“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tag along. It’s not like I’m doing anything else today,” I said. “Let me go change and I’ll be ready to go.”
I grabbed my keys and headed for the front door. “Ready.”
“Do you mind if we take your car? I’m not really supposed to be driving just yet.”
“Sure,” I said and headed to the garage. I backed out and noticed the empty driveway. “Uh, Leigh, where’s your car?”
“At home. I had a friend drop me off.” Before I could comment, she asked, “Do you know how to get to his new house?”
“Not a clue.”
She entered the address and I followed the robotic directions across town to Jonah’s future home. To say I was surprised would have been a vast understatement.
We turned down a driveaway almost completely hidden by the surrounding trees. It led to several open acres with a massive two-story, country-style home situated near the front portion of the property. I noticed a barn in the distance as well as a small pond before my attention returned to the house.
“It’s gorgeous,” I breathed. It had light tan siding with black shutters, but the best part was the porch that wrapped around at least three-fourths of the house.
“Wait ‘til you see the inside,” Leigh said and pushed open the front door.
She was right; the inside was breathtaking and would be even more so after it was decorated and filled with furniture. I started upstairs and walked through the house taking in room after room until I made it back to the kitchen where Leigh was waiting for me.
“Don’t get me wrong, because this house is amazing, but why does he need so much space?” I asked.
Leigh gave me a small, almost sad smile. “There’s a couple of reasons for that. I know my boy wants to have kids someday, but I think he also wants to have plenty of room available in case someone needs it.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that.”
“When Jonah was fifteen, not long after we lost his dad, my niece and nephew came to live with us after they lost their parents. Duke was eighteen, but he stayed with us for a few months. Harper was only ten years old at the time. Anyway, you’ve seen my house, there was plenty of room for them. Even Trey lived with us for a year or so at one point.” She chuckled, “Come to think of, even Copper and Bronze had a room at my house, though they never officially lived there.”
“Wow. Not many people would open their homes to others so willingly.”
“Well, Duke and Harper were family. Copper’s and Bronze’s mom, Goldie, was one of my best friends, so her boys were like family. And my other best friend was Trey’s mom, Nicole, so again, her son was my son,” she said solemnly. Then, she clapped her hands and got to her feet. “Enough of that. Let’s get to work.”
I hadn’t noticed the size of the purse she was carrying until she pulled a laptop, two notebooks, and several pens from its depths. “Which room should we start with?”
We worked for hours picking out everything from cabinet pulls and light switch covers to wall colors and window treatments. And not once did I think about my current situation. Until my phone rang.
Chapter Forty-Two
Judge
Tina dropped everything she was doing and came straight to the clubhouse. She walked into Church with a serious yet concerned look on her face.
“I have to say I was quite surprised by your phone call. What’s going on?”
Copper placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Before I say anything, I need to be sure this conversation falls under the attorney-client privilege. Will that be a problem since you’re representing River?”
Tina didn’t hesitate to answer. “For all intents and purposes, I’m the club’s lawyer, so there’s no conflict of interest.”
Copper grinned. “Perfect,” he said and proceeded to tell her everything.
Tina listened quietly, occasionally jotting something down on a notepad. When Copper finished, she sat back in her chair and met his eyes. “Well, this is going to cost you.”
Copper threw his head back and laughed as did the rest of us in the room. “Send the final bill to the clubhouse and I’ll make sure it’s taken care of,” Copper told her.
She looked at her notepad and started reading over her notes while biting down on the pen in her hand. I wasn’t sure if that was something she normally did, but I got the feeling it was a nervous habit, which did nothing to quell my unease.
“I believe everything you’ve told me, but we’re going to need proof to support these allegations.”
“I recorded the conversation we had with Mitzie,” I informed her.
Tina’s reaction was not what I expected. “In this state, only one party has to consent to the recorded conversation, which I assume will be you, but we can’t use it unless we can prove it’s actually Mitzie on the recording.”
I placed my phone on the table and played the first part of the recording for her.
“I’m Copper Black. And you are?”
“Mitzie Mayfield. Shouldn’t you know that?”
“Brothers, this is Tristan’s mother, Mitzie Mayfield. I invited her to the clubhouse to see if she’d be willing to chat with us regarding her family’s recent activities.”
Tina smiled broadly. “That’ll work. I’ll need you to email the recording to me.”
“Not a problem,” Copper said. “What next?”
Tina’s smile disappeared. “Unfortunately, to make sure this is handled correctly, it’s going to take some time, which means you’ll have to release Mitzie Mayfield.”
“She’ll disappear,” I blurted.
Tina arched an eyebrow. “Perhaps there’s some way to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she said suggestively.
Copper nodded knowingly. “There is. What about Tristan?”
“We need Mackenzie to file charges against him. One of you went over to check on her this morning which led to a physical altercation started by Tristan. It will be an obvious case of domestic violence and self-defense. He’ll be arrested and out of your hair,” Tina said simply. “Anything else?”
