Midnight Wreckage - Winter Travers Page 0,27

“Quite the opposite, really. I think we hit the motherfucking jackpot.”

“One problem, though,” Dyno sighed.

“While the Clarks are the kings of donuts, they also are the rising kings in the area’s booming meth business.” Quinn knocked his knuckles on the table. “The donuts are now the front. No one would believe someone as successful as the Clarks would get their hands dirty with drugs.”

“Holy fuck,” Zephyr groaned. “Are we about to fuck with more people who are just going to rain more shit down on us?”

“Wait, wait,” Point called. “We skipped where we know that the Clarks are the ones who tried to kill Queenie and kidnapped Gunner.”

“This is where things get a little blurred. So, Raymond didn’t know about Gunner until Duchess gave birth. She apparently reached out to his family with her hand out thinking Gunner would get his slice of the donut.”

“Oh, my God, Duchess,” Queenie groaned. “She would just walk up to some millionaires with her hand out thinking she deserved something.”

Quinn sat forward. “Again, a lot of this is just Dyno and me trying to connect the dots, but basically they told her to get lost. Duchess goes away, but the Clarks don’t forget about the fact Gunner has Clark blood in his veins.”

“Family is everything to the Clarks,” Dyno adds.

“So, they put a hit out on Duchess and think with her gone, they’ll get Gunner.”

“Except they didn’t factor in that Duchess never put Raymond’s name on the birth certificate, and I get Gunner.” Queenie buried her face in her hands. “Oh, my God,” she groaned. “So she wasn’t killed for the shoes on her feet. She was killed because they wanted Gunner.”

“So, instead of petitioning the courts for blood tests or whatever to prove that Raymond is Gunner’s father, they figure what’s the harm in one more death as long as it means Gunner will finally be with them.” Quinn sighed. “The problem was Queenie didn’t die.”

“And Raymond told you all of this?” I asked.

Dyno shook his head. “It all came from Brick, who has some pretty good methods of persuasion. We tried to talk to Raymond, but he was in the infirmary listed under critical condition.” Dyno leaned forward with a twisted smile on his lips. “They don’t think he’s going to make it. Had a horrible accident in the shower.”

“Jaw is so busted, they had to wire it shut.” Quinn shrugged. “Hopefully, he’ll pull through.”

And that was why you didn’t fuck with the Kings of Vengeance. Once Brick got out of prison, I would have to personally thank him for helping to take out the garbage.

“Gunner. How do we get Gunner back now?” Queenie asked. “As much as I can appreciate that scum Raymond getting the shit beat out of him, that didn’t put Gunner back in my arms.”

“This is where we need to put it into a vote.” Quinn hitched his thumb at Dyno. “We can’t seem to agree so the rest of you are going to decide. Do we go to the cops or serve justice Kings of Vengeance style?”

*

Queenie

My stomach rolled, and I buried my face in my hands.

Gunner was okay, though. He was with some sick and twisted people, but he was still alive. They wouldn’t have gone to all of the trouble to kill Duchess and me just to hurt Gunner. That was the only thought that was keeping me from jumping up and knocking on every door in Whitmore until I found him.

Sledge rubbed my back while I tried not to puke.

“I’m gonna need to hear the pros and cons of both on this,” Point replied. “While the idea of going in guns blazing is more than appealing, you gotta factor in the thought that people could get hurt who don’t deserve it.”

“Like Gunner,” Sledge mumbled.

“But if we get the cops involved, they’re gonna wanna know where we got our information from, and then, Brick could get in trouble for the mishap with Raymond.” Dyno moved his hands up and down. “But that’s not guaranteed to happen either. I, for one, feel that the Clarks got a lot more shit on them than Brick does.”

“Brick is three months away from being a free man,” Quinn pointed out.

“How does Brick feel about the options?” Rhino asked.

Quinn’s eyes connected with mine. “He said we needed to do whichever one will get Gunner home quicker. He doesn’t care if he has to spend a few more years there if it means Gunner is safe.”

I closed my eyes and sighed.