“You coming in to get something to eat, Herc?” Jolene asked her bodyguard.
He shook his head.
She shrugged and I held the door open for her and then led her to a corner booth. I waited for her to sit before occupying the cushion on the opposite side, straddling my long legs around hers.
“Hey, I was wondering if I was gonna see you today? Jessa told me you got out yesterday. Tried to call, never heard anything.”
I froze. I glanced over at Jolene just in time to see her look up at the waitress. I knew that crazy look in her eyes. It was too late to diffuse the situation.
“Yeah, been a little busy. Thought you didn’t work on Tuesdays?”
“Taking Helen’s shift. That baby’s giving her a hell of a time.” She trailed her fire red, slasher nails along my arm, completely ignoring Jolene. “And sugar, you know that I can help you forget about all this mess.
“Angela, you remember Jo?” I asked.
Keeping her back to Jolene, she cocked her hip to one side. “You gonna call me later or what? You know what time I get off.”
Jolene slapped her hands against the table, catching the attention of Angela, as well as the surrounding tables.
“You need something?” She snarled.
I just sat back and waited for it.
“What I need is for you to take your hands off my breakfast companion, haul your pathetic, oversized ass back to that greasy kitchen, muster up a simple brain cell, and manage to pour me a cup of coffee.”
Jolene never disappoints.
Angela gawked at her.
“Come on, I know you can do it. Go ahead and give it a try.” She shooed the girl back toward the kitchen.
Angela looked to me as I lowered my head and chuckled before storming away.
“Aw, man. She’s harmless.”
Jolene leveled her gaze. “Before you get a big head, it had nothing to do with you. I don’t like being dismissed. Besides, I thought you had better taste than that.”
I shrugged. She was right. I was a lot pickier than the other boys when it came to my women. Sometimes it gets lonely and it’s just easier to cave.
“You know how it is, late nights, lots of drinking. Shit happens, and then they go falling in love. It’s a curse.”
“Oh Lord, don’t be a douchebag.”
Angela slithered back to the table and slopped down two cups of coffee.
“Anything else?”
“Menus would be nice. Worked up one hell of an appetite.”
My eyes widened. If Jolene had any idea just how turned on I was, she would think I was fucked in the head.
Angela’s chin fell. She huffed away and another waitress brought over two menus. The girl smiled and topped off our coffee.
After placing a quick order, Jolene pulled out her pad and started taking notes. I could tell that she was ready to get down to business. I remembered what it was like to deal with the serious Jolene. She was the most driven person that I had ever met. I hoped it would pay off in the end.
“Alright, let’s start with where you were the night that Numar was shot,” she said while scribbling on the pad.
I leaned back in the seat, stroking my beard. “Yeah, about that.”
She lowered her pen and peered up at me through her long, dark lashes. Her icy blue eyes penetrating my core. “That bad, huh?”
“Well, we were celebrating. Clint and I had just finished making a deal with the Diablos.”
“Are you going to give me anything that I can use in court?”
“Probably not. It’s all club shit. This was something we’d been working on for a couple of years and it finally paid off. Done deal, big payday for both sides.”
She tilted her head and eyed me with her knowing stare. “And I suppose this warranted an Executioner style celebration?”
I grinned and opened my arms. “You know how it is.”
“Who is she?”
I rolled my neck. This was one fucked up situation. There was no winning. “Do you really need to know this shit?”
She rounded her eyes. “Yes, I’ll also need to talk to the lucky girl in question.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“Ronin, this is what I do. I can’t build your defense without an alibi.”
I smoothed down my beard using both hands. “Shit.” I peered up at the ceiling before looking back at Jolene. “I spent the night with Angela.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
(Jolene)
My vision funneled, the rest of the room fading away to black. I was floored and embarrassed to be so affected by Ronin’s personal life. We hadn’t been together in years, until last night. And it’s sure as shit not as if I had been celibate.
To each their own, carpe diem, and all that other bullshit.
“Are you gonna say anything?”
Using my tongue, I wet my lips. I blinked a few times and picked back up my pen, jotting down the information. “We’re you together all night?”
“Yes.”
The one simple word split my heart in two.
Fighting back the sob welling up in my chest, I looked down at the paper. “I’m going to need a time frame.”
“Jo, I didn’t even think about this when we talked about you being my lawyer. I don’t want to be the reason you’re in pain.”
I glared at him and waited.
“I don’t know. Got to the clubhouse around eight. Was there all night and woke up sometime after ten the next morning.”
My breaths became shallow and quick.
“Do you really have to talk to Angela?”
“Unfortunately for me, yes. I also need the names of everyone who was there that night. As well as the times they came and went.”
“Dammit Jo, you know I can’t remember all that shit.”
I slammed my pen down on the table. “Well, you’re going to have to try. I can’t do this on my own. If you don’t care whether you go to prison or not, then why should I give a shit?”
“What the fuck just happened?” He narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
“I’m trying to do my job. I don’t think you realize that you can be behind bars for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not.” His loud voice echoed off the dingy walls. Everyone turned their heads to stare, prompting him to lower his voice. “I thought we were working together. You hear some stupid shit about another female and get all bitchy. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”
“You’re supposed to get the information that I asked for, and the sooner the better.” I slid out of the booth and marched out the front door.
I hopped on the back of Herc’s bike. “Can you take me to the clubhouse?”
