23 – Ciara
“ W hat’s going on?” I croak as the police officers stand by my bed, waiting for the moment I woke up.
I was rushed into the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, not to mention the damage to my hand. Spike was seen too, but he’s okay and has been with me since I first woke up, even though I vaguely remember it. This is the first time I’ve been able to open my eyes and actually make sense of my surroundings enough to have a conversation.
“We are here to question you about the abduction of Gerard Tate.”
Is this some kind of joke?
I rub my eyes, trying to get my mind to focus.
Everything seems blurred, including my brain function.
I look to my left, where Spike is standing, his arms crossed over his chest. He’s got a look on his face that is so intense, I know that whatever I’m about to find out, isn’t good. I’m still trying to process them saying the abduction of Gerard. I don’t understand what they’re talking about.
Are they even allowed to be in here?
Maybe I should pretend to be asleep.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, officer,” I glance at his name tag, “Kris.”
Kris steps forward, crossing his arms. “Your friend has been locked away for attempted murder, unless you are eager to join her, you better start talking.”
What is he talking about?
I stare helplessly at Spike.
“Serenity is behind bars. Gerard set this whole fuckin’ thing up to look like we abducted him. Like I said to Kris,” Spike hisses. “He ain’t got no proof and without it, he can’t do shit.”
Kris gives Spike a narrow glare.
“Gerard has made a formal statement that you asked for his help when looking for Alyssa’s murderer, and then when you got out of town, you turned the gun on him and forced him to go with you to the barn. You wanted him to go down for the murder so you could get away with it, but your plan went wrong...”
I stare at him, actually horrified. “You’re kidding me, right? That psycho had this entire thing set up. He has been stalking me, harassing me, and abducted me because he wanted to kill me over my sister not wanting him. He told me he burned down that house with his parents inside...”
“And you have proof of all this?”
I stare blankly at him.
My mind spins, but the harsh reality is...I don’t have proof.
I don’t have a single fucking drop of proof.
Gerard is so smart he didn’t leave a trail, and even if he did, I’m certain he would have cleaned it up by now. He knew what he was doing the minute he decided to get revenge, starting from making sure I was in the bathroom when Alyssa was found. All along, his plan wasn’t just to kill me, it was bringing my entire family down, too.
I force my mind to work. I need to think. My eyes widen and I blurt, “There was a man on the side of the road when Gerard crashed his car. Gerard stole the car and drove it to the barn. It would be there. If you can find that man, he’ll tell you...”
“There was no car at the barn and no reports of anyone having their car stolen,” Kris mutters, unimpressed.
No.
“I swear I’m telling the truth. He did this. He did all of this. He killed Alyssa, and he tried to kill me...”
“It’s funny, really,” Kris murmurs, staring at Spike and then looking back to me, “how when we look at him as a suspect, we find absolutely nothing but when we look at you, we have a trail as long as our arm...”
“Well then you suck at your job,” I snap, then cough as my lungs burn.
Kris grins, unbothered by my outburst. It scares me, because there is something evil about his stare. “Be careful, Ciara. I could arrest you.”
“Then why don’t you?” I growl.
Spike grunts. “Because they don’t have anything solid, which is why he’s here trying to get something. Say nothing else.”
Kris grins at Spike. “I’m certain if I dig deep enough, I’ll find something about your club that might help push me in the right direction.”
Spike growls.
He doesn’t take kindly to threats. Especially ones that come from a cop.
“Be very fuckin’ careful,” Spike warns.
“Or what?” Kris murmurs, low. “I will find what I need, Ciara, and I’ll be back. Don’t get too comfortable.”
He turns and leaves the room, and his friend follows behind, not having said a word. When he’s gone, my head whips to Spike. “How the hell did Serenity get locked up for attempted murder?”
“When we got there, he ran. We were so focused on gettin’ you out of that barn, that we didn’t worry about him. She didn’t want him getting away, so she took Jackson’s gun and chased him down. She shot him, and the cops showed up. The smart fucker called them and had them arrive just in time. Then he cried about being abducted and her trying to kill him.”
“She did nothing,” I whisper. “She doesn’t deserve this. I should say it was me, maybe they’ll let her go.”
“You’ll do no such fuckin’ thing,” Spike growls, stepping toward me and taking my chin in his hand. “We’ll get Serenity out. I promise you.”
“What about Gerard? He’s just going to get away with it. They’ll probably put him in some kind of protection, and we’ll never clear my name.”
“We’ll find proof. I fuckin’ promise you I won’t rest until I see that slimy little fucker go down.”
Oh, Serenity.
I will find a way to get you out of this, I swear it.
“Maybe we could go to that restaurant, get footage? I know he was there. What about the picture? Surely, that’s proof enough he was with Alyssa, even if you can’t see his face. We could track down the man he stole the car from. There has to be a way. He can’t have covered everything,” I say, my voice borderline desperate.
“Look at me,” Spike urges, taking my chin in his hand. “I will fucking bring him down.”
“Until then, Serenity is stuck in prison. Prison , Spike. She doesn’t deserve that.”
“We’ll have someone on the inside watch-out for her. One way or another, we will get her out. That cop is a slimy fucker, and I’ll find a way to bring him down. If I have to bust her out myself, I will...”
My eyes widen. “Is that...legal?”
Spike grins. “No, baby, but if you think that will stop me...”
Oh.
My.
HUGGING AVA CLOSE TO me, I press my lips to her little cheeks and promise her over and over that we’ll find a way to get her mommy out. Jackson paces in front of us, a rage spreading across his face I have never seen. He’s wild, and inside, I know it’s killing him that Serenity is behind bars. In this second, though, there isn’t a single thing he can do about it. That would be the worst feeling in the world, and I wish there was something I could do to help.
I’m taking Ava so he can focus on getting her out, but it just isn’t enough.
“We’ll get her out, Jacks,” Muff tells him, his voice careful. “I swear it.”
“I know we’ll fuckin’ get her out,” Jackson barks. “But until then, she’s fuckin’ stuck in there and I can’t protect her. Do you think they won’t be diggin’ through her past, tryin’ to find somethin’ to pin on her? Her father was one of the worst fuckin’ bikers out there. If they get enough, we might not get her out.”
It’s a valid fear.
Serenity comes from a club that was dangerous and did more than one bad thing in their time. There are so many unanswered questions surrounding that club, and because of it, all the cops need to do is find one thing they can use against her, and she’ll be locked up for longer than any of us would ever dare say.
It’s a bad situation.
I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault. If I didn’t insist on going to that damn school, then we wouldn’t be here. All of this happened because of Gerard and his sick obsession with my dead sister. When I think of it like that, it almost seems pathetic. Like what a fucking joke. Still, it’s the bitter truth and nothing I say or do will change that.
I will find the proof we need, though.
I will show those god-damned crooked cops that he killed Alyssa and abducted me.
“We’ll hit the ground runnin’ to find out what we can before they do,” Cade assures Jackson, his arms crossed over his chest as he watches his friend with concern.
“That cunt is crooked.” Jackson barks. “He’s probably already way ahead of us.”
“I assure you, Jacks,” Spike growls, his eyes narrowing. “We will fuckin’ get her out.”
“Oh,” Jackson looks to him. “I know we’ll get her out, but it won’t be the way they expect.”
God.
I don’t even want to know what they’re planning.
“Until then, we need all the hands we can get,” Muff looks to Spike. “Bring on your prospect, we could use him. He has links that we don’t.”
Spike glances at Jackson for approval, and when Jackson nods, he turns, pulling out his phone and disappearing.
Having Fynn on board can only help.
All hands on deck is the only way we’re going to finish this.
But for right now, I need to talk to Jackson. Turning to Addison, I hand Ava to her and then walk over, asking Jackson for a word. I know that he’s going through it right now, but I still feel like I owe him an apology. Serenity is suffering because of my choices and the guilt is eating me alive.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” I begin when we step around the corner. “I can’t help but feel like this is my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to that school...”
Jackson’s green eyes flash and he puts up a hand. “Goin’ to stop you right there, Tom Cat. Nothin’ about this is your fault. You weren’t to know that psycho fuck was there, waitin’ for the chance to seek some kind of old revenge. He’s messed up. Nothin’ you have done is your fault.”
My bottom lip trembles, and a tear leaks out. I swipe it away with my bandaged hand and nod, because if I open my mouth to speak right now, I might just start crying. I’m afraid if I start crying now, I won’t be able to stop.
“Listen to me,” Jackson murmurs, putting a hand on my shoulder. “This ain’t on you. We will get her out. I appreciate everythin’ you’re doin’ with Ava. Wouldn’t be here without you.”
I pull my bottom lip into my mouth and then nod again.
Jackson squeezes my shoulder and then turns, walking away.
I take a deep breath.
I swear to you, Serenity. I’ll fix this.
I will.