“They’re from the Croftridge chapter. One is…” Her words faded into the background as my mind was consumed with one thought that played over and over.
Not Reed.
Not Reed.
Not Reed.
Jonah would have told me if it was Reed. Wouldn’t he? He wouldn’t spring something like that on me in front of so many people. Right?
“River!” Layla said loudly and clapped her hands bringing me back to the present.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
She looked at me quizzically but continued talking. “I said one is my nephew, Coal, and the other goes by Savior. Coal is about to turn twenty and Savior is a few years older than him, I think. I actually don’t know either one of them very well, but the guys speak highly of both.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You don’t know your nephew very well?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I recently found out my biological father, who was never in the picture, had two other children. It’s a long, twisted story, but it ended well.”
“You can say that again,” a familiar voice said from behind us.
We both turned around and Layla let out an ear-piercing shriek. “Leigh!! What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to be here to welcome the new members. Don’t worry; I’m not staying long.”
“Did you drive?” I asked.
Leigh chuckled and shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I have some friends visiting for the weekend and I rode with them.”
“I thought they were having a party,” a male voice rumbled.
“Boar and Shannon!” Layla gasped and flew across the room to hug the man and woman standing just inside the door.
“Boar is the President of the Manglers MC in Reedy Fork and Shannon is his Old Lady and wife,” Leigh told me as they made their way over to the bar. “Boar, Shannon, this is River Lawson.”
I extended my hand to each of them. Boar shook my hand and turned to Leigh, “This is your boy’s girl?”
Leigh smiled broadly, “Sure is.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, River.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
We continued talking until the club members were finished with their meeting. By that time, some other women and a few men had filtered in.
Copper whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Please welcome our newest brothers, Coal and Savior!”
After the members were congratulated and the noise died down, Jonah came straight to our table. “Mom, what are you doing here?”
“I feel so wanted,” Leigh said and rolled her eyes.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Jonah said in a voice filled with concern.
“I’m not staying long, Son. I just wanted to stop by to welcome the new members and then Shannon and I are going to head back to my house.”
Jonah’s eyes moved to Boar and Shannon. “I didn’t know you two were coming.”
“It wouldn’t have been a surprise if you did,” Shannon said as she gazed at Jonah. “Your hair’s darker, but you really do favor your cousin.”
“Hey! I’m right here,” Boar said, though his tone was light.
“Oh, hush, you big galoot. You know I love you and only you,” Shannon said playfully.
“What’re they talking about?” I asked.
“Shannon was married to my cousin a long time ago. She’s just messing with Boar.”
When I glanced over at the two, Boar had his face buried in Shannon’s neck and she was giggling like a school girl. It was obvious to anyone in the vicinity that they were deeply in love with one another.
I realized I was staring at them when I felt Jonah’s warm breath on my neck seconds before he nipped my ear. “Jealous?”
I turned my head to capture his lips. “No, respectfully craving.”
Jonah laughed loudly and pulled me against his chest. “Fuck, I love…your witty remarks,” he said, but there was a distinct pause between love and your which I chose to completely ignore.
The rest of the night was spent sharing good conversation over food and drinks. I enjoyed spending time with Layla and getting to know the other club members. I couldn’t help but notice how much of a family they were to each other, and I couldn’t ignore how much I wished I had that in my life.
“Do you mind if we give Boar a ride to my mom’s house before we go home?”
“Of course not. Are you ready to go now?” I asked.
“Yeah, we should get going. It’s getting late and this is when the atmosphere tends to change,” he said cryptically. I fully understood his meaning as Slutty McSlutterson and her skankettes walked through the door as we were leaving.
“Hey, Judge,” Slutty said and reached out to place her hand on his chest, but I caught her wrist before she could make contact.
“Bad dog. Don’t touch,” I snapped and continued on my way outside.
“He doesn’t have an Old Lady. I can touch him if I want,” she said.
I rolled my eyes skyward. “Why must they all be stupid? Is it asking too much to have a few smart sluts sprinkled around?”
I turned to stand my ground, but kept my mouth closed when Copper spoke. “We have different rules at this clubhouse. Whores don’t mess with any brother who has a wife, Old Lady, or a girlfriend. River is his girlfriend. Best you remember the rules, because I won’t be telling you again. Now, go play nice or get the fuck out.”
“Thanks, Prez,” Jonah said and ushered me to his truck.
As soon as we were on the road, Jonah asked, “So, Boar, how’d you end up staying at my mom’s house?”
Boar chuckled. “Her and Shannon took a liking to one another when y’all were up in Reedy Fork. She wanted to come for a visit when Leigh was well enough and I wanted to be there when Coal transferred chapters. Taking a bullet with someone creates a unique bond between them.”
“You two were shot? When? How?” I asked and turned around in my seat.
