“Just the facts.”
“Fine, I don’t remember why we were partying, not that we needed to have an excuse or anything. Anyway, I was there with Ronin. He doesn’t like being alone when his head is all fucked up.”
“So he called you to come over?”
She shook her red locks. “No, I was there with Jessa. She had something I needed to pick up.” Angela squirmed in her seat before continuing. “I was there when the boys got back. They were hyper and ready to throw down. We drank, played pool, and danced.”
“How long were you there?”
“I don’t know. Got there sometime that afternoon, maybe four or five o’clock, before Ronin got back from his drop.”
I tried to hide my irritation that she was making pulling information like pulling fucking teeth. “Until?”
Angela curled her lips into a sly grin. “Honey, until I couldn’t walk, sometime the next morning. That man is gifted.”
Bitch.
“Anything else?”
I shoved a slip of paper across the table. “Make a list of names, everyone you can remember being there that night. And you’re positive that Ronin never left that night, correct?”
“Trust me, that man wasn’t trying to go anywhere. He was too occupied to care about anything else.” Angela finished scribbling names on the paper before she up and left without another word.
There it was. Ronin’s alibi. It should help if that crazy ass slut can hold it together long enough to make it to court.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
(Ronin)
It was a long ride back to the cabin. Clint and I had made a run to pick up some cash while Stoner and Herc sent the prospects on a weapons haul. I was confused and a little more than pissed when Jesse partnered up with Zombie to track down intel on the Pistol King’s, but I didn’t dare tell him that. Don’t question the prez.
“Shit man, I can’t believe we beat everyone back.” Clint lit up as soon as he parked his sled. He seemed to be hitting the smoke more than usual lately.
“Yeah, that is a little odd.” I observed the grounds. Everything seemed to be in order. The Sacramento boys were standing watch and the women were all accounted for. Nothing out of the usual.
“Hey Ronin, can we talk?”
Clint made himself scarce when Jolene came out the front door. She was fucking gorgeous. Even the pent up expression on her face got to me.
“Sure,” I responded and got ready to sit on the steps, leaving room for her to join me.
“Not here.”
I searched her eyes. Something was wrong. “Wanna take a ride?”
That was the only invitation that she needed. She snapped on a helmet and I quickly cranked up my chopper, trying not to get a hard on as she wound her body around mine. I threw my hand up at Clint. He nodded in return.
I headed out down a deserted road leading further out in the middle of nowhere, pulling her arm tighter around my waist and holding onto her smooth hand. Once I found a secluded clearing, I pulled off to the side and parked, helping Jo off the back of the bike.
“What’s going on?” I watched her pace the small grassy patch.
“I don’t really know.” She walked around, aimlessly. With her head down, she appeared to be thinking to herself, struggling for the words. “Ronin…”
“Dammit woman, spit it out.”
Jolene inhaled, holding the long breath in her lungs before exhaling. “I’ve been conducting interviews this morning. You know, with the girls who were at the clubhouse the night Numar died.”
“Don’t tell me that Angela’s giving you shit. I can set her ass straight real quick.”
“Yeah, well, I handled that bitch myself. She wasn’t a tough nut to crack. This is about Patsy.”
My brow creased. Confused, I tried to search her face. “What the hell does Patsy have to do with anything?”
“It was her interview.” Jolene rubbed her hands along her jeans. Wetting her lips, she gazed up at me. I couldn’t read the expression in her eyes. Pain? Fear? No, anger. “She was really on edge, and before you say anything, I know that she’s always like that. But this is different. At first, she was more than cooperative. However, as I asked questions, she started to withdrawal. She said Zombie wouldn’t like her answering questions without him. I asked if she knew who might have had access to your room and who she thought might have taken the gun.”
“Well?” The conversation was getting under my thick skin real quick.
“Her only response was that it definitely wasn’t Zombie. So, I asked if she thought someone could have been working for him. I don’t know what made me go down that path. It sure as shit caught her off guard too. She shot up out of her seat, stating that it wasn’t her who went into your closet, adding no matter what anyone said. Is it just me or is that weird? I don’t know the girl, am I making too much out of it?”
“Shit.” My head was fucking a fucking hamster wheel. Everything lined up with what I had been suspecting for a while now. “Zombie was already on my radar, but Patsy? I had no idea. I guess it makes sense. He would have used her to do the dirty work.”
“Oh my god. Do you know what this means?” Her wild eyes were round and haunted.
Dazed, I nodded. “Yeah, it means my own fucking brother set me up for murder.”
I leaned against a tree. I couldn’t gather my thoughts, much less my next course of action. It shouldn’t have come as such a shock, but my own club brother. Jolene stepped closer, placing her hand to my chest, sending an electrical current through my body.
“I’m so sorry, Ronin. I know its Zombie, but it doesn’t take the sting out any less. Regardless, this is good news.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” I placed my hand over hers. Peering down into her eyes. I wanted to get lost forever in her and only her. The pain in my chest had me reeling. “I need you.”
“And I’m here for you.”
