Page 88 of Claimed By the Biker Brothers

I’m not buying her explanation. I realize now that I actually know very little about Ellie’s past, about her life and her family in Detroit. She knows more about me, in fact. I’m tempted to delve into that for a little while longer, but I’ve got less than an hour to get to the diner, so I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Ellie, I need your help.”

“Anything I can do to help, Robyn, I’m here. You know that.”

A half hour later, I meet Samson and James Faraday at the diner. It’s a cozy atmosphere and rather crowded, but I recognize almost everyone having breakfast here. They’re all townies, decent, hardworking folks, no one with Hughes affiliations.

Outside, Paulie and Jacob sit on their bikes along with a couple of more prospects from Samson’s side, watching the place. Ellie’s keeping an eye on Kyra with two more club members posted at her house. So far, so good.

“Nobody followed us,” I tell Samson as I take a seat at their table. “I took Ellie’s car like you suggested.”

“Smart girl,” he says.

The lawyer gives me a pleasant but emotionless smile. “Robyn, It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard some great things about you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Faraday. The guys speak very highly of you.”

“James, please,” he says.

I nod politely.

“Arraignment is in two hours,” Faraday says. “It was supposed to be earlier, but the judge recused himself.”

“What? Why?” I ask.

“Personal issues pertaining to the case,” he replies. “Something I wasn’t privy to. And I almost had him in the bag too. We’re going in blind, but I did manage to get the sheriff on board with an off-the-record statement for the incoming judge to consider.”

“Okay, and what will happen next?” I ask.

“I’ll need your full statement regarding the clubhouse search performed by the DEA. A full witness statement, that is. We’re painting them in an unflattering light for obvious reasons. I’ll be pulling out all the stops to make sure the guys get out of this unscathed.”

“Yeah, I can do that. Gladly. It was pretty traumatic, to be honest.”

Samson smiles softly. “I hope Kyra’s doing better.”

“She slept more than usual. She was asking about you,” I say. “She’s also worried the Feds might come to Ellie’s place.”

“Would you be willing to let me get a statement from your daughter as well?” Faraday inquires. “I don’t want her on the stand, but it will provide emotional impact.”

“Damn, you are going for their throats, aren’t you?”

Faraday laughs lightly. “It’s what makes me good at my job. Tell me, Robyn, have you ever seen any of the Rogue Riders dealing or heard them talking about dealing drugs?”

“No, never. Why would you even ask me that?”

“Because I have to. It’s my job to make sure I know everything, even what my own clients won’t tell me,” he says.

“I know with unshakeable certainty that Jag, Diesel, and Knox keep a clean MC. I’m sure Samson can confirm the legitimacy of all of their businesses as well. Personally, I will swear on the Bible, or on any other book for that matter, that I have never seen nor heard any mention of drugs anywhere within or around the Rogue Riders MC.”

He pauses to clear his throat. “I’ll still do a deep dive into the members’ records, however,” Faraday says. “If the drugs were indeed planted, then it was most probably by a Rider. Whether they were dealing it themselves or they were coerced or bribed to plant the heroin in the clubhouse basement, what counts at the end of the day is that it was an inside job. The sooner we find the culprit, the better. I’ve looped Sheriff Bentley in on this too.”

Samson nods in agreement. “I’ve got five guys combing through the footage as we speak. We’ll find that treacherous son of a bitch sooner or later.”

“Find him, but don’t touch him. Let the lawmen take him into custody,” Faraday warns him. “We need him to flip for a good deal with the DA. He’ll be facing at least one count of obstruction of justice for sure.”

Commotion outside the diner catches my attention.

“GUN!” one of the Riders shouts.

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