He nodded. I was thankful that he wasn’t much of a talker and not asking questions. I didn’t have to bother holding on because he drove extra slow, probably because he was worried about upsetting Pop – or Ronin. He pulled through the alley and around the back of the two-story building.
“Hey baby girl.” Ruth gave me a quick squeeze and went back to flipping through receipts. “Damn vendors are taking me for a ride.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
Ruth glanced over at me and smirked. “So, what brings you out to the bar this early in the morning? Where’s Ronin?”
I shrugged and plopped down in the vacant chair. “Don’t know. I left him at D&Ks.”
Ruth’s face creased. “You’re not out alone are you?”
“Are you kidding? Herc’s been keeping a tight hold on the leash. What the hell’s up with that anyway?”
“You know your pop. Things are hot right now. Whether you like it or not, you’re a loose end.”
“Don’t you think you’re over exaggerating?”
Ruth grinned. “You learn to pick your battles, baby girl.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. That’s still a lesson I have yet to grasp.” I tapped my fingers on the wooden desk.
“What’s got you so worked up anyway?”
I sighed and tossed my head back. “I guess I just wasn’t prepared for all of this bullshit. I’m not the person who should be digging around in Ronin’s personal life.”
“Well, don’t you think it’s a little late for that?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Shit.”
“Just keep moving forward, honey. I hear you’re good at what you do. That’s what’s important right now. You and Ronin have a strong history. There are going to be bumps along the way. You just have to get our boy off the hook.”
“How’s Pop feel about all this?”
Ruth twisted her long ponytail around her fingers and leaned back in her office chair. “You know him. Never happy. He’s turning into a real sour puss. That could only mean one thing. He approves. He obviously thinks you have what it takes to get the job done.”
“No pressure, huh?”
“Tons of pressure.” She offered a nurturing smile. “You know we all believe in you. How’s the case coming anyway?”
“I guess it could be worse. At least he has an alibi. Too bad her name is Angela.”
My stepmother arched her eyebrows. “Honey, that’s just the way it goes. It’s club life. Doesn’t mean anything. He’s not locked down. And don’t you have your own alibi back in San Diego?”
“If you’re talking about Brad, I’m fairly certain that’s over. Besides, there’s nothing between Ronin and me. There never will be. That ship has sailed.”
Ruth waved her hands in the air. “Yeah, heard all that shit before. Now, go ahead and get yourself all calmed down. I don’t know how you left things with Ronin, but he should be stopping by anytime. We have some business to take care of.”
I jumped to my feet. “That’s my cue to leave. Hey, before I go, were you here the night that Numar was shot? Some kind of party or something?”
“Yeah, sure. The Diablo deal.”
“Do you think you can help by coming up with a list of names of the people who were here that night, as well as any times that you can remember? It would be great to get some actual information that I can use. I need to create a time line of events.”
“I’ll certainly do what I can.”
“Thanks.” I gave Ruth a kiss and left to find Hercules.
I found him outside talking to Zombie and Stoner. The three men quickly finished their conversation when they spotted me approaching.
“How’s it going, boys?”
Stoner gave a lazy smile and reached out to give me a hug. He had always been a sweet soul. Treated women well. He was a hundred percent devoted to his brothers and their families. He just really loved the herb. When you needed weed, you went to Stoner.
“Girl, you are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Aw, thanks,” The sweet, bold smell of marijuana rolled off his tongue. “I see you’re still living up to that nickname of yours.”
“Just keeping it real,” he said through a toothy grin and droopy eyes.
I turned my attention to the other man, drawing my lips into a hard line. “How are you, Zombie?” He wasn’t one of my favorite people. He was a woman-beating coward.
He must have taken my question as an invitation, because he snaked both arms around my waist, with his hands roaming down my back, dipping past the hem of my jeans.
“Better now that you’re here,” he sneered.
I tried to wiggle out of his grasp. A stone hard expression fell across Hercules’s face, giving me chills. He stared at Zombie and took a step closer.
Zombie finally released me.
“Alright, big guy. How about a ride back to the apartment?”
“You’re not gonna see your Prez?”
I snapped my head back toward Zombie. “Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s not my president. He’s my father. Not a relationship you want to be sticking your nose in, got it?”
Stoner snickered, causing Zombie to chuck him in the arm. He glowered at me and snarled. Once he clenched his fists, Herc moved in, picking me up by the waist and swinging me around behind him and onto the bike.
“No,” he barked at Zombie before leaving the men in the gravel dust.
He wasn’t a man of many words, but when Hercules spoke, people had no choice but to listen.
***
I grabbed a beer and locked myself in the bedroom. Drinking this early in the day was unacceptable in my world, but in the club life, it was expected. I drank the beer, kicked off my boots, and laid back on the bed. After not getting enough sleep the night before, I decided to pop an Ambien.
The last thing that I remembered before drifting off into a pill-induced coma was a pool of fire red hair.
***
“Jo, are you in there? Open the damn door!”
The banging on the bedroom door brought me out of a deep sleep. I blinked, trying to gain my focus.
“Jo, dammit! I’m going to break down the fucking door!”
“Hold on,” I uttered. “What the hell? Can’t a girl take a damn nap?” I opened the door, shocked to see Ronin’s ashen face. His shoulders were slumped forward. He stumbled backwards and let out a long breath.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I knocked and you never answered. I check the knob and it was locked.”