Chapter 37
Idaho
As much as I didn't want to leave Eva upstairs, I knew it was what needed to be done.
Her father wasn't going to try anything else.
I saw the acceptance in his eyes. I won.
And if anything happened, Thomas would be there to protect her.
He worked for me now, and I was happy to have him on board.
Louis had no idea what he had in Thomas.
I did. And I was going to use the man and all his talents to their full potential.
When me and my brothers were unable to be around, he would be the first line of defense between Eva and the world.
And in return he and his family would want for nothing.
I wasn't going to lock her away in an ivory tower, the way her parents had.
That was the quickest way to make sure she resented me.
But I had to make sure she was safe at all times.
Thomas was how I'd do it. And with her being allowed to make her own decisions, she wouldn't be as keen to send Thomas off so she could do things on her own.
They were friends. They cared about one another.
And I would make it abundantly clear that she needed to keep him around when I wasn't there.
She was still a prominent figure after all.
It would be just as easy for more of her father's enemies, or mine, to use her to get to me.
And if that happened then I'd have to eliminate anyone who touched her.
That could get tricky to explain. One man going missing, no big deal.
More than that? I didn't feel like rotting behind bars.
Not when I had my duchess to live my life with.
It was no surprise to me when I got back downstairs and saw Fremont and Lock still arguing. Walking up, I lifted a brow as I stopped next to my brother. "What's the problem here?"
Fremont's eyes flicked between us. There was no shock in his expression, which meant he knew who I was. "I was just telling your brother that we have witnesses that claim he beat a man up badly enough to go to the hospital."
"Your witnesses are wrong," I told him. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "That was me who sent that guy to the hospital."
"Oh." An evil smile stretched over his face. "Well, in that case, I'll arrest you instead."
I shrugged my shoulders. "You could try, but the men started that fight and we only fought back in self-defense."
"Not according to our witnesses," Fremont replied. "They're saying you started the fight. That you were trying to kidnap Lady Tatiana Desmet, and that you succeeded."
My eyes narrowed as the accusations flew from his mouth. I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and cut off all air. That would eliminate one problem, but bring so many more down on us. Might be worth it, someday. "Again. They're wrong."
"Well, until this is fully investigated, you're going to have to come with me."
"That's all a lie!"
I looked over my shoulder and met Thomas's sheepish look.
It didn't matter how good of a bodyguard he was when his ward was a wayward woman who didn't listen to anyone.
And in this case I could kiss her. Eva hurried forward, my brothers making way for her to move through the crowd so she could stand beside us.
She must have been listening near the back and as soon as Fremont mentioned arresting me she intervened.
"Who are you?" Fremont asked, looking over at one of his cop buddies. There was recognition on the other man's face—he'd probably done all the research for Fremont—but before he could speak, my old lady did.
"I'm Lady Tatiana Desmet," she replied in a haughty tone.
"If you wanted to get the truth, you should have come to me.
The men you were speaking to were the people who accosted me.
Levi and Reed helped us. Your 'witnesses' tried to physically cart me off, talking about how they were going to 'teach me a lesson', and we all know what that means.
" She sneered at Fremont. "Does that sound to you like the actions and words of reliable men, Mr... ?"
"Fremont," he said. "Ma'am. I'm sure it was a trying night for you. And you're likely not aware of our laws here-"
"Oh," she said with disdain, cutting him off. "So you allow men to kidnap women and threaten them in this country, do you?"
"Well, no."
"But you hold those men who rescue women from a possibly awful fate accountable then?"
"Well...not necessarily."
"Then it sounds to me," she declared, "as though you need to be speaking with those witnesses of yours and ascertaining whether they should be the men who should be put into jail or not.
" She folded her arms over her chest. "Or, I can explain, quite loudly, to all my dear friends here why you're bothering us and what your friends tried to do to me.
And then I can explain to the press how the city of Tucson treats foreign royalty. I'm sure they would love that."
People were staring, some edging closer trying to overhear our conversation. Lock made a motion to the Berserker's Rage guys to move aside and let the people press in closer. We were putting pressure on Fremont.
