Chapter 11
11
Wraith
X ander was asleep by the time Prez and I had our list done and got everything we needed for court. Neither one of us was interested in waking him just to do introductions. He needed his rest. Instead, Prez suggested introducing Xander to the crew the next day and made a plan for it around dinner so the kids could be there too. Xander was older, sure, but it might make him more comfortable if other kids were around.
I felt a little better with everything listed out. There were little things that didn’t end up on there, but all the important shit was scheduled out so we could get Xander away from that bastard as soon as possible. I spent some time online, checking in with work and getting phone numbers of who to call regarding getting him into school once the doctor cleared him, and was getting ready for bed when I heard noises in the kitchen. Thor lifted his head from where he’d been lying on the foot of my bed, growling at the noise. I put my hand up to stop him, opening my door to poke my head out.
Xander stood frozen by the cabinets, his eyes wide. I’d left the light on above the stove in case he got hungry, so I could see the worry on his face. Pushing the door open, I leaned against the frame .
“Hungry?”
His eyes darted around, locking on the back door first, then the hallway. Looking for ways to escape. It was a behavior I recognized. I still did it to this day. I didn't want him to think there was anything wrong with that, so I ignored it, pushing off the door to head into the kitchen instead.
“Doctor said healthy snacks between meals, but I need to go shopping to get you anything decent. There’s pizza left, though.”
He edged out of the way when I went to the fridge and it took him a second to relax enough to respond.
“More pizza sounds good.”
I hummed, pulling out the box. “Want me to microwave it, or do you like it cold?”
“Cold.”
I grabbed a slice for myself, since I didn’t want him too nervous to eat. Putting the food on a couple plates, I jerked my chin toward the table and sat across from him, taking a bite without waiting for him. It helped, I think, because he dug in without getting worked up about it.
We ate in silence and it was a little awkward, but not as much as before. It was late, and we were just having a snack. There didn’t need to be a ton of conversation right now. I ripped off a piece of my crust, tossing it to Thor. I knew I shouldn’t, training him not to beg was an ongoing process, but it felt rude not to share.
“How old is he?”
“Four,” I answered with a frown. “Probably. He was found on the street. They didn’t know for sure.”
He nodded, scratching behind Thor’s ear when he came looking for treats from him too. Since I wanted the kid to eat, I handed him the rest of my crust to give him. I wasn’t that hungry anyway.
“We’ve got a lot of shit to do tomorrow. You should get some sleep.” I pushed out of my seat, pausing before I turned toward my room. “Don’t be afraid to come in here for something to eat. I don’t care what time it is.”
“Okay,” he agreed. And once my back was turned, he murmured out a quiet, “Thank you.”
I woke up early most mornings. It was the easiest time to get a run in before it got too hot. I leashed up Thor and was about to head out before I backtracked. Was a twelve-year-old supposed to be left home alone? Was it a good idea?
Pulling out my phone, I dialed Tank. He was the only Lawson who woke up early without obligation.
“Hey, Wraith. Everything alright?” he said in greeting.
“Yeah. Just wondering if it was a dumb idea to leave him alone. I was gonna go on a run with Thor.”
He hummed thoughtfully before replying. “Normally, I’d say he’d be fine. He’s old enough to be alone for an hour here or there. But the kid has been through hell. Maybe let him know where you’re goin’ first? Just so he doesn’t wake up alone and get worried.”
That made sense, but I felt bad waking him. “He’s still asleep.”
“Leave a note, then. He might not even be awake by the time you get back. Kids like their sleep.”
It was a reasonable compromise, and I was more comfortable with that. I thanked him for his advice and wrote a note, leaving it on the fridge door. He’d see it when it came down to eat something.
Stepping outside, I took a second to breathe in the fresh air. This was my favorite time of day because the world was quiet, the air was cool, and it gave me plenty of time to think. Thor was well-trained and didn't pull on the leash, waiting patiently at my side.
“Come on, buddy. We’ve got a lot to do today.”
