16. Addison
CHAPTER 16
ADDISON
Punishing them for something they didn’t do isn’t the same as seeking justice for something they did do.
“What’s wrong?”
I swivel on the stool and glance at Ghost, who sits on the stool next to me. I’ve been nursing my beer for a while, and up until now, everyone has kept their distance.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
He grins. “I call bullshit. Something’s eating at you.”
“What makes you think that?”
Ghost smirks as if he’s privy to some deep dark secret that he’s about to reveal. “Addison, you’ve been here for four days now. Typically, you spend your time wandering around, snooping in any way you think you can without getting caught. When you’re not snooping, you’re up in Crow’s room thinking about all the ways you can take the club down.” He holds his hand up when I try to speak. “I’m not done. You’re an only child, the daughter of a cop who thinks a woman’s place is in the home, not the precinct. You so desperately want your father’s approval and support that you willingly put yourself in danger to prove yourself to him.” Ghost takes a deep breath before continuing. “You have a lifetime of hate which evidence now proves is misguided, yet you hang on to it like a lifeline. You’re stubborn and smart, and probably one of the best detectives Marble Falls has ever seen… when the case isn’t personal.”
His characterization of me is spot on, and unease weighs on me. “How’d you know all that?”
“Because, Addison, like you, I was a cop,” he admits. “A damn good one too.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that?”
“Believe it or not.” Ghost shrugs. “Doesn’t matter to me.”
“Then why tell me?”
“You seem very sure that the world operates in black and white,” he explains. “And for a long time, I thought the same thing. Then I went undercover and met the Soulless Kings. I was introduced to the gray. I like the gray.”
“That’s cryptic.”
“No, it’s not. Let me ask you this… Do you believe that people are either good or bad? Or can they be a combination of the two?”
I think about his question for a moment. “Both, I guess.”
“Exactly. And if people can be both, it stands to reason that most people operate in the gray area.” He smiles as if he knows he’s made his point. “Sometimes, good people do bad things for good reasons. And sometimes, bad people do good things for bad reasons. The world is complicated. The sooner you realize that, the better detective you’ll be, and the more you’ll understand that just because we’re one percenters doesn’t mean we’re bad people doing good things for bad reasons. It’s quite the opposite, really.”
Ghost hops off the stool and stalks off across the room where he joins Crow and a few of the others. I watch them with fascination as Ghost’s words sink in. He isn’t treated any differently because of his previous employment. In fact, he’s been made an officer. I might not know everything there is to know about MCs, but I do know that officers must be voted into their positions, and that’s not gonna happen if the member isn’t liked, trusted, and respected.
When I made the decision to come to the party, my intentions were noble. But now I can’t help but wonder if I’m just a good person doing a bad thing for good reasons. If the Soulless Kings aren’t guilty of the crimes I think they are, why am I trying so hard to find something to pin on them?
Because they do illegal shit.
And punishing them for something they didn’t do isn’t the same as seeking justice for something they did do.
I close my eyes and conjure an image of the police report Crow showed me. While it doesn’t exonerate the Soulless Kings completely, it does cast major doubt on their guilt. But who would frame them? And why?
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Rapid gunfire pulls me from my thoughts, and I dive to the floor. Chaos erupts around me, but I’m not armed so I stay low. I turn my head and see Crow racing toward me and the others heading for the door, each with their own weapons drawn.
“Are you okay?” Crow demands when he squats next to me.
“I’m fine.”
“Stay down un?—”
“Sonofabitch!”
Crow straightens to his full height, and the color drains from his face. “What the hell?”
Unable to stand not knowing what’s going on, I scramble to my feet and follow his gaze. My stomach bottoms out when I see Jackyl carrying an unconscious Sunny. Both Crow and I rush forward and follow him to the stairs.
“Ghost, Journey, and Screamer, search the property,” Crow hollers over his shoulder. “Whoever did this couldn’t have gotten far.”
When we reach a spare room, Jackyl gently lays Sunny down on the bed. Her face is swollen and bloody, and her hair is matted with dirt. Her clothes are torn, and there’s a note pinned to her shirt.
I lunge forward to grab it and read it out loud. “This is on you… Soulless Kings are responsible.”
Crow yanks the piece of paper out of my hand and scans the words. “We didn’t do this. We wouldn’t do this.” He glances at me with worry and fear in his eyes, and his pain is palpable. “Ace, ya gotta believe me. We’re being?—”
“Framed?” Crow nods. “Seems you get framed an awful lot.”
“How could we have done this?!” he shouts. “We were all in the common room.”
“Not all of you,” I remind him. “And I think it’s pretty convenient that she’s unconscious and can’t tell us who’s responsible.”
“If all you two are gonna do is fight, get the fuck out,” Jackyl snarls as he assesses Sunny’s injuries. “But if you’re staying, I need help.”
Crow stares at me for a moment longer, silently pleading for me to believe him, before turning away and giving his full attention to Jackyl and Sunny. While they work on her, I stay out of their way and observe.
Jackyl quickly gets an IV hooked up and starts administering fluids and pain meds. He calls out each injury as he finds them: broken arm, broken ribs, concussion. For the most part, Sunny is lucky. The bruising will fade, the breaks and concussion will heal. But the emotional trauma that follows a beating like this… that’s another story.
“We got him, Pres!”
Crow glances over his shoulder and glares at Ghost, who skidded to a stop just inside the door.
“Who is it?”
Ghost lowers his gaze for a moment and takes a deep breath. When he locks eyes on Crow again, he scowls.
“Kenny.”
“What?” Crow snaps.
“Screamer and Journey have him in the Nightmare Room now,” Ghost states. “What’s the plan?”
Crow’s eyes dart from Ghost to me. “Well, Ace, care to do a little detective work?”
My eyes widen. “You want me to question him?”
Crow shrugs. “I want you to figure out why he did this? If that means asking questions, fine. If it means returning the favor to get answers, that’s also fine.”
“Pres, maybe that’s not such a good idea,” Ghost states, hesitation in his tone.
“No, it’s fine,” I blurt. “But I have one condition.”
“Of course, you do.” Crow sighs. “What’s your condition?”
“Ghost assists me.” When Crow arches a brow, I shrug. “He used to be a cop. What better way to get to the bottom of this than both of us going at Kenny?”
He seems to think about it for a moment before nodding. “Fine. Get started, and I’ll join you when we’re done here.”
I turn to Ghost, who’s sporting a grin that doesn’t match the situation at hand.
“C’mon, partner,” he says.
“Don’t make me regret this.”