Detective Warner wrinkled his nose. “But you didn’t see what happened.”
“Hell no.” Joey laid his head in his hands. “Larks rang my bell with that punch. I was trying to get my bearings again, swaying a little, and holding my arms up to ward off the next punch. By the time I cleared my head enough to get up, he was falling on top of me.”
“You moved him?” the detective asked.
“I had to move him to get him off me. But then when he didn’t come after me again—he was just lying there—I rolled him to the side, saw a rip in his jacket and blood pouring out. I guess he got knifed by someone. I laid him back down and felt for a pulse.” Joey held up his hands. “My hands were covered in blood. I knew it was bad. He was gone. That was right when you guys came in.”
Detective Warner stood as a couple uniformed cops appeared. “Take him to the station for further questioning. I want his clothes and hands tested. He’s already been read his rights.”
The cops nodded and grabbed a handcuffed Joey.
“AJ.”
AJ went over to Joey.
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t do this. On my mother’s soul, I didn’t do this. I don’t know who did, but it wasn’t me.”
AJ patted Joey on the back. “We’ll figure it out.” AJ leaned in further and whispered in Joey’s ear. “And don’t say anything else until you get a lawyer.”
After Joey left, AJ went back to Teresa. The cop watching her was talking to someone else. Pax and Teresa were huddled together, their heads bent, nearly touching. AJ pulled up a chair and Teresa cast a worried gaze at him.
“What did Joey say?”
“That he didn’t do it.”
“Did he see the guy?”
“No. He said Larks punched his lights out for a second. When he came to, Larks was already down. But he didn’t see who knifed him. He just turned him over and saw the blood and the hole in his jacket.”
“Damn.” Teresa dropped her chin to her chest and wrapped her arms around her middle. “This is bad.” She lifted her gaze to both Pax and AJ. “They aren’t going to take my word for it because I’m Joey’s sister. They think I’m lying to protect him.”
“I’m sure they’re going to question everyone who was here. Maybe someone else saw what you did.”
Detective Warner came back. “Ms. Oliveri, we’d like you to come down to the station and try to identify the man you say knifed Larks. We’re going to run through all the Fists we’ve recovered from the fight, see if you can pull any of them out of a lineup.”
“That’s fine.”
“We’ll come along, too,” Pax said.
Warner frowned. “You got a personal stake in this case?”
“We know the people involved, but our vested interested is in the Fists and their hierarchy. There’s a reason their leader was killed.”
Warner nodded. “Let’s go. Ms. Oliveri, you’ll have to come with us.”
She gazed reluctantly at AJ.
“It’s okay, Teresa. We’ll meet you down there.”
After they left, Pax turned to AJ. “You think she’s telling the truth?”
“Yeah. Teresa loves Joey, but she wouldn’t lie to protect him. She’d hate that this happened and she’d stand by his side, but she’d never lie for him.”
“You’re sure?”
AJ didn’t even have to think about it. He knew. “I’m sure.”
“Let’s go, then.”
AJ knew Pax wouldn’t wonder why they were getting involved. He understood friendship and bonds, knew AJ would do the same for him. It’s why they’d stayed friends for the past ten years. They had each other’s back, no matter what.
And it looked like they might be hanging around here for a while.
So much for vacation.
FIVE
TERESA GAVE HER STATEMENT AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,
taking it slowly and step by step, recalling everything she’d seen since the fight broke out. She put herself in that place and time, visualizing everything.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been here, giving a statement. She knew how this went.
“The tattoo I saw on the guy was very specific. There was a tribal pattern that covered his entire neck almost up to his jaw. And he had a scar on the right side that went through part of the tattoo.”
“That’s pretty observant.”
She lifted her chin. “When someone’s stabbing someone else in the back, you kind of pay attention to that person, you know?”
The detective nodded. “I suppose you would. And you’d be able to identify the tattoo again if you saw it?”
She nodded. “Definitely. It was unusual and it covered his neck all the way around.”
