Maria leaned back and stared at Tito who was shaking his head. “No, that gun is mine.”
“Really?” Briggs said and he leaned over and pointed to the file. “Your prints weren’t on the gun, like at all, they had been wiped, which is curious since most people who have a gun in their house have handled the gun, but this one wasn’t handled by anyone.”
Tito shrugged and said, “Gun is mine.”
“You are gonna take this fall for a group of assholes who do not give two shits about you.” Briggs laughed and Tito glared at him.
Maria leaned forward. “You are good leaving your grandma on the outside with no one to protect her when these other idiots get out of here?”
“They won’t do nothing,” Tito said.
“Really?” Maria said and she pulled out a paper. “Your grandmother has already had a visit this morning from someone who delivered her a message to give to you.”
Tito frowned and he said, “No one left to leave a message.”
Maria shook her head. “There is someone, because this morning before I came in here your grandmother called the police and reported someone had left a package on her doorstep. Inside the package was a dead rat, and the note taped to it said, ‘tell your grandson to keep his mouth shut or you are going to pay for his sins’.”
“Bullshit.” Tito glared and Maria pulled out her phone and hit the button, she turned on the speaker and she waited while it rang.
“Hello?” an older woman said.
“Mrs. Evans, this is Maria Roark.”
“Yes?”
“I am with your grandson right now, and he doesn’t believe you received a package this morning.”
The woman began speaking rapidly in a foreign language and I leaned forward and stared at the kid who went from being belligerent to being pissed. He said something back to his grandmother and then Maria hit the button and disconnected the call.
“Wait,” Tito said and Maria shook her head.
“Sorry, that is all you needed. Now, you heard her, she said she was worried and she was pissed.” I grinned, Maria hadn’t told the kid she spoke Spanish and therefore knew everything the grandmother had said.
“I need to tell her something,” Tito snapped and Maria shrugged.
“She can come visit, oh hang on, I forgot she won’t, she told you that as well. I guess the police will need to protect her.”
“You know they don’t do shit,” Tito yelled.
“Yes they do, I know they are overworked, and sometimes it takes them a while to respond, but they will watch over her, I will ask for more patrols,” Maria said and I smiled, playing him. I knew she had already called Tony who had agreed to put someone on the house.
“This is bullshit,” the kid yelled and Briggs leaned forward.
“This is the life you thought was so good.”
Maria smiled and said, “Listen, if you want to give us the name of the person who gave you the gun to hide I will walk you through the discharge from here and take you home to your grandmother where we will make sure you are put into protective custody until we find everyone behind this.”
The kid slammed his hand down on the table. “I talk, I am dead.”
“No, you talk, and we can save you,” Maria said and the kid leaned back and began to talk. Thank God, I thought as I leaned forward and listened to what he had to say about what he knew about my wife dying.
Chapter Sixteen
Maria
I walked out of the office and nodded to my boss who was already making headway getting the additional warrant for the properties Tito had given them where other members had also hid things for the gang. This case was going to be huge, with his testimony, Tito had given up all of the members of the gang, and had even given us a few leads on other crimes that they may have been involved in.
We had still not discovered who the gang was being protected by. Tito said he wasn’t aware of it, but there had to be, because when he began talking we had all been taken off guard with what the gang had been doing this last year. None of us had known, none of us had even suspected.
I was tired. With a wave I walked down the stairs and out the door and smiled when I saw the sun shining bright and Ranger leaning against his car in the parking lot waiting for me. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to him privately since we left the jail. There had been no time. We had been on the phone, we had so much crap to get organized.
Ranger remained where he was and let me come to him. I was shaking my head when I got there and smiled. “Where is my ice cream?”
“After today, anything you want, babe, anything, I will give it to you,” Ranger said as he pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me and held me close. Then he whispered in my ear, “Thank you, babe, you closed a chapter in my book that was painful. Not too many women would have been so understanding about solving my wife’s murder.”
I shuddered and then said, “It is a part of you, a part of Rucker. Noel’s voice needed to be heard.”
“Yeah, but it was you who made sure it was. Like I said, not too many women would have been so understanding,” Ranger said. “It means a lot. I know she can rest now.”
We stood there for a few moments and then Ranger leaned back and said, “Come on, we need to go and get you some ice cream, and Rucker is expecting something good for dinner tonight, seems your mother told him she taught you how to cook.”
“She did, but she must not have told him that I wasn’t good at it though.” I laughed and Ranger smiled and then leaned down and kissed me softly.
“Thanks,” he said again and I shook my head.
“She was family; no way I am gonna not stand for her too.”
“Thank God I found you and your family,” Range whispered and I smiled.
“You won’t say that a year from now if this lasts.”
Ranger looked down at her and said, “This will last; God gave me two women who could withstand the fire. And both of them were angels from above.”
I felt tears gather in my eyes and I smiled. “Dammit, stop being nice.”
Ranger threw back his head and laughed and said, “Sorry, babe, can’t do that.”
