Combust (Savage Disciples MC Book 5)

by Drew Elyse

  The knowledge that not all the boys in blue were firmly on the “right” side of that fence meant any time one of us were brought in, there was a scramble to figure out who should have been handling our case. Someone made the asinine decision that a couple fucking rookie detectives should face off with me.

  I knew who they were. We always knew everyone on the HPD payroll. Detective Harold Clyne was a transfer from a department in Wyoming. As far as we knew, he’d moved because there hadn’t been any room for him to move up there. His partner, Detective James Brooks, had come up through the HPD. As a beat cop, he hadn’t had any dalliances with the club yet. Looked like today was his day.

  The pair of them were standing on the other side of the table from where I sat. They'd already brought in a pad of paper and a pen, which they’d said nothing about when they set it down. They didn’t need to for me to catch the drift that it was for my confession, should I be willing to make their lives really fucking easy. Hell, I had last time, and someone had no doubt shared that shit with them.

  Yeah, good fucking luck. I wasn’t confessing shit.

  “We could get this process moving if you’d just tell us where you were Friday night,” Brooks shared.

  No fucking shit. We could get the process moving real fucking quick if I confessed I had no fucking alibi for the time when the crime was committed.

  I knew I was only here for questioning. Hell, they hadn’t even slapped cuffs on me when we’d left the farmhouse. But giving them the fact that I had the opportunity to ride over there and beat the shit out of that no good motherfucker might have tipped the scales and landed me with charges.

  “Sorry, boys. I’ll be waiting for my lawyer,” I told them, kicking back in the chair.

  They didn’t see through the act. I knew it when Clyne’s jaw tightened before they shared a look and walked out.

  Truth was, I wasn't calm. I wasn’t in the mood to kick back like I didn’t have a fucking care in the world. I didn’t know what they had, and I wasn’t going to risk saying a damn thing outside of asking for my lawyer.

  If they had enough to charge me, it wasn’t going to go well. I knew there weren’t a lot of juries out there who were going to give a convicted felon the benefit of the doubt, particularly when the “victim”—if you wanted to call the asshole that—had no record, something Jager had already discovered.

  I had no idea what the fuck was going to happen if I got put inside again. Second time in for assault would probably buy me a long stint. Meanwhile, Kate was still a fucking mess. Owen had already lost his dad, and now his uncle would disappear on him too. And Avery…

  She’d probably be fine. My brothers would make sure that fucking bastard didn't touch her. But would she wait for my ass until I got out?

  What if it was ten years before I was a free man?

  Fuck.

  I was left there stewing in that shit for a long time before the door opened again. When it did, it was so Brooks and Clyne could escort in Laura Walters. The woman was hell on heels, literally. A fucking shark in the courtroom and always dressed like she was now—tight fucking skirt, stilettos, fitted blazer that did nothing to tone down the rest of what she was working with, and perfectly done up hair and makeup. She knew what she was doing. Courtrooms were a fucking performance and battle of wits as much as they were an actual practice of the law. The woman had been gifted an appearance that was a tool in her arsenal, and she had an even more impressive brain to know to use it.

  “I would like a few minutes to speak with my client,” she announced as soon as we were inside.

  The two detectives didn’t fuck around in stepping out. Laura was known in Hoffman, and it was known you didn’t test her—no matter if you held a badge and weapon.

  She sat in the chair across the table that had been ignored until then and leveled her attention on me. “Let’s get through this quickly,” she began, no-nonsense as always. “I’ve been informed the evidence against you right now is just the victim’s statement. From what I know, he can’t put you at the scene. They’re building a case based on his testimony that you threatened him prior to the incident.”

  I didn’t know enough to be able to say whether that was good or bad.

  Laura, as always, wasn’t concerned with whether I was guilty—fuck, she was a smart woman, so she probably knew I was—she was focused on what the police and DA could put together against me. “Is there any possibility there is physical evidence to put you at the scene?”

  “No.”

  “Good,” she replied, but there was still speculation there. “Now, what about an alibi for the time of the incident?”

  Well, that was going to be a little tricky. I knew David would lie if I asked. The dude was loyal as fuck. But I refused to put an employee in that position. He wasn’t a part of the club. He wasn’t a criminal. He was an honest guy working a regular job.

  “Don’t have one,” I admitted.

  “Is there a reason I can give as to why that is?”

  Again, avoiding any questions of guilt and innocence.

  “I was working, got stressed, needed to get out for a bit. Went for a ride, calmed down, went back to work,” I explained, leaving out the significant fact of what managed to calm me down.

  She studied me, seeing through the hole in that story. I stared back at her, deadpan. That wasn’t going to be a viable story to get me out of this and we both knew it.

  “Right. Then, the claim you threatened him. You’re aware of the exchange he’s referring to?”

  Seeing as I’d had two fucking “exchanges” with the guy, one in front of Avery’s house, and the other when I was beating his ass down after breaking into his hotel room… “Yeah, I know what he’s talking about.”

  “And did you explicitly threaten him with violence?”

