Page 48 of Sheltering Hollis

“He was one of my foster placements.” Another swallow. “That’s why I was brought in for questioning.” Pike took another chug from the bottle of beer. He was Maddox’s age, mid-thirties. They’d both been raised in foster care, but I wasn’t sure how much Maddox even knew about Pike. Maddox had met him in school, I thought. That was the story that I’d heard, but details were sparse. Pike spent some time in the big house, but I wasn’t clear what it was for. “Found him, spread out on the bus stop. Fucking naked as a jaybird.” He turned to look at Maddox, who was staring at him, poleaxed.

“I’m assuming he was one of those?” Maddox said with a darkness to his voice, which I was familiar with.

“Abusive?” I asked. It wasn’t honestly a question since I was catching the vibe.

“Yes, very,” Pike confirmed. “I confirmed with the police that I knew him as one of my previous foster placements, but I didn’t tell them that, but the eyes …” He looked over the crowded tables. “I just …”

“Do you have any idea who might have done this? Was he left as a message for you?” Maddox asked. Pike lifted a shoulder and downed the rest of his beer.

“A gift?” I asked. He glanced at me. Ah, that was closer.

“When I was in foster care, there was someone, but I just can’t think that this could be …” Pike traced the circle left in the wood by the condensation from the beer. “The eyes, though. It’d make sense. I looked for them before — I thought they were dead.”

A shiver went down my spine. I nodded, taking in the information. “Ok, should we be concerned for anyone’s safety?”

“No, I don’t think that’s the issue here. I’m worried that there will be more.” He looked down again. “That the police will think I did this. They couldn’t find any evidence to link me to the crime other than the fact that I found the body. The real problem was they couldn’t find any other evidence either. At all. Whoever did it was meticulous,” Pike said, looking flummoxed. He seemed sure about his hunch but not how they’d done it. It still didn’t make me feel any safer if some psycho was out there cutting out people’s eyes. “We’re going to cool our jets on any club activity for a while, just with the police snooping around. It makes our members cranky, but it’s too risky.”

“Hopefully, this is the end of it. If there’s something I can do to help out, let me know,” Maddox said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Or, if the police keep harassing you.” Maddox was studying him. Pike wasn’t necessarily someone I’d gone out of my way to hang out with, but he also wasn’t a guy who had ever given me a hard time, even when I was on the outs with the Brotherhood, which I respected.

“Do you need a lawyer? I can hook you up with a good one,” I offered. They looked at me as if they’d never seen me before, eyes rounded with surprise. I shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. “The ones they give you are shitty.” I shrugged.

“Tell me about it,” Pike groused. “Time I did in State was fucked two ways to Sunday because of the crap ass lawyer they dumped on me.” He peered at me for a minute. “I’d appreciate it. Normally, I wouldn’t ask, but I think I might need all the help I can get.”

“No problem. I’ll text her and have her give you a call so she can catch up on all this. She normally doesn’t travel, but she will for me. Her name’s Natasha Petrova. If she can take your case, she’s the best.”

“Thanks a lot. I’ll see you.” Pike slid out of the booth, giving us a nod. We watched him head out the door in silence. Maddox shook his head finally and rubbed a head over his chin thoughtfully.

“Well, fuck. One of his foster placements? That’s no goddamn coincidence.”

“Nah, someone did that on purpose. He looked shook.” We looked at each other, agreeing that this wasn’t good. At all.

“Natasha? Who the fuck is she?” Maddox finally asked.

“Bratva lawyer.” I shrugged. “My cousin. She is the best — don’t doubt it. She doesn’t normally leave San Diego, but if she can come, she’s a killer in the courtroom.”

“Huh. He can’t afford that, you know.”

"She owes me a favor," I replied. "I'll cover it if it comes to that. We need him clear of this."

Maddox nodded slowly. "Alright, let's make sure this doesn't blow back on any of us. And keep an eye on Pike. If someone's sending messages, we need to be ready. Maybe we can catch a body drop and get rid of the fucking thing before the police find it.”

Maddox and I sat silently for a moment, the weight of the situation pressing down on us. The hum of the clubhouse seemed distant, like a muffled background noise to the tension we both felt.

"Alright," Maddox finally said, leaning forward. "Let's get Pike cleared and make sure this doesn’t escalate. We need to keep the Brotherhood safe."

"Agreed," I nodded. I’ll contact Natasha tonight and get her up to speed. In the meantime, we should watch and see if anything else surfaces."

"Good," Maddox said, standing up and gathering the papers in front of him. "Maybe the barbeque idea will help ease some of this tension. I'll keep you updated on anything new I hear. Let's make sure we stay on top of this, Dimitri."

"Count on it," I replied. I’ll check in with Pike again later to make sure he's holding up."

We parted ways and moved to different parts of the clubhouse. I approached the exit, pulling out my phone to text Natasha. As I stepped outside, the blast of Arizona heat hit me, a welcome contrast to the cool air conditioning inside. I found a quiet spot by the side of the building and dialed Natasha's number.

She picked up on the second ring. "Dimitri, it's been a while."

"Natasha," I said, a smile creeping into my voice. "I need a favor."

"Don't you always?" she teased, but her tone was warm. What do you need, Dima?” I quickly explained the situation to her, Pike's predicament, and the need for a top-notch defense.

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