18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Griffin’s Beach Lex
S hannon sits beside Lex at the clubhouse table that afternoon, and she shakes despite the multiple layers of clothes she wears and the almost eighty-five-degree heat outside. Felicity sits across from Lex, and they share a worried look.
Everyone’s gathered to discuss what’s going on with Beckett and Brock, which doesn’t look good the longer it takes for Lily to show up at the clubhouse. Lex isn’t sure which is worse: the trouble they’re in with this Donald Ramsey guy or the club for going out on their own.
“Brock knows better,” Felicity says, crossing her arms over her chest as she shakes her head. “Stupid.”
“He did it to help Beckett. And Beckett did it to try and help me,” Shannon says. Her voice is so quiet it almost goes unheard.
Reaching over, Lex touches her shoulder to try and provide what little comfort she can, but Shannon flinches out of her grasp. “There’s a way to go about these things with the club. I understand why they did it, but they both know better.”
The front door bursts open, and Lex’s heart races as Shannon looks disappointed when Summer runs inside and right up to their table. “Is he okay? Why is he in jail? When is he getting out? I’ll pay the bail. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter.”
“Lily’s not here yet to give us an update. Colt called her, and she went straight to the police station to understand what the hell happened. She should be here any minute now.”
The brunette with the perfect hair and stylish outfit sits down in the empty chair. Her leg bounces nervously, and Lex wants to reach over and stop it.
“My dad warned Brock, and he didn’t listen. Why the hell didn’t he listen?”
“What do you mean your dad warned him?” Felicity asks, locking eyes with Lex.
If Summer’s father is in the know, and even he didn’t get told about his son-in-law’s arrest, this is bad. It’s really bad. Anytime money and power become involved, the club usually gets fucked. They rarely have the most of either in these situations.
“I recognized the man he was trying to identify. He’s the CFO at Dad’s company. His name is Donald Ramsey, and he’s bad news. Dad hates him, but he has dirt on everyone .”
“If your dad hates him, why is he the CFO?” Felicity asks.
“Didn’t you hear me? He has dirt on everyone.
Including the board. I don’t think he has anything on Dad because there’s nothing in his past worth using against him.
But he’s never been charged for embezzlement even though it’s how he’s made his money.
So, obviously, put him in charge of a company’s financials. Geniuses.”
Just as Lex stands to find Colt, Lily Hankinson walks into the clubhouse wearing her signature pencil skirt, emerald silk blouse, and three-inch heels.
This time, though, instead of a briefcase carrying files, she has clenched fists.
That combined with the bewildered anger on her face has Lex sitting back down.
This is bad. Really, really bad.
“What happened?” Colt asks.
“I can’t talk to them. I’m their fucking lawyer, and I’m being given the run around.”
“When’s the bail hearing?” Summer asks, jumping up with hopeful eyes.
Shaking her head, Lily gives her a sad look.
“They’re not getting bail. They’re not even getting a hearing.
Both are already in prison awaiting a trial that isn’t on the books.
I plan to find a judge in the morning who will take a meeting with me, even if I have to burst into one of their chambers. ”
“We need Grayson to look into Donald Ramsey,” Lex says.
The fellow blonde daughter’s eyes widen as her expression changes from anger to shock. “Why would Donald Ramsey be involved in this?”
“I take it you know of him.”
“Oh my God, please tell me his wasn’t the house Brock and Beckett broke into. For the love of God, please tell me…”
“I would… but I don’t think lying to you right now would be—”
“Fuck!” she shouts and runs her hands over her hair.
It’s the only time anyone has ever seen the professional side of her slip while she’s in lawyer-mode.
“Okay, I can… I can try and work this. Um, I might be able to get to the prosecutor. He’s newer and just moved here, so Ramsey probably has nothing on him yet.
The judges, though… That’s where I’m likely to fail. ”
Colt looks at Lex before clapping to get Lily’s attention. “Care to fill the rest of us in on what the hell it is that’s going on?”
“Donald Ramsey owns most of the state.”
“So does Summer’s family.”
Shaking her head, she lets out a loud sigh. “Not like Ramsey. Ramsey owns people . That’s his business. Think Hoover in the fifties and sixties. Which explains now why I can’t get in to talk to them. We’re stonewalled.”
“What does this mean?” Summer asks.
Biting her lip, Lily gives her a sad look. “It means I doubt they’ll see the inside of a courtroom for years if I can’t figure out a way around him.”
Assuming they live that long. Lex knows it’s the truth, but no one has the heart to tell it to Summer. The look on her face shows that she knows even if she doesn’t want to admit it, though.
“Why the hell didn’t he listen when Dad told him to stay away?” Summer says, her legs giving way.
Lex quickly moves to catch her, and Felicity helps guide her to the chair. Shaking her head at Colt as he opens him mouth, Lex looks back at Summer. “We’ll figure something out.”
“You don’t understand how far his reach is. Not even my dad can help. He’s going to die on the inside, isn’t he?”
“First thing we gotta do is get them protection,” Jennings says. “We’re not letting him die in there. Him or Beckett. I have a few favors I can call in.”
“Shannon, you have to stay here. Without Beckett around, you’re not safe. We can’t let this asshole have you and lock them up forever. He doesn’t get to win,” Colt says.
“I never should have told Beckett,” Shannon says, tears filling her eyes. “This is all my fault.”
When she stands, Lex jumps up in concern. “Where are you going?”
“Beckett’s apartment. It’ll be easier for you to figure out what you think you can do without me here to offend.”
“She has a point,” Colt says. “Summer, go get Marie and spend time together at home. We’ll figure this out, but it’s best if you’re not here. We love you, but you’ll distract us.”