  I tried to think back. I hadn’t exactly been planning what I had said that day.

  This shit persists, you show your face in her life again, you answer to me. Fair warning, motherfucker, last guy who fucked with me landed his ass in a coma. I served five for it, but I’ll do it again if I have to.

  I was pretty certain that was the extent of what I’d given him. I relayed the words to Laura. The more specific I was, the better she could handle it.

  “That’s not great,” she admitted, not that I didn’t know that already. “It isn’t explicit, but it does affirm an already demonstrated willingness to break the law we can’t avoid given your history.” Without dwelling on that too long, she switched gears. “His statement includes the fact that there was a witness to the threat, is that correct?”

  I did not want to get Avery dragged into this, but there was no way to avoid it. If it weren’t as a witness to that exchange, it’d still be because she was the motive.

  “Yes.”

  “And I’m assuming that’s the woman you were warning him off from?”

  “Yes. He was harassing her. Phone calls to her work, flower deliveries, then he showed at her house before five in the morning. This all after she made it very clear she did not want to see him again.”

  Laura considered this information before clarifying, “They were romantically involved at one point?”

  I had to speak through gritted teeth when I responded, “Yes.”

  “And that ended badly?”

  “He extorted her for seventy-five thousand dollars to get out of her life.”

  She wasn’t fazed by the fact that I was outright pissed having to say that shit. She pushed right on. “I’m assuming you are now involved with her.”

  It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “Yes.”

  Nodding, she took a minute to consider all the facts. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. This isn’t a cut and dry win for you. If your girlfriend will testify to the extortion, that will certainly help, but it won’t hold the same weight it would have had she filed charges at the time. It’s also likely to hold less sway over the jury when it’s revealed you two are together now. Juries don
’t always care if people are sworn in. They know people lie, and they know a lot of people would be driven to do so for someone they’re in a relationship with to keep them out of trouble.”

  None of that sounded promising.

  “Fact is, this could go either way. It’ll depend on the jury. The motive, means, and opportunity are all there. In this case, if they were to offer a plea deal, I might find myself advising you to consider it.”

  Fuck.

  Laura didn’t plead down. She hadn’t been the attorney the club kept on retainer when I’d gone down before. When she’d been briefed about the charge for the sake of understanding what rap sheets any of us had, she’d pursed her lips and had said she could have gotten it down to a misdemeanor.

  If her confidence was wavering now, there was a good reason.

  “Let’s get the questioning over with and find out if they’re prepared to charge you now. We can’t be sure if they have some reason they believe the charges will stick until they make their move. We'll get a plan from there.”

  All business. It was good, but it didn’t make the fear that I was going to be sent down lessen.

  Kate. Owen. Avery.

  I’d fucked it all up.

  God, I was a fucking idiot.

  “If all you are going to do is continue to ask questions that try to place my client in Mr. Lewis’ hotel room, then I think we are done here. My client is not going to be confessing to any crime, so you can either charge him with one, or we will be leaving.”

  Laura was done and laying down the law.

  Brooks and Clyne had opened up their questions with whether I had an alibi. Laura was speaking on my behalf, and had answered that question in much the same way I had to her. The weakness of that statement hadn’t escaped the detectives, who pursued it for a while, but got nothing else from her.

  From there, they’d jumped to the claim that I’d threatened the fucker with the exact sort of violence he’d fallen victim to. Laura acknowledged the exchange had happened, but made the case that I was simply “utilizing hyperbole in order to get Mr. Lewis to vacate a premises where he was not welcome.” She’d gone on with, “If you would like to verify that Mr. Lewis was in fact there to harass Ms. Jones, I suggest you speak to her. I assure you she will be in full agreement with my client.”

  After that, it was exactly as Laura had said. They were trying to get me to blurt something out in response to their increasingly aggressive questions that would work to prove I’d been in that room. I wasn’t fucking dumb enough to fall for their tricks, and Laura wouldn’t have let me speak anyway. Instead, she failed every question before I could have thought to, shutting down any implication I’d been the one to attack the dick.

  This culminated with her making the bold statement that they put up or shut up.

  The two of them stared her down for a long moment before Clyne responded. “Give us a few.”

  While they ran off to get their orders, Laura got to her feet.

  “I’m going to make a few phone calls. I don’t imagine they’ll be back right away. If there was a decision made on whether to charge you yet, we’d know,” she informed me.

  Then, she left. And I was stuck there alone with my bitter thoughts for what felt like hours.

  Someone would have to take over running Candy Shop. Maybe I’d tell the brothers they should trust Avery to do most of it. She and Roy had managed while I’d been out of town with Kate. I knew running a strip joint wasn’t what Avery wanted out of life, but it looked like I was going to be in no fucking position to offer her the rest.

  At least then she wouldn’t be on that stage anymore. I fucking loved what she could do up there, but I’d lose my goddamn mind sitting in a cell knowing she was doing that for crowds of assholes.

  I should have been a decent human being and let her go, but I wasn’t that. If she wanted out, she’d have to say it. I’d hold on to whatever scrap I could get however long they locked me up and after. I'd take anything she'd give me.

