Page 87 of Havoc

Judge Harwood leaned forward slightly and announced, “I am sentencing you to twenty years in federal prison, without the possibility of parole.”

Slater responded hotly. “Is this some kind of joke? I offered to turn state’s evidence on the real fuckers running the show, but you guys didn’t want to know.”

“I’m well aware of your offer to shift the blame. The prosecuting attorney didn’t see the merit in offering a plea bargain in light of your extensive history of criminal conduct. To be honest, I don’t see anything to be gained by offering you a lighter sentence in exchange for information that may or may not be reliable.”

Slater raised his voice, “If you think locking me up is going to stop what’s already in motion, you’d be very wrong. You’ve got no idea how far they’re willing to go to keep their very successful enterprise in operation.”

“I’ve heard enough from you today, Mr. Slater,” Judge Harwood shot back. “You are here to receive sentencing for your crimes, not to justify your atrocious behavior to the court.” He slammed his gavel down with a loud thud. “Bailiff, remove the defendant from my courtroom.”

The bailiff moved forward and began moving him towards the door. When Slater walked past us, his eyes dropped to my property cut. “So, you’re still hanging out with dirty bikers. I was right about you liking it rough, you’re nothing but a cheap tramp, Riley.”

Havoc jumped to his feet and growled, “Don’t even say her name. Riley is loved and protected. You can’t hurt her anymore.”

Havoc’s voice was just loud enough to be heard by those around us. Most of them froze for a split second, even the bailiff. It was clear from looking at Havoc that it wouldn’t have taken much for him to totally lose his shit right about now. His fists were clenched, his jaw was locked, and the protective stance he took between me and Slater communicated in no uncertain terms that they needed to get him away from me.

The deputies tightened their grip on Slater, who looked momentarily rattled, that smugness cracking.

Slater didn’t care who he riled up, because he was just given twenty years behind bars for his various misdeeds. He sneered, “You’re all going to regret this. You and your club are ignorant if you think this ends with me. You assholes have made enemies you don’t even know about yet.”

“If so, we’ll deal with them just like we did with you,” Havoc deadpanned back, his voice low and steely.”

The bailiff interjected stiffly, “Sir, I’m going to need you to step back so we can pass.”

Havoc didn’t move for a heartbeat. He kept staring Slater down to make a point. Unless I missed my guess, the point was Havoc could do as he liked, but Slater would be following someone’s commands for the next twenty years.

I came to my feet, Havoc’s arm snaked around my waist, and we stepped back together.

Slater looked unsure of himself for the first time as the bailiff gave him a gentle nudge towards the exit.

We watched him disappear through the doors towards the holding area. When the door shut behind him, I let out a sigh of relief. Regardless of what Slater said, it was over. My part in this was finished. I could spend the next twenty years living my life without fear of him popping back up for one last scare. Multiple emotions were all warring for top place in my mind. There was relief for sure, but also loads of hate for this despicable man.

Havoc turned to me and asked, “Are you alright? That was pretty fuckin’ intense.” He grabbed my hand and held it tight as I struggled to organize my thoughts into something coherent.

“I’m ready to put this whole ordeal behind me and seeing him hauled out of here in cuffs is going a long way towards making that happen for me.”

I saw Havoc’s anxiety click down a notch. He murmured under his breath, “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

“Yeah,” Storm agreed. “You’ve got that thing to do.”

Havoc’s expression blanked out. “What thing? I don’t have a thing.”

Celt rolled his eyes and quipped, “Yeah, ye do. Don’t be a feckin’ coward.”

I went ramrod straight because they were both looking at me weird. It made me think Havoc was calling it quits with me for sure. My hand instinctively went to my belly. I’d have to tell him, I knew that a baby wouldn’t make him stay if he didn’t want to, and I wouldn’t want him to feel obligated, but he needed to know.

Needless to say, we left right away. Havoc kept his arm wrapped loosely around my waist, gently guiding me out of the courthouse and into the sunshine. The other Slayers broke off, getting on their bikes and going their separate ways. I just knew something strange was going on. Maybe it was women’s intuition. I could feel it all the way down to my bones.

Havoc handed me the helmet and watched me silently. I don’t think he realized it, but he was making me feel self-conscious. When I was behind him with my arms wrapped around his waist, I pressed my cheek to his back, all too aware that this might be the last time I rode on the back of his bike.

***

Instead of heading to the clubhouse, he rode away from the city. Yeah, everything was different now. Sadness swamped me as he snaked along the highway. I was lost in my own thoughts, so I don’t know exactly how far we were from the city when he turned off onto a secondary road. He took a winding path that led to a house, one I’d never seen before. I blinked and blinked again, gazing through my visor at a large, two-story Colonial.

He switched off the engine and got off the bike, then turned to look at me, with a certain weariness. If it wasn’t Havoc, the biker with a heart of gold, I would think this was the end of the road for me.

I was tempted to say foolish things, but I clamped my mouth shut and took off my helmet, as Havoc did. He held out one hand and said, “Come inside. I want to show you something.”

I followed him, still unsure, that silly feeling still lurking in the back of my mind. He keyed a code into the front door lock and opened the door. The house smelled like fresh paint and cleaning products. It was recently renovated and looked pretty amazing.

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