“All of those bikers that were picked up were let off, except for one. I don’t know what Harold has planned, but whatever it is, it isn’t good,” she said.
My heart sank into my stomach at the realization that Ryker was correct. I nodded with a gulp, and grabbed a hold of my ceramic coffee cup. I downed it quickly before heading up to Harold’s office.
Something didn’t feel right about this, and there was no way he would let all of those other bikers go when they were far more guilty than Ryker. I was starting to wonder about Harold’s real motives, but I decided it was best to just ask him myself.
I knocked on his door, folding my arms impatiently waiting for him to let me in. He barely even acknowledged me when I entered. I took a seat in front of him, and cleared my throat to let him know that we needed to have a word.
“Ah, Anna. What brings you in here today? Any more news about those bikers?” he asked. His eyes darted around the room like he was trying to avoid talking to me, even after that question left his lips.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, sir. I’ve heard a rumor that didn’t sit too well with me. Of all the bikers that were arrested, only one is being tried. Is this true?” I asked, hoping that he was going to offer me a better explanation, something that would make all of this make sense.
“Yes, that’s true. The other bikers didn’t have any evidence that we could use to prosecute. In fact, they all pointed to that Ryker fellow, agreeing to testify against him for all of it,” he said.
I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. “Sir, you can’t possibly believe that they’re innocent. After everything you said about these bikers being the same, that they all needed to face jail time, you can’t just prosecute one of them.”
I knew I crossed a line, but I couldn’t stop myself from continuing.
“I don’t think that you’re in a position to tell me what I can and cannot do, Anna. I put you on this case because I believed that you were going to do your job. Instead, all you’ve brought me are excuses, telling me that the Black Souls might not be the bikers that need to go down for their crimes when they’re the ones you should’ve been focusing on in the first place.” Harold stared at me angrily, like I was inches away from losing my position if I kept challenging him.
“Sir, is there something that I’m missing here? Is there something that the Black Souls had a hand in that would cause you to go after the one biker from that biker club? I can’t sit back and accept the fact that all the rest of them were just let go.” I expressed, hoping he wasn’t going to fire me on the spot.
“Anna, if you want to keep your job, and continue to protect that sweet little girl of yours, I suggest you stop asking me questions and do your job. I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else. The fact of the matter is that the Black Souls are guilty, and they need to pay for what they’ve done. The other bikers have given me reason to believe that all of the biker-related crime we’ve seen around town lately is all linked to the Black Souls. So, please, do your job and find me something I can use before I’ll have no choice but to find someone else who can do what you couldn’t,” he warned.
“Fine.” Without another word, I left his office.
I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Harold was up to something. I couldn’t help but think he was somehow involved in all of this. It was too much for me to deliberate on my own, and I had to keep looking, keep digging, until I found something that would help Ryker.
You may be willing to ignore this, sir, but I’m afraid I can’t anymore. I’m not letting Ryker go to jail for this.
This is not his price to pay.
11
Ryker
She told me to lay low, and I tried to listen
But I didn’t know how much longer I could do that considering everything that was going on with the club. It was a raging shit show out there.
Lucifer was taking his sweet time trying to figure out what to do about it. I knew it was risky going anywhere near the Hell Riders right now, especially after being picked up by the police.
Did I have any other choice? No.
They got off, and I was hit with every single charge. It made no fucking sense.
How could this have happened? How did they manage to convince the police that they were innocent?
I was the only non-Hell Riders member present, and I wondered if they had all blamed the entire thing on me. I hoped the cops were smarter than that. There was no way anyone could believe I was the mastermind behind all of this by myself.
Lucifer posted my bail, but that didn’t mean that I was going to get out of this. Those charges were still looming over my head, and I was afraid it would only be a matter of time before they were hauling me off to jail for good.
I hoped Anna reached out again soon. I was tired of sitting around waiting for everyone else to fight my battles for me. I wanted to believe there was an easier way out of this, that things weren’t as fucked up as I originally thought, but I knew better.
I’d better get accustomed to the idea of going to jail, because that was probably where I’d be soon. Lucifer and all the other members could tell me whatever I wanted to hear, but that didn’t make it true.They were all just kidding themselves. Chances were high, there was no way I was getting out of this. Things looked bad for me right now, and I’d be a fool if I didn’t at least acknowledge that.
Lucifer asked me to meet him at the clubhouse, and when I arrived, the place was a mess. There were beer bottles scattered everywhere, the couch pillows were on the ground, and empty pizza boxes sat on the coffee table.
I imagined everyone was gathered around trying to figure out how to keep poor me out of jail. I sighed, running the palms of my hands over my face.
“Looks like neither of us got any sleep last night,” Lucifer said.
“Well, everyone’s trying to kill you and throw me in jail. I think it’s safe to say we’re going to lose sleep over it,” I responded.
“You can’t think like that, Ryker. I already got the sheriff to let you go for now. That was hard enough to do, believe me. I will call in as many favors as I can to make sure that you don’t see the inside of a jail cell again. I know your friend is helping you sort things out too, right?”
