Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
“Let’s go on in so you can grab your stuff for work. How’s Mom done today?”
“Devil Daddies? Is that what his leather vest says?” Belinda asked Winnie before yelling toward Scythe, who had reached his bike, “Hey, Daddy! I bet you’re a devil!”
“Come on, Belinda. The neighbors’ blinds are twitching. Ellen is watching,” Winnie said.
Scythe didn’t react. He fastened his helmet in place and stowed the one she’d borrowed. He’d get a different size to fit her better tonight at the warehouse. And another jacket. He backed into the street. When Winnie looked back over her shoulder as they walked inside, Scythe lifted a hand and waved before holding it up to his ear like a phone. Her answering nod warmed his heart.
Checking his rearview mirror when he reached the stop sign at the corner, he saw Belinda rush out. When she discovered he had left, she angrily threw her purse and lunchbox to the driveway.
That wasn’t the reaction he expected from a stepsister. She would have fucked him in her bedroom with the door open to spite Winnie. He hadn’t picked up the same animosity from Winnie. She could probably find something good in everyone—except maybe that principal. He’d have Pirate investigate Belinda as soon as he knew her last name. Anyone that antagonistic who stayed in close contact with Winnie would be on his watch list. Thank goodness the right sister had come to meet with Lucien.
Chapter 6
Scythe stopped in a parking lot two blocks from Winnie’s school to check in with the computer wizard. Just as he anticipated, Pirate had sent him a file of information about Lorraine Oberson. He had the basic facts about her: age, education, arrests, and charges.
Nothing too remarkable at first glance. Lorraine was older than he would have guessed. Something about her degree made him stop. Scythe studied the next document in the file. Pirate had included an investigation of Amberly College. It didn’t exist except as an empty shell on the internet. There was no record of the institution on any higher education listing or on tax records.
“You dog, you.” She’d created her own university, given herself a higher education certification, and gone to work as a teacher.
He shook his head as he scrolled to the next items. A court document legally changing her name from Lori Young to Lorriane Oberson. A rap sheet for Lori Young followed that was years long, listing theft, assault, and extortion. She’d earned one solicitation charge at twenty-five. This was obviously not the type of person school districts usually employed. How had the district gotten bamboozled by this con artist?
Two more files sat in the folder Pirate had created. A distinguished man in a well-tailored suit stared up at him. Why did he look familiar? The silver hair and approachable expression made this the perfect headshot for several professions. Scythe checked to see who he was. Dr. Adam Young, the superintendent of Winnie’s district. A flash of the previous evening popped into his brain. That was the man who Winnie had panicked at seeing.
Dr. Adam Young. Lori Young. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Opening the next page, Scythe confirmed his suspicion. In the father space, Adam Joseph Young’s name stared up at him from Lori Young’s birth certificate. The bastard had hired his daughter without a teaching degree and promoted her to the principal’s job. They hadn’t covered their tracks well.
Scythe debated. Did he continue to Winnie’s school and take care of the principal? He didn’t want to subject Winnie to any negative actions they might levy against her before the information could be used effectively. He needed to protect her first and to plot how to use those reports in the most effective way.
Pulling back into traffic, he drove toward Inferno. The interstate was packed with rush hour traffic. Scythe maneuvered easily through the crush of stressed and tired drivers at the end of the day. When he hit Inferno, the parking lot was already half full.
Lucien had built Inferno’s reputation for great food at a good price. Many stopped here on their way home to grab a generous meal and have a beer or two before the dancing and heavier drinking crowd showed up after nine. Controlling the number inside was essential in the late-night hours, but the extra revenue the early birds created supported the business.
Lucien was a shrewd businessman. Crossing him was a ginormous mistake. Lucien didn’t forget anything and had a dark side. Scythe battled with his own demons. He understood the Devil Daddies MC leader. Well, as much as Lucien allowed. No one was that close to their leader.
Scythe would never have imagined his life here in the city. Working the family farm was hard, but he’d always felt like a part of the land. When his plans had crumbled to dust with the loss of his father and all the acres, Scythe had helped move his mother to live close to her sister. She was happy there and enjoyed filling the free time she had now without demanding jobs like canning and cooking for a hungry harvesting crew.