Free The Debt Collector (Book 1 of a Jack Winchester Organized Crime Action Thriller) (Jack Winchester Vigilante Justice Thriller Series) by Jon Mills

himself. Jack pulled out an old packet of cigarettes, half empty. He tapped one out and placed it between his lips. He lit it and tossed the burnt match before taking a deep pull and letting the nicotine hit him. While he made his usual mental note to give it up, he knew it was pointless. Habits died hard, and this was one he hadn’t been able to kick since he was a kid. He threw another sideways glance at the men before looking around and inhaling the fresh morning air. The gravel was still waterlogged, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before it was dry; the sun’s heat already felt like it would climb again into the high seventies.
    He finished his long drag on his cigarette and kept a watchful eye on Apollo. The other three bikers came out of the office, followed by Dana, who made a gesture toward him before leading the men to a room. Jack returned the morning greeting. He again noted how attractive she looked. Fresh faced, and even with little makeup on, she had a natural beauty that radiated. No doubt she caught the attention of men in the town. It had been over a year since the disappearance—or as she put it, the death of her husband—Matt Grant. He’d half expected her to say that she was seeing someone when she mentioned it was just her and her son. He wasn’t sure why his mind went there. While he entertained the thought of learning more about her, he didn’t want to lose sight of why he was here. It wouldn’t be long before Gafino would grill him.
    No, tonight he planned on taking every opportunity to pry them for information. In the meantime he needed to dig up more information from the locals. Anyone who knew Matt, anyone who could tell him about the night he vanished. He would need to be careful. It went completely against his usual method of operation, and in a town this small there was a high chance that words whispered could find their way back to Dana—or worse, the police. He’d start with the last known place Matt had been seen: The Thistle Inn,on the corner of Oak and Union .

    * * *
    H eading that afternoon to The Thistle Inn, Jack thought back to the first and only time he’d met Matt Grant.
    Like most of the narcotics distributed on the streets, Gafino’s packages came in from outside the city. Rarely, if ever, did Jack get involved in that segment of the business. The physical danger and risk of being killed or doing time if things went sour were a lot higher than making rounds to businesses who paid for protection. It wasn’t a call that Jack made, but Gafino. Gafino left that line of work to men who were expendable. For the most part, Freddy and Louis handled it. They knew what to expect and always met in different locations with multiple exits. Unlike him, they’d seen it all. Undercover feds, greedy distributors, and those who used what they sold. But even his crew could only be in so many places at once. Freddy would handle a deal in one end of the city, Louis in another, and a few more of his men elsewhere. Looking back, it was clear to see that Gafino’s greed and need to dominate the market invited a new line of distributors who hadn’t been thoroughly vetted.
    Matt Grant was one of them.
    He was a wildcard down from the coast of Maine. His enticing offer of an unlimited amount of cocaine was too good for Gafino to pass up. The only problem was, with so many drug deals going down at any given time in the city, it soon became hard to determine which ones delivered one hundred percent pure cocaine. Not everyone tested; some assumed Gafino’s reputation alone would prevent them from double crossing him. Those who did, only tested small batches on scene with chemical packs and finger licking, and even then they couldn’t determine if an entire batch was completely cocaine without testing it all.
    It was a gamble, and a costly one at that.
    It wasn’t long before Gafino got word that his crew was selling fake cocaine. If it weren’t for a cop busting one of the street peddlers,