Chapter Twenty-Five
“Thank you for meeting me at such short notice,” I tell Mr. Granger as soon as we sit down.
Loyal holds my hand, offering me quiet support. That’s what I love most about him. He could be overbearing and want to fix the situation for me, but instead, he steps back and lets me figure it out myself. He gives me independence in a way that makes me want to depend on him.
“You said there were some developments. What happened?”
“Well at the last custody exchange, Billy became violent. He grabbed Farrah and left a mark. I have photos. Loyal stepped in to help her, and Billy hit him. They were both arrested. The charges were dropped against Loyal as he acted in self-defense, but I know Billy is going to use this and his past against him,” I tell Mr. Granger.
He nods. “What kind of past do you have, Mr.…Loyal?” he asks.
“You can call me Loyal. No Mr. needed. When I was a teen, I got arrested a few times for minor theft and fighting. I’ve been arrested twice as an adult, but both times the charges were dropped.”
“I see. In a custody battle, this could become a problem, but if he has no official record, there isn’t much the courts can do.
I see you are associated with the Lotus MC.
That might cause you more issues.” Mr. Granger nods to Loyal’s patch.
“Well, that and the fact he is ten years younger, as you mentioned before. Is Billy still claiming Loyal is trying to date your daughter?”
“Yes, but Farrah is no longer playing his games. She has seen the light and is now telling the truth. She is scared of her father and actually asked me to see if we could get supervised visits. Mr. Granger, I have never seen him so angry. He didn’t care that he was hurting her.
All he wanted to do was hurt me. She doesn’t want to go with him anymore,” I admit.
“I understand. We can file a petition for that based on these new allegations, but she will need to adhere to the custody agreement until further notice. Were charges filed against him?” Mr. Granger asks.
“Yes, but he was released. Seems he knows someone on staff who is padding the case in his favor. I wouldn’t plan on it sticking,” Loyal tells him.
“Doesn’t need to stick. Just needs to be there when we go to court in three weeks.”
“I also want a restraining order. I want him to no longer be able to speak with me without a lawyer present. He has been moving around the parenting app. Even showing up at my work. I’m starting to worry what he might do to me if he were to catch me alone.” I shiver at the thought.
Loyal wraps his arm around me, pulling me in close.
“I can file an emergency injunction. I could get it in front of a judge tomorrow, but I would need proof that he has been harassing you.”
“My boss and coworker can attest that he has shown up at my work and made threats,” I say.
“Billy once made threats at a tire shop I was at. I can probably get the footage. He included Sami in those threats,” Loyal adds.
I look over at him and frown. He gives me an apologetic look. He told me about the visit, but not what was said.
Always trying to protect me, but sometimes I need to know.
“Anything else?” he asks.
“As much as I want to leave Farrah out of it, she would be able to give some information. Maybe texts from him if he’s made any?” I ask.
“Mr. Wilson would be a witness too. He has been there every single time Billy has made a scene at the house. The old codger is always sitting on his porch when drama is going down,” Loyal mutters.
“I’m thankful for that. Having him watching has always made me feel safe,” I whisper to him.
“I better send him a damn cake then.”
“Okay, this is great. I have a lot to work with. He has made threats toward you. Tonight proves there could be a case for domestic violence. If not physical, verbal for sure. Ignoring the court order and speaking to you outside of the app is another mark against him. We will bring that up when we go to court. I have all I need right now. If you could get me that tape and any evidence, it would be beneficial, but I have enough to request the temporary protection order right now. Especially once I get the arrest report from the police station and request the body cam footage from the evening in question.” Mr. Granger stands, holding out his hand.
I stand and shake it before Loyal does the same.
“Thank you. I am so sorry this has turned into such a mess, but I appreciate you still working with us.”
“Nonsense. This is my job. You aren’t even the worst case I’ve ever had. Someone needs to teach these pompous assholes and Karens that they don’t always get their way. I always take the underdog’s case. I never want to help them get beat down even further.”
I smile at the kind older gentleman. “We appreciate you looking out for the underdog then. Until next time.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
As we leave, I can’t help but let out an aggravated growl.
“What’s wrong? How can I fix it?”
“I wish the court date was tomorrow. Right now, actually. I don’t know how I am going to send her to his house and not worry the entire time she is gone. What am I going to do?”
He hugs me to his side. “I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out. You haven’t officially met Dex, but he is a tech wizard. I’ll call him and see what we can do.”
I nod. “Thank you. For everything. For loving me. For being you.”
He leans down and kisses me. “You don’t have to thank me. It is entirely my pleasure taking care of you.”
I didn’t like leaving Sami and Farrah at the house by themselves, but my woman is worried, and I can’t have that.