"That isn't necessary," he told her with a large, fake smile. "With this new information, we'll be sure to go back and speak again with our witnesses." His eyes met mine. "But we'll be back."
"Looking forward to it," I told him with a toothy smile.
Fremont looked pissed to have lost the confrontation, but he motioned to his men and without another word, he left.
He must be getting desperate, or worse, angry and petty.
It was a stupid play, especially for him.
The rest of the cops followed him out. Everyone watched until they were gone before turning their attention back to me and Eva.
"You're amazing," I told her as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She smiled up at me. "I learned from the best." She was speaking about her father.
She'd been channeling him and his superiority during that entire exchange with Fremont.
She turned to my brothers and gave them a nod.
"Thank you for all your help. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here.
" She smiled at Cynic and Torque, then gave Lockout a hug.
"Thank you for sending those men to help me. "
Lock nodded, but didn't reply. He looked pissed as fuck still.
He'd been avoiding Fremont for a while now, but it was all coming to a head.
We were going to have to take on the district attorney and get him out of our lives.
It was the only way for our club to move forward without having to look over our shoulders.
"I think it's time for us to go," I told Eva, looking around the room at the people who were all watching us intently. "You need rest."
She nodded in agreement, then turned to Lockout again. "Do you need anything else from me tonight?"
"No." His gaze softened as he realized how stiff he still was. "Thank you, Eva," he told her with a genuine smile. "And welcome home."
Wrapping my arm around her, I walked her out of the building, and out to my car.
Lock and the others would shut down the event and I trusted them to handle everything.
Right now I needed to take care of my woman.
She'd had a hell of a night. It was time for some rest and relaxation.
Tomorrow we could talk about what happened and go over both of our expectations moving forward together.
* * *
I squinted my eyes as we walked into the clubhouse and it erupted in excited squeals.
Stepping back, I left Eva at the mercy of the horde of women descending on us.
There wasn't an ounce of guilt inside me as I retreated a few steps and let her be swallowed up in hugs and tears. I didn't need to be a part of all that.
Instead, I turned to where Riptide and Hush were leaning against the bar, holding their babies, and grinning at the swirling mass of women hugging Eva close. Hush chuckled. "That was fucked up," he told me as I walked over.
Shrugging, I watched and noticed the happiness on Eva's face. She didn't mind this one bit. "Had nothing to do with me."
"You might have to rescue her," Rip said.
"She'd probably fight me if I did." She'd come to love the old ladies as much as they had her.
The women had badgered me senseless during the two weeks after Eva had been taken.
As if I wasn't already torturing myself enough, they'd piled on.
They'd been pissed when I came home without her.
As if I'd had any other choice at the time.
They pulled her over to the tables and sat her down to catch up. There were more happy women sounds as she told them I'd made her my old lady. Next up was to make her my wife, but that wasn't happening tonight.
Sloane came over and took Noelle from Riptide. "Good job, Sweetie," she told me with a soft smile then returned to the others.
Tilting my head, I studied the women as they circled around Eva and made sure she knew she was welcome. That she was one of them. "I'm not sure any of us deserve them," I commented.
"Fuck no, we don't," Hush said with a shake of his head. "Whiskey?"
"Yeah," Rip and I said in unison. "Where's the others?"
"Sylvia is upstairs watching the kids. The other women were upstairs too until they heard your car pull in. The guys are outside watching the perimeter," Rip said, taking his drink from Hush.
"Why don't you tell us what happened tonight?" Hush prompted.
I gave them a quick rundown.
"Glad Krier isn't goin' to be a problem anymore," Hush muttered.
"He only was because he hired people to do his dirty work. You should have seen him." I shook my head, then tossed my shot back. "Eva could have kicked his pansy ass."
They chuckled, then Rip sighed. "Fremont's making himself too big a problem to ignore."
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure we'll be having church tomorrow. It's going to take some planning."
"It will," Hush said. "But it's finally his time."
Watching my woman's beautiful smile as she spoke with her friends, I nodded. "It is." And I was going to do whatever it took to keep her, and my brothers and their families, safe. This was my family now and I wasn't about to let anything happen to them.