Moonshine Lullabies

MOONSHINE LULLABIES THE VOODOO BASTARDS MC BOOK 3 A.J. DOWNEY CONTENTS Moonshine Lullabies BOOK THREE COPYRIGHT 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 Author’s Note Also by A.J. Downey About A.J. Downey MOONSHINE LULLABIES Voodoo Bastards MC Book III by A. J. Downey BOOK THREE Published 2023 by Second Circle Press Text Copyright © 2023 A.J. Downey All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real except where noted and authorized. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners. * * * Editing & book design by Maggie Kern @ Ms.K Edits Cover art Dar Albert at Wicked Smart Designs DEDICATION To the unrelenting shitshow that is online dating. It’s a special kind of hell being a single romance novelist, but you give me so much inspiration every day for what women don’t want that it allows me to extrapolate and build heroes for my readers like Collier… but still, fuck you. Do better. PROLOGUE Collier… “Watch y’self, now,” Cypress said, and he took a very large step over a log in front of him. “Now how the hell you expect me to take a long ol’ step like that?” I demanded. “An’ what am I watchin’ myself for?” He hitched a laugh and said, “Big ol’ Moccasin right there, brother.” “Oh, hell no – fuck you! Y’all are on your own!” Hex and Cy laughed at me, but I didn’t do snakes. Especially not a venomous one that swam like lightning. “You better be fuckin’ jokin’ now,” I grated, and that just made ‘em laugh harder. “He’s not. You got your waders on and thick-ass jeans on up under ‘em. Quit your cryin’ and go around that a way.” Hex pointed, and I kept a wary eye on the dark snake that blended near perfect with its surroundings. “I tell you fellas, it’s about fuck-this-shit o’clock. We runnin’ up against snakes and shit today.” “Ain’t much farther, you big pussy.” Cy was grinnin’ at me, and I scowled. “Pussy my ass,” I muttered. “Well, I reckon,” Hex declared, swatting at a mosquito on the side of his neck. “That is what the porn sites call a man-pussy or whatever.” “Dude, what you lookin’ at that type of porn for?” Cy demanded before I could. Hex shrugged. “You fuckers accidentally come up on it yourselves – don’t pretend like you don’t.” I exchanged a look with Cy, who shrugged. “I ain’t ever,” I declared. “Me either,” Cy said, but his big grin was giving him away. “Fuckin’ liars.” Hex’s shoulders shook with his laughter as Cy held out his hand to me. I tossed him the rope he was after and he pulled the sled thing we’d fashioned toward him, the pile of metal parts on it rattling under the pile of fishin’ net we put up over it to hide it from plain view. We were trudging through the muck, along a path only Cy could seem to see with a whole ass still lookin’ to get it set up. It was the fourth one of its kind we’d built out here and we were tryin’ to get it goin’ where it wouldn’t be found by the law. So far, so good on that – we was hopin’ our luck would hold. My papaw was an old Shiner like Hex’s daddy’d been. They were friends, my papaw, and Hex’s daddy and when I’d fallen on hard times and somehow gotten into mining coal; up there in Tennessee, up there in one of the small operations on the Cumberland Plateau… well, my papaw didn’t like that one bit. He knew the mines was a sure way to shorten a man’s life expectancy. He’d seen fit to reach out to a friend of his who reached out to another friend who reached on out to Hex. I’d agreed to come on down when Hex’d got a hold of my old papaw and said to send me on down this way. I didn’t really have any regrets about it. I was makin’ enough money through the club to send back home to keep the family holler in the family and my papaw and them comfortable. It sure beat grubbing around in the dark, comin’ out black as pitch and hackin’ up more black shit every night. I was a lot less tired and didn’t hurt so damn bad, either. Coal mining was hard on the body. So was Shinin’, but not near as hard as minin’. Sure, the life I was livin’ now was hard too, just in a different type of way. But I tell you what. I’d much prefer takin’ a bullet and dyin’ quick than to be buried alive or die a slow death of