Chapter 30
Devyn
Bolo had come to bed after I’d fallen asleep last night and was gone again this morning when I got up for work. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on yet, though I knew it was club stuff. The crazy part? I missed him last night.
Shaking my head, I shoved the file jacket further away from me on the desk.
I couldn’t seem to focus right now. They say brain fog was a pregnancy symptom, but I didn’t know if that was what this was, or if I just couldn’t keep my mind off the gorgeous biker who’d flipped my entire world on its axis.
I couldn’t even pretend to mind anymore. Life was certainly a lot more interesting now.
“Dev.”
Glancing up, I blinked at my fire chief as he stuck his head in through my open office door. “Hey, Lou-”
“I’m going to need you to get rid of this guy. He’s weirding out the crew. And you know how hard it is to make these guys uncomfortable.”
“Who?” I asked, perplexed.
Before he could respond Detective Bowers appeared behind him like he’d been summoned.
Lou’s face tightened up into a grimace as he faced me, then he smoothed his expression out and turned to look at Bowers.
“Told you I’d find her.” He shifted his head again and his gaze met mine.
The look he shot me said, ‘get him out of here’.
“Hi, Detective,” I said with a courtesy smile. I wasn’t exactly sure why he was still checking in with me. The report on the factory fire had been in his hands for a month, and there wasn’t anything else I was going to be able to tell him.
“Nate,” he said, moving into my office.
My eyebrows shot up.
“My name is Nate,” he said. “I was just stopping in to update you.”
Frowning, I opened my mouth to ask him why, but then closed it again. He was nice enough, but I really didn’t understand what was going on. “Did you…find any suspects?”
“I have my suspicions,” he told me, sitting down across from my desk.
Slowly, I took my seat once more. Movement in the doorway caught my eye and I looked over to find Dutch, Billy, and David all creeping around in the hall.
Dutch gave me a questioning look. He’d toss this guy, cop or not, out on his ass if I wanted him to.
Literally. Dutch was a big boy. I gave a barely perceivable shake of my head. “And what are those?” I asked.
“A group we’ve been investigating for a bit,” he said. “I don’t have solid proof yet, but enough things are falling together that can’t be a coincidence. Did you hear that there was a break in at an apartment complex over off Wilamena Ave yesterday?”
“I…hadn’t heard that.” What in the hell was going on? Wilamena Ave was way outside our station’s area. He was watching me with this…look…on his face. Like I was the one he was interrogating. But why would he be doing that?
“Does that have something to do with the fire?” I asked.
“We suspect it may be the same crew.”
“Setting fires and staging break-ins?” I frowned. “Usually arsonists get their jollies just by lighting the fires and watching the destruction… They don’t typically branch out into other crimes.”
“We suspect that maybe this group’s thing is more than that.” There was that suspicious stare again.
I sighed heavily enough that he was able to see my irritation.
I was getting sick of the cat and mouse game, especially when I had no idea what was going on.
“I’m very busy,” I told him. Shifting in my seat, I leaned my forearms on the desk.
“I get the feeling you want to ask me something. Or… I don’t know.
I’d much rather you just spit it out, Detective Bowers. ”
Anger flashed in his brown eyes and I realized there was a lot more to him than I’d originally thought.
Not that I was claiming to have known him well, but the man at the factory fire had seemed a lot more…
relaxed…than this man. Less…aggressive. “We think there is a group of men out there committing crimes.”
I nodded. He wanted to play games? I’d play. “I imagine there is in a city this size. Probably more than one. Cartels, Mafia, street gangs. Probably acting in some kind of organized manner.”
That did it. He lost any patience he’d been holding onto. His eyes narrowed. He hadn’t appreciated my sarcasm. “They think they’re doing it in the name of justice.” When I just blinked at him, he added. “Vigilantes.”
It took all my power to keep my expression neutral. He was talking about Bolo. About the MC. I was sure of it.
Oh…shit. He suspects the MC started the factory fire? Oh shit, did they start the factory fire?”
My mind was racing because…it could’ve been them.
It was all clicking into place now. Why else would anyone bother to burn up a pile of bodies?
I’d just chalked it up to gang violence, or something of that nature.
Why had it never occurred to me that it could’ve been them?
What were the odds that my boyfriend—oh jeez, he really was my boyfriend by this point—started that fire?
