Loving The Biker (MC Biker Romance) (10 page)

Seventeen

Terin

As I made my way out to the parking lot, I called my sister. “What’s up?”

“I just found out what happened earlier from watching the news. Why didn’t you call me?!”

“Sorry. I’ve been so busy,” I replied, frowning. It was on the news already? “Mom doesn’t know about it, does she?”

“Did you hear from her?”

“No.”

“Then you know that she hasn’t. I think it’s her hair appointment day.”

I sighed. “Okay. I should probably call her and let her know before she turns on the television later.”

“Do you think?” she reply dryly.

I ignored the sarcasm. “Anyway, I have to go. Can I call you later?”

“Yes. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Did they catch the guys yet?”

“Two of them.”

“How many were there?”

“Three in all.”

“We get lunch there all the time. I can’t believe it. I suppose you can’t talk too much about it.”

“You got it.”

“I understand. You’re still going to make it on Saturday, right?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“By the way, Mom wants to go.”

“To the bachelorette party?” I asked, shocked.

“I know, right? She asked if there were going to be strippers.” She laughed. “I think that’s why she wants to be there. I don’t think she’s seen a naked man in years.”

I pictured our prim and proper mother passing out dollars to a bunch of hard-bodied men and it made me giggle. “
Are
there going to be strippers?”

“Beats me. All I know is that one of my friends, Sheila, reserved a party bus.”

“Actually, I hope she does join us. I think she’d have fun, strippers or not.”

“I think she’s really going to come. She also asked if Frannie could join us.”

“Frannie?” My eyes widened. “Are we talking about the same woman who was married to Slammer?”

“Yes. Apparently, they used to work together at the nursing home. I had no idea. Anyway, Mom thinks that it would do her some good, especially now that her husband is gone. Plus, I think she’s going to feel more comfortable with someone closer to her age.”

I wasn’t sure if interacting with anyone affiliated with the Gold Vipers was a good idea. At least for me, because of my position. But, I also wanted my mother to enjoy herself and I was a little intrigued with meeting the woman. As if reading my mind, my sister reminded me that Frannie wasn’t an actual member of the club.

“I guess it would be okay,” I replied.

“Are you sure? If you’re worried about it, we don’t have to invite her.”

“No. It’s fine.” I decided that if Walters found out about it and had a problem, I’d remind him that I was off duty and couldn’t control who my sister invited to her bachelorette party.

“Okay. I’ll let her know. Anyway, I know you’re busy and so am I. Call me later, okay?”

“I will.”

After we hung up, I called my mother’s cell phone and left a message. I gave her a quick summary of what happened and told her that I was fine and would call her later. Then, I drove to Merl’s Gas Station, where Helga, the owner’s wife, showed me how to check the video surveillance cameras. It didn’t take long before I found what I was looking for. Unfortunately, the footage was so poor that it was hard to make out exactly who the man was on the payphone. Not surprised but still frustrated, I took out my cell phone and called Walters.

“What did you find?” he asked.

I stared at the image on the video and sighed. “A man on a motorcycle, wearing a dark leather jacket, is really all that I’m sure of. It doesn’t look as if there are any club patches on the back of it, though. Other than that, there isn’t anything recognizable. It certainly doesn’t look like Ronnie, Chips, or Gomer.”

“How can you be sure it’s not one of them if the image is so shitty?”

“His frame, I guess, and the way he was standing.”

“What kind of a bike did he pull up on?”

I’d been doing some research on motorcycles and recognized the style. “Looks like a Harley. I’d say it’s a Dyna.”

“Newer?”

“Um… maybe a couple of years old, although, again, it’s hard to tell.”

“Fairing?”

“Yes.”

“Gauntlet?”

“What?” I asked.

“It’s the style of fairing. Another common one they seem to like is the Batwing. That’s what Gomer had on his bike when we picked him up.”

“I really have no clue. Sorry.”

“Okay, back to the driver… what about his hair or facial features?”

