Chapter Forty-Six
James
This is why I avoided forming any connection with a woman for so long. This terror that alters the very center of my being. I know loss. I know pain. More intimately than most people could ever imagine. But this? It makes hell seem like Disneyland.
I didn’t ask for Sadie to barrel into my life the way she did.
I didn’t want to care about her.
But she did. She took a sledgehammer to my carefully constructed walls and set up camp inside my heart. And now, not only do I care about her but I love her. Every maddening, dangerous, and irresistible part of her.
If she came into my life, forced me to feel something I never wanted, and showed me how beautiful life can be, just to die far too soon, I’m going to be fucking pissed.
After Ace’s call, I ride faster than I ever have.
He was already on his way to the house and much closer than us, but Theo and I wasted no time changing directions.
He’s keeping pace with me, weaving through cars and ignoring the sirens that turned on a few miles back.
As long as the cops don’t keep me from Sadie, I don’t give a shit what they do.
We make great time, but when we pull into the clubhouse driveway, it’s already full of vehicles. Police cars, ambulances, a fire truck.
Ice sears my veins. I jump off the bike without bothering to lower the kickstand and sprint for the front door.
“Sir!” someone yells. I ignore him and the bodies lying in the lawn. I don’t pause to see if I recognize the dead or check if Theo is following. Dodging a pair of hands, I pass through the open door, eyes wide as I take in the scene.
Bodies. Blood. Crying.
Sadie.
Standing. Talking. Gesturing wildly.
Alive.
For the first time since Ace’s call, my lungs fill with unpolluted air.
“—going anywhere!” she’s shouting at a first responder.
“Sir, this is a crime scene, you can’t—” The protest from behind me is interrupted by Theo’s voice. I don’t listen to what's being said. I step over a corpse and reach my girl in two long strides.
She turns at my approach, her bruised and bloody face barely having time to convey her shock before I pull her close and press my lips on hers. The kiss is short and gentle, since her lip seems busted, but it’s still better than every other touch I’ve experienced combined.
We separate only so I can envelop her in my arms. Her head tucks under my chin, and she matches the strength of my hug.
“Excuse me!”
I tilt my head enough to see the man attempting to interrupt us.
“This is an active crime scene,” he says, as if the several dead bodies and officers crowding the building didn’t make that obvious.
“Fuck off.”
“James,” Sadie scolds, leaning back. My body screams in objection as she puts space between us. “He’s just doing his job.”
“I don’t care.”
She rolls her eyes, then turns them to the paramedic, which makes me want to kill him even more. I don’t want anyone else to get a second of her attention ever again.
“Look at that, I didn’t even have to call him. He’s here now,” she says.
“Good. Now, are you ready to go to the hospital?”
“Not yet, I need to talk to—”
“We can talk after,” I say. “Let the doctors check you first.” I take in her injuries, the cuts and bruises on her face from where someone must have hit her, and imagine the most creative ways to kill them.
“And you need to give your statement,” the paramedic says.
Just then, Theo walks over with a man in tow. The man isn’t wearing a uniform, but there’s a badge at his waist and his appearance screams cop. A detective, then.
“This is James,” Theo says. “James, this is Detective Roszhart. We were discussing the evening's events.”
The detective holds out his hand. I shake it, keeping one arm still firmly around Sadie. “Mr. Hartley. You own this house with Mr. Zervas?”
I nod.
“Are you aware of what happened?”
“We just got here,” I say.
“Yes, I hear you pushed several speed limits to get here.”
“I heard my girlfriend was in danger. I didn’t exactly care about trivial traffic laws.”
Detective Roszhart looks down at Sadie, and I instinctively tug her in closer to my side. “Sadie, right?” he asks. After she nods, he adds, “I’m so sorry for the ordeal you’ve suffered tonight. Have the paramedics had a chance to check you?”
“She’s refused to come with me,” the paramedic says. “She said she wasn’t moving until her dog was safe and her boyfriend got here.”
Love and pride balloon in my chest.
Then I realize that said dog is nowhere to be seen. “Where is Soot?” I ask with fresh worry. If something happened to that dog, Sadie would never recover.
“With Nevaeh and Lydia in the back room. They’re waiting for Zion before going to the hospital. A cop is with them, but Lydia promised not to say a word until Zion got here.”
Only now do I remember that Sadie hadn’t been the only one here. For the first time, I look around at the bodies, dreading a moment of recognition. My gaze lands on Pappi just as Sadie starts talking.
“Pappi and Nemo are dead. Clyde and Ace were both wounded. I don’t know how badly Clyde is hurt, but Ace was shot twice. Leg and side. He and Evelyn left for the hospital a few minutes ago.”
