Page 28 of Creed

But they alsoremember.

That’s the part you never seem to get.

Brian:

I remember quite well.

I remember you packing your bags and walking out. You left. If the kids

are hurting, it’s on you.

I staredat my phone long after the screen went dark. I was stuck in a moment between past and present, and even though I tried not to let him get to me, the weight of his words settled into my chest. It was a familiar feeling.

He was an expert at finding ways to make me feel bad. I could’ve responded with some kind of defense or jab, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Brian would never own up to his mistake. If anything, he would just buckle down and put the blame on the kids.

With that thought in mind, I tossed my phone on the counter and tried to shake off the frustration. The kids were home. They were safe and loved, and in time, all of this would pass. I wished it would pass sooner than later, but unfortunately, I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the case.

7

CREED

“Heard anything else from the cop?”

“Not a peep,” I answered. “And I hope it stays that way.”

“We should get word if he plans to come sniffing around, but we took the protective measures we discussed.” Preach motioned his head towards the back office. “Seven and the boys cleared the grounds, and we’ll halt sales until this shit gets sorted.”

“I think it was a smart move.” I turned to Grim and asked, “You getting anywhere with the two assholes who started this whole mess?”

The Vault was quiet. It was the calm before the storm when it was too early for the regulars and too late for peace of mind. There was no music or crowds. There was just a low hum of the girls bustling around the floor as they prepped for the night ahead.

I was sitting at one of the back tables with Grim and Preacher, and I was listening as Grim filled us both in on what he’d gotten from the two dipshits he’d spent the last couple days working over. He looked agitated as he told us, “They start offsaying that it was just a one-time thing. That they’d drank too much and got carried away.”

“Bullshit,” Preacher scoffed, clearly not buying it.

Neither was I.

“But the story changed the second I turned up the heat.” Grim leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “They’d eventually admitted that they weresentto find her.”

“Sent by who?”

“Still working on that.” Grim shook his head. “They’re scared, though. Real scared. And not just of me. They’re scared of whoever’s pulling the strings.”

“Then, keep at it.” Preacher leaned back in his chair as he told him, “I want a name.”

I didn’t say anything.

I didn’t have to.

We all knew something about it was off. Grim got up, and as he headed for the door, my burner started ringing. I reached back, pulling it from my pocket, and when I sawShepon the screen, I stood and stepped into the hallway. “Yeah?”

“I got what you asked for,” he answered.

“Alright. Give it to me.”

“Not sure what you already know about her.”

“I got the basics. I need the more recent stuff.”