Chapter Twenty-One
Sledge
Courtrooms were not my favorite place to be.
They had this distinct smell of dusty old books, inequality, and bullshit.
The last few times I stood inside one of these stuffy old rooms I had to listen to a social worker talk about my kid, the life she’d lived without me, and the condition she’d been found in before the judge granted me conditional custody.
There’d been months of home visits, reports, and check-ins before I came back and was given full custody.
You’d think that would make me feel better about being here and you would be dead fucking wrong. None of it provided me with any comfort, if anything my anxiety was through the fucking roof.
Diesel sat behind me with his arms folded and a scowl on his face as he watched every motherfucker in the room with suspicion. Under normal circumstances that might’ve been chalked up to paranoia but today it was just called being prepared.
The judge walked in, an older guy with tired eyes and stern mouth fixed in a straight line.
I could barely breathe until the gavel banged and the hearing started, and even then, it didn’t feel real.
The courtroom was laughably large and mostly empty.
Trish wasn’t here because she couldn’t be but most notably, there was no Dave Crow, and no attorney representing him at the other table.
The judge looked through the papers, tapping his pen as he went over the details. “Mr. Crow has failed to appear and so, it seems, has his counsel. Is there anything the court needs to know from Mr. Kerris?”
I stood with my attorney who gripped my arm as a warning to keep my mouth shut.
“Yes, Your Honor. The mother of the child is incarcerated for a term of at least another decade while the stepfather has an extensive criminal history and no fixed address. We believe this filing was nothing more than a nuisance, possibly a money grab, and that it is in the best interest of the child to stay with her biological father.”
The judge nodded, turning his attention back to the file in front of him.
“Given the circumstances, including the mother’s incarceration and the stepfather’s lack of interest, the court agrees that it is in the best interest of the child for custody to remain with Mr. Kerris.
” He banged the gavel and turned his attention to the next file in front of him.
Relief hit me so hard it felt like the wind was knocked out of my lungs. My jaw unclenched for the first time since that fucking letter showed up. I knew the chances were slim but there was always a risk of losing Zoya, now the danger had passed.
Underneath that relief came something else, hot and intense. Fury.
Because Crow’s absence meant he’d never cared about custody, at least not today. The hearing was a ploy. He’d wanted us here at the courthouse. Exposed.
It was a fucking trap.
Good. Let him fucking try.
I walked out of the courtroom and stood in the corridor outside.
“That’s good news, man. Why do you look so fucking angry?” Diesel stood beside me, one hand resting on my shoulder.
I sighed. “I’m happy the court saw good sense, but this little show means Crow or the Chaos Raiders are up to something.”
Diesel’s phone buzzed and he grabbed it without looking at the screen. “Yeah?” He tapped the speaker button and I stood closer.
“Two Chaos Raiders are getting ready to leave but two others are still hanging around.” Hollywood’s voice was strained and angry.
“We need to split them up,” Diesel ordered. “We’re on our way out right now. Meet in the parking garage. Keep an eye on everything and let us know if anything changes.”
“Got it.”
Minutes later we stood around our bikes while Diesel issued orders. “Hawk, Rebel, and Falcon, I want you to go follow the ones getting ready to leave. See where they head and let us know. Keep Slate in the loop.”
They all nodded, getting on their bikes and taking off with serious expressions.
“Come on,” Diesel said to me and Rocky. “We’re following the others.”
We left the courthouse and headed to our bikes.
The remaining Chaos Raiders sat on their bikes, arms hanging relaxed over the handlebars, smiling and harassing the women who walked past. Even when they were quiet, they stood out, unable to blend in—not that they even tried.
It was good for us, made them easy to spot. Easy to figure out.
We watched them from a distance, waiting for them to head out.
Once they were far enough away, Diesel revved his engine. “Crow wants a confrontation, let’s give him one.”
We hopped on the highway for a while and then rode through side streets, keeping our distance while following the Chaos Raiders as they cut across town.
We weren’t even close to their clubhouse, instead the scenery changed into a residential area with new homes and townhomes, cookie-cutter design, clean and quiet.
Not the place for a biker crew, which put me on edge.
We parked a block away, killing the engines.
Rocky scanned rooftops, back streets, and corners in search of danger. “All clear,” he grumbled. “Too fucking clear.”
We watched the bikers move towards one of the townhomes with a neat lawn and flower beds. It was a fucking cheery sight except for the dark gray clouds that seemed to be foreshadowing violence.
The front door opened just as the bikers approached and there he was, David fucking Crow.
With greasy hair, rings on every finger, and a smarmy smirk on his face that showed off his crooked teeth.
He greeted the bikers with warmth, hugging like they were old fucking friends.
Because they are. Crow stepped back and waved them inside.
As soon as the door closed behind them, we removed our vests and advanced carefully. I wasn’t sure what was going down, but I pulled on my black leather gloves. Diesel and Rocky went around the back to see if there was security anywhere. “All clear,” they whispered, one after another.
“Side window is open,” Rocky whispered, nodding for us to follow him.
“Was he there?” Crow asked. “Kerris?”
“Yeah, asshole showed up with his Prez and VP, guess he needed mommy and daddy for protection.” One of the bikers laughed to himself.
“Good. It means they’re on the tail of the others. Right?”
“Yep,” the other confirmed. “So what’s the plan?”
Crow laughed. “That’s just another part of the plan,” he began. “I’ve already married Trish which was the first part of the plan. Petitioning for custody was part two.”
“But you missed the hearing today,” one of the bikers mentioned, voice thick with confusion.
“Not a problem. Asshole will find himself in the middle of an ambush soon enough. Ain’t no one else left to take care of the brat but me. Then she’ll have an unfortunate accident, and nobody will ever find out about that fucking cop.”
Ice shot through my veins at that fucking plan.
But Crow kept talking, casual and bragging. “Scanlan was a greedy prick anyway. He shouldn’t have asked for more money. I did what I had to do, but how the fuck was I supposed to know the brat saw me off him?” He snorted. “Trish says she’s mute now, but I ain’t riskin’ that shit.”
His words. His fucking plan snapped something inside of me.
I stopped breathing, stopped thinking about anything but ending that motherfucker.
The part of me that I kept locked up tight until it was time to unleash it rose to the surface.
My gaze met Diesel’s and I knew he saw it because concern flashed in his eyes before he banked it.
“Sledge,” he started, his voice soft and gentle.
I shook my head. “No, Diesel. He’s talking about killing my baby girl.” My hands balled into tight fists, my whole fucking body vibrated with rage.
“We need info, Sledge. Don’t kill him.”
“Not yet,” Rocky agreed.
I nodded too quickly, still watching Diesel. Waiting for recognition.
Diesel gave me what I was looking for, one single nod, controlled and lethal, that gave me the order I wanted. Needed. Do it.
The dam shattered and the world sharpened to a single, solitary point. David Crow’s throat. I stepped towards the door, silent and purposeful, giving myself a few more seconds to fully unleash the monster I kept on a short leash except when I didn’t.
I raised my foot and kicked the door until the wood splintered and revealed the soon-to-be dead man. I looked at him, ready to end him.
He looked back and that motherfucker smiled.
Enjoy it while you can, asshole.