So, while Happy is on watch without their knowledge, I’m at the clubhouse ready to petition Savage for whatever sketchy shit we can to keep them safe.
I can’t kill him, but I can make his life difficult so he can no longer hurt them.
“What are you doing here?” Savage asks as I walk into his office.
“I need solutions. My girls are scared to death, and I don’t know how to help them.
If Farrah didn’t love the guy and his murder wouldn’t be pinned on me, he would already be gone, but here we are.
I need a way to eliminate the threat without eliminating him for good.
Prison? Break his legs and arms, making him bedridden?
I don’t know, man, but something has to give. ”
My leg bounces as I wait for his response. He doesn’t speak right away. Instead, he picks up his phone and types out a message.
Moments later the door opens and Dex steps in.
“We need advice,” Savage tells him.
“What’s going on?” Dex asks, using an antibacterial wipe to wipe down the chair before he sits.
“The girls are scared of Billy, but the lawyer says Farrah has to go with him until their court date. Even then, the judge might require her to still go. She’s worried about his actions.”
Dex is silent for several moments. It’s almost as if I can see his brain computing the message I gave him, processing it until the correct solution spits out.
“You need a way for Farrah to contact you should her life be in danger without her father knowing. I would suggest a piece of jewelry with a GPS signal. She could press it when she is scared, which would allow me to track her. Knowing her location would allow me to follow via camera signals as well and keep you apprised of what is happening as you make your way to her,” he says, monotoned.
It’s almost scary how robotic he can sound sometimes.
“Is that something you can get quickly? Billy hasn’t come to get Farrah since he was released, but he will come to get her on his next visit. We need to be prepared.”
He nods. “I can have it ready by tomorrow. Would that be sufficient? I will make one for Samantha as well. You cannot be too careful.”
“I’m sure she will wear it. Thank you.”
“Also…” Dex starts.
“What is it? You don’t tend to be shy.”
“I’m working on not overstepping boundaries.
I’ve been told I do it often. If Farrah is willing, I could give her some items that look like day-to-day household things for her to take to her father’s.
They would never trace back to us but could give us eyes in the house to ensure her safety. It’s a consideration.”
“Get them and I’ll talk to Farrah and Sami and see what they think.”
He nods. “Am I done here?”
Savage waves him away. “Thanks, Dex.”
“It’s literally my job,” he says, looking confused as he leaves.
“You think Viv is the reason for his sudden need to change?” I ask.
Savage looks at me. “Viv?”
I press my lips together. “Oops?”
“Viv and him?” Savage asks again.
I shake my head. “No, but I think she likes him but thinks she’s not worth his time. I think he likes her, but he’s Dex. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
He ponders it. “I’ll keep an eye on it. I could see that working. Dex is quirky. Viv has her own demons. They might play well together.” I shrug, “Do you think we could pull the protection detail when Farrah is with Billy? Have them over there instead?”
“I was thinking about that. I don’t want to leave Sami unprotected, so while you are with her, we will pull the detail from her, but if you aren’t going to be there, like when she is at work, we will keep someone on her.
I have Cherry, one of the club girls from Boudoir, working at the school.
Fang says she’s trustworthy enough to keep an eye on Farrah.
She’s over eighteen, but we falsified some documents to get her in.
Farrah won’t know she’s there. I think we should ask the guys if anyone is willing to pull a double shift.
Since you can’t ride by Billy’s, I think we will need more hands on deck. Thoughts?”
I frown. I don’t like asking the guys to do more for me when they already do so much.
“You don’t think they will resent being pulled to watch my girls?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I know you never had family before and the club you came into wasn’t the family it should have been, but this is how it’s supposed to be. Would you offer double time if one of the old ladies was in trouble?”
“Without hesitation.”
He nods. “They will too. Put out the call. I think you will be surprised how many of the brothers are willing to answer.”
With that, he waves me away, leaving me to do as he says and put out the call.
He’s right that I’m surprised by the answer.
I sit in the clubhouse and call each and every brother. I tell them the situation and what I need. Not only do they all agree, some even offer to go a step further by offering their old ladies to help as needed.
It’s reassuring to see.
By the time I’m done, I’m overwhelmed by the support. I knew these men were family, but it’s not until it really comes into question that you see who steps up and stands by your side.
I’m proud to be a Lotus MC member.
Leaving the clubhouse, I make my way back to Sami’s house. As soon as I get to the door, she opens it, stepping into my arms.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
“I missed you. Everything is going to be all right. Let’s go to bed.”
So that’s what we do. I snuggle in bed next to the woman who is going to be my old lady with the teenager down the hall who I never thought would accept me.
I know in that moment, I have what I want. A family. Now I need to keep them.