People have always given me shit because I always have to have a plan for everything. My ex husband and most of my friends always tease me because I’m never spontaneous. Well, this was one of those situations where thinking ahead and having a plan suited me well. I had a feeling that we might need an escape plan at some point and figured it was better to set it up early. When I called Ashley back, she didn’t sound nearly as enthused to hear from me this time.
“Ashley, I didn’t think we would have to do this so soon but I need to bring him over there now. We’re going to be there in about a half-hour, okay?”
“You’re bringing him now? That’s a lot sooner than I was thinking. I don’t think this is a good idea Paige. You’re springing a lot on me a little too soon, and I don’t feel comfortable with hididng out a wanted felon for murder.”
“I wouldn’t be asking you to do this if it wasn’t something I really needed. You know that if you were in a similar situation, I’d help you out in a heartbeat. I’ve been there for you many, many times over the years. Any time you’ve needed my help, no matter what it was, I’ve always had your back. I need you to have mine this time.”
Ashley went silent. I’m sure she was contemplating the pros and cons of what I was asking her. That was a bad thing for me because there really weren’t any pros in this for her. I needed to get her to stop thinking and bring her on board with this.
“Sweetie,” I said. “There’s a lot of people working hard to prove that this man didn’t do any of the things he’s being accused of. You know how I feel about criminals and criminal activities. I don’t associate with people who get caught up in bad things. I’ve always been like that and nobody knows that better than you do. That should tell you something.”
Another long silence before she sighed and finally started to speak.
“You’re right. I trust you so I’m going to do this for you but I’m telling you right now, if any of this comes back on me, I will never forgive you. If anything happens to me, I will never forgive you. If anything happens to my kids or my family, I will never, ever forgive you.”
“You have my word that you’ll be completely safe. All you’re providing is a place to hide out. Nobody will ever know he’s there and once he’s gone, nobody will ever know he was there. You won’t regret this. I can promise you that.”
§
I gathered up some things I thought he might need as fast as I could. Ashley didn’t seem too keen on letting him use many of her facilities so I put together a care package that he could use in her basement bathroom. I packed him some soap, shampoo, deodorant and toilet paper. I also gave him some of my ex-husband’s t-shirts that were left behind so he would have clean clothes to wear. I knew it wasn’t much but I was afraid I might soon be under surveillance, which would make it difficult for me to get any supplies to him.
Within ten minutes, we ran out to the SUV and were backing out of the driveway. Something told me not to exit the front entrance of my subdivision so I used the back way instead. It was unmarked and not really known by anyone other than residents. It turned out to be a good idea because as I turned off my street and out of the subdivision, I looked in the rearview and saw a police car pulling into my driveway.
“Holy shit, that was close,” I said.
“What was close?” Beast asked, oblivious to the fact the he was nearly captured.
“A marked police car just pulled into my driveway.”
“Motherfucker! That means there’s more pigs around here somewhere. Stay off the fucking main roads if you can. If they see this SUV, they’ll stop us quicker than shit.”
I did exactly as he said. I stayed off the main roads and used alleys and side streets instead while Beast stayed crouched down in the back seat. I kept looking behind the SUV, positive that I was going to get pulled over at any time, but it never happened. I made it to Ashley’s house with no problem. To prevent anyone from spotting us, I parked a block away and we walked to her house, cutting through backyards.
Ashley was waiting for us outside when we got there. She had the garage door open, allowing us to get inside without her kids knowing what was going on. She was very adamant that she didn’t want the kids to know anyone was in the house whatsoever. If he wanted to take a shower, he had to do it in the basement bathroom and could only do it while the kids were at school. Any phone calls would have to be made while the kids were gone or after they were asleep. If they heard him or discovered he was there, Beast would have to leave. It was nothing personal but it was what she needed to do to protect her family.
In the basement, Ashley put fresh sheets on the hideaway sofa mattress and showed him where the bathroom was. She also showed him how he could get in and out if he needed to. She asked him not to use their land line phone for any reason and then left to give us some privacy. I tried to be strong as I told him goodbye but I knew I needed to leave as quickly as possible. The longer the SUV sat there, the easier it would be to put Beast in the area. I gave him a kiss as a tear rolled down my cheek. I hoped that it wasn’t going to be the last time I would ever see him.
CHAPTER 13
BEAST
There is nothing worse than having to rely on other people. It’s doubly bad when you have to rely on someone you don’t even fucking know. Sure, Paige said she could be trusted. She said she would trust her with her life. That’s sweet and all but when has she ever had to trust her with something like this? What would happen if the cops found out where I was? Even worse, what if the Aces found out? What was this friend going to do when the heat was on? I already knew the answer to that. She would bend over like a cheap hooker while she pointed a finger right in my direction. And she had a lot of fucking rules to be harboring a fugitive. I can’t ever remember a time when my mom was that strict, and she raised four boys and a girl. Fucking suburban civilians.
