6. Chapter Six #2
“Yes, four weeks ago, I got a phone call from Gina’s neighbor.
She’d seen Gina leave and not take Ian. I’d been paying her a couple hundred dollars to keep an eye out.
Each time before I took Ian, I let her know so she wouldn’t have to keep watch.
I hadn’t told her I was taking Ian, so she was worried.
She walked over and could hear Ian crying inside.
She called, and I drove over there immediately.
The building super let us into the apartment.
Ian was in his crib, in a dirty diaper, crying.
When I changed his diaper, he had a horrible rash that he hadn’t had three days before when I’d had him with me.
She’d canceled on me picking him up the last two days before that.
Pit had the building super sign and notarize a statement telling how he found Ian alone.
I offered her twenty thousand dollars to sign all rights away to Ian and leave us alone.
I didn’t want her around him ever again.
When he was a teenager, I would have told him what happened and offered to let him meet her but not when he can’t protect himself,” Justice said, pausing to take a drink.
Adley looked at her notes. She had a decent amount of background to start her investigator on research, and it was getting late.
She had plans tomorrow, and honestly, she needed to put some space between Justice and her.
Him talking about his son was making him entirely too appealing.
She would help him as a client, but she wasn’t going to get involved with a motorcycle club ever again.
“Okay, let’s stop there for tonight. I know you’re tired, and I need to think this over.
I’ll contact my investigator tomorrow morning and get them started digging into Gina.
If you think of anything else, give me a call.
I think the captain would have scared Detective Stanza enough that you shouldn’t see him again this weekend.
I’m a little concerned that, after being denied the arrest warrant, he lied and said he had one.
I’m curious how the captain will handle that.
If anything happens, call me immediately,” Adley said, standing up.
Justice stood up and led her to the door as she said goodbye to everyone. He walked with her out to her Jeep. She was curious why he followed her out. He paused after she unlocked her car, and he opened her door.
“It seemed like you had a history with Detective Stanza. How worried do I need to be about him?” Justice asked.
“He’s asked me out, and I’ve turned him down multiple times.
About six months ago, I represented one of his collars.
I tore him apart with all the things he’d done crossing the line.
Before the verdict could come in, my client was killed in a hit-and-run.
The investigation didn’t find anything, but I have my suspicions.
Three months ago, one of his collars came to me for representation.
Two weeks after I accepted their retainer, they suddenly changed their mind and took a deal from the district attorney without consulting me.
So, I’d say, very worried because he seems to operate outside the justice system. ”
“Thank you, Adley, for representing me and being honest. Will this put a target on your back with him? I don’t want you in danger,” Justice said, his finger trailing across her hand on the door. She fought not to shiver at his touch.
“I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look,” Adley said, sliding into the driver’s seat and starting up her Jeep. Justice closed her door and stepped back. Adley backed up, turned, and drove out of the compound, catching a glimpse in the rearview mirror of Justice still watching her.
She drove toward her place. How was she going to do this? When she wasn’t around him, she could keep her distance and flip him off as her answer when he asked her out. But when they were close, he smelled and looked entirely too inviting.
When she was in her teens, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t fall for a bad man. Her mom had, and look what had happened to all of them. She loved her mom but never wanted to follow the path her mom had.
Adley wanted the dream—a man who adored her, wanted to give her children and a happily ever after, along with understanding that Adley would never be completely normal.
Oh, she worked hard to act like it, but in certain situations, she still went back to that dark place.
Therapy had dulled some of her responses, but if they hadn’t gone away by now, Adley didn’t believe they would.
She drove home on autopilot, wondering if she could keep Justice out of prison. She didn’t believe he had anything to do with what happened to Gina. Justice and the rest of the Saint’s Outlaws MC were too smart to get caught up in something like this, which brought her back around to Gina herself.
Until she had some more information, she didn’t want to give her suppositions, but Justice’s recollection of his time with Gina screamed that he’d been roofied. There were so many drugs that could be used for this, and they had no way of knowing which one since Justice didn’t go to the hospital.
But then it came back around to needing to know more about Gina.
Was she just a woman who saw a way to get an easy life by having a baby with one of the Saint’s Outlaws MC members, and did the opportunity with Justice by himself at the bar just present itself?
Or was Justice targeted specifically? Right now, Adley had too many questions and not enough answers.
She’d go home, head to bed, and start fresh tomorrow.
Hopefully, Macy could do a little digging before she flew home on Sunday.
Maybe Macy could help her figure out reasons that falling for Justice was a horrible idea and better reasons than he was in an MC.