Then again, what were the odds that right after the fire happened I found myself surrounded by biker body guards? Why hadn’t I noticed that before?
“They’re a problem.”
I focused back on Bowers. I wasn’t sure if he was losing control over that careful facade he’d always erected in my presence before, or if he just didn’t care to hide who he was anymore, but a chill raced down my spine at the look on his face.
He really didn’t like the MC. It made me wonder if he knew who they actually were?
Or was he just chasing some mysterious group?
How close was he to finding them out? “I guess,” I replied.
“Vigilantes aren’t good guys,” he said, gritting his teeth.
“O-kay.” Why was he giving me this spiel? He must suspect I’m involved with the MC in some way. Why else would he be here? But that meant…what? That he suspected I was connected to them? What would’ve made him suspect that to begin with? I hadn’t even known the MC was involved with that fire.
Technically I still didn’t, but let’s be honest with ourselves Dev…
It was driving me nuts that I couldn’t ask Bowers any of my questions.
I wasn’t about to admit to him that I was connected to the MC in any way.
If he didn’t already know it, I wasn’t letting that cat out of the bag.
Motion at the doorway drew my attention again, and this time I nodded when Dutch checked in.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, coming into the room like my own personal linebacker and stationed himself to the side of Bowers. “We have a meeting starting in-” he glanced down at his watch, “now.”
Bowers scowled at him, but didn’t object. He stood, his gaze meeting mine again. “I always get my man, Miss Bell.”
That’s original. I had to suppress an eye roll.
Dutch didn’t feel the need to hide his. “Holy shit, did you just say that? I bet this guy practices that in the mirror. Probably thinks it's a way to pick up chicks. You got that printed on your business card?”
Biting the insides of my lips to keep the laughter in, I shot Dutch an appreciative look.
Bowers made a show of ignoring him. He wasn’t bothering to call me inspector anymore. Or by my first name. It was a subtle shift from what he was doing before, but I recognized it. Just like I recognized the threat in his tone.
“Wonderful. I hope you and your man will be very happy together once you find him. I’d love an invite to the wedding.”
Dutch snorted in amusement as he corralled Bowers out of my office.
The others were waiting out in the hallway, ready to help get the detective out of our firehouse.
The police-fireman rivalry was usually a fun, light hearted rivalry.
But firemen were loyal, and apparently extremely protective.
Bolo would be proud, if not wildly jealous.
As soon as one of them gave me the all clear signal, I got up from my desk and went across the hall to Lou’s office.
He looked up as I walked in. “That was weird,” he said.
He’d been listening in, but hadn’t interrupted himself, though he would have if Bowers had given us any trouble.
Being the one in charge meant he was required to cooperate with the cops more than he really wanted to.
Otherwise, I knew he wouldn’t have let Bowers stay in my office as long as he did.
“Do you mind if I take the rest of the day off?” I asked.
His brows drew together. “Not at all. But…Devyn, are you okay?”
“Yeah, he just sort of creeped me out,” I told him.
And it wasn’t a complete lie. It also wasn’t the complete truth.
I felt bad about that. Lou was a good man, and a great boss.
I didn’t like omitting anything from him, but I couldn’t tell him about the MC.
And I was worried that Bowers was closing in on them. I needed to warn them.
“Understandable. Want me to have one of the guys follow you home?”
“No thanks.”
His frown deepened. “Devyn, I don’t know… He seems to have a bit of an obsession for you. I’ll be calling his command and letting them know he’s not welcome here again, but once you leave I have no more control.”
“I’m going straight home,” I told him. “I’ll be okay.” His obsession was the MC, not me. But I couldn’t tell Lou that, so I just let it go.
“Okay,” he said. “But if you change your mind, you can call. Any of us can be at your place in ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Lou,” I told him with a smile. It slipped off my face as I left his office. Grabbing my purse, I fished my keys out of it and made my way out to the parking lot. I needed to talk to Bolo about this.
* * *
I waited until I was only a few minutes away from the clubhouse to call Bolo.
“Hey. What’s up?” he asked, as he answered the phone.
“I’m about to get home. Can you meet me in the apartment?”
There was a heavy pause on the other line. “Yeah. We’re all here dealing with something and have been most of the morning. Is everything okay?”