The only thing worse than having to depend on some broad I didn’t know for protection was being cooped up in that disgusting fucking basement. It was musty and dirty. I’d slept in roach infested motels that looked like five star resorts in comparison to the moldy basement I had to sleep in. I know that beggars can’t be choosers so I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut, keep my nose clean and wait for Paige to find an attorney who could get me out of this shit.
As I was lying on the lumpy sofa mattress, the broad who owned the place came downstairs and started a load of laundry. What kind of bullshit was that? How in the fuck was I supposed to get any sleep with my head about a foot away from a running washing machine? It’s not like it would have mattered anyway. I had a lot of shit on my mind. It wasn’t just the legal bullshit either. I couldn’t get my mind off of Paige and that perfectly tight pussy of hers. Just thinking about how it felt when I pushed myself inside of her made my cock jerk and throb. God damn, I need to get my dick wet again.
Before long, my cock was rock hard and I was in a race against time. My raging fucking hard-on wasn’t going to go away on its own. I was going to have to take care of this one solo. I jerked my shit fast and furious, knowing I had to finish before the washing machine was done. I’m sure this chick would freak the fuck out if she came downstairs to switch over the laundry only to find me spread out with my dick in hand. Fortunately, all I had to do was close my eyes and think about busting another load inside of Paige. I wiped off just in time for the buzzer on the washer to go off.
§
The broad came down and switched over the load of laundry, telling me she wouldn’t be coming back down for the night. The next hour or so was filled with the sound of feet running and kids arguing over toys or some shit while their mom yelled at them to knock it off. Hearing the commotion made me happy that I’d never settled down with an old lady and had kids. I wasn’t sure I could deal with the fighting and yelling. I don’t know how parents don’t lose their shit.
Eventually, the sounds slowed down and stopped as the little brats crashed for the night. The silence was exactly what I had been waiting for so I cou
ld go to sleep. I was almost out when I realized I didn’t see the burner phone in my bag. I got up, flipped on the light and started going through all the shit Paige had packed me. Jesus Christ, does every fucking woman pack like this? The phone wasn’t there. I don’t know if I left it at Paige’s place or if it fell out of my pocket or bag in the car or while we were walking. The only thing I knew for sure was that phone was my lifeline. Without it, Stone didn’t have any way to get in contact with me if something was going down and I didn’t have a way to find out what was up concerning the war with the Aces. I also had no way of contacting Paige so she could keep me up to date with what was going on with the lawyer search. Not only that, I really wanted to hear her fucking voice and I couldn’t do that without my phone. As irritated as I was, I would have to deal with it in the morning. Best I get some sleep before the brats are up again.
It seemed like forever before I was able to fall asleep after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours. I have no clue how long I was out. I just knew that when I woke up, I was starving. I hadn’t eaten since the drive back from Galveston and it was starting to catch up to me. I was about to look in the bag that Paige packed for me when the door at the top of the stairs opened and Ashley came walking down. I was surprised to see that she was carrying a plate of food.
“Here, I made breakfast for the kids and thought you might like some as well.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m fucking starving.”
Her mouth dropped after I thanked her. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but her look of disbelief told me that she didn’t approve of my language.
“Okay,” she finally closed her mouth and put her eyeballs back in her head. “I’m going to get the kids off to school. I’ll bring you some lunch this afternoon and I’ll make sure you get some dinner. I know you don’t want to be down here any more than I want you here.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that. Hey, before you go, could you do me a favor? Could you get in touch with Paige for me? I’d just like to know what’s going on with finding a lawyer to take on my case and I also need to let her know that my disposable phone is gone. Without it, I have no way to contact anyone.” See, I can be nice.
“Yeah, I’ll get in touch with her later this morning. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, that’s it. I appreciate the grub.”
She disappeared back up the stairs before I looked down at the plate she’d brought me. It was full of scrambled eggs and toast. It sure as fuck wasn’t anything I would ever make for myself. Only pussies, pansies, old people, and little kids eat scrambled eggs. That’s why they serve it for breakfast in elementary schools and nursing homes. At that point it didn’t fucking matter. I inhaled that shit like it was my last fucking meal. I was damn near tempted to lick the fucking plate when I was done. Hopefully she wouldn’t bring me any more pansy bullshit for lunch. A man my size needed some fucking food, not a toddler’s breakfast.