He matched my pace easily, which took work to accomplish. He used to pull and yank me in every direction. We had to work up to going running together. We headed through our normal route, stopping at the park long enough for him to do his business. I was headed back home when the bane of the club’s existence slowed beside me.
Fucking pigs. We didn’t do shit to them, but they targeted us anyway. They even tried to pin a fake crime on Butch. The four who were involved with that were supposed to be on admin leave, though, so I slowed to a stop when I noticed the car beside me. The passenger window rolled down and my shoulders relaxed. Officer Hernandez was the most neutral of the cops in town. She didn’t harass us for nothing.
“Hernandez.”
“Ruiz,” she called back. “I was wondering if I could ask you something.”
I gave her a bland look. “Depends on what it is.”
She rolled her eyes, putting her cruiser into park and getting out. “Don’t do that. You sound like a criminal, and I know you aren’t. The question isn’t about your crew.”
I still wasn’t going to commit to something without knowing what it was first, but I relaxed my stance a little, so she knew I wasn’t combative.
“What is it?”
She pulled out her phone, offering it to me. “Do you recognize this logo? We got reports from other precincts to watch out for them. I’ve never seen them around here, but I figured your crew would know better than me.”
I took her offered phone, studying the logo. It wasn’t one I was familiar with. A skull with horns in a helmet with smoke billowing from its mouth. Then again, I didn’t look up other crews unless they were causing trouble for mine. There were thousands in the country. It’d be hell to keep up with.
“No, I’ve never seen that before. Do you know the name of the crew?”
She nodded. “They’re called the Devil’s Disciples. Apparently, they’re located not far from here. I wasn’t sure if I needed to be worried or not.”
The logo I didn’t know. The name, though. I was familiar with that. “I know about them. They’re dangerous. Did you see the logo around here?”
“No. The precinct that sent us the warning is close to the border with Arizona. They’ve driven through their area before. Can you tell me anything about them?”
I frowned, handing her back her phone. “Not a lot. They’re an outlaw crew. They think they can make up their own rules. And because they’re more likely to resolve issues with violence, they get away with it. We don’t associate with crews like that.”
She put her hand up before I could get defensive. “I didn’t say you did. I just want more information. Since there’s been a lot of strife between the station and your crew, I thought maybe if we started working together more, we might be able to bridge the gap a little. ”
That actually didn’t sound like a bad idea. We needed to make some headway with the local cops so the harassment would stop. They were leaving us alone for now, probably because Prez and his law partner were throwing lawsuits at them left and right, but I didn’t know how long that would last.
“Let me do more research. I don’t think they’ve ever come to this area before, but it’s better to be cautious with crews like theirs.”
She dipped her chin to acknowledge me. “I appreciate that. Normally I’d go to Lawson with this stuff, but with the lawsuit, it’d look really bad for me. I noticed you jogging past Main Street and figured it was better to ask than let any of the new guys panic and start assuming that the crew had anything to do with yours.”
I was going to tell Prez anyway, but I understood her caution. “Thanks. I’ll get back to you with more information.”
She left, and I made a phone call to Prez to let him know what went down before finishing my jog home. I had a lot of shit going on right now, but if it was for my crew, I could take a little time to get Hernandez the information she needed.
Xander was awake when I got back, poking around in the fridge. He still looked rough, but he didn’t jump or flinch when I came in, which was a start.
“Hey. Did you eat?”
He shook his head. “We finished the pizza last night.”
And I didn’t have much in the way of ready-made crap. I liked cooking. It got me away from my computer for a while.
“Gimme five minutes to clean up. I’ll make something.”
I ducked into my room to grab my stuff before heading upstairs. The one bad thing about this house was that there was only one shower. There was a half bath right next to the kitchen, but it didn’t have room for me to add to it. I cleaned up quickly since I didn’t know how long Xander had been waiting, but when I came downstairs, he wasn’t in the kitchen anymore. I paused, listening for him. Where the hell did he go?