Two weeks later...
I walked out of the courthouse and smiled as I saw Ranger leaning against his car waiting for me to get done for the day. Much like the day we found out Miguel Martinez was the one who killed Noel. Today had been his first hearing, and Ranger had sat in the back of the court room and listened as the leader of the gang pled not guilty and a trial date was set. He was being held without bond like the rest of the gang, and that had been a relief to all those concerned.
No one would still talk about a cop’s involvement and Briggs had become a regular at the task force now helping Ranger move through the files Cal and the others were giving them to look at.
“Good job, babe,” Ranger said when I got close and I smiled and kissed him. Today was the big day I had to make a decision on what to do with my house. The insurance had considered it a complete loss, so if I were to rebuild it would be covered; however, the neighbors had offered money for the land, which I hadn’t yet replied to. I needed to figure out what I was going to do.
“Thanks, honey. I got two hours to make my decision on the house, because the insurance wants to close the file,” I said and Ranger nodded and looked at me.
Over the last days we had been talking about the future and what was best, and Ranger seemed to think moving in together was the way to go. The problem being where. We had discussed it but not come to any conclusions.
“Your parents said they wanted to talk before you made any decisions, so we are going to their house. Rucker is already there apparently,” Ranger said and I rolled my eyes. They would have something to say about it, hell they had something to say about everything.
“Let’s go then.” I sighed and he laughed. So far he hadn’t been bothered by my family which I prayed every night for patience.
As we turned down my parents’ street my eyes opened wide
and I whispered, “What in the hell?”
Ranger frowned and said, “Uh, is that Rucker?”
I leaned forward and slammed my hand on the dash and snapped, “I swear to God; I am gonna kill them.”
When Ranger came to a stop I jumped out of the car and walked quickly to the front of my parents’ house, which was currently filled with motorcycles and people dressed in leather surrounding my parents, the O’Malleys, Velma, and Mrs. Maddie. Rucker was currently on the back of a motorcycle with a black helmet with a skull on the back riding down the street hanging on to a large man I had never seen before. This was not cool.
“Mother!” I snapped and pushed my way through the people. “Why is Rucker on the back of a stranger’s bike?”
“Honey!” my mom yelled and then pulled a short cute, pregnant woman to her side and said, “come meet Bob, your sister. Bear, our soon to be son-in-law is taking Rucker for a ride. I think they are running to the Harley store.”
The woman smiled as I smiled back and held out my hand and said, “Nice to me you, uh, Bob.”
A tall woman with jet black hair and tattoos on her arms wearing a leather vest with a name plate that said Shady, said, “Damn, will you look at that fine ass.” I turned and saw Ranger coming up behind me with a frown on his face. “Shit, we need to visit here more, they know how to grow them apparently.”
“Mine,” I snapped and the woman looked at me closely and then she smiled big.
“I like you.”
I frowned and said, “Well thanks, now, someone wanna tell me what in the holy hell is going on?”
Kink slid up beside me and smiled as he threw his arm over my shoulder and then side hugged me and he said, “Signing papers next week, so we decided to make a run outta it. Bob wanted to come and see the folks and before everything gets crazy because the shop and club are opening, we decided to go for it.”
“Signing papers?” I said looking confused.
Kink laughed. “On the house, Tony called and said you wanted to put an offer in, I accepted, but the car we need to talk about, not sure I wanna give her up yet. You forget you were buying my folks house?”
I opened and closed my mouth and then turn to Ranger who was also looking baffled and I said, “Your house?”
Kink frowned and said, “Yeah, Maria, the house you have been staying in.”
My mother stepped up and grinned and said, “Surprise!”
“What?” I whispered.
“Well, Ranger said he was thinking of selling the brownstone to Tony and Fin, because you know, he was thinking on a fresh start, and moving Rucker closer to us, and Velma heard and she was a little put out, we figured we could kill two birds one stone. Tony and Fin are gonna buy the brownstones to use as safe houses for Tony’s business since Angelica and her brother needed somewhere to go to, and Brit was at loose ends and she and Angelica seem to get along, so Brit asked if she could use Velma’s until she found a place and everything seemed to work out just fine.”
I looked at Kink then Ranger, back to Kink, to Bob, to the woman known as Shady, who really was gorgeous and a little intimidating but of course that didn’t bother me, and then I yelled loudly, “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
Everyone jumped and my mother rolled her eyes and looked at Bob. “I told you your older sister was a drama queen. You just have to wait her out, she will yell and scream and then when she calms down she will see I was right and all will be well.”
I glared at my mother and Bob whispered, “I don’t know, if she is anything like the Lady Riders, which really looks like it, threats and knives will be tossed around.”
My mother said, “No, she would never endanger your baby with a knife like that, she doesn’t have good aim. Now, Rucker and Bear are on the bike, and your father is going to the store to get me some more clams so I can make my pasta with clam sauce for everyone, well except Bob who is gonna have spicy marinara. So, Maria, come on, you can pitch your fit in the house where no one will be able to see you. Ranger honey, do you think you could call everyone and tell them the Ops Warriors have arrived and dinner will be in a few hours.”
