Chapter Six. #2
“Yeah. Seems the bitch had a crush on you. Liar, here, believed getting Hallie out of the way meant you’d seek comfort with her. Instead of falling into her arms, you fled after the trial. Jesus, what a fuckin’ mess,” Chance stated.
“Were you aware that Hallie was pregnant?” I demanded.
Elise’s eyes moved to the wall again.
“God, no. Don’t tell me you sent your pregnant best friend to prison.”
“She was meant to give birth, and we’d have raised it,” Elise explained as tears welled in her eyes.
“Did you pay those women to beat her so badly, she miscarried?” I dreaded the answer, but I needed to know.
“No! I don’t have a clue about that,” Elise exclaimed.
I closed my eyes. Fuck me. Everything was tumbling down around my ears. “You’re gonna go back and tell the truth. And then you’ll take whatever punishment you’re given. And if you end up in prison, that’s your issue. I can’t get my head around this shit. Get out!” I yelled.
Elise fled crying, and I held my head in my hands. “Did I send an innocent woman to prison? I’m fuckin’ doubting my own memories now.”
Chance and Bear exchanged glances and shook their heads. “Rascal, this is such a clusterfuck; we can’t even figure out the truth,” Chance said.
Jinx
There. I saw the movement again. The old friend of Rascal’s had driven out of here sobbing. Moments later, Rascal walked out of the building and took some deep breaths.
That’s when I noticed it a second time. Someone was lurking beyond the gates, and just out of Dollar’s sight.
As I watched, pretending to work on my bike, I saw her.
She was staring at the clubhouse, and Rascal had brought her out of her hiding place.
It was that woman. Hallie. I put my tools down and moved away.
The moment Hallie lost sight of me, I changed directions and ran towards the gate, sticking close to the trees.
Dollar saw me coming and kept his stance casual as he noticed I was using the trees for cover.
He picked up his phone and punched in someone’s number. I hoped he was calling for backup. I slipped through the gate and heard a car start up. Moments later, Hallie drove past me with a smirk on her face. She saluted me as Dollar joined me.
“Fuck, that bitch was watching us?” he demanded.
“Yeah. I saw her, but from the angle she was hiding at, you couldn’t have seen her. But something was wrong. She was different,” I replied.
“What do you mean?” Rascal asked, jogging over.
“I can’t put my finger on it; however, something seemed off. She didn’t seem as confident,” I mused.
“Bitch was flipping us the bird,” Dollar said.
“I could be mistaken, but my gut feeling says she wanted us to see her,” I retorted, staring out after the car. “Would she break her own injunctions?”
“Who the fuck knows anymore, Jinx? Everything I thought I knew is being turned upside down,” Rascal muttered.
My brother looked wrecked. I wished I could help him, but I’d no idea where to start.
Rascal was carrying a heavy load, and I knew he was blaming himself for the others being arrested and charged.
The whole club prayed that our lawyer would get them off.
But with the entire situation spiralling out of control, it didn’t look great for any of them.
Lio
“What did they say?” Phil demanded, meeting me in a coffee shop.
“I’m on administrative leave pending investigation,” I replied. I’d been hauled over the coals by the chief, who’d suspended me himself.
IA was going back through every interaction I’d had with Hallie, and shit wasn’t looking great.
It was in their hands now, but it didn’t stop me worrying.
If it came to that, I could join my cousin’s company, but I wasn’t willing to quit the police force.
This had been my goal, and I loved my job.
To lose it at this point because of some fucked up shit would be untenable.
“What are your odds?”
“Fifty-fifty. Even if I can prove I wasn’t harassing Hallie, we know IA likes to stick it to us.” I shook my head.
“Do you think Rascal is dirty?” Phil asked.
“No. But I don’t believe Hallie is guilty either. There’s definitely another woman out there who looks identical to her, but who she’s working for, I’m not sure.”
“Does the suspect have to be partnering with somebody?” Phil drawled thoughtfully. “What if she’s working alone?”
“For what result?”
“To keep them apart,” Phil suggested.
“Could be, but neither of them has dated anyone else. Nope, I’ve no idea what’s going on here, but it’s taking names. Hell, six of Hellfire got dragged in and charged. They made a total rookie mistake confronting and threatening Hallie like that.”
“Hellfire have always been hotheads.”
“But a slip-up that bad, Phil? That’s frustration; Chance Michaelson never fucks up. Shit’s unravelling, and nobody has any answers. Not even Artemis.”
“Which speaks volumes in itself.”
Harlequin
Sailor smirked as he brought in a package. “Addressed to April, might wanna open this one in private.”
“Fuck off,” I retorted, and he laughed. “I’m not aware of April ordering anything this time.”
I lifted the box and frowned. “Got a knife?”
“Yeah.” Dollar handed me a flick-blade, and I placed the parcel down and opened it.
The smell hit the air as soon as I cut it.
“Fuck!” I stepped back as Dollar did. Both of us gagged.
“Now fuckin’ what?” Chance demanded.
“April’s fuckin’ stalker,” I snarled. I shoved my nose under my tee and finished opening the box.
“Aw, Christ,” Chance ground out.
“Why is it always rats?” Dollar asked. “Ain’t they got an original thought in their head?”
“Clearly fuckin’ not,” Chance snapped. “I won’t ask if there’s anything else gonna happen. That’s tempting fate too much. Call Phil Gold. Lio’s been suspended.”
“Fuckin’ hell. This bitch of Rascal’s is gunning for everyone,” I hissed.
“You see her, walk away. Don’t engage; she’s looking for any excuse,” Chance responded.
“No probs, I’ve enough crazy to deal with. I bet there’re no leads on this parcel either,” I replied.
Chance shook his head. “Weren’t everything meant to get easier after the war? Seems to me it all got a shit ton harder.”
With that, he walked away.