Boar nodded. “We were. It’s been almost a year ago now. Can’t tell you the why or how, but I took one to the chest and Coal took three to the stomach. We’re both lucky to be alive.”
“Did it hurt?” I asked stupidly.
“Funny you should ask. I have no idea. I don’t remember much of anything that happened right before or right after. But when I woke up in the hospital days later, my chest hurt like hell,” he said and absently rubbed at what I presumed was the scar on his chest.
“Did they catch the person who shot you?”
Boar grimaced and Jonah reached over and gently squeezed my thigh. “Yes, they did,” Boar said solemnly.
“So, how long are you and Shannon staying?” Jonah asked, effectively changing the subject and leaving me wondering what happened.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Judge
Coal and Savior were more than happy to hang out at Precious Metals as their first assignment, and they got started on it right away.
When Copper called me three days later, I was sure it was to tell me they’d seen or heard something at the bar. I did not expect to be called in for Church. Copper never called us in unless something was seriously wrong, so I dropped what I was doing and pointed my bike straight for the clubhouse.
Copper was in the front of the room pacing back and forth and he didn’t stop until every officer had arrived. “We’ve got a problem, brothers,” he announced. “While Bronze and I were at the rental property with our private inspector, Precious Metals was just raided by the police.”
“Say what?”
“What the fuck for?”
“Why?”
Copper held his hands up to quiet the room. “They claim they received an anonymous tip that we were using the bar as a front for dealing.”
“That’s bullshit,” Batta spat.
Copper nodded and grinned, “Yeah, it is. And now they know it because they didn’t find shit.”
“So, what’s the problem, Prez?” Tiny aske
d.
“The problem is the anonymous tip. We’ve never been into drugs and everyone around here knows it. So, we’ve either pissed someone off or we’re being targeted for another reason. Either way, I fully expect the cops to show up here and possibly any other businesses associated with the club. Just make sure there’s absolutely nothing for them to find.”
“Well, that should be easy, since there isn’t anything for them to find,” I added.
“Exactly. Stay vigilant and keep your eyes and ears open, brothers,” Copper ordered and banged the gavel on the worn wooden table.
As everyone was leaving, Copper asked me to stay behind. “I want to talk to you about the rental house.”
“How did the inspection go?” I asked.
Copper’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t have the official report, but the inspector we hired said there was nothing wrong with the property.”
“He actually commented on several extra safety measures we’d taken that were above and beyond the minimum requirements,” Bronze added.
“So, where were the frayed wires?”
“That’s what we’d like to know. This is exactly why we hired an outside inspector. I don’t know what’s going on, but something is definitely off. Can you get some discrete cameras up on the inside of the house? I would like to see first-hand what is and is not being inspected.”
I nodded. “Not a problem. When do you need them installed?”
“Before tomorrow morning,” Bronze said.
“Shit. I’ll have to see what I have on hand. I might have to get creative, but I’ll figure something out,” I said.
Copper clapped me on the shoulder, “Thanks, man.”
With that, I left the clubhouse and headed back to my office to dig through my inventory. I always kept the basics readily available, but I didn’t keep much of the high-tech equipment on hand because most of it was expensive and could easily go out-of-date before it was installed.
Once I found what I needed, I headed over to the rental house to get started on the install. I decided to start in the living room by hiding a camera in the ceiling fan.
I climbed up the ladder and damn near fell on my ass when I caught a glimpse of what looked like feet sticking out from under the kitchen table.
Quietly climbing down, I pulled my gun from its holster and silently crept into the kitchen. I rounded the table with my gun aimed and ready. “Don’t fucking move,” I ordered.
My command was obeyed and met with an eerie silence. I cautiously squatted down to get a better look at the person and immediately fell back on my ass when my eyes met those of a very dead man.
“Fuck!” I cursed and pulled my phone from my pocket.
“Prez, need you at the rental house, right fucking now!” I barked and disconnected the call.
Copper, Bronze, and Batta rolled up less than fifteen minutes later. “What the fuck is going on, Judge?” Copper asked before he’d even gotten his helmet off.
I shook my head and said, “Come inside and see for yourself.”
The three of them followed me into the kitchen and followed my finger as I pointed to the dead body sprawled on the linoleum floor.
“Who the fuck is that?” Copper asked.
I looked at him incredulously. “I don’t know, Prez. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to check his wallet for an ID.”
Copper glared at me. “Do any of you fuckers recognize him?”
“No,” the three of us said in unison.
“Wait a sec,” Batta said and stepped closer to the body. “Isn’t this the guy who was bothering River that night at Precious Metals? Brett something?”
I moved closer and took a better look at the man’s face. “I’m not completely sure, but I think you might be right.”
“Fuck me,” Copper said and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bronze, call it in.”
I held my hand up. “Let me see if Dunk’s working and can take this call.”
Lucky for us, Officer Dunk and Officer Underwood were on duty and showed up at the rental property ten minutes after I called.
