FREDDY PRINCE

chapter six

Mack, Mayor Montgomery's mule, followed Kalani everywhere she went that day. When he saw her talking to Freddy, he got spooked and had to call Montgomery immediately. He knew Freddy was a world-renowned investigator and the two of them linking up was no coincidence.

"We might have a problem," he said, keeping his eyes on his target.

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Montgomery asked.

"Kalani's talking to Fredrick Prince right now. I don't know what they're talking about, but I'm willing to bet it's about her mom."

Montgomery jolted up from his desk and cursed so loud that his bodyguards rushed into his office to make sure everything was okay. The last person he expected his daughter to pay a visit was the one guy who had dirt on him.

"Fuck!" he spat. "She's not gonna let this thing go."

"Relax."

Mack's voice was so deep it made him sound dangerous even when he came in peace.

"Let's not jump the gun so soon," he said. "We don't know if that's what they're talking about for sure and nothing's come out in the press yet, so maybe he's backing her down."

Montgomery knew nothing about Mack and Freddy's history. He met Mack at a bowling alley one drunken night and they exchanged stories about the war they fought, and the rest was history. Because Montgomery was familiar with the PTSD and bad memories from being deployed, he never asked much about Mack's life. All he needed to know was that Mack had his back the same way he had his.

"Maybe," Montgomery said. "Make sure you keep an eye on them. If need be, remind Mr. Prince of that NDA he signed. And make sure my daughter doesn't get too comfortable snooping around. If this shit gets out now, they're gonna throw the book at us."

It wasn't until five years into Mack working as Montgomery's muscle that he ran into Elm again, and even then they kept their rekindled love affair away from the public eye because Elm didn't know how to tell her children that Mack was their father.

"Got ya," Mack said, ready to end his call. "I'll make sure I'm on top of it."

When Mack and Elm met, they were still teenagers and fresh out of high school. It was love at first sight for them. But when Mack joined the Marines and got shipped off and thrown into active duty, their relationship was put on hold. Though Elm tried to wait on him for many years, she was a woman who got lonely and wanted to give up on their love.

Mack would come home on his leaves to visit and spend time with her, but it wasn't enough to keep her satisfied. She ended up giving up on their relationship when he missed the birth of their son and left her to manage taking care of both children on her own.

It wasn't until they were going into their middle ages that he finally retired from the Marine Corps and flew back to Virginia to find her. By then though, Freddy was twenty-one, and no longer needed his father's guidance.

"I need you to look into someone for me."

Mack placed a call to an old hound dog he knew from his war days.

"A guy named Fredrick Prince. Do a quick scan and tell me what you find."

Larry, a computer wiz with an addiction to the purest cocaine and women, had no problem filling favors for Mack. They were buds and Mack always paid him what he knew he was worth. Either that, or he made sure to satisfy Larry's craving for white powder in exchange for his expertise.

"Shit." Larry sounded impressed. "Who is this kid? I don't have a damn thing on him. Aside from kissing elbows with some infamously known drug lords, he seems legit. He does a lot of community work here in Virginia too."