“He’s too far away. The only thing I can tell you is that he’s wearing a helmet and that,” I looked closer at the image I’d paused. “He might be a little stocky.”

“Fat?”

“I’m thinking a thicker belly. His legs are thin but his jacket seems to be fitting pretty tightly.”

“Hmm… how old do you think he is?”

I stared at the biker’s frame. “I don’t know. I’d say he’s over thirty. Maybe even in his forties or fifties.”

“How can you tell?”

“The way his jeans are fitting and his legs look very skinny. Also, when he walked around the bike, he seemed to be limping a little.”

“Limping?”

“Yeah. Just slightly,” I said, rewinding the tape again to see him walk. “If I were to guess, he’s got a bad knee or one leg is shorter than the other.”

Walters grunted. “Good eye, O’Brien. Anything else?”

“Not really. Like I said, the footage is pretty poor.”

“Okay then. Bring it in and we’ll have someone analyze it.”

“Is that really necessary?” I asked. “I mean, patches or not, you and I both know that it was a Devil’s Ranger who called in the bogus tip. Obviously, Cole and Raina had nothing to do with the shooting.”

“Probably not, but we still need to check it out.”

“
Probably
not?”

“Never assume anything, O’Brien. That’s when you put your blinders on and miss what might be staring at you in the face.”

As far as I was concerned, we were wasting time with the video footage and needed to open our eyes to other possibilities. The Devil’s Rangers surely had a lot of enemies, not just the Gold Vipers. But, he was the boss.

“Okay, I’ll bring it in,” I replied.

“Good. By the way, we’ve got Chips and Gomer right now, sitting in separate interrogation rooms.”

“Are they saying anything?”

“No. This obviously isn’t their first trip down here. Anyway, both of them are waiting on their lawyers.”

I sighed. I hadn’t really expected them to admit to anything, but I wasn’t looking forward to a long, drawn-out attempted assault case. “Any word on Pete or Ronnie?”

“Nope. He’s not at the clubhouse either. We still have an APB out. Hopefully we’ll find them soon.”

“What about their club president?”

“Schmitty? Apparently that douchebag is on a cross-country road trip and unreachable. The rest of the club members are keeping a tight lip and claim they know nothing about Pete or the deli incident.”

No surprise there
, I thought.

“Did you find any cameras in the deli?” I asked.

“Yes, but they weren’t turned on. Looks like he hasn’t used them in quite a while.”

“What about the back alley, behind the deli?”

“Nothing back there, but we have you as a witness. If Pete is dead and Ronnie was the last one seen with him,
and
threatening him with a gun, we should have enough to charge him.”

Maybe, but even I knew that when it came to putting a criminal behind bars, and keeping him there, nothing ever went smoothly. 

Eighteen

Cole

“So, how
did
it go?” asked Tank, leading me back into his office.

“It went okay, although… someone from the Devil’s Rangers called in a tip about Raina shooting your old man.”

“Assholes,” he muttered sitting down. He ran a hand over his face. “What did the cops say about that?”

“They think it’s bullshit,” I said, sitting down across from him. “Especially since you two are getting married.”

Tank, always concerned that someone might be bugging his office, grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down something. Then handed it to me. In the note he asked if the Devil’s Rangers knew Raina had actually done it.

I nodded.

He let out a ragged sigh and then wrote down something else.

Is there any evidence that could link her to the crime?

I shook my head.

“You sure?” he asked out loud.

“Everything has been taken care of.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Even I had to admit that it was weird hearing those words coming from the victim’s son. We sat there silently for a few minutes and then he asked me more about my meeting with the cops. I told him everything.

“You know they’re going to keep trying to pin my old man’s death on you two,” he said. “Especially after what happened today.”

“Oh yeah. I know.”

He grunted. “You think they were mad before, I’m sure Ronnie and Schmitty are foaming at the mouth right about now. Especially if Ronnie’s killed Pete. Obviously, they weren’t expecting any living witnesses.”

“Hell no. They would have killed Terin for sure if I hadn’t stepped inside of that deli.”