The detective nodded. “We’ll enter the specifics in the database. If he’s got a record, it’ll come up.”
They had to believe her. Joey didn’t kill Larks. It didn’t matter that she was his sister. Fact was fact and Joey would be proven innocent soon enough.
After she gave her statement, she was allowed to leave. AJ and Pax were waiting for her outside the room, the looks of concern on their faces the only comfort she’d allow herself. What she wouldn’t give to step into their arms.
But that wasn’t who she was, wasn’t what she’d allow herself. She wrapped her arms around herself instead.
“You okay?” AJ asked.
“Fine. I told them what I saw, what really happened.”
“That’s all you can do. What about the lineup?”
“Detective Warner said he’d come get me when they were ready.”
“Can you identify this guy?” Pax asked.
“I’m sure of it. I already gave the detective a description of him. Of course they all wear the Fist leathers, and so did he. But he was totally bald, with pretty specific neck tattoos. Shouldn’t be hard to ID.”
Pax nodded. “I saw a few guys like that in the bar.”
“So did I,” AJ said. “At least it reduces the number of Fists in the lineup.”
“True.” Exhaustion weighed her down. She wanted to go home, crawl into bed and sleep for days. But she had to stay here for Joey. “Do you know anything about Joey?”
“His lawyer’s with him now.”
“Good. I hope this is over with fast.”
Detective Warner came out and motioned to Teresa. “We’re ready for the lineup, Ms. Oliveri.”
Teresa nudged to her left at Pax and AJ. “They’re coming with me.”
“Fine, as long as they don’t speak.”
They stepped into a room with a long, darkened window. Detective Warner stood at the window. “The men will be on the other side. You can see them but they won’t be able to see you. I’ll call them to step toward the window one at a time. After you look at them you can tell me which one is the one you think stabbed Larks.”
“Okay.”
The room was icy cold and she rubbed her arms. Suddenly a leather jacket was placed over her shoulders. She glanced around at Pax. “Thank you.” She slid her arms into the jacket that was miles too big for her, but it was warm from his body heat, and at least she wasn’t shaking anymore.
The room on the other side of the window brightened. Four bald guys stood there, all wearing leathers. Detective Warner called each one to step forward.
Teresa studied each face carefully, noticing the hands and the tattoos on their necks. When they had all stepped forward and back, the detective turned to her.
“These were the only bald guys belonging to the Fists that were present at the scene. Is one of them the guy you claim stabbed Larks?”
Disappointment filled her. “No. He’s not there. Are you sure that’s all of them?”
“Yes.” The detective cast her a sidelong glance, as if he didn’t believe her story.
“I know what I saw. And who I saw. None of those guys was the one who stabbed Larks. He had a distinctive tattoo on his neck. I’d recognize it again if I saw it.”
Detective Warner nodded. “Thank you for your time.”
“That’s it? We’re done?”
“For now.”
“What about my brother?”
“For the moment, he’s our best and only suspect. We’ll wait for the testing on his clothing and body to come back.”
“You’re going to check out that tattoo I told you about, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Teresa could already tell from the look on Warner’s face that they believed Joey was the killer. “The guy used a knife to kill Larks. Did you find it?”
“We took weapons off several people in the bar, including your brother. We’re testing all of them.”
She inhaled, let it out on a shaky sigh.
“Come on,” Pax said, pulling her against him. “Let’s go get something to drink.”
“I’m fine here. I want to wait for Joey.”
“He’s in with his lawyer right now. After that he’s going to be processed. You won’t be able to see him until tomorrow.”
Teresa closed her eyes, feeling the distance between Joey and her. She didn’t like it. With their parents both dead, it was just the two of them. They took care of each other, watched out for each other. She felt responsible for making sure Joey got out of this.
“We’ll be back in the morning,” AJ said.
Detective Warner shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
After he walked away, Teresa looked at AJ. “What does that mean?”
“It means they won’t have all the evidence compiled against Joey by morning. But they won’t be able to stop you from seeing him.”
