Newton (Cerberus MC Book 31), page 1
Table of Contents
Newton
Copyright
Cerberus MC
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Social Media Links
OTHER BOOKS FROM MARIE JAMES
Newton
Cerberus MC Book 31
Marie James
Copyright
Newton: Cerberus MC Book 31
Copyright © 2023 Marie James
Editing by Marie James Betas & Ms. K Edits
EBooks are not transferable. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Cerberus MC
New to the Cerberus MC?
Each book is a standalone with a continuing subplot and can be read individually, but to get the most out of the series, it’s best to read in order.
Kincaid: Cerberus MC Book 1
Kid: Cerberus MC Book 2
Shadow: Cerberus MC Book 3
Dominic: Cerberus MC Book 4
Snatch: Cerberus MC Book 5
Lawson: Cerberus MC Book 6
Hound: Cerberus MC Book 7
Griffin: Cerberus MC Book 8
Samson: Cerberus MC Book 9
Tug: Cerberus MC Book 10
Scooter: Cerberus MC Book 11
Cannon: Cerberus MC Book 12
Rocker: Cerberus MC Book 13
Colton: Cerberus MC Book 14
Drew: Cerberus MC Book 15
Jinx: Cerberus MC Book 16
Thumper: Cerberus MC Book 17
Apollo: Cerberus MC Book 18
Legend: Cerberus MC Book 19
Grinch: Cerberus MC Book 20
Harley: Cerberus MC Book 21
Landon: Cerberus MC Book 22
Spade: Cerberus MC Book 23
Aro: Cerberus MC Book 24
Boomer: Cerberus MC Book 25
Ugly: Cerberus MC Book 26
Bishop: Cerberus MC Book 27
Legacy: Cerberus MC Book 28
Stormy: Cerberus MC Book 29
Oracle: Cerberus MC Book 30
Newton: Cerberus MC Book 31
A Very Cerberus Christmas
Cerberus MC Box Set 1
Cerberus MC Box Set 2
Cerberus MC Box Set 3
Cerberus MC Box Set 4
Cerberus MC Box Set 5
Prologue
Brielle
1 Year Ago
He knew.
Somehow, my stepbrother Xan knew what I had planned despite never having spoken a word about it out loud.
Does that mean Nathan knows? My stepbrother is mean, but he learned everything from his father, and that man knows exactly which form of punishment will hurt me the most.
My plan was more a feeling of desperation than anything else. If I stay, I'll die. Of that I'm certain, and although there are days both Adair men have made me wish for death, my will to live is greater... at least for today.
I do my best not to lick at the split on my upper lip, but there's something about the sting of pain and that coppery taste that makes swiping my tongue over it feel like an addiction.
Nathan left for a work trip, something he does often. Only this time, Xan was instructed to stay home, as if he had a sixth sense that I would try to leave. I’ve attempted to escape several times in the last ten years, and each time, I get a little further. Each time, the punishment is worse.
After poisoning Xan and then stabbing him in the side for good measure, I know my capture this time will be my last.
Maybe that's what moves my feet a little faster.
My lungs burn and my bare feet sting from the numerous injuries on them. Every muscle in my body hurts—most of the aches from the damage Xan did before I left the house.
I refuse to let that sense of hopelessness settle inside of me. The all-too-familiar feeling is already clawing at me from the inside, that voice that tells me to crawl back and beg for forgiveness. It's the same voice that tells me to just conform, to be the evil princess Nathan has worked so hard for many years to create in me.
I wince, my muscles tight as I lift my hand and bang on the door.
What I'm doing could very well get me killed, and when the porch light flips on, I know I've signed this woman's death warrant as well. There's no escaping the wrath of Nathan Adair, and that fear he has instilled in an entire community is why the help offered to me is mostly non-existent.
"I'm ready," I tell her, unconcerned by the barrel of the gun pointed at my face.
She wavers. I see the look in her eyes. She knows what this means for her as well. Her only hope of survival would be to force me to leave and then beg for forgiveness, but that oath she swore to when becoming a cop wins out.
Lucky for me.
Not so lucky for her.
Lowering her weapon. she grabs me by the arm and pulls me inside, the porch light flicking off a second later.
"How did you find my house?" Her voice shakes, and I know what she's feeling. It's a mixture of fear and adrenaline. She's wondering if she's making the biggest mistake of her life. Spoiler—she is.
I know she wants to take down the biggest crime lord the Midwest has seen in decades, but it's going to take more than the testimony of an abused nineteen-year-old to make that happen, and that's on the off chance that I'll ever see the inside of a courtroom.