Tank’s phone began to ring. He looked at the caller ID. “It’s Raina,” he said and then answered it. They exchanged a few words and then he told her that he’d be home late.

“Club business. It shouldn’t take too long,” he said, looking at me.

She said something else.

“Yeah, he’s here right now. You want to talk to him…Okay.” He handed the phone to me.

“Hey Raina. What’s up?”

“I went and visited Uncle Sal. He’s starting to look better,” she answered.

“Good to hear.”

“He sends his love.”

“Okay. I’ll have to try and stop by tomorrow. I’m glad that he’s doing better at least.”

She sighed. “Yes. I spoke to his doctor and he’s on a waiting list for a new liver.”

“How long is the wait?” I asked.

“He didn’t give me an actual timeframe, but mentioned the list is pretty long… in the thousands.”

“How do we get him to the top of the list?” I asked, horrified.

“There’s nothing we can do,” she said sadly. “All I know is that the people on the top are the ones that are the most critical. Then, it depends on blood type, age, and all of that.”

I sighed.

“Face it, there’s nothing that we can do but wait and make sure that he doesn’t drink anymore.”

I agreed.

“So, not to change the subject but is everything okay with the club?”

“Everything is fine,” I replied.

“Tank wouldn’t tell me anything about earlier.”

“Not much to tell,” I replied.

“I bet. I know very well that he’s sitting right there,” she scolded. “And probably making sure that you don’t so that you don’t spill any beans.”

I looked at Tank, who was actually doodling some picture of a naked chick on scratch paper. “I’ll have you know he’s not even paying attention. In fact, he’s working on his artistic abilities.”

Tank smiled.

“He is, huh? He’d better not be trying out that new body paint on one of the strippers,” she said firmly.

“Body paint?” I repeated, my eyes widening. “What?”

Tank began to laugh. “Oh shit. She thinks that I was serious.”

I had no idea what either of them were talking about and I wasn’t about to talk to my sister about body paint. I handed him the phone. “I think you’d better talk to her. She sounds like she’s getting pissed.”

Tank took the phone. “Raina… hey, listen to me, darlin’, I was just teasing you the other day. I ordered the body paint for us. You and me. Not the strippers.”

She said something on the other end and it didn’t sound good.

“I had it shipped to the bar so I could claim it on my taxes. Yes…. It’s a tax right-off if I do it that way. Anyway, babe, even if it was for them, I wouldn’t be the one applying it. I’d probably let you do it. Now
that
would be hot.”

I snorted.

“I gotta go,” said Tank. “I’ll pick up Billy from Frannie’s and we’ll bring you dinner tonight. How late are you working at the bar?”

Raina said something and Tank nodded.

“Okay. See you then. Love you,” Tank said, smiling into the phone. He hung up and looked at me. “I’m glad you didn’t fill her in on today’s events. She knows something went down and knowing your sister, she’ll try prying it out of me using food or sex.”

“I didn’t need to know that.”

He laughed.

“Speaking of prying things out of people, did you get any information from Patty?”

“Not yet. I’m going to see if I can catch her at Rumors, Saturday night.”

“No sooner, huh?”

“I’ve got other things going on until then.”

“You bringing Raina?”

“Hell no. Even I know that’s a bad idea,” said Tank. “She’d probably beat the shit out of her and get us kicked out of the place.”

“Hell yeah, she would.”

“Of course, watching two chicks brawl is hot,” said Tank.

“Normally, yeah, but we’re talking about my sister,” I replied.

He chuckled. “I see where you’re coming from. Anyway, don’t forget about working at Griffin’s tonight.”

“What time do you need me?”

“Nine.”

“Okay.”

“I appreciate it,” he said. “By the way, I know you’ve got Saturday night off, so if you want to join us at Rumors, be my guest.”

“Thanks. I’ll have to think about that one,” I replied. “I’m trying to avoid Patty.”

“She’s that bad, huh?”

“Worse,” I replied. “And she still wants me back.”

“You still have feelings for her?”

“Not any good ones.”

He chuckled.