Chapter 17
Mica
Seven weeks after the cave, Nova and I are busy clearing up after the fires and planning our next move. We’ve got two crews working at the same time. They’re making fucking amazing progress.
Today, there’s an officer’s meeting and I asked Weaver to stop by and give us an update on what’s going on with our case, so I can tell my family.
Flint escorts him into the clubhouse and he walks in right on time.
I appreciate punctuality, so that’s already a mark in his favor.
He takes the empty seat opposite us, then pushes a folder across the table.
I ask, “Morning, Weaver. What do you have for us today?”
He glances between us nervously and gets right down to business.
“For starters, what happened in that cave didn’t stay local.
ATF got involved within forty-eight hours because of the massive amount of weapons we found.
They’re convinced there was interstate transport of illegal weapons and are building a good case to that effect. ”
I nod, unsurprised. “We figured that was gonna happen.”
“RICO charges were brought last week. Conspiracy, racketeering, illegal weapons trafficking, narcotics distribution. They’re not just going for the guys who were involved that day either.
They’re going after everyone connected to Darkness.
Associates, suppliers, financial backers.
Anyone who ever did business with him is getting pulled in. ”
I feel a sense of satisfaction settle in my chest. “Good. I’ve always heard Darkness was into some nasty shit.”
“That’s exactly what they’re finding,” Weaver agrees. “This isn’t going to be a slap on the wrist. They’re dismantling his entire operation from the top down. They’re not letting anyone wiggle out of consequences.”
Nova leans back in her chair, studying him carefully. “So no one will be circling back around for revenge. Is that what you’re saying?”
“No, ma’am,” Weaver replies. “As far as I know, they’re all being incarcerated pending trial. If that changes, I’ll alert you immediately.”
Nova goes quiet and reaches for her coffee. “I’m glad to hear that,” she says. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”
Weaver nods like he understands, probably because they would turn on him as well if given the chance.
“Bran’s looking at kidnapping, conspiracy, and a stack of additional charges.
Of course he tried to blame me for the kidnapping, but I did what you said and claimed he was a liar.
I don’t think anyone believes him because even his public defender stopped talking about it and seemed to be doing his best to cut deals.
The prosecuting attorney’s office has made it pretty clear there’ll be no plea bargaining on this one.
My best guess is that none of them will be seeing daylight for a long time.
The rest of Darkness’s crew is looking at sentences measured in decades because it’s a RICO case now. ”
I shift my focus. “And what about the fires?”
“Fire marshal confirmed arson on both properties,” Weaver says. “That means your insurance should pay out in full.”
Nova’s posture sharpens just a little. “That’s good news. I know our insurance company was waiting for that report from the fire marshal. We’re eager to get started on rebuilding. Plans are being drawn up now for the chopper shop.”
“How’s the trucking company?”
Nova glances at me, a faint smile touching her lips.
“I’m running everything out of Mica’s office building now.
My manager and his assistant turned the empty suite into dispatch in less than a week.
I’ll probably just stay there,” she turns and gives me a wink.
“My accountant didn’t think it made sense to pay for utilities in two buildings when we can run operations out of one. My accountant is pretty smart.”
“And handsome,” I add.
There’s a pause after that, and I can see it in the way Weaver shifts his weight. He’s not done talking.
His attention settles on Nova. I watch his anxiety spike in real time as he struggles with whatever he wants to say. Finally, he speaks. “There’s something else I need to say. This part isn’t about the case.”
Nova sets her coffee down again, slower this time. “Say what’s on your mind. You don’t need to be so formal.”
Weaver leans closer. “What I did to you… taking you… putting you in cuffs… that wasn’t right.
Darkness threatened to kill my mom. I didn’t know what to do and made a bad decision.
I know that doesn’t make it okay. I just wanted to apologize and tell you that if I had the decision to do it over, I wouldn’t have involved you.
I had no idea what he was up to. I thought it was probably for ransom or something like that. ”
He holds her gaze, almost pleading with her to understand. “You didn’t deserve what happened to you that day, especially to be scared like that. There’s no excuse for what I did and I’m sorry.”
The sincerity in his voice is genuine. I don’t need Slate to tell me that.