“What about River?” I asked. Surely, the new information would clear her name.
“I’m going to handle River’s case completely separate from this one. I have enough evidence to get her charges dropped without the new information you provided.”
After Tina went back to her office, Copper called Savior into the room. “I’ve got a new assignment for you, brother.”
“Whatever you need, Prez,” Savior answered automatically, almost robotically.
“I need you to escort Mitzie Mayfield to her home, and then I need you to stay with her until I say otherwise. Do not let that woman out of your sight.”
“By whatever means necessary?” Savior asked. Copper rubbed his chin while giving him a quizzical look, but Savior didn’t waiver. “I was referring to restraints, Prez.”
Copper nodded. “Yeah, restraints are fine.”
With that, Savior left and Copper called Coal and Mackenzie into Church. “Are you willing to press charges against your brother for assaulting you?” Copper bluntly asked Mackenzie.
“Yes,” she answered immediately.
“You sure?”
“Yes. He shoved me so hard I lost my balance and fell. Brinkley was in the floor playing and I almost landed on her. I’ve put up with a lot of shit from him, but I draw the line when it puts my child in danger.”
“Will it be a problem for you to say it happened today instead of last night?”
“No, sir,” Mackenzie answered firmly.
“Good,” he said and turned his attention to Coal. “You and Mackenzie are friends. You knew her stepfather just died and you went over to check on her. When Tristan answered the door, you could hear Mackenzie calling for help but he refused to let you in and then physically attacked you when you started to call the police. You got the upper hand, knocked him out, and called the co
ps.”
“Got it, Prez,” Coal said with a sly grin.
“All right, let’s get this shit done,” Copper said and got to his feet.
***
I pulled into my garage surprised to see River’s car gone. She hadn’t mentioned going anywhere, though I hadn’t exactly been around for her to tell me.
I called her while I was walking into the house. “Hey, baby. Where are you?” I asked when she answered.
“Uh, I’m with your mom,” she said sounding uncomfortable.
“Oh. What’re y’all doing?” I asked curiously.
“Um, she needed to do some shopping and asked me if I could drive her.”
“Okay. You going to be much longer?”
“I don’t think so. Why?” she asked.
“A lot happened today and I want to tell you about it.”
“Okay. Your mom’s checking out now, so I shouldn’t be much longer. Do you want us to come there first?”
“No, just come home when you’re finished. I need to get a shower and find something to eat first anyway. I’ll see you when you get here,” I told her and disconnected the call.
I got the feeling her and my mother were up to something, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it could possibly be.
Chapter Forty-Three
River
Leigh was already packing up her stuff before I got off the phone with Jonah. “Thank you so much for helping me today. I can’t believe how much we were able to accomplish,” she said excitedly as I drove her to her house.
“Thanks for asking me. I really needed something to do to keep my mind off of things and this was perfect.”
She smiled knowingly. “I’m glad I could help. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”
I found Jonah on the sofa in a pair of drawstring pants, no shirt, and sound asleep. I was slightly jealous at how effortlessly sexy he was. My eyes were making their third or fourth pass over his body when his eyes popped open and his lips curved up in a sleepy smile.
“Were you watching me sleep?” he asked.
“No, I was eye-fucking you while you slept,” I confessed causing him to burst into laughter.
He sat up and reached for me, pulling me onto his lap. “Sorry for ditching you today, but some stuff came up with the club that I had to deal with and it took much longer than expected.”
I sighed. “Jonah, I don’t expect you to spend every waking second with me, and quite frankly, I don’t want you to, but a quick text or phone call would be nice.”
“Sorry, baby,” he said and nuzzled my neck.
Despite how much I wanted him to continue his ministrations, since I had a good idea of where they were headed, my curiosity won out. “What did you want to tell me?”
He grinned against my skin. “You really want to know now?”
“Yes,” I said. “Is it about my case?”
He lifted me from his lap and placed me on the sofa beside him. “Yes and no,” he said and proceeded to tell me about his day and the night before.
When he finished, I sat quietly for several minutes trying to process everything he’d said. “So, basically, my mother stole tainted drugs from her boyfriend’s wife and distributed them, ultimately killing at least four people, including herself.”
“I’m sure there’s more to the story, but that’s the gist of it,” he said.
“And nothing’s changed for me?”
“Not yet, but Tina assured me that it would only be a few days at most.”
I flopped back on the sofa. “Yeah, I hope so.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes before he asked, “What are you going to do when all this is over?”
I sat up and faced him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, once you’re cleared and can resume working, are you going to stay here or go on another traveling assignment?”
“I haven’t given it much thought,” I said carefully. I really wanted to stay in Devil Springs with him, but I also didn’t want to be one of those women who based their decisions on a man. And, he hadn’t asked me to stay.
