Chapter 6 Monroe
MONROE
It was incredibly unprofessional of me to think so, but Knox was extremely hot.
His jumpsuit was rolled up at the arms, revealing tattoos that cascaded up his skin.
Colorful tattoos with designs I could stare at for hours.
And even underneath his baggy jumpsuit I could see the strength of his body.
He was stacked with muscles for days and had dark brown eyes that sparkled with his menacing grin.
His longer blonde hair was slicked back.
All he needed was some sunglasses and a leather jacket and there was no denying his bad boy status.
And I found it hard to keep my eyes off him.
“I need plenty,” I said.
“Then I’m ready to provide,” Knox said with a grin.
“Walk me through that night. What happened?” I asked.
“Blaze started the fight and I ended it,” he said.
“That doesn’t help your ‘I didn’t murder anyone’ case.”
“It was self-defense. Blaze started-”
“You mean Andrew Shepard?” I asked.
“That man introduced himself as Blaze, so that’s what I know him as. Take it or leave it.”
“Your attitude leaves much to be desired. A jury will convict you in a heartbeat simply because they don’t like you.”
“Do you like me?” he asked with a grin.
I felt my heart leap up into my throat. This was not the time to be flirting with someone.
His entire demeanor left a lot to be desired, despite the fact that he was hot as hell.
But being hot didn’t make anyone a decent person and it sure as hell didn’t sway an entire jury of anyone’s peers into believing someone was innocent of murder.
“And anyway, I thought the point of having you guys on retainer was to avoid mix ups like this.”
“You haven’t convinced me that this is a mix up,” I said.
“So, you think I killed that boy,” he said.
“I don’t even know what happened that night.”
“I told you-”
“You told me the punch line. I want the details. Start from the beginning. How did you guys end up in the woods?” I asked.
“I ain’t a story teller,” I said.
“If you want to save your sorry ass, then you might want to become one.”
I watched his eyes harden onto me as he slammed back into his chair.
He clenched his jaw and rolled his tongue around his teeth, and I caught myself watching the motion.
The issue was, he had caught me as well.
I watched the grin crawl across his cheeks as my skin heated.
My mind started wandering to all the things he could do with that tongue.
What the hell was wrong with me?
“A story then. All right, Miss Williams. Diesel sent us out there to try and draw up some boundaries with them,” Knox said.
“The President of The Dead Souls,” I said.
“I see you’ve done your research,” he said with a wink. “Anyway, yes. The Black Saddles have been kicking up dust in Redding for the better part of a year now. Trying to lay claim to an area that isn’t theirs.”
“Are they trying to buy up stores you guys already own?” I asked.
“No. They just come in with guns blazing and think they can shoot their way into things. Diesel wanted to be diplomatic about everything-”
“A biker gang wanted to be diplomatic?” I asked.
Knox’s eyes twitched and I bit down on my tongue to keep my commentary to myself.
“Uh huh. We did. We heard of some bonfire they were having in the woods. About burned down the damn place with how high those flames were. We pulled into the gas station, got some beer as a peace offering, then went to go find them to talk boundaries.”
“On where the two gangs would rule, I assume,” I said.
“Yep. We got back there and they surrounded us. Rex, some hotshot, and Blaze-- their prospect-”
“So, Blaze wasn’t yet a full member of The Black Saddles.”
“Nope. Rex introduced him as their prospect. Then Blaze started showing himself. Made some colorful comments and gave me these fun little bruises you see.”
“Did a doctor get pictures of those?” I asked.
“Yep. Took all sorts of pictures when they brought me here.”
“Good, I’ll get those for evidence. It shows us that there was some sort of fight the two of you were in. Not just you beating up on someone. You said he made colorful comments. What did he say?”
“Can’t tell ya that,” Knox said.
“Too bad. You want my help, you fill me in on everything.”
“It’s need to know.”
“I’m more than willing to let you rot in here if you don’t want to cooperate.”
“So, I’m working with a biased lawyer. Great. Does Mrs. Lowen know your stance?” he asked.
“She’s aware of it, yes. What comments sparked your retaliation?”
“So, you believe I wasn’t the first to throw the punch?” he asked.
“If I have to dig anymore of this story out of you, I’m gone. End of story.”
“Good. Maybe then Rose’ll get her ass in here and make this right.”
“She’s busy with her schedule until the end of the month. Think you’ll last that long in here with your Saddle buddies watching you?” I asked.
I wasn’t going to let someone like him push me around.
If he didn’t want to cooperate and give me the full story, I didn’t have to help him.
My eyes connected with his, unwavering as he studied me.
I knew he was trying to figure out if he could trust me with whatever information he had stored away in his mind.
But he had told me little that convinced me of his innocence.
The only thing I did believe was that he wasn’t the first to hit someone.
But he sure as hell struck me as a killer.
“The question you’re asking requires a bit of backstory,” Knox said.
“I’ve got all afternoon,” I said.
“For me? You’re so sweet, beautiful.”
“Call me that again and I’ll break your arm before I leave,” I said.
“You prefer ‘gorgeous’ or ‘sexy’, then?”
I felt my cheeks heating as his grin grew to a smile. I hated how much I enjoyed those words rolling off his tongue. I cleared my throat and tried to get myself under control until I felt a pressure at my ankle. It was warm and inviting. There was a strength behind it my body enjoyed.
It took me a little too long to pull my leg away from his.
“How do I know I can trust you?” Knox asked.
“I’m all you have,” I said. “You don’t have any other choice.”
“Don’t mean I can trust you.”
“I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m telling you that you need to let me help you. Otherwise you’ll rot in here until you’re convicted of murder.”
“But I didn’t do anything.”