“What friend are you referring to?”
“The tall redhead. You know, the one I told you to stay away from. But if she’s the kind of person you said she was, she might be our best bet at knocking some sense into you?” he taunted.
For the first time since leaving Anna, I cracked a smile. My cheeks hurt when I did. My lips hadn’t curled up like that in a few days. I’d been so distressed and worried that I was about to lose everything. Everything was so fucked up, and until I found a way to protect my ass, I felt like there wasn’t anything to be happy about.
“Yes, Anna. She’s helping me find a way to take down the Hell Riders. I trust her, and I know that she trusts me. She’ll get the charges dropped.” I said the words, but I wasn’t entirely convinced they were true.
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?”
“Look, man I don’t know what to do. I’m freaking the fuck out. If they put me away, I won’t be getting out. Those are some seriously fucked up charges. I can’t believe you managed to get me out on bond. You do realize that, don’t you?” I asked.
“I know, and we’re going to make sure you don’t. I’ve got everyone out searching for evidence on the Hell Riders. They may have ganged up on you to save their asses, but I’m sure that we’ll come up with something that the police have to use. They’re not going to get away with this, and if they get close, you better believe that I’m going to charge in there and kill every last one of them. I’m not letting anything happen to you. I think it’s time you stop feeling sorry for yourself, and let’s head out to see what we can find.” Lucifer squeezed my shoulder and gave me a weak smile.
I perked up a little at his show of support. He was the
only one that could instill any hope in me. He knew the severity of the situation, and what we were all trying to hide.
“Come on. Let’s go for a ride.” Lucifer patted me on the back and headed out the door. I took a deep breath and followed. A ride would do me some good.
Lucifer and I got onto the back of our bikes, and started up our engines.
We took a long drive around Coronado, feeling the sun’s heat start to die down. We were enveloped by the big skyscrapers of the city, heading deeper into the heart of it all, and far away from the comfortable side of town we all called home. I tried to match Lucifer’s pace, but I was so distracted by everything that was going on and I rode at a slower pace.
Lucifer glanced back at me, and then pointed toward an upcoming street to let me know we were going to take a sharp turn. He slowed down the minute we started pulling into a nearly empty parking garage, and it wasn’t long before he was slipping out of his helmet glaring at me.
“You can’t be doing that out there, Ryker. You slow down long enough, one of those cops out there patrolling the streets are going to catch up to you.” He warned.
“What good is it going to do? There’s no way I’m going to find anything out here that will help my case. I might as well just give up now. Do you really think that you, me, or Anna is going to find something good enough to save me from the slammer? I don’t think so.” That was the real truth I believed. I wanted to have hope, but reality took control and I knew This wasn’t going to turn out good for me.
“I was waiting for you to say something like that back at the clubhouse. You know, before I joined the Black Souls, I got myself into a lot of shit out there on the streets by myself. I nearly got arrested so many times, but I always found a way to save my ass. Don’t think I won’t be doing the same thing for you. This is bad, yes, but I’ve been through worse. You’re gonna be fine,” he said
I wished I had his confidence. His words weren't enough to convince me that I was about to get away with this.
The Hell Riders were out there doing some fucked up shit, and I was the one who had to pay for it? It was pretty fucking hard to see it any other way.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. It was Anna calling. I started to answer it, but Lucifer stopped me.
“Turn it off,” he said.
“Why?”
“Just turn it off,” he commanded again, pointing to the entrance of the parking garage.
I couldn’t follow what was happening until I heard the sound of at least a dozen bike engines popping, getting closer by the second. Lucifer and I scrambled for cover, and grabbed the handguns we had. We ducked behind some cars, and waited for the trouble to come to us.
The Hell Riders filled the parking lot level. They parked their bikes and pointed their guns at us.
“What the fuck are we going to do?” I asked.
“Shoot, and don’t miss. You miss and you’re dead,” he replied.
“No pressure then,” I chuckled.
Before I took in my next breath, shots fired around us. I ducked, peeking up slightly to get a better view, and shooting right back. The entire parking lot sounded like a fireworks show. I stayed focused, and gripped the metal base of my gun firmly. I managed to down four bikers, hearing them all cry out in pain. Lucifer and I both managed to get enough of them on the ground before we turned to look at each other.
“What now?”
“Hear that?” Lucifer asked.
I listened closely and heard the sound of police sirens approaching, My heart was beating out of my chest. If they caught me here, they’d haul me right back off to jail, but Lucifer was one step ahead of me.
“Go.” Lucifer yelled. “Get the fuck out of here. I’ll hold them off until you’ve made it out.”
“Like hell. I’m not leaving you behind. What the fuck!”
“For God’s sake, listen to your President for once. That’s an order.”
I had a feeling that he’d play the president card sooner or later. I shook my head, shooting my way through until there was a clear path back to my bike.