CHAPTER 14
PAIGE
After dropping off Beast, I raced off to the airport as fast as I could. Since the police had shown up at my house, I had no doubt that they had already been to the car rental agency in person. They may have even been staking the place out, waiting for me to show up, hoping to catch Beast with me or, at the very least, question me about my relationship with him. I had no intention of going through the usual procedure of dropping off the rental. Instead, I pulled into the weekly parking lot where I dropped my car off and switched vehicles, leaving the SUV on the other side of the lot and walking across. I got into my car, gave the attendant my ticket, paid the fee and drove off. I couldn’t help but laugh when I looked down and saw my cruise ship boarding pass sitting in the passenger seat. How differently my trip would have gone if I would have had it with me.
As I drove, it occurred to me that the rental car company had my credit card on file and were going to nail me with a ton of fees until they discovered where their car was parked. The next morning, I would have to call my credit card company and tell them my card had been stolen. That would allow them to send me a new card and prevent the rental company from charging me into the poor house.
Seeing the cops pulling into my driveway had left me a little spooked. I didn’t have any clue what I was going to say to any of them and wasn’t ready to deal with any law enforcement. To buy myself a little time, I decided to check into a hotel for the night. Since I had people looking for me, I stayed in a place that was less than desirable but they allowed me to pay in cash and register under any name I chose.
The next morning, I sucked it up and decided it was time to go back home. It was something I was going to have to deal with eventually and the longer I waited, the more anxious I was going to become. There was also a real concern that since they hadn’t been able to contact me, they may have thought I was kidnapped by the “biker murderer”. I held my breath as I turned onto my street and was relieved to find that nobody was waiting for me. I’m not sure what I expected. I’ve watched enough television crime shows that I have seen police cruisers driving up and down the streets, setting up a perimeter for the news trucks that were broadcasting around the clock. I could hear the news reports now. “Who is this mysterious woman last seen with the wanted outlaw biker?” In my head, it was all very dramatatized. Fortunately, all was quiet in my subdivision.
When I got up to my door, I was relieved to see that the officers didn’t bother leaving a note or a card. I was sure that they would have left something telling me to call them. Maybe they were just following up on what they were sure was a dead lead and, when I didn’t answer the door, they marked it off their list. That feeling of hope was washed away when I walked into my living room and saw the light on the answering machine was flashing. Nobody calls my home phone anymore, not with the advancement of technology. All of my friends and family call my cell phone if they need to get in touch with me. I don’t even know why I still have a home phone. It’s just something I’ve never gotten around to getting rid of. The number is published in the phone book so it would be easy for law enforcement to get. Still, I hoped I was wrong. I closed my eyes and pressed the button.
“Hello, this message is for Paige Wheeler. My name is Eric Hansen. I’m a detective with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. We have a case in our office that we need to speak with you about. It would be in your best interest to come in and talk to us as soon as possible. We’re located at 3335 West Durango in Phoenix. You can call us at 602-876-1087 but it would be better if you just came in. If we don’t hear back from you by this evening, we’re going to have to come and pick you up.”
If his plan was to intimidate me with his message, it definitely worked. I wondered whether I would be able to handle an interrogation with him when the sound of his voice over my answering machine was enough to make me cringe. The best thing I could do was make myself scarce while I tried to figure everything out. The first step to making everything go away was to find a lawyer who could help us.
I had just pulled out my laptop when my cell phone started ringing. I was afraid to look at the screen, scared that the police had gotten my number somehow. I was relieved to see that is was Ashley.
“Hey Ashley, is everything okay?”
“Everything is quiet over here. Your guy wanted me to get in touch with you to see if you’re okay and to let you know that his phone is gone. He said he can’t find it anywhere.”
“Let him know that everything’s good over here, but a detective left a message on my answering machine wanting me to come in and talk to him. I’ll look around for his phone and see if I can spot it. I’m going to look up some attorneys right now. Do you mind if I stop by later and let him know what I find out?”
“I don’t care. Just make sure there’s no cops following you or anything like that. I don’t want anything happening that’s going to scare my kids.”
“No worries. I’ll see you later this afternoon. Thank you again for doing this for me Ashley. I owe you big time.�
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“You sure do. See you later.”
As soon as I hung up the phone, I started searching for defense attorneys in the Scottsdale and Phoenix area. I called and gave them a very generic story of what was happening. It was enough of a difference that any attorneys working with the rival club wouldn’t be able to put it together but similar enough that I’d be able to get a decent feel for the lawyer’s abilities. All morning long, I was met with similar replies from all of them. Lawyer after lawyer telling me that, while they would like to help me, it was beyond their expertise. I even had one lawyer say that I should just give up and have my boyfriend turn himself in. There’s a lawyer I wouldn’t want defending me.
BEAST (A Coyotes of Mayhem MC Novel) (Motorcycle Club Bad Boy Romance) Page 8