“Our parents owed some Russian drug dealers for the drugs they bought. That ultimately killed them. Since they weren’t around to pay them, the Russians thought they’d sell us and recoup some of their losses. None of us knew that our lives would be altered forever. Ryan and Aunt Ella were caught up in the same ring. So was Robin and her sisters.”
“Shit,” muttered Jonas.
“Yeah. We know a thing or two about wanting vengeance. Lucky for us, these big, huge bastards bought us,” he laughed. “Uncles Gabriel, Bull, and John got us out of there. Uncle Bull, he sang us to sleep that night. Best night’s sleep of my life. The next day, Dad and Mom, they decided they would adopt us. We didn’t have anyone to go to, and we didn’t want to go into the system. They took us, Jonas. All six of us. Damaged, traumatized, scared to death, but they took us all and loved us like nothing I’ve ever experienced before or since.”
“That’s remarkable,” smiled Jonas.
“That’s Belle Fleur. That’s REAPER, REAPER-Patriots, Steel Patriots, Voodoo Guardians, and Gray Wolf. It’s all of us. We love harder than anyone else. We hunt faster than anyone else. And we punish without question. Archie will pay for what he did to your wife and unborn children.”
“I know,” nodded Jonas. “Mama Irene told me that he would pay in ways I couldn’t imagine. I can’t explain it, but that old woman made me feel as though she knew something I didn’t.”
“Oh, that’s a guarantee,” laughed BJ.
“Gentlemen, here’s your food,” said the waitress, setting down plate after plate of hot, delicious food. “Eat up, and I’ll get you some pie. On the house.”
U-Jin was the first to dig in, devouring the first few bites of the venison stew as the others laughed at him. He looked up, gravy on his chin.
“What?” Dan laughed, shaking his head.
“Nothing, brother. You just look like a starving man.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The snow was problematic for Archie. He’d been battling slick roads and snowbanks for a hundred miles and needed to get off the road. The first hotel he stopped at was full. The next two were dumps that he walked out of before even asking about rooms.
Finally, he decided it would be better to trudge through to Nashville, where he could find the perfect place to sleep, sleep in, and get a decent meal. Once he checked in, he pulled out the hair color he’d purchased at a drugstore in Lexington. Maybe changing his features would help deter others from recognizing him.
He read the instructions on the box twice and applied the dark brown hair color to his normally blonde hair. While the color was sitting, he ordered room service asking the staff to place it outside the door and knock, then leave.
Thirty minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and he opened it to find his meal outside. Pulling it inside, the timer went off for the hair color, so he left it on the table and got into the shower. When he was done, there was an absolute mess in the bathroom.
He wiped up the splattered color on the tile floor and tried to clean everything as best he could. Inside the drugstore bag, he placed the remnants of the color and the dirty towels, tying them off. Staring at himself in the mirror, he grinned, then burst out laughing.
“Looking good, Archie,” he muttered to himself.
By morning he hoped that the weather would clear, and he would be free to wander around Nashville, at least for a day or so. As he watched the news, he realized that his face was everywhere. Debating on shaving again, he decided against that since all the photos showed him with a clean-shaven face.
His major problem was that he was still no closer to finding Khloe. Leaning back on the pillows, he bit into the last of his dessert and smiled. He’d had a bottle of wine delivered that was nearly gone, so he was feeling like his old self.
“In other news tonight, the American Medical Association says that licensing requirements for states will be changed soon. Currently, all physicians must register in each state that they desire to practice…”
“Shit,” he muttered, sitting up. “That’s it. She’d have to register in the state she’s practicing.”
Archie was practically giddy as he brought up his laptop and searched the AMA website. He found Khloe Jones licensed to practice in Virginia, Maryland, and Louisiana. He knew that she was no longer in Virginia or Maryland. If she was, his father would have found her.
“Louisiana,” he grinned. “You went home, you little bitch. Where did she say she was from again?”
As hard as he tried, he couldn’t remember the city outside of New Orleans. The AMA site said that she was licensed at a number of hospitals and clinics, but they were all in the New Orleans area.
“Well, I have nothing but time,” he mused. “I’ll find you. When I do, you and I are going to have a long chat about loyalty.”
He was shocked when his new cell phone rang. The only person who had that number was his mother.
“Hello.”
“Archie. Archie, I need you to come home,” she said in a panicked voice.
“Mother, you know I can’t come home. If I do, I’ll be arrested. Is this some sort of trap?”