“You’re fucking crazy, Lucifer,” I shouted, starting up my bike.
“Get out of here before I shoot you myself.”
I drove right out of the parking garage, heading down the street. I evaded the cops, and got out of harm's way without further incident. I pulled into an alley behind a deli, and watched as their sirens whizzed past.
I took a deep breath. Dammit. If Lucifer didn’t get out there unharmed, I’d never forgive myself. He’d better be back at the clubhouse soon. We couldn’t afford for the two of us to be in trouble with the law. I felt guilty for leaving him like that, but I couldn’t have any run-ins with cops right now. He was going to be fine. I had to believe that.
Lay low, remember.
I didn’t think a visit to Anna’s place right now was the best way to go. If anyone spotted me out on the road after what just happened, I’d be a dead man. So I kept going. I’d call her when I got back to the clubhouse.
Listening to the silence, the gunshots and sirens had stopped. My heart sank into my stomach, and sweat dripped down the back of my neck. I did what I had to do. Driving back to the one place I knew I would be safe was the only option I had.
“Ryker! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you all day.” Anna’s frantic voice cried through the receiver. She didn’t even give me a chance to say hi before she laid into me.
“I’m sorry, Anna. I was caught up.” I kept my voice low even though there was no one in the clubhouse around to hear me.
“I can’t talk about any of this over the phone, but I just want to make sure that you’re okay,” she said.
I cracked a small smile at the thought that she was thinking of me. “I’m okay, Anna. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.”
“I need to see you, now.”
“Anna, I’m at the clubhouse. We had … a run-in. Lucifer would kill me if I left and even more so if I told you how to find it.”
“I have information to share and I can’t do it over the phone. I need you to get serious here. I’m trying to keep you out of jail.” She tried to keep her voice low, but her irritation came through loud and clear.
I sighed. I’d regret this but I didn’t think I had much choice. “Fine.”
I gave her the location in excruciating detail. It wasn’t going to be easy for her to find, but I couldn’t be caught back out on the road to go get her.
“I need you to be careful, Anna. It’s dangerous out there, and I don’t know how many Hell Riders members there are trying to get to us right now. Don’t forget, they know who you are now too, or at least that you were talking to me. I care about you and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” I said.
It was the first time I even admitted to both myself and to Anna that I cared about her. I couldn’t stop the words from leaving my lips, but she had to know how quick things could go downhill if we weren’t careful.
“I know. I appreciate you looking out for me, but this time I need to be the one looking out for you. Sit tight, I’ll be there soon.” The line went dead before I said anything else.
I headed over to the liquor cabinet. I needed something stronger than a beer today. A beer wasn’t going to do it for me right now.
The police were already out there looking for me, and with this parking lot incident, it’d be even harder for me to go out in public. With my luck, I’d be facing murder charges along with all the others. Even though I’d made it out of there, the chief would probably find a way to hit me up for these charges too.
I poured myself a glass of whiskey, and sat down on the couch in the front living room when I heard the garage door open. My ears perked up, hoping to see Lucifer walking in through the door, but it was just Bones.
When his eyes landed on me, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. What had him to be so on edge? He had his gun in his hand and wiped a cloth down the barrel.
&nb
sp; “What the fuck have you been up to?” I asked, staring down at the piece of metal in his hands. He quickly stowed it away in its holster under his jacket and t-shirt.
“I ran into some trouble with the Hell Riders on the way back to the clubhouse. They’ve been crazy ever since you got arrested. Did Lucifer get that shit figured out yet?”
“Lucifer has his hands tied right now. There’s a lot going on.” I shut my mouth before I said anything else. Something was up with Bones and my gut told me to proceed with caution.
“Oh, yeah? Like what? He’s being arrested too?” Bones said.
I didn’t understand why he looked so worried. He was practically sweating at the thought of it, and I never knew him as a man to care for Lucifer. Especially with everything that happened with Francesca.
Though, it got me thinking about the other members of the club, and exactly how much information was being spread around. Lucifer and I had been caught up in our own shit that we hadn’t stopped to think about what everyone else is dealing with. There really wasn’t any reason to start now. We were the only ones in real trouble here. If I didn’t focus on that, I might as well walked right up to the police station and turned myself in.
“No, I’m not,” Lucifer said, slamming the front door behind him. He wiped blood from his lip, and there were several cuts on his face. It was the first time in a while that he looked confident, unbothered, and back to his old self. A huge smile slid across his face.
What could’ve gotten him into such a good mood, considering what we both just went through. He pointed to the bottle of whiskey in my hand, and I poured him a glass. He looked at Bones, and kept a tight lip about the whole thing. I waited to see what excuse he was going to use this time.
“What the hell happened to you?” Bones asked, suspiciously.
“Freak accident. No worries, I’m good,” he said, convincingly enough that Bones headed right back out to the garage, shutting it behind him.
I let out a long sigh once Bones was out of earshot. “Fuck, it’s good to see you, man.”
Ryker: MC Romance Page 9
