“Good, because we need to talk, and it’s easier to do that when no one is naked,” I say when I sit down in one of the recliners and spin it in their direction.
“What’s up?” Conrad asks, moving Hannah to sit next to him instead of on him.
I look at her and then my brother. “Let’s go talk in my room.”
“Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of Hannah,” he replies.
“You sure about that? I don’t want to cause any unnecessary stress,” I look directly at her stomach to make my point.
“I’ll be fine,” Hannah says.
“If you’re sure,” I reply.
“Just tell us,” Conrad huffs, throwing his arm around Hannah’s shoulders to hold her close to him.
“Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I grumble, talking directly to him. “Chief Bailey came by the dealership today.”
Both of them go as still as statues on the sofa, neither breathing for several seconds.
“What did he want?” my brother asks through clenched teeth.
“He needs another favor.”
“Shit.” Conrad sighs heavily. “I was wondering why no one’s been by here to drag me out in handcuffs. Let me guess, he’s blackmailing you to keep me out of jail?”
“Basically.”
“Whatever it is, don’t do it for him,” he says.
“How bad is it, Cannon?” Hannah asks.
“Oh, you know, just the usual, intimidation and threatening his competition for mayor,” I explain as I lean back in the recliner.
“He’s that scared of losing, huh?” Conrad replies, which is not surprising since it’s the same thing I thought too. “You’re not going to do it, are you? For all we know, he’ll have his minions trailing you, ready to arrest you for roughing him up.”
“Her,” I supply since he hasn’t heard that Bailey’s competition is female yet.
“Her? Shit. You definitely can’t do it then,” Conrad says.
“I know. And I’ve already talked to Reece. She doesn’t have anything in her past that Bailey can use, which means she’s probably going to have a few rough weeks until the election in March.”
“I bet he didn’t think anyone would be brave enough to go against him,” Hannah says quietly. “Good for her. I hope she beats his ass.”
“So, that settles it then. We’ll back her for mayor even if it means Conrad gets arrested and literally becomes Con-man, spending the next however many years in prison for assaulting a police officer?” I ask in a rush, since it’s not something I want to think about.
“Years?” Hannah says with her jaw gaping as her hands go protectively to her growing stomach. “But the baby…”
“That’s bullshit,” Conrad says, pulling her into his lap again and kissing her cheek. “I’ve already talked to a criminal attorney. He said worse case I plead guilty to the felony, but the most time I could get without a prior record is a year.”
“A year? You wouldn’t be there when the baby comes?” she asks, grasping the sides of his face, the sadness and tears obvious in her voice. “I-I can’t do this without you!”
“Cannon will be with you and so will the rest of the Kings,” Conrad assures her.
Fuck. I hadn’t considered the fact that if my brother is locked up, I’ll be left to pick up daddy duties for him until he gets out. I don’t mind kids; I just don’t want any of my own anytime soon. I’m not ready to be domesticated like Conrad and some of the other Kings. Just the thought of being trapped, staying home every weekend to change diapers makes my neck hot and itchy. I roll my shoulders, but that doesn’t make the sensation go away. I’d miss my brother, of course, but pretending to be a dad in his place would be a goddamn nightmare.
“Maybe we could…ask the woman to kindly drop out of the race?” I know it’s a lost cause and hate it when Conrad narrows his eyes at me in a look of disapproval.
“No.” His one-word response leaves no more room for argument.
And he’s right. Without someone beating Bailey, the Kings are still up shit creek without a paddle. If it means sucking it up and playing house with Hannah and his kid for a few months, then I’ll just have to do it.
“If my asshole father wins, he won’t stop until the Kings are destroyed,” Hannah says.
“She’s right,” Conrad agrees. “We can’t do anything to help that son of a bitch. Promise us, Cannon.”
Sighing because I know it’s a lost cause and it sucks, I tell him, “I promise.”
And I mean it too, since it’s what they both want.
“Now, what can we do to help this woman beat the shit out of Bailey?” Conrad asks.
“She needs money for the campaign, that much I know from Reece,” I share with them.
“Money is tight…” he trails off, his eyes finishing the rest of that thought with worries about the baby coming and of course our parents. After our mother’s multiple sclerosis got worse, dad had to quit his job to help take care of her. Since then, Conrad and I have been providing the financial support they need to get by and for medical insurance and bills.
“The rest of the Kings are in the same position we are,” I remark. “But maybe the club could host a fundraiser?”
“Yeah, that could work,” Conrad agrees. “The group has a lot of friends.”
“Tomorrow, Madison Monroe is officially announcing her run. I’ll try and talk to her to warn her and see what else we can do to help.”
Here’s hoping she’s as brave as Hannah thinks she is. If not, and she finds out that the former police chief is going to be coming at her, she may decide it’s not worth the trouble. Then we’ll all be fucked.
Chapter Three
Madison
With one minute before noon, I’m shocked to get a text from my mom telling me to break a leg. I’m not sure if that’s the appropriate sentiment or not, but at least she remembered that I’m making my official announcement today. There’s nothing from my dad, though, which is no surprise. I learned a long time ago that if I don’t depend on anyone but myself, then I won’t be let down.
“You ready?” Lily asks.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I say before I walk up to the lectern at the top of the red brick stairs leading into the City Hall building. I’m freezing my ass off in my white pantsuit with only two reporters and one camera interested enough to attend my press conference announcing my candidacy for mayor. Lily and Vanessa are also in attendance but not Harlen since he’s still in class. There’s a grand total of five people gathered around, which is not an auspicious start to my campaign.
Oh, but at the last second before I start, a tall, blond guy in leather and ripped, well-worn jeans walks up and casually leans his shoulder against a nearby palm tree. There’s a grin on his face, like he happened to wander through at just the right time to catch the show and thinks it’s all hilarious. Great. My staff, a couple of reporters, and a bum. It’s a pathetic turnout, but everyone has to start somewhere.