“Evelyn wasn’t hurt?”
She shakes her head. “Ace got her out before…” she trails off, eyes flicking toward the cop. “She called 911 when she was outside, but I think the police were already on the way. Lots of gunshots.”
“Yes, so, as you can imagine, this is a major crime scene, and we need to get statements. Now,” Roszhart says.
“I’m the victim, and I was told I’m not under arrest. So, you can just cool your jets, can’t you?” Sadie says. “Or would you prefer I call my lawyer?”
I’m almost positive she doesn’t have a lawyer, but I love her fire and the way the detective frowns at her.
“Where is Bowie?” Theo asks.
My spine straightens and my hand curls around Sadie’s arm.
“On the way to the hospital,” she answers, disgust lacing her words. “Gunshot wound. Not fatal.”
Disappointment floods my body. As much as I’d love to torture the asshole, I want him dead more than anything, and if he’s in custody, then it’ll be a while before we manage to get to him.
If we manage to get to him. He’ll be more protected in prison than the last guy we had murdered while behind bars.
And there’s no way he’ll wiggle out of this one.
I don’t need to hear the story from Sadie to know that this was all Bowie’s work.
We have cameras everywhere around the house, which means there will be physical evidence of Bowie’s crimes.
Maybe even video of him shooting one or more people.
Unfortunately, the videos will also show anything that our people did. But our guys aren’t idiots. They wouldn’t have fired first, and most of our guys have permits. Clyde definitely does. Anything anyone else did will likely be self-defense.
What we need is a first-hand account of the last hour, preferably from Sadie. But the cops won’t let her talk to us first. They hate the South Five and want to take the gang down, but the Saints aren’t much more popular. The law will come after us just as hard.
And now that I’ve publicly claimed Sadie, the ‘us’ includes her.
Fuck. Even if there’s no doubt that she’s a victim here, we should probably get her a lawyer, just in case. And Ace will need one, though I’m pretty sure he already has one.
“I’ve got it,” Theo says, his voice low so only I can hear. “Go with her. Remember, no statements without—”
“I know,” I say. Then, to the paramedic, “Alright, let's get her to the hospital.”
“Perhaps Miss Oliver should go alone,” the detective says.
I give him a withering look. “If you think I’m leaving her side, then you’re the most idiotic person alive.”
“James—”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I know,” she says. “But it can’t hurt to be a little nicer.”
I scowl, which only makes her laugh. To Theo, she says, “Can you make sure someone is with Soot? Preferably June, Luna, or Benny.”
He nods.
“Thanks.” She looks at me. “Come meet me in the ambulance when you’re finished.” Then she gives me a quick kiss before walking outside. The paramedic goes with her, leaving Roszhart with me and Theo.
“I know all about you two,” he says. “There are eight murdered people on your property, with several others wounded. Don’t expect to get out of this unscathed.”
“This may be hard to believe, but we’re innocent here, as are our friends. We intend to be nothing but cooperative. But since you practically just threatened our freedom and showed prejudice before the investigation has even begun, I guess we’d better contact our lawyers.”
“If you have nothing to hide, then—”
“Save it,” Theo interrupts. “Every Saint knows how unfairly law enforcement can treat us. You’ve already demonstrated a presumption of our guilt, so of course we’re going to protect ourselves.
You can spout bullshit about that being suspicious all you want, but you and I both know it’s just common sense.
Knowing our rights doesn’t make us guilty, it makes us smart. ”
“Pretty words from a guy who hasn’t been on the right side of the law his entire life.”
“I’d be careful what you say, detective. You never know when you’re being recorded, and you wouldn't want your ability to conduct this investigation without bias to be questioned, would you?”
The detective’s lips press together in an angry line before he turns and practically stomps away like a toddler throwing a tantrum. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Theo curses and runs a hand through his hair.
“We need to check the cameras,” I say.
“I’ll handle it. You go with Sadie. Don’t let her give a statement alone. If she wants a lawyer, we can get her one. But I need to talk to the officers first. June too. She’ll probably show up at the hospital as soon as she hears.”
“The cops will notice her.”
“She’s Sadie’s best friend, that’s not a secret. It would be more suspicious if she didn’t show up. Don’t worry about all that. You just go be with Sadie. Trust me to handle this.”
“Gray…”
“We’ll get him, James. I promise.”
Before, I may have argued with him and insisted on helping.
But now? Now all I want is to be by the side of the woman I love.
So I nod, turn around, and walk out of the Saints clubhouse.