“Do you want me to come?” he asks, but I shake my head.

   “No, this is something I need to do by myself.” For the sake of my relationship with my uncle.

   Crow nods, and doesn’t say anything else, which I also appreciate. I know he’s the alpha male type, but he should let me sort through all of this myself.

   When I need him, I’m going to ask, because at some point I know I’m going to be in way over my head. But for now, with my uncle, I’m going to do this how I need to.

   Let’s just hope he’s willing to cooperate and give me the inside information I need.

* * *

   “What are you guys doing?” I ask as I step into work. They’re all sitting around my desk watching something on my computer. Skylar and Izzy are also here, which is weird because I’ve never even seen them at Fast & Fury before.

   “Nothing,” they all say, a little too quickly.

   I step closer and peer behind the screen as they attempt to shut it down. “Oh my God, are you watching security footage of me and Crow kissing? You perverts!” I start laughing at the sheepish looks on their faces.

   “Abbie said it was like a damn movie, and we were sad she was here but we missed it, so we wanted to watch a replay. Is that so bad?” Izzy says.

   “You two are so cute,” Skylar adds, placing her hands over her heart. “This is just a whole different side of Crow we are seeing. And I’m sorry, but I don’t regret driving over here, making a complete detour from work just to watch this.”

   I shake my head at them. “You should all be ashamed.”

   Abbie glances between me and the screen. “Well, we might as well all watch it once before we have to go to work.”

   I throw my hands up in the air.

   “Don’t look at me,” Cam adds, grinning. “I didn’t even know we had cameras in here. That’s how much I pay attention. But I am glad I got to see that again, not going to lie.”

   Crow steps in and I call him over. “You guys can tell him what you’re all doing here, you creeps.”

   “What are they doing?” he asks, giving me a hug and kiss before addressing them. “What are you doing here, Sky and Izzy?”

   “We came to watch some important security footage,” Sky replies with a straight face.

   Crow seems to understand straight away. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You all need hobbies.”

   They smile at him. “You’re both cute, and now we’re invested,” Izzy says, standing up and wrapping an arm around me and Crow. “Keep it up, guys. We think you’re both perfect for each other.”

   “Thanks,” Crow replies in a dry tone. “It’s like having three extra sisters, ones you didn’t want or ask for.”

   “You love us,” Sky calls out as she follows behind Izzy. “We’ll see you all soon!”

   We all say bye, and then I turn to Crow. “We are pretty cute, though.”

   He laughs, and kisses me, giving the rest of them a live show.

   I’m sure the girls will be in at some point for the replay. I think it’s sweet how close they all are, and how easily they’ve accepted me. They really are a great bunch of people to know, and I’m blessed to have them in my life.

   Biker women or not.

Chapter Twelve

   “I wasn’t sure if you’d come back to see me or not,” Uncle Neville admits, gesturing for me to have a seat on his expensive beige couch.

   “Of course I was going to come back and see you. I was in shock, but that doesn’t mean I was going to pretend you didn’t exist. You’re family. And you’re all I have of my dad now,” I say, sitting down and waiting as he joins me. “I’m not going to judge you for what you do.”

   I knew coming here tonight that the only way this is going to work is if I let go of all the judgment. I’m not here to question his life decisions, I’m here to find answers.

   “You want to know who could’ve killed him?” Neville guesses, leaning back and staring straight ahead.

   “You don’t think he overdosed either,” I say, glancing at his profile.

   He shakes his head.

   “I’m working with my old boss Nadia, to try to figure out what happened to him. I think between us we can get to the bottom of it. Does this mean your life is also in danger? I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I tell him, wringing my hands as the thought hits me. What if whoever did this is planning on taking out both brothers? I mean, my uncle seems to be the one more in the lifestyle; my dad was just following in his brother’s footsteps to make sure he was financially secure.

   That I was financially secure.

   “I’ve upped my security,” he admits, bringing his intense eyes to me, eyes just like Abbie’s. “Don’t worry about me, Bronte. I can look after myself. Especially now that I know I’ve got to watch my back. Your dad wouldn’t have thought anything of it. He was unprepared. Not many people knew of his involvement. It was mainly me that people dealt with.”

   “Tell me, please. Anything that can help. I won’t rest until I know the truth. And I have the Knights at my back, and Nadia—I’m not just going into this alone and without a plan,” I explain, because I know what he’s thinking right now. He’s wondering if telling me anything is the best idea, because I could potentially end up in trouble, hurt, or even dead, like Dad. And I understand he doesn’t want anything to happen to me. I feel the exact same way about him.

   He takes a deep breath before answering me. “We were trying to get out of the business, and a war started over our turf. I...control a lot of the drugs that come in and out of the city, Bronte. So with me gone, it changes a lot for many people. There are some players who want to be where I am right now, standing on top of an empire with money, power and control. Certain people don’t want to see others on top, and there are repercussions of whatever decision I make. Lives could be destroyed. People will become enemies. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen next, but before we even made the decision, we lost Freddy. And now I’m wishing I never even told him the truth about me, because he might still be alive then.”

   I put my hand on his shoulder. “Dad made his own choices. He didn’t have to join you, but he did.”

   “He said I couldn’t trust anyone else, so he wanted to be at my back. And he was right. He was the only person I could trust. This world is...brutal. It’s so sobering to take a good look at yourself, and to realize that because of who you became, you lost the person you loved the most in this world.”