed them money?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged, his head tilting back. “It’s not so black and white with the Bennetts. It’s a family operation. They’re from Canada, but they’ve expanded huge down in the States. The last I heard, they ran most of the Midwest, going all the way to Oklahoma. I don’t think they’ve been able to get a good hold on that state. Red Demons control most of that and Texas. You remember them? The biker gang that operates out of Frisco?”
I nodded. I remembered when he went against them too. They were the one percenters, the real deal criminal motorcycle club gang.
Channing was still saying, “They’ve also got most of the southwestern states, and a brand new fucking charter moved into Frisco.”
I felt my eyes widen. “What?”
“Yep. Same club, but they replaced the old charter. New members. We’ve had a few run-ins, and they’re not that bad, as far as Red Demons go. Brandon’s woman is friendly with their president’s woman. Shane King. Goes by his biker name Ghost. He’s the national VP, last I heard. I think there was a question about whether their national prez was alive or not. I’m not in the know as far as that goes, but it’s not a total bad thing to have them so close. They separated from a cartel that’d been pushing up here, and they did it in a big way. We don’t have cartel here anymore—or at least not as strong as they were—so it makes sense that Bennett is sniffing around. No doubt the Red Demon turf war got his attention.”
“What other areas does he run?”
“Montana. Idaho. Washington. They might’ve pushed into Oregon. I’m not sure.”
“Utah?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. The Red Demons might have Utah. Maybe. Or they’re duking it out. I know the Red Demons have Nevada. I’m not sure about Colorado or Wyoming. Bennetts have Kansas, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin. I’m not sure about Iowa. There’s other mafia around there—all of which is none of my business. I’m aware of the players around here and around where my sister lives, but other than that, I keep my head down. It’s easier that way. I go in, grab our guys, and we get the fuck out. We touch base with cops in the area to make sure they know we’re there and to find out if the way is clear for us. That’s the most I’ll probe in.” He paused to take a breath. “Your dad killed himself because of Bennett?”
“That’s what he said.” I closed my eyes and saw it all over again.
Bang.
“I’ll never fucking get that out of my head.”
“I’m sorry, man.” He reached over and clasped my shoulder.
“I need the layout on this family. Kai is the one in charge?”
Channing grimaced before nodding. “This is what I know. Again, I try not to get too nosy. They tend to know who’s looking into them and don’t take kindly to that. Rumor was there used to be a board for all the Canadian mafia families, but I don’t know if that’s true. Right now the Bennetts are in charge. Kai’s the leader. I’m not sure about the other siblings, but there’s one other brother who’s heavily involved with the business. Tanner Bennett. He spends a lot of time in Kansas.” He studied me. “There’s another rumor. I don’t know the validity of it, but you may know someone connected to Tanner Bennett.”