Page 30 of Justice's Reward
Justice had told Adley, when he asked her to be his Ol’ Lady and wife, that she’d need to decide how involved she wanted to be and what she wanted to know. It had sparked Adley to go to Ariel to ask how she handled it with Pit. Ariel had grown up in an MC that wasn’t a one-percenter but stilltiptoed over the lines sometimes. She’d said she wanted to know everything about what could possibly hurt them, and she’d work on mitigating the fallout.
Ariel, Adley, and Macy had spent a lot of time together, hanging out, binge-watching series, and playing with the babies. Adley had also learned all about Ariel’s friends, the Franks sisters, who ran their family’s bail bonds and who Ariel worked for. One of the sisters was now her actual sister-in-law, but Ariel said they’d all grown up so close that she considered them all family. Adley had adored the codes the bail bonds used for issues because the sisters were bigFriendsfans. She hoped she didn’t have to ever use them, but she knew the issues with Detective Stanza weren’t over. Since she’d come to work today, she’d felt off, but she wasn’tgoing to turn down meeting with a client who needed her.
Adley ran her hand over her desk and looked around the office. She had picked every piece of furniture and chosen every furnishing for her office, making it into a place she loved. It was professional but also comfortable. She and Macy had offices side by side with a desk for a receptionist in the waiting room. A small bathroom was off the waiting room on one side. To the left of Adley’s office was the supply closet and a small break room with a microwave, refrigerator, sink, and a table with two seats.
She gained a sense of accomplishment from what she did. For the longest time, it and spending time with her sister and mom had been Adley’s life. Since meeting Justice, she’d been thinking through how she could merge her life with his. She wantedmore time with Ian, especially when he was so young. Ruthy had talked about how he stayed at the flower shop when Justice worked or had club stuff.
Adley was positive she could balance being a mom and wife and still enjoy her job. She glanced at her watch: five minutes until her appointment. Just enough time to run to the restroom, refresh her makeup, and grab a cup of coffee. She was a tad tired. They’d made love before they went to sleep. After Justice fed Ian at two, he’d come back to bed and rubbed his hardened cock against her. His whispers in her ear of how he’d been thinking about sinking inside her hot pussy had her turning toward him, not caring how low on sleep she’d be.
She’d never imagined how hot she’d find her man talking dirty to her, but when Justice’s deep voice spoke to her, she immediatelyached for him. She fanned her face a little; she didn’t need to be flushed when her client showed up. She walked out of her office as the office door opened. A woman in a pantsuit and carrying a large purse walked in. Adley guessed she was in her late sixties or early seventies, which made her too old to be Adley’s client. Adley had seen her in passing a couple times in the last week as she moved into the offices across the hall.
“Oh, I’m sorry to bother you, but is your internet working? The building supervisor said internet was provided, but nothing seems to be working. I didn’t want to bother him if it was a problem with the whole building and he already knew about it,” she asked.
“I haven’t had any problems, but I haven’t been on my computer for a little bit. Let me check,” Adley said, turning toward heroffice only to feel a gun against the back of her neck.
“Well, are you stupid or what? That was easier than I thought. I thought you were supposed to be the bright attorney. Walk toward your sister’s office,” the woman directed.
Adley walked toward Macy’s office. When they were in the doorway, Macy looked up at the sound. Macy’s eyes widened, and her hand reached toward her phone.
“Uh, uh, uh. Don’t be a hero. It doesn’t suit you. Raise your hands up, stand up, and walk toward me,” the woman said. As Macy stood up, she held onto Adley’s shoulder, keeping the gun tight against Adley’s neck and backing them up.
Adley thought through the self-defense classes she, her mom, and Macy had taken and how to get away from an attacker.Adley didn’t remember anything regarding a gun at her neck. She didn’t particularly want to make the wrong move and end up dead or paralyzed.
Adley’s cell phone on her desk started ringing. Adley needed to figure out how to get the upper hand.
“If I don’t answer that, everyone will come here. After the issues we’ve had, I have a periodic check-in,” Adley said.
“Fine,” she said. “You sit down on that chair, face the office, and keep your hands on top of your head.” Once Macy complied, the woman pