42. Camile
CAMILE
The remaining police are taking statements from those of us who witnessed the event, and I wonder what I’m going to say.
I saw exactly what happened, but if I describe it, I’ll be making a liar out of Phoenix and getting Shelley in trouble.
I know how it feels to have a man you love in the hospital with a gunshot wound, and I picture her needing to be by Bear’s bedside.
She can’t do that if she’s behind bars. In the end, I decide to just say I didn’t see anything.
I was hiding behind the dumpster, too frightened to look.
It seems everyone else has come to the same conclusion, and even though there were crowds of people, some of whom must have witnessed the shooting, everyone appears to have been looking the other way.
“No one is talking,” I comment quietly to Ace.
He scoffs. “Princess, bikers don’t talk to the cops. Or at least, not our kind. It’s a fucking golden rule. We work with those we can get onside and pay off, but we don’t talk to them. I’d rather die than give those fuckers any ammunition.”
Jack walks over and puts his arm around my shoulders. “I’ve told the deputy to keep me updated on what happens with Phoenix. His first arraignment will be in a couple of days, but it’s unlikely he’ll make bail, not with a cop shooting.”
“He didn’t shoot him,” Ace says, his voice low. He explains to Jack what I told him, and Jack’s brows punch up.
I want to say that he just needs to say he didn’t do it, but I know that’ll never happen, and in a way, I don’t want it to because I don’t want Shelley to be the one rotting in jail. It’s a horrible situation all around.
“But even if he’s behind bars,” Jack says, “Phoenix is still one of us. We won’t turn our backs on him. What he did was brave, and maybe a little foolish, but he needs our support. Verona Falls Prison is not a good place to spend any time at all, never mind years.”
I stare up at Jack. “You think he’ll get years? Even if it’s proven the cop was corrupt and abducted Megan?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, Baby-girl. It’ll be hard to say before he has a trial, and the investigation into the corrupt cops shakes out. We’ll make sure he has the very best lawyers, though. If he does have to do time, we’ll try to make it the shortest possible.”
Rook’s head is down, his shoulders slumped. It’s so sad to see him going from the high of being told he’s a fully patched in member to this.
“Fuck, I hate that I brought trouble to the compound,” he says.
I take his hand and Jack drops his arms from my shoulders, giving me the space to comfort Rook. “I did the same. But you know, it wasn’t intentional, on either side.”
He shakes his head. “Even so, I should have known better.”
“Rook,” I make my voice stern. “Would you say the same about me? Look at everything that happened. In fact, I could say that the only reason you needed to speak to Jarrod in the first place was because of me, so this is all actually my fault, not yours.”
“That’s not true,” he argues.
“Isn’t it? I’m the root of all the trouble around here, and I know you don’t blame me, so why should anyone think any differently of you?”
He lets out a sigh. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”
Rook steps into me, his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me closer, so it’s as though we’re dancing together, slowly moving side to side. “What would I do without you?” he says.
I smile up at him. “You’ll never need to find out, because I’m not going anywhere.”
He leans in and kisses me. “I’m very happy to hear that.”
It takes a few hours, but finally things quiet down at the compound. It is a shame everything was ruined—the Jackals’ leaving party and Rook’s announcement—but even worse is that Bear is in the hospital and Phoenix is behind bars.
We’ve gotten word that Bear is going to pull through, which is a relief, but we won’t know much with regard to Phoenix’s situation for a couple of days.
Megan has gone to join Shelley at the hospital.
I imagine there will be a conversation to be had there as well.
I wonder if Shelley will keep quiet about what she did, or if she’ll try to speak up on Phoenix’s behalf.
Either way, I’m exhausted.
We don’t even need to discuss it; we all head back to my house.
Ace was right when he said we need a place of our own.
This house is too small for all five of us, and though Jack’s place is the biggest, it would be weird if we moved there, especially for the guys.
They’d forever feel like they were guests in the prez’s house, rather than it being equally ours.
Sensing he needs the comfort, I take Rook into bed with me.
Ace, never wanting to be left out, curls up on the opposite side, so I’m sandwiched between them.
Ghost crashes on the couch, and Jack remembers he’s left his pain meds at his place and says he’ll see us in the morning.
Even though Jack seems fully invested in this setup, I get the feeling he likes his alone time, too, and always will.
Besides, after everything that’s happened tonight, I expect he’s got some shit to deal with that he doesn’t want to bother us with.
It can’t be easy being the leader of the Verona Falls Riders.