I couldn’t help myself. Her words sent me over the edge. I grabbed her by the waist, picking her up and exchanging spots. I backed her up to the tree, my mouth came crashing down on hers. She tasted like what I thought heaven might taste like. Sweet and intoxicating.
She raked her hands through my hair and along my back. Ripping open my shirt, Jolene dug her nails into my flesh as she trailed kisses down my abdomen. She unbuttoned my jeans, tugging on them to fall past my hips.
She gripped my cock and teased the tip with her hot tongue, tormenting me as she licked away the liquid before taking all of me into her mouth.
“Fuck.” I watched her head bob up and down, slow and firm. Her free hand massaged my sac. Jolene pumped my shaft in rhythm with her mouth until my balls tightened. My insides hummed as an orgasm flooded my body.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I pulled out a condom in record time while Jolene stripped away her jeans. Backing her up to the tree, I grabbed her by her ass and pulled her up into my arms. I entered her, filling her delicate opening with my hard, throbbing dick.
This time was harder, carnal. I pounded into her, leaving her begging me to go harder. She was perfection.
We picked up our clothes and started dressing. The familiar tattoo on her lower abdomen matched his own, and X in honor of the baby they had lost. Baby X. My son. I bent down and kissed the small tattoo. Jolene cradled my head between her hands. I struggled to fight back tears.
I had to push it all away. There was work to be done.
“What do we do now?” She asked.
“We go to Jesse. You ready for that?”
Jolene twisted her lips to the side. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
We rode back to the cabin. My body was still buzzing when I saw everyone scatter and straddle their sleds. Jesse and the boys bolted out the front door. I pulled up and allowed Jo to hop off the back.
“What’s going down?”
“The Pistol Kings. Something about an explosion. Let’s ride!”
I fell into line and followed the pack. The sight of Jolene standing there a
s she watched me ride away, knowing what we share, left my gut twisted. We were the only two people who knew the truth. The only two people who mattered. The only two people…
CHAPTER NINETEEN
(Jolene)
My tender back stung from the friction of the tree trunk in the woods. It was the most exhilarating, addicting pain ever. Ronin and I never did have any trouble in the fucking department. It was the making love department that I wasn’t so sure about.
Now, just as we were ready to unravel the mystery surrounding Numar’s death, another catastrophe calls for attention. This world was nothing but one disaster after another. As I watched Ronin disappear down the dirt driveway, I knew I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing. Whatever the MC had going on didn’t have to stop her from getting Patsy to confess, in turn setting Ronin free.
This wasn’t going to be easy, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to accomplish the impossible on my own.
“Hey Jessa, can you come and help me find something? In the bedroom?”
She glanced up from the magazine that she had been reading. “Yeah, what are we looking for?”
When I didn’t reply, she looked over at me. My eyes pleaded with her. She crinkled her nose and mouthed, “What?”
I waved her down the hallway and into the bedroom.
“Damn, can’t you take a hint?”
She planted her hands on her frail hips. “What the hell are you talking about? Shit, why didn’t you just say you wanted to talk?”
“Whatever, never mind all that. I need your help.” I paced the tiny room. I couldn’t form the words in my head. The time in the woods with Ronin was like a blur.
“Fine. Get to it.”
I took in a few quick breaths. “What do you think about Patsy?”
Jessa raised an eyebrow. “Why? I guess she’s ok. She’s quiet and beat down, but you already know that.”
“What does she think about you?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
“Dammit, seriously.”
“Fine, shit. I guess we’re ok. She’s been around the club for a while. She’s cool. We haven’t had any issues to speak of, and for me that’s rare. What the fuck is going on?”
“I finished interviewing the women in the house. Some stuff with Patsy didn’t sit right. I think she was trying to cover for Zombie.”
“What do you mean, cover for him?”
I plopped down on the bed and looked at my sister. “I think he was the one who killed Numar and she was the one to help him get Ronin’s gun out of the clubhouse.”
“Jo, that’s one hell of an accusation.” Jessa arched one thin eyebrow.
“Don’t you think I know that? I can feel it in my gut. This is it, and now I have to figure out to get her to confess to the police to get Ronin off for Numar’s murder.”
She plopped down right beside me. “And that’s where I come in, I suppose.”
“Yeah, I thought the two of us together might be able to talk her into going back to Jericho, especially while Zombie’s gone. But I don’t know what to do about Herc, or how we would even get there.”
“You leave that shit to me. You find Patsy and get her alone. Give her the best you’ve got. Ready?”
I nodded and we went our separate ways.
Patsy was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for a pasta salad. I used the only ammunition I had.
“Hey, can we head outside and talk? I have a few more things to clear up for your interview.”
She rested the knife on the counter and dropped her head. “Do we have to?”
“I’m afraid so. Come on, it’ll only take a few minutes.” We walked out the front door and around the side of the house. “Patsy, your interview made me question a few things.”
“Like what?” She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped backwards.
“Don’t be scared. Really, I just want to get to the bottom of this mess. It has to be really weighing on you. You know, helping set up one of your own for murder.”
