“Yep, roughed them up. They were trying to break into one of the shops that were under our protection. They are petty thieves.”
Entering the large home, Abel saw lots of scantily clad women walking around. It was kind of … cheap. He couldn’t believe he was thinking that women walking around naked was cheap.
For the Dentons it was just classier.
They made their way down to a basement. Every bad guy had a basement. It was cliché but totally right. Abel loved basements. Some of them were built to be soundproof, and you could get a lot of information out of the people that didn’t usually like to do a lot of talking.
There, tied to two chairs were the skinniest, ugliest people Abel had ever seen.
They were also covered in blood.
“We’re sorry.”
Their arms were covered in track marks.
Abel’s stomach heaved from the stench coming from them. They hadn’t washed in weeks. He was going to need to take a shower before he headed home.
Jacob walked up to one, gripping his hair, and pulled his head back. “Moore?”
“Yeah, we’ll tell you anything.”
“What? Not even for a price?” Abel asked.
“As if you’d pay it,” the one on the left said.
“We’re dead either way,” the one Jacob held said. “We’re expendable to our parents, and seeing as they got what they wanted, we’re dead anyway.”
Abel nodded. They were dead. It was only a matter of minutes, hours, or days.
“Start talking.”
“It started after Riley was killed,” the one on the left said. “The Moores always had a bad rep. We always wanted something more. Lou, she got in good, and wouldn’t help our folks, so they were going to solidify their own fortune.”
Abel stood back, listening as the two forgotten Moores spoke of their parents’ betrayal. They had found their way with the Coltons. They were a fierce family who had been enemies of the Dentons’ for a long time. The Moores would give them information, and lead them into places known for being controlled by the Dentons. The Moores were not the main threat here. The Coltons were, and had always been. His dad was going to be so pissed.
“They will attack your friends, your families, and they intend to take the city, and have the Denton Casino as their trophy.”
Jacob showed the brother who had told the family secrets a mercy, and snapped his neck. Marshall would do a lot more.
“Your red zone is not safe,” the one on the left said.
Abel produced the money, and the deeds to one of the houses Marshall wanted. This was the agreement placed between him and Stuart.
“Tell Maddox and Stuart if they need to do business again, give me a call. I’m not like you, but I have my own morals. I run a tight ship.”
Jacob nodded. They left Marshall’s place, and headed toward the red zone. Abel put a call through to his father to let them know what had happened. When they got there, no one was left alive. Deidre was pierced to the wall. The carnage before them made Abel tense up.
The Coltons were coming after them. It was time for the Dentons to go hunting.
****
Harper was humming to herself as she put the finishing touches on dinner. Abel had promised he was going to be home by seven, so she had made her way toward his apartment, determined to get a nice hot meal on the table. It was now cold outside, and the weather forecast predicted it was going to get a lot worse, and as such, she was going to be cooking some soups and stews. Since talking with Lou, she felt happier, lighter. It was the strangest feeling in the world.
Every morning this week, she had woken up feeling sick. The scent of coffee turned her stomach. She had taken a pregnancy test, but that had been negative so she put it down to the flu or something. Betty had been having similar problems, and she was feeling sick all the time.
Pushing it to the back of her mind, she focused on the now. Chicken noodle soup wasn’t fancy, but it was comfort, and right now she needed the comfort. Her life outside of marriage was in chaos. There was no way she was going into law. Her careers advisor was at the end of his patience with her.
She had to pick a career path soon, as otherwise she wouldn’t be able to get into the necessary classes. What should she do?