Nova gazes at him for a few seconds, her expression blank, and then she nods. “You’re right. It wasn’t okay. But you weren’t cruel or disrespectful. And when we needed you, you kept your promise to us. I feel like you learned a lot from this experience, so I forgive you.”
Most of his anxiety melts away. “Thank you, ma’am,” he says quietly.
I shift the conversation. “Did you get your commendation yet?”
Weaver glances at me. “Yeah. They gave me a promotion too.”
“Congratulations,” Nova says.
“Thank you.” There’s a hint of something awkward in his expression. Maybe he’s not proud of the way he earned that promotion or because he’s not used to hearing praise from a biker in a one percent club.
“You did a good job and earned it. The paperwork alone on all those assholes should have gotten you a fucking commendation.”
He snorts a laugh before adding, “Just doing my job.”
I reach into my cut and take out an envelope, tossing it onto the table in front of him. “Keep up the good work and keep us informed,” I tell him.
“What’s this?”
“It’s your quarterly payment for being my man on the inside. You get five grand every three months paid in cash.”
“I can’t accept money. It’s all kinds of wrong and I’m supposed to be working off my punishment.”
The young cop seems like a guy who just fell off the turnip truck yesterday.
I frown at him and make accepting my money easy for him.
“Look, nothing I do is usually illegal. As you already know, all our businesses are legal. We don’t run guns, deal drugs, traffic women, or run illegal scams. Working for me should be a hell of a lot easier than working for Darkness’s crazy ass.
Consider this a second job, like working mall security.
Twenty grand a year barely pays for the expenses associated with working for me. Trust me, it ain’t a big deal.”
He quickly puts the envelope in his coat pocket and mumbles, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Nova breaks it. “So, what happens next?”
“Right now they’re focusing on building their cases by tracking the money and seizing assets. Darkness wasn’t earning big bucks but some of his associates were.”
“I’m glad you’re sharing information with us,” she says softly. “It’s a load off my mind to know they’re not going to be getting released anytime soon.”
I lean back in my chair, watching him. “Is there anything else going on that we should know about?”
“Not that I can think of right now. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
I rise from my seat and he follows suit. I shake his hand and say, “Thanks for meeting with us. Remember, this relationship goes both ways. If you need any favors from us, just let us know. I’ll do any reasonable thing I can to help you out as long as it’s not illegal.”
He shakes my hand. “That sounds reasonable.”
Weaver slips out the front door, and Flint is there to escort him off our property. Ain’t no brother in our club gonna let a uniformed police officer wander around our property on his own, least of all Flint, who’s obsessed with security.
As the clubhouse door closes behind him, I feel a wry smile trying to jump onto my face.
Nova notices immediately. “What are you smiling about, babe?”
“Every time I see Weaver or read about how he’s the cop who made the biggest bust this county has seen in years it makes me smile. I don’t even think he knows that we catapulted his fucking career forward by years. He’s naive as hell.”
Nova grins up at me. “I noticed that too.”
Her smiling face makes everything else in my life worth it.
***
An hour later, I’m heading to a meeting with my old man, Jasper, Slate, and Onyx in a small meeting room. In addition to giving an update about the situation Weaver reported, I’ve decided to tell my family that I’m striking out on my own.
I’ve taken command of a rescue operation, killed a man to protect my old lady, and turned a dirty cop into a club asset. What I’m about to do shouldn’t be harder than any of that, yet somehow it is.
When I arrive, everyone is already in their usual seats, waiting on me. I close the door and lock it behind me. The click of the deadbolt gets everyone’s attention.
My old man’s eyes narrow. “Why are you locking the door, son?”
Before I can answer, Jasper states, “You look serious. What’s up? Did those fuckers decide to press charges on you after all for killing Darkness?”
Slate, who’s scraping at his fingernails with his favorite hunting knife, points it at me. “If the fucking DA thinks we’re not going to fight that, she’s fuckin’ crazy.”
I walk in and stand at the end of the table, beside the place I normally sit. “First of all, the DA is a woman. And secondly, no, she hasn’t decided to charge me with murder or anything else.”
Onyx frowns. “Then what is it, bro? Don’t tell me Nova ran out on you.”
I gesture around the table. “This is why it’s so fucking hard to talk to you fuckers about anything. You’re always so damn negative about everything.”