He reached for my wrists and pulled me onto his lap with a knowing grin. Holding me tightly against him, he took my lips in a passionate kiss. When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine. “I want you to stay here in Devil Springs with me.”
“You do?” I asked. I needed him to repeat it, to reassure me, to destroy the last piece of the wall protecting my heart.
“Yes, woman, I do. I didn’t claim you as my Old Lady to help you. I did it because I meant it. I want you to be my wife and have my babies. And I don’t give a fuck about how fast it is. I’m not on anyone else’s timeline but my own,” he stated vehemently.
“Did you just ask me to marry you?” I whispered.
With his forehead still pressed to mine, he slightly shook his head. “No, I told you what I wanted. When I ask you, it’ll be on one knee with a ring.”
“I’ll have to find a job and a place to live.”
“We’ll find you a job and you’ll live with me,” he said.
“Okay,” I said softly.
“Okay,” he agreed and covered my lips with his before pushing to his feet and carrying me to his bedroom.
***
Two days later, Tina called first thing in the morning and told me to come to her office. I couldn’t tell by the tone of her voice if I was in for good or bad news, so I tried not to get my hopes up while Jonah and I rushed to get out the door. Regardless, I was a ball of anxiety by the time we arrived at her office.
As soon as we arrived, her secretary ushered us into her office. Tina smiled kindly, “Good morning. Please, have a seat.”
“Just tell me,” I blurted and slapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m so sorry. I’m really nervous.”
Tina laughed at my outburst. “Don’t worry about it. I can’t imagine how you’ve been feeling through this mess, so I’ll get straight to the point. The charges against you have been dropped. I have some paperwork for you to sign after we go over it, but first, let’s go have your ankle monitor removed.”
I stood in stunned silence and blinked at her for several moments until Jonah nudged me with his elbow. “Are you shitting me?”
“Nope. Not at all,” Tina said with a wide smile.
“I can’t believe it,” I breathed and covered my mouth and nose with my hands while I tried to hold back the tears of relief brimming in my eyes.
“Believe it, baby,” Jonah said softly.
“Thank you,” I told Tina as the first tear fell down my cheek. “Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure,” Tina replied.
With that, she drove us to the same place I received my digital shackle. Only this time, I was more than happy to be there. They were quick about removing the device and sending us on our way.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, Tina hit me with another surprise. “I’ve already spoken with the Board of Nursing regarding your license. You’ll need to wait until you have the official copy to resume working, but here’s a copy of the letter declaring your license reinstated in good standing.”
I jumped from my seat and engulfed Tina in a hug while I cried all over her expensive suit. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” I wailed.
Jonah carefully pulled me away from Tina and into his arms. “Thank you, Tina. Any updates on the other case?”
I pulled back from Jonah and saw Tina grin. “None that I can share,” she said cryptically.
“I see. Well, we appreciate everything you’ve done for us,” Jonah said and extended his hand.
After hugging her an embarrassing number of times, Jonah and I left her office and climbed on his bike. “Let’s go share the good news!” he announced.
We went straight to the clubhouse to share the news with Copper and whoever else happened to be there. After a lot of cheering and shouting, Copper let me use his office to call my brother and Phoenix. I couldn’t s
top worrying about Phoenix’s money, even after Reed repeatedly assured me it wasn’t a problem, which left me wondering about how much money these guys actually had.
***
I was heading out to meet Jonah for lunch and opened the front door to find a well-dressed woman standing on the porch poised to knock. “Can I help you?”
“Hello, River. My name is Gwendolyn Ellison. I’m sorry to come by unannounced, but I need to speak with you. I only need a few minutes of your time,” she said.
I stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind me. I gestured to the wicker chairs, “As long as you don’t mind speaking with me outside.”
“Of course,” she said and took a seat. She exhaled heavily. “I just wanted to apologize to you directly for any part I may have indirectly played in your arrest. When I started pushing to actively pursue those responsible for bringing drugs into our community, it was never my intention for innocent parties to be prosecuted. Yes, I was looking for someone to blame for my daughter’s death, but I wasn’t looking for just anyone to blame. I truly wanted to hold the right people accountable and put them behind bars where they belong so they couldn’t destroy any more lives,” she said and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“I was blinded by my grief and rage. Losing a child is a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone, even those who took mine from me. I channeled my anger and despair into a quest to save other families from the pain and heartache I was going through. I was so hell-bent on what I was doing; I didn’t realize others were taking advantage of me.”
She inhaled deeply and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m getting off track. I just wanted you to know how truly sorry I am that your life was affected by my quest for justice.”
“Well, thank you, but I don’t believe any of it was your fault,” I said honestly.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one, dear,” she said and pulled an envelope from her purse as she got to her feet.
“Thank you for your time.” She handed me the envelope before she got into her car and drove away.
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