“Keep me in the loop?” she asks as she walks to the door. “Even if it’s bad, I need to know, Colt.”
He nods. “Of course.” Once she’s gone, he looks at his wife. “Speak.”
If the situation wasn’t so dire, she’d snap back at him that she’s not a damned dog. Instead, she relays what Summer told her, and he looks ready to punch someone.
“Remind me again why I thought being President would be a good idea?”
“Because you expected people not to lose their goddamned minds and go rogue?” she offers with a shrug. “Grayson might be able to help us. If we can get something on him, maybe we can work out a deal.”
Lily nods. “We better figure out something because what I didn’t want to say in front of Summer and Shannon is that they’re likely not even on the books.”
“What does that mean?” Colt asks.
“It means that there’s likely no record of them being in the prison. If there’s a fire, and they died, no one would know because by all accounts, they’re not within those walls. Major strings are being pulled.”
Venom cracks his neck with Cinder under his arm. “Say the word, and I can make this whole thing disappear. Quiet or loud, I’m good with either.”
“And get yourself locked up, too? Hell no,” Cinder says.
“Why are you even here?” Melanie asks. “You’re not officially part of this club yet. Isn’t this kind of a no-no?”
Hopping to her feet, Cinder talks over to Melanie, getting in her face. “Wanna take this outside, bitch?”
“I swear to God, Venom, I will choke her out if you don’t figure out a way to muzzle her,” Lex says. “Get her out of Mel’s face, or she gets to deal with me.”
“I could take you,” Cinder says, whipping around. “I heard you’re on a bit of a losing streak lately. Your own brother tried to take you out.”
A stab of betrayal hits Lex as she realizes that not only does Venom know what happened with Zane, Venom told Cinder.
Fuck if I’m gonna lose this one.
She cracks her knuckles before motioning Cinder to come at her. Before the new woman can even take a full swing as she reaches her, Lex pins Cinder’s arm behind her back, forcing her up and onto her tiptoes as the force threatens to dislocate her right shoulder.
Cinder squeals in pain, and Lex smirks from behind her. “Yeah? How’s that working out for you?”
“Let me go!”
“Are you going to fucking behave for once?”
“Yes!”
Releasing her, Lex shoves her towards Venom and shakes her head. “For the record, I don’t like her. And you, Colt, and Ky are all on my shit list.”
“What the fuck did I do?” Ky asks.
Whipping around, she looks at him. “There are only five adults who know what happened with Zane, and Venom wasn’t there.”
His eyes widen. “Uh… about that…”
“What?”
“You didn’t tell her?” Ky asks out of the corner of his mouth to Colt.
“Tell me what?”
Colt’s hands fly into the air. “Okay, for the record, I wasn’t the one who said anything about the whole Zane situation. It wasn’t me who brought it up.”
“Hey!”
Looking around, Lex’s chest tightens with unease. “Where’s Zane, Colt?”
“We stripped him of his leather two nights ago.”
“He’s gone,” VP says. “Decided it was better if he just took off since everyone thinks he’s a shit person. Left Margaret with me.”
She cracks her knuckles and lets out a deep breath. “Melanie’s right, Venom. Cinder doesn’t belong here.”
“Look, I know I have a short fuse—”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about you right now. It’s probably best if you get the hell out of my face.”
Venom hangs his head, but Lex can’t meet his eyes. He betrayed her talking to Cinder like this. “They’re right. You gotta go. And nothing you heard here is to be repeated.”
She looks at him with unwarranted pain. “Venom—”
“If anything does get repeated, we’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever speak,” Lex says. “Go.”
“I fucking hate you.”
Shrugging, Lex gives a humorless laugh. “Well, I guess I’ll take you off the Christmas card list then.”
Jennings walks back into the room as Cinder storms out in a huff. “Clearly, I missed something.”
“Just Lex asserting her dominance,” Tess says and smirks at her husband. “As she should.”
“You all remember that she tried to throw Shep’s bike in front of a bus when he dumped her for being crazy, right?”
Lex can’t do anything but close her eyes when Heidi jumps up and glares at Shep. “You fucked her?”
“Sort of?” Shep says.
“How do you sort of fuck someone?” she asks. “And the rest of you knew?”
“Not all of us,” Ky says. “But to be fair, this might’ve been when I actively avoided him because he was a prick.”
When Lex opens her eyes, she sees an anger she’s never seen on Heidi’s face before. “You think she’s crazy? You haven’t seen anything yet. In fact, it’s probably best you sleep here for a while because you’re not getting anywhere near my bed. Hope the blue balls don’t fall off.”
“I’m going to go talk to Grayson about Ramsey,” Lex says, following behind Heidi towards the door.
“Lex, let’s go talk,” Colt says, reaching for her hand.
She whips it out of his grasp. “No.”
“Lex, wait!” Venom calls and runs after her as she reaches her car.
“Venom, I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
He looks so pathetic, but she’s angry. “I didn’t think—”
“ I didn’t tell you, so what in your head made you think I’d want someone like her knowing?” she asks. “Trust means something to me, and you betrayed me. There’s nothing I can think of that would warrant you telling Cinder about my own brother hating me enough to try and kill me.”
“I don’t… I don’t have a good answer for that.”
Nodding, Lex opens her car door. “I have to get out of here.”
“I don’t want you to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. I’m disappointed in you.”
“That’s even worse.”
Forgiving doesn’t come close to the type of mood she’s in right now, and she just gets into the car and pulls out of the parking lot.
She needs space and time to think. The fear of what Zane will do once he learns he no longer has a club threatens to choke her, and she knows she needs to focus on being productive.
Like figuring out how to get Beckett and Brock out of this mess.