"How do you think?" I growl, feeling like we're wasting time. I need to put as much distance between Nathan and Xan as possible.
"Do you have more evidence?"
I narrow my eyes at the woman. It wouldn't be completely unheard of for this woman to be on Nathan's payroll. She could be a test to determine if I'm willing to roll over on my family. She could've been willing to help me mere days ago when she handed me her business card in the restroom at the hair salon. She was in plain clothes. The second she put her back to the door, she prevented me from leaving unless I made a scene.
I took the card, knowing it would get me into serious trouble if found, but Xan has gotten a little lax when taking me for routine things. I have my hair done every six weeks, like clockwork. I'm supposed to look presentable, worthy of the Adair name when out in public.
"Where are they keeping the women?"
I swallow, considering how I should answer. If I tell her the truth, that I don't know shit about what she's referencing, then I'm useless to her. She'll tell me to leave and to not come back until I have what they need to finally make a case stick.
There's no going back for me, and I won't be a pawn in any cop’s bid to take down my stepfather.
"I'm not saying shit until I know I'm safe." I won't say anything even then. The second I open my mouth against Nathan, I'm dead. I just need a place to get my shit together so I can formulate a real plan of escape.
It's her turn to narrow her eyes, but my spine is straight, my chin lifted, a sneer curling the corner of my mouth.
"We can't keep you in Ohio. You know that," she says.
"Good," I reply, knowing even Antarctica wouldn't be far enough away.
Chapter 1
Newton
Goals in life have always been a must for success. Looking back, second-guessing my actions will only put me in a headspace I don't want to be in, but I'm finding it more difficult right now than I normally do.
I look down at my arm and the sling clinging to it. I hate myself for being so careless on my last job with Cerberus. I've only been with the organization for a little over a year, and I've already been sidelined due to my carelessness and stupidity.
If I hadn't gotten hurt, I could be in Santa Fe right now, helping Oracle and the other guys as they look for Beth.
The woman in question left to go back home to Texas, possibly realizing that marrying a man she didn't know was a mistake, and somehow she ended up disappearing.
Max, our IT specialist, along with Wren, a Blackbridge Security employ
That's another thing I learned quickly about Cerberus MC. There's always some sort of drama. There's always something going on that prevents us from doing the job we signed up to do.
I don't fault Beth for what’s happened. It's not her fault there are evil people in the world who think they can just snatch others from their lives and do with them what they want. I'm sure there are precautions the woman could've taken to minimize her risks, but I'm also not the type of guy who will sit here and mentally blame a victim.
Just the idea of it is disgusting to me. It hits much too close to home and the events of my own life.
"Eat a bag of dicks!"
"One more time," Wren growls in warning, his voice coming through on speaker phone as he chastises his foul-mouthed African gray parrot.
The first time I was exposed to Puff Daddy, I was honestly a little shocked. Cerberus has rules, and being aware of who you're cussing around is one of them. The feathered creature doesn't give a damn about who’s around when he starts spitting that sort of language. There's a level of freedom in it that has more than once made me wish to be a bird on occasion.
"Sorry about that," Wren mutters. "I should leave his ass at home."
"Do it and see what happens," the bird squawks, his threat making Max smile as his fingers fly over his keyboard.
The large, mounted television flashes with information too complicated and too quickly for my non-technical brain to analyze. I'm just glad the men working know what they're seeing.
"I hate how long facial recognition takes," Max mutters, garnering a quick grunt of agreement from Wren.
"Operator error," Puff screams, making Max's jaw flex in annoyance.
"He's an idiot," Wren says in apology.
"Your momma!" the bird returns.
My cheek twitches, but I'm able to get myself under control before a huff of laughter escapes.
I don't find the situation funny at all. Beth has been missing for hours, and that's enough time to get her out of the country and into the hands of some very bad people. But I've also learned to take the comic relief when I can. I honestly think I'd go insane if I just let all the bad shit simmer and swirl around inside of me all the time.
Beth didn't get back on the bus in Santa Fe when it made a stop for gas and to pick up the other riders. There was also another man who was on the bus with her that didn't get back on either. Max and Wren are looking at all angles of what could have happened, but they're fairly certain that guy is somehow involved in her disappearance. They've been working on tracing his steps back in order to get a better picture of his face.
"Holy shit," Max mutters when a ding echoes around the room.
"Who is it?" I ask, sitting up straighter in the chair I'm occupying at the conference table.
"Xan Adair."
My blood runs cold at the man's name.
We were all given a dossier on him as well as his piece-of-shit father, Nathan Adair, over a year ago, not long after I joined Cerberus.