“All right, boys, I’m going to need y’all to clear out while we secure the crime scene. Then, we’ll need to ask you some questions.”
“Would it be all right with you if we went to my house next door?” I asked.
Officer Dunk’s forehead scrunched in confusion. “Since when do you live next door?”
“For a few weeks now. I’m only staying there until my new house is finished being built,” I explained.
“Yeah, you guys can go wait over there, but let me make sure I have the basics. You came over to upgrade the security system and make some additional repairs and found the body in the kitchen. Is that correct?” she asked.
“Yes. We have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow and wanted to go over the list one last time to make sure we hadn’t missed any of the items needing attention,” Copper answered.
“Got it. We’ll be over in a bit,” Officer Dunk said and made her way back into the kitchen.
Once we were inside my house, Copper went straight for the fridge and pulled out four beers. “What in the hell is going on around here? I’m starting to think that damn house is cursed.”
River came around the corner and plopped down at the kitchen table. “What house is cursed?” she asked and took the beer from Batta’s hand.
Batta laughed. “Which one do you think?”
River looked from Batta to me. She must have seen something in my eyes, because she immediately asked, “What happened?”
I sighed and sat down in the chair beside her. “I went over to the house to upgrade the security system and found a dead body in the kitchen.”
River choked and sprayed beer everywhere. “Shit! Are you okay?” I asked as I patted her on the back.
When she got her coughing under control, she glared at me. “First of all, the back patting doesn’t do anything but make you feel better. As long as I’m making noise, I’m moving air. Secondly, never, ever say anything like that when someone is taking a drink. And lastly, what in the actual fuck did you just say?”
We all waited as she took another sip of her beer. “He said he found a dead body in the kitchen,” Bronze repeated.
River cocked her head to the side. “Are you sure they were dead? I can go check.”
“Oh, we’re sure,” I said. “Besides, the police are already over there doing their thing. They were nice enough to let us wait over here until they’re ready to question us.”
We made small talk for the next hour or so until Officer Dunk and Officer Underwood knocked on the front door. River excused herself to her room after offering both ladies something to drink.
They went through all the usual questions and took notes. When did we arrive? What were we doing there? When was the last time someone was at the house? Was the door locked when we entered? Was the security system on?
“I came in through the front door and yes, it was locked. The security system was also on. I can print out a log of the times it was armed and disarmed for you,” I said.
“Yes, we’ll definitely need that.”
“I’ll have it for you in just a moment,” I said as I logged into the system from my phone and sent the document to my wireless printer in my home office.
“Did any of you know the man?” Officer Underwood asked.
“None of us knew him, but Batta thought he might be the same guy who was causing problems at Precious Metals a few weeks ago,” I said.
“And who was that?” Officer Dunk asked.
“Brett Owens,” Copper said and Officer Dunk’s head shot up confirming what we already suspected. “Him and his buddy attempted to assault a female in my establishment. Judge and Batta were on staff as security that night and intervened. The boys weren’t cooperative and had to be physically removed from the premises. We filed a no trespass order the next morning for both individuals.”
“I see. And who was the female involved in the assault?�
�
Fuck. I didn’t want to tell her because I didn’t want River involved, but if I didn’t name her, it would come out later and look like we were trying to hide something. “River Lawson,” I said.
“We’ll need to speak with her and check into a few more things before we can close out this case.”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, if you’d like to speak with her now, I can go get her. She’s my roommate.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
River
I was playing a game on my phone when someone knocked on my door and startled me. Before I could respond, the door opened and Jonah stepped inside.
“Are they finished?” I asked.
“No, not exactly. The officers would like to speak with you,” he said hesitantly.
“Me? Why?” I asked in surprise.
“Because the dead body next door belongs to Brett Owens and they know about what happened at Precious Metals a few weeks ago. They just want to ask you a few questions,” he said.
My eyes widened and I sucked in a sharp breath. “They don’t think I had something to do with his death, do they?”
I couldn’t help it. I always assumed I was in trouble when I was being summoned by a person of higher authority.
Jonah reached out and cupped my cheek. “Hey, there’s nothing to worry about. Just answer their questions with short, truthful answers and don’t volunteer any information.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He sighed. “It means don’t tell them anything that isn’t a direct answer to the questions they ask. For example, if there was any kind of history between you and Brett, don’t mention it unless they specifically ask.”
I gasped and pressed my hand against my chest. How in the hell did Jonah know anything about my past with Brett?
Jonah grabbed my hand and tugged me out the door. “Come on. We don’t want to keep them waiting.”
I took in a deep breath and put on my work face—the one I used when I couldn’t make faces at how disgusting something was.
When I entered the kitchen, Jonah pulled out a chair for me. “Hello, again. Jonah said you had some questions for me.”
Judge (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 2) Page 11