Patsy’s eyes doubled in size. She stumbled, using the side of the house as a brace. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, you know that’s not true.” I had always been a great poker player, bluffing was my specialty. “I know that it was Zombie who killed Numar. I also know that it was you who helped him get Ronin’s gun out of the clubhouse. What I don’t know is why you would want to set him up for murder. Ronin’s always been there for you, even when your own old man wasn’t.”
Patsy collapsed to the ground as if the wind had just been knocked out of her. Tears streamed down her ashen face. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to do it.”
My pulse quickened. “I’m looking for answers, and I’m going to find them with or without you. However, if you help me, then maybe I can help you.”
She had broken out into a sobbing mess, peering up at me.
“I can take you down to the station. I’m a lawyer, Patsy. I can get you a deal, but you have to be able to give them Zombie, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” she muttered.
“It’s either you or him. You have to make a choice and don’t you think it’s about time you chose yourself?”
Right on cue, Jessa came around the corner dangling a pair of keys in the air. “You gals ready?”
Turns out Jessa had spiked Herc’s root beer and stolen the keys to the old 56’ Chevy truck Pop stored in the back shed. It was what I used to learn how to drive. I can’t believe that I had forgotten all about it and its robin’s egg blue paint job.
“Yeah, I think we’re ready.” I offered Patsy my hand.
We all three jumped into the truck and headed back to Jericho. Silence the entire way, other than the phone call that I made to Mr. Garner, asking him to meet me at the station. I parked in front of the Jericho Police building and waited for Patsy to pull herself together.
“I’ll be with you the entire time. You just have to follow my lead and be honest. You have to tell the truth or I won’t be able to do anything for you, got it?”
She nodded.
“I think I’ll just wait out here,” Jessa said. I couldn’t blame her. She was a Miller through and through. Not exactly on a friendly basis with the cops.
“Ms. Miller, looking lovely as always. What can I do for you today?”
“Mr. Garner, we’re going to need a room. We have some things to discuss and you’re not going to want to miss out.”
His face fell as he motioned for us to follow him to an interrogation room.
“I’m here on behalf of Ms. Clark. She has valuable information that would solve the Alex Numar case. However, we’re asking for immunity involving all charges surrounding the case for Ms. Clark in exchange for her testimony.”
He leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin and eyeing Patsy. She was visibly uncomfortable. She stared at her hands on the table, never looking up.
“How do I know this is legit and it’s not just you trying to get your boyfriend off the hook?”
“You don’t. I guess that’s a chance you’ll have to take on my word. Ronin Steele did not kill Alex Numar and I have new testimony to prove exactly that.”
“Ms. Clark, is this true?”
Patsy glanced over at me and waited for my signal. I nodded and she dropped her head once again.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“And you’re aware that your immunity will only stay in place if you testify in court with what you know and help bring Mr. Numar’s killer to justice?”
His words pierced my heart. I didn’t want to help avenge Numar’s death. He could rot in hell a hundred times over for all I cared. But I didn’t want Ronin to go away forever either. I had to play nice with the stuffy prosecutor before I blew the entire plan. I titled my head and nodded toward Patsy, giving her the ok to answer.
“Yes.”
“Ok, I’ll grant you the deal, but only if th
e information allows me to bring charges and indict the person in question. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I responded and urged Patsy to do the same.
Mr. Garner whipped out a video device and waited for her testimony.
“It’s ok, go ahead.”
She squirmed in her seat, adjusting her legs and picking at the table with her fingernails. “My name is Patsy Clark. I am Zombie, I mean, Daryl Tucker’s old lady. Zombie had been meeting with Numar and his crew behind the MC’s back.”
“The MC?”
“Motorcycle club. He said he had business to take care of and this was the best way to infiltrate the Pistol Kings to take out the enemy. One night, Zombie said it was coming up on the perfect time to end Numar. He said he had a plan to keep us both out of trouble. When he told me that his plan was to set Ronin up by stealing his gun and using it to kill Numar, I said no. I would have no part of it, but he wasn’t happy. He knocked me around like always, but this time was different.”
Tears flowed, slipping down Patsy’s cheeks. Her chin quivered and the blood had drained from her face. I placed my hand on her shoulder for comfort. Not that I was prepared to hear the rest of her story.
“Zombie took me back to one of the apartments he uses sometimes. I expected what was coming. He went on a bender, drinking and smacking me around. I was used to his anger outburst. I tried to make him feel better by, you know, trying to sex it up. Turn him on. Thinking maybe he would forget about the horrible plan. But that didn’t work.”
She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.
“Can we take a break,” I asked Garner.
“No, really I want to get it over with,” Patsy responded. “The next night, while I was sleeping, Zombie called up a bunch of his buddies. Not from the club, but people he knew from other shit he’s involved in. I woke up to find Zombie on top of me with a room full of men watching.” She swallowed hard, blinking back more tears. “When he was finished, he let each of them take a turn. They spent the entire night raping me one right after the other. They made me do whatever they wanted until they were exhausted.”
X Marks the Spot (Executioners MC Book 1) Page 12
