Page 115 of Lost Lyrebird

He valued things he didn’t have when he was younger, like a beautiful home, large yard, and our vehicles.Everything we had, material things, he treated with the utmost care.

It took me years to understand this wasn’t him being materialistic, it was that he was a simple man who loved all life could offer, and he took care of everything he was ever blessed with, because he knew what it was like to go without.

He, too, was taken too soon.And like with Bethany, the loss tore my mother up.She’d been a mess the day of the funeral, and for many months following it.At the time, I had no idea how much losing my father would change her or change my own path in life.

It makes you wonder how any choice at any given moment can lead you down different pathways.How it’s a never-ending maze until we can one day find our own rest in death.When and where you stop along the way and what sections you choose to explore further, the people and material things you pick up to take with you, are to be determined by each person, I guess, as they make their choices to go left or right or straight on through in those moments.

It’s fucking crazy when you think about it.

Because who would I be if I’d taken a different Greyhound bus to escape my stepfather after my mom’s utter denial?

How might it have changed my life?

I sit with this question for a while.I let my mind run wild with the possibilities and what-ifs, until the subconscious little devil in my head scolds me.Because ultimately… It doesn’t matter.

I am who I am.Flaws and choices and all.

What choices I make going forward are the only ones that matter.

Bethany curls forward and screams, then sobs.Axel folds over her back and holds her as he does the same.Bethany’s mother throws her free right arm around the two and tries to comfort them both.But the ripple effect is felt by everyone witnessing it, and together in this space, there is shared grief for her, them, and the loss we are all experiencing all over again.

Nick, Dozer’s mother and Cap’s wife, comes forward and offers to take Medda from Bethany’s mother so she can hold her daughter.Dozer brushes away a steady flow of tears.Cap stands beside him, his hand on his son’s neck.Bodie has his hand on Goose’s shoulder as Goose’s shoulders shake.

It’s not a loss or a day that will easily, if ever, be forgotten.

CHAPTER 32

When life drags you back, let it stretch the bowstring.Then release with the force of an arrow destined to pierce through anything in its way.

Hodge’s death investigation is ruled an accident.As the days continue to pass, I can’t let go of the notion that it seems too convenient, too perfectly normal, like the accident was all but wrapped up in a pretty pink bow.

Maybe because Hodge shot one of Veno’s men, it’s not something Veno would just let go.There would be payback for that, and my gut instinct told me Veno had something to do with it.

So I reach out to Bones and ask him to double-check the details, dig into the investigation, and research the driver of the vehicle.

Bones doesn’t find anything in the elderly man’s bank records.Nothing on his credit cards either.And I’ve nearly given up this crazy idea, because surely, if Veno played a part and was somehow responsible, something of value would have been exchanged.

It’s Bones’ idea to do a reverse search.To dig through Veno’s and Antonio’s records for the connection, which to me seems like a needle in a haystack situation, but Bones, being Bones, finds it.

No influx of cash changed hands, but something valuable was erased: a massive amount of gambling debt.The casino ownership is in the name of an LLC, which is owned by a shell company, which is owned by another cloaked business.It all ties back to Antonio Chavez, whom Bones compliments as a wickedly smart businessman, because he’s hidden a lot of his shady dealings through layers of shell companies and a great many aliases.

I don’t share this information with anyone else.I use it to arm myself with the knowledge of how ruthless and connected the Thirteen Devils have become if they can pull something like this off with no one catching on.

There’s also the fact that Veno was able to get an appeal, and his case overturned.He was right back to his old ways, and yet, there’s little heat from the cops, which makes me believe that Antonio is greasing hands and pulling strings.My guess is he’s blackmailing influential figures to keep his business running smoothly.It’s what I have done for the Greenbacks, and it’s one of the most powerful methods to get people to comply with your demands.

The more I learn about them, the more I worry that the HOCs don’t see the true beast they’ve gotten into bed with.It confirms everything Deeds told me and more.Which has me shifting my focus from trailing Goose, Mateo, and the HOCs to spending some of my time digging deeper into Veno, Antonio, and their operation.

I tell myself it has nothing to do with the fact that Veno is gunning for Goose and the HOCs—that taking Veno out was always part of the plan.

The suitcase Deeds hands to me a couple of hours later is proof of that.The cost of it put a massive dent in my savings.Still, in my opinion, it’s worth every penny, because it contains everything I need to end Veno and his crew—a combination of deadly arsenal.

As I enter the code and flip the suitcase open to inspect the contents, Deeds watches from a few feet away.He backs up and plants his hands and ass on the edge of a massive headstone.“When are you planning to go through with it?”

I shrug as my fingers trail over the syringes, pill bottles, and poison.“I’m going to build up to it.First things first, I need to select a few women who aren’t cowed by Veno and are willing to take the risk.I’ll need to earn their trust, and then they’ll need to earn mine in return.They’ll need to be trained too, so Veno and his men don’t suspect anything.”

“Do you have a few women in mind?”

I nod.“I’ve been scoping out the building Veno now runs things out of for some time.There are two, I think, that have potential.But who knows?The drugs and their addiction will need to be factored in, and I won’t know how far gone they are, or how committed they might be to this cause, until I get to know them.I’m just hoping the thought of getting back to their families and taking back some of the power Veno stole for them will be enough of a motivation factor that they’ll do the work and take the risk.”I caress the weapons lying in the form inserts for a moment before shutting the case and relocking it.I leave the large case at my feet when I stand.“I’ll offer them freedom from the cage he keeps them in, but they have to be willing to do what it will take to open the door and walk out of it.”