“I need to go back to the bar, clean everything up.”
“No good,” Pax said as they stepped outside the front door of the police station. “It’s a crime scene now. They’re going to have it roped off and shut down.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “It’s my business, the only job for the girls. What are they going to do?”
AJ slid his hand on the back of her neck, his touch comforting—not demanding anything of her. “I think that’s the least of your worries right now. They’ll manage. We’ll take you home.”
“You can just drop me at my car.”
Pax slid his hand in hers. “We’ll take you home. If you did see the guy who killed Larks, he might have seen you, too. And he might be looking for you.”
That hadn’t occurred to her. “You think I’m in danger?”
Pax shrugged. “Don’t know yet, but it’s a possibility. We’re coming home with you.”
She stopped dead, her gaze flitting between them. “No. I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”
“We’re coming home with you,” AJ said, affirming Pax’s statement. “If you don’t want us inside your house, we’ll hang outside. Either way, we’re staying at your place to keep watch over you.”
Part of her warmed at the thought of AJ and Pax being there. Another part of her prickled with unease—and something else she thought long dormant—at having both of them inside her home. It implied an intimacy that both intrigued and unnerved her.
Ridiculous. She was worrying needlessly. All they wanted to do was protect her. But she didn’t want babysitters. She’d long ago learned to look out for herself.
“I’ll go home alone.”
AJ tilted his chin down, his gaze direct. “We’ll be following you, like it or not.”
She blew out a breath, knowing it was useless to argue. “You don’t have to stay outside.”
“We’ll take you back to your car, then follow you to your place,” AJ said.
Teresa went outside with them and looked at the bikes parked in the lot.
She hadn’t been on a bike in five years. Not since . . .
“You can ride with me,” AJ said, pulling her away from thoughts she shouldn’t be thinking. So she was going to climb on a bike again. Big deal. She wasn’t going to be alone this time.
She put on the helmet he handed her, and realized she’d have to lean against him and hold on for the short ride over to the bar. She could do this. It wasn’t intimate contact. Just . . . contact. And wasn’t it time she got on with it, anyway?
AJ got on his Harley and she climbed on the back. He half turned and gave her a smile. She started out leaning against the backpad, but it had been a while since she’d ridden, and she was used to riding on her own bike, not on the back of someone else’s. This was entirely different and she felt a little off balance. And AJ was a bit of a speed demon on the roads, especially since the hour was late and the streets deserted. She adjusted her position and leaned against his back, tentatively wrapping her arms around him. He felt solid and steady, comforting as the bike dipped to the side around the bend in one of the roads. She closed her eyes and let the speed and the wind flow through her, feeling weightless and unburdened for just a few moments. It felt right to be pressed against a man again, to breathe in the earthy scent of him, to feel the hard push of his muscular back against her breasts.
It had been so long. For a moment there she allowed herself to just . . . settle.
This is what she wanted, what she needed. A man again. A man who knew nothing about what had happened to her, who wouldn’t make judgments or be wary.
They pulled into the parking lot of the bar, the entire front area surrounded by garish-looking police tape pronouncing her pride and joy as a crime scene. Teresa got off the bike, wanting nothing more than to go inside and clean up the blood staining her wood floor.
AJ moved up beside her. “You can’t go in.”
She continued to stare at her front door. “I know.”
“Come on. It’s late. Let’s take you home.”
They drove the three short blocks to her house—formerly her parents’ house. Joey liked his condo, where he could hang out with his friends, have barbecues and use the pool. After their parents died, he’d insisted Teresa take the house. She offered to sell it and split the equity with him, but he didn’t want it. He had a job and his own place and wanted Teresa to have it. Admittedly, she’d always loved the old place and it reminded her of everything safe. And if that meant she was clinging to a lifeline, then she’d take that small comfort.
AJ and Pax pulled their bikes in right behind her car in the covered carport. She unlocked the front door and waited for them to come up onto the cement porch, each of them toting one bag. She cocked a brow. “That’s it?”