I looked at Ranger who was nodding slowly and then he looked at me and he leaned down and said, “I am rethinking the family thing.”
I shook my head. “Too late, I gave you an out and you didn’t take it, you are all in with me now. Go make those phone calls and, while you’re at it, give the realtor a call and tell him to accept the offer from the neighbor.”
“Really? You are buying the house?”
“Uh no, I am buying the car, you are buying the house and we are moving into the house together, and Velma will live out back,” I said and his eyes widened.
“Not sure about this,” Ranger whispered and looked at my mother and whispered again, “We show any weakness, I think she’s gonna keep this up.”
I rolled my eyes and whispered back, “Love you, Ranger, but she already smelled the weakness and she is circling, we don’t want to get chewed up, we go with the flow.”
“Fuck,” Ranger said and my mother interrupted with a snap.
“You two think you’re funny and you aren’t. I can hear everything you’re saying and poor Bob here is gonna have second thoughts about joining our family if you don’t knock it off.”
“Hell no,” Shady laughed and shook her head. “Bob is about as crazy as the rest of you. I am gonna get some popcorn and wait it out, we got a week here, shit is gonna get interesting.”
Epilogue
Falon
“Why in the hell am I stuck sitting here when everyone is moving and working on the house? I could have done something to help, sitting here sucks,” I snapped and Bob turned and looked at me with a glare.
“What in the fuck are you talking about, you were shot, I am just pregnant, I am pretty sure I could have at least been allowed to hang out with Petal in the shop, but no, they said I needed to be a babysitter. It’s like they don’t think I can handle anything.”
I rolled my eyes, the woman fit right into the Roark family, she had a mouth like the rest of the women. “I know, being in this family sucks sometimes, they always think they know what is best for you. You need to make sure you lay down the law early, or before you know it, Bear will be brainwashed, and your kid will be wearing Polo shirts?”
“Nope, I already told Ma, only Harley for my kid, she has already bought out the store.” Bob smiled and I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t lying, the women had all gone baby crazy since Zoey and Bob had decided to go shopping at Harley when Bear brought back something called a onesie that was ‘adorable’.
“Well, we can make the most of a bad situation at least, how about we play Xbox,” I said and the heavily pregnant woman leaned forward to grab her drink and she let out a little moan. “What?”
She frowned and shook her head. “Nothing, I twisted wrong.”
I stood and walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cards on the table and said loudly, “You hungry? I have snacks they left us, I will get the game ready and we can waste our day killing people.”
I heard another moan and I looked out of the kitchen to see Bob had shifted a little on the couch and her head was leaning back on the edge. “Bob?”
Mel
I walked up the path to Falon’s house and I grumbled. I never should have agreed to stop and check on him today. But everyone else was moving and painting Maria and Ranger’s new house and I got tagged. God, since he got out of the hospital he had been a pain in the ass. He refused to sit still, and constantly wanted to either go to Ink or the gym, even though the doctors had put him on restricted movements since the bullets he took to the back had torn through muscle that needed to heal.
I reached the door and I heard something. I knew Bob was there also, and I really liked the rest of the Ops, the women were a riot, showing all the women at the gym how to dance on a pole. It was awesome.
“Oh my God,” I heard Bob moan and I frowned. There is no fucking way Falon was doing what it
sounded like.
“Honey, do not spread your legs yet,” I heard Falon say and I knew my eyes widened.
“Come on, Falon, hurry up, I don’t think I can wait,” I heard Bob say.
“Just a second, my shirt is tangled,” Falon said and Bob moaned loudly.
“Yes,” I heard Bob say.
That was enough for me, I put my hand on the door and slammed it open and went to yell at the two of them when I saw Falon looking panicked, fully clothed with a shirt in his hand and Bob was standing with her legs open and what looked like fluid coming down them.
“What the fuck?” I whispered and Falon said.
“Thank God, get your ass over here. She is in labor, and her water broke when I tried to get her to the car.”
I instinctively took a step back and said, “I don’t know what to do!”
“You are a woman, get over here, I can’t put this shirt between her legs to catch all that goo. Come on, I need to get her into the car!” Falon snapped.
“Oh my God, they are coming too fast!” Bob yelled and bent over a little. “Call Bear, now!”
“Shit,” I said and Falon fainted.
Books by Harley McRide
Ops Warriors MC
Sharing Freedom
Bringing Harmony
Shady
Hell Froze Over
Tasered
Lady Riders
Rain Falls
Treats Aren’t Always Sweet
Broken Wings
Baby Bear
Furies
Inferno
Costa Nostra
Capo Ricco
KO Ink
Co-authored w/Carson Mackenzie
Vengeance
Pierced & Inked
Brawn & Brazen
Cuffed & Briefed
Cuffed and Briefed Page 12