“Then convince me that you didn’t,” I said. “What did Andrew Shepard say to you that pissed you off so much?”
“He made a lewd comment about my …sister.”
“Your sister,” I said. “What’s her name?”
“Canyon.”
“Does she live with you?” I asked.
“Nope. Lives with my mother out on the south side of Anderson.”
“Did Mr. Shepard-”
“Blaze,” he said.
“Fine. Did this Blaze guy know your sister?” I asked.
“No one knows about my sister.”
“Well someone does, because he apparently did.”
“That’s the point. I have five guys in my entire fuckin’ club that know about Canyon.
No one in this damn town knows a damn thing about her.
For many reasons. I pulled myself away from my family to keep them safe from all this shit.
So how the hell did some punk ass kid in some bullshit biker gang figure out who the fuck my sister was? ”
“Okay. So, he made a comment about your sister. What did he say?” I asked.
“He kicked the shit outta me and I hit my knees. Then he told me I looked good down there like my sister did.”
“I can… see how that would piss you off,” I said.
“Yeah. Especially since my sister’s ten.”
“She’s what?” I asked.
“Ten. My fuckin’ sister’s only ten years old.”
“Has anyone checked up on your mother and sister?” I asked.
“Diesel’s probably on it.”
“I’m going to make sure they get checked up on,” I said. “So that’s why you started beating on Blaze.”
“Yep. I stood up and broke his nose with my forehead. Punched him a couple times in his ribs. He buckled and I kicked him in the stomach a few times. Then Grave-”
“One of the guys in the club?” I asked.
“Yep.”
“Does he know about your sister?”
“He’s one of the five, yes. Grave pulled me away from Blaze and that’s when I heard the sirens. We took off, but not before Blaze shouted after me.”
“He… yelled at you,” I said.
“Yep. Clear as fucking day. He was sputtering blood and shit, but he had enough strength to yell. Loud. Heard his dumbass voice echoing through the woods as we ran.”
“So, he was alive after you left him.”
“Very much so. But all of it was self-defense. That little fucker bruised my ribs, cracked my nose, and peppered my body with bruises before I even thought to lunge at him. Diesel told us to stay peaceful, so that’s what we did. ‘Til he opened his damn mouth about my sister.”
“That he’s not supposed to know about,” I said.
“Nope.”
I sat back in my chair and finished taking notes.
It was a hell of a story, but I still wasn’t sure I believed him.
A ten-year old sister? Something about that didn’t match up.
The man in front of me was easily in his latter twenties, which meant there was a good decade and a half between him and his sister.
I mean, it happened. Kids were born that many years apart sometimes.
But something about the way he reacted didn’t sit well with me.
“I’m going to need the name and address of where your mother lives if I’m going to have someone check in on them,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure my club has got it handled,” Knox said.
“Mr. Knox, I need to make sure they’re safe.
You said so yourself, you pulled away to keep them safe.
So, if they’re in danger, they won’t take kindly to a biker gang trying to take them away from their home.
But if they are in danger or have already been put in danger, they’re going to be more willing to accept help from someone like me. ”
“I’m not giving you information on them,” he said.
“I know you’re trying to protect-”
“Then you know why I won’t do it. My club knows where they are. Diesel gave me his word he’d check up on them. I’m sure he’ll have an update for me when he calls.”
“Then give me some information about them,” I said. “Your mother’s name or age. Anything I can use to track them down on my own.”
“You wanna see how they are, or you wanna question them about me?” he asked.
“There’s a man you’re charged with killing that made a comment about your ten-year old sister giving blowjobs.
I have to take that seriously. You want my help?
Give me the information I need to at least make sure they’re okay.
I can call the police department in the area, have them run by their place, and I can use my confidentiality with you to tell them there’s a threat without indulging who it’s from or why it exists. ”
“No more police,” he said.
“You don’t have a choice. Police will be riddled in your future until we can get you cleared.”
“So, you do believe me. That I didn’t kill that boy.”
“Honestly? No. I don’t.”
“How can I make you believe me?” he asked.
“You can start by giving me the information I’m looking for. Then, you can give me evidence that all of this was self-defense or give me answers to the questions I have so I can go find it.”
“What happened ‘til innocent until proven guilty?” he asked.
“In a courtroom, yes. With me? Nope.”
I watched him clench his jaw again as he thought about my proposal.
As far as I was concerned, Blaze’s words were grounds for a sexual threat.
And with Canyon being only ten years of age, that worried me.
It didn’t have much to do with Knox’s case, but I didn’t want any stone to be unturned.
I knew I was working against my own biases with this case, which meant I’d have to work not only to prove to Mrs. Lowen that I could do this, but I would have to work to prove his own innocence to myself if I was gonna help this man.
But if he wasn’t innocent… if he did, in fact, kill that boy… I would recuse myself, quit, and leave.
Because I sure as hell wasn’t defending a murderer in court.
“Nancy Schroeder,” Knox said.
“What?” I asked.
“My mom’s name. It’s Nancy Schroeder. She lives on the south side of Anderson, and she’s sixty four years old.”
I scribbled the information down before I looked back up at Knox.
I opened his file and scanned for his age as I placed the notes I took at the back of it.
Knox was twenty-six. My age. But if his mother was sixty-four and he was twenty-six, that meant he wasn’t born until she was thirty eight.
Which meant Canyon, if she was his sister, wouldn’t have been born until his mother was fifty-four years old.
And there was no way in hell a postmenopausal woman would’ve gotten pregnant at fifty-four years of age.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Knox. The moment I have something for you, I’ll be in touch,” I said.
“What do you want me to do until then?” Knox asked. “I got men in here wanting to kill me.”
“Then I suggest you watch your back.”