  Because I fucking loved her.

  Fucking wonderful timing to be admitting that shit when they’d probably be in to charge my ass any time now.

  Hell, as I was sitting there, they were probably dragging her into this mess to back up the fucker’s statement that I threatened him.

  What a fucking mess.

  “You’re free to go.”

  I stared in fucking shock at Brooks.

  “Your attorney is heading in here to speak to you before you go,” he added before he walked away like he hadn’t just rocked my world.

  What the fuck did he mean I was free to go?

  How did Laura pull that shit off?

  Fuck, it didn’t even matter. If I was off the hook, if I could go home to my girl and my family, I didn’t give that first fuck what she did to make it happen.

  I was on my feet when she came in, ready to get the hell out of here. I was surprised when she shut the door behind her, closing us in. I was also surprised that she looked somber. She’d just pulled off something I thought was impossible. Shouldn’t she have been fucking thrilled?

  “They won’t be charging you,” she started.

  “You’re a fuckin’ genius. Don’t know what you did, just know I can’t thank you enough,” I started gushing like a damn schoolgirl. I didn’t care. I was fucking free.

  “Daz, I didn’t do anything,” she said, haltingly, and it really penetrated through the excitement.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I need you to promise you will keep it together,” she started, and my excitement disintegrated into worry.

  “What’s going on?” I repeated.

  “If you go off half-cocked here, now, you’ll make things worse for both of you.”

  Both of us?

  “Tell me what’s going on.”

  She sighed. I didn’t think I’d ever heard her betray actual emotion in that way.

  “Stone showed about half an hour ago.” Not surprising, but the way she said it made me think that, for once, having the pres close was a bad thing.

  Then, she dropped the fucking bomb.

  “He confessed to attacking Aaron Lewis.”

  “WHAT?” I roared.

  What the fuck had he been thinking?

  “You have to keep it down. There’s attorney-client privilege at play here, but if you go shouting everything, that doesn’t protect either of you,” Laura snapped.

  My whole body was vibrating with the strain of keeping myself contained.

  “He can’t do this. I’ll go out there and tell them everything,” I swore.

  “If you do, you’ll both see a cell,” she warned.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  “Why?”

  She sighed again. We were wearing on her, but I didn’t give a fuck about that right then. “Because he confessed, signed a statement, and swore it was the truth. If you go out there and swear you did it, at best he’s looking a perjury charges. At worst, he'll go down as your accomplice.”

  We’re your brothers. You don’t have to tackle it all alone.

  Fuck.

  “He knew,” I said the thought as it came to me. “He knew I’d be stuck if he confessed.”

  Laura gave me another first. Her eyes filled with sympathy.

  “It was possible they wouldn’t accept his confession if it weren’t consistent with the crime scene, but it was extremely detailed. He explained Aaron appeared to be a threat to an employee of a business he is a part owner of and whom he considered a friend. He established a proper timeline, a description of the room, and even was able to talk through the events of the attack in a way that was consistent with the victim statement and medical exam.”

  There was a note of censure there. She knew Stone was innocent, but she did not want to know how he’d managed to create a statement that was perfectly in line with the evidence they had in the case.

  Either Stone had called in one hell of a marker with Officer Andrews, or Jager had weaseled his way into t
heir computer systems.

  Regardless, someone helped him sell this lie.

  Someone helped him protect me when they should have let my dumb ass pay for my mistake.

  You start to succumb to the heat, remember the bodies sleeping in this house and think about how it would feel to get locked away from that.

  Except it wasn’t just protecting me from my own mistake. It was protecting the people I’d let down. He was protecting Kate and Owen from having to take another hit while they were down. He was protecting Avery from losing anything else because of that fucking cunt.

  “I’ll do everything I can for him. I'm hopeful we'll be able to get him a short sentence.”

  A short sentence. As if lessening the time made this easier to take.

  “I know this is hard to take, but I need to get back to him,” Laura continued. “Doc is out there ready to take you home.”

  I didn’t argue with her. She was right, Stone needed her. There was nothing her staying could do for me.

  I was a free man.

  “Thank you,” I told her. For the work she did for me before this all got messy. For the work I knew she was already gearing up to do to protect Stone.

  “For what it’s worth,” she said as she got to the door, “if I’d have known what he’d planned on doing, I would have tried to stop him.”

  Yeah, I would have too.

  I gave myself a minute to get it together. Walking out of the precinct was going to take everything I had in me. Even though I knew it would solve nothing, I still wanted to go out there and fucking demand they send me down instead. I wanted to scream that I was the one who attacked that fucker. Me. Not Stone.

  But doing so wouldn’t free him. It would only be pissing all over his sacrifice.

  When I came down the hall toward the entrance, I saw Doc right away. My eyes barely lingered on him though, because Avery was right at his side looking anxious as Doc rubbed a hand up and down her back.

  She noticed me a moment after I saw her. She gasped and her face crumpled into tears as she took off toward me. Her long, red hair trailed behind her, and I knew I’d never forget that fucking sight for as long as I lived.