I feel like a complete fool. I could easily make excuses for my own oversight, but that doesn't solve anything. I could reason that we see so many damned bad guys that it's easy to forget a few along the way, but that won't help this situation.
Pictures of the man flash on the screen, many of them the same ones that were included in the dossier we were provided. It isn't until the last one locks on the screen that I'm certain of my mistake.
"That motherfucker stopped outside the shelter house last week," I voice. "He's shaved."
The images they have been getting of him, tracing his steps back to him getting on the bus here in Farmington, show he has smooth skin.
"He stopped outside of the house to ask directions to a gas station when I was keeping an eye on Beth."
I shake my head, regret swimming inside my gut. I'm a trained professional. I'm meant to be able to get a read on folks and know just from looking at them if they're a danger to me or anyone else.
I'm questioning my place with Cerberus and my failure at not recognizing the man as the son of one of the most notorious crime bosses who's currently active in the United States.
"So this is about Brielle Adair?" I ask, knowing she was placed at the shelter here in Farmington while she waits for the case to be built against her stepfather.
Max presses the earpiece a little deeper into his ear.
"Hemlock says he recognizes him as the guy he had to stop from going into the postal drop-off store a few weeks ago."
"That tells me they've been lurking around your town for a while," Wren says. "I'm honestly surprised they haven't made a move. Do you guys keep security on the house at all times?"
"No," Max answers, a level of disappointment in his voice. "Victoria, the director of the organization, doesn't feel like it's necessary, but we have Cerberus there anytime one of our own is there."
"It's weird they haven't gone in and pulled Brielle out," Max adds.
"She doesn't even poke her head out of the door. She stays a hundred percent inside. I don't know that she's left the house since the day she arrived," I say.
"How long has she been there?" Wren asks.
"Just a little over a year," Max answers. "There have been no incidences since her arrival."
"Is she monitored?"
"Not at all times, but she hasn't made any contact with anyone that we know of. We have keywords flagged on her computer. She hasn't even once looked up anything in regard to Ohio or the Adair family," Max explains. "She struggled for a while. It's a huge change for her, but it's my understanding from what Kincaid has mentioned that she’s done better the last couple of weeks since Beth arrived."
Silence fills the room, and I can already guess where Wren's mind is going.
"Do you think Beth was sent here by the Adair family?"
Max looks at me as he pulls in a deep breath. "It's not something I considered, but I can't rule anything out," he answers.
I want to shake my head, but honestly, Beth met Oracle at a bar in Lindell, Texas, and married him less than a handful of hours later. After being here only a couple of days, she was at the shelter "helping" the students there, including Brielle Adair, with schoolwork. Brielle insisted from day one of her arrival that she wants her high school diploma rather than a GED, despite her being nearly twenty-one years old.
"Now that we know Xan is in town, I've run Nathan through the facial recognition software. I can't find him anywhere in Farmington. He hasn't been flagged once, but he also hasn't been in Columbus for weeks either."
For Wren to know all of that, it tells me that he has gained access to more than one database that he probably doesn't have permission to sort through. Max doesn't ask any questions, and it's not my place to ask either.
"We just have to sit around and wait for them to make a move?" I ask, feeling helpless and more than a little responsible for not recognizing a bearded Xan Adair when he was right outside of the shelter. I imagine Hemlock is also internalizing the fact that he didn't recognize him as Xan Adair outside of the postal drop-off place either. If something terrible happens to Beth, there are several men who won't be able to forgive themselves, including me.
"I've sent some guys to the shelter," Max says. "They're en route right now."
"I'm still trying to figure out where they could've gone from Santa Fe," Max says. "I imagine they'll head right back here, but we haven't heard a damn thing yet."
I wince as I use my injured hand to grip the armrest of my chair.
While all of this was going on, it was discovered by the team in Santa Fe that some teenager picked up Beth's phone outside of the gas station. It was clear that he had nothing to do with her abduction, but that still leaves Oracle, her husband, hours away from home, with no answers.
Knowing the Adairs are involved makes everyone a little more on edge.
Nathan Adair has managed to evade charges for decades. No one will speak up against him, and those who have tried in the past have all ended up dead or have vanished off the face of the earth. It doesn't surprise me that they're willing to abduct someone they consider close to Brielle.
What's weird is the fact that instead of just going into the house and getting her, they traveled all the way to Santa Fe to kidnap a woman they deemed capable of drawing her out.
Maybe they don't want to cross Cerberus. Maybe with Beth going back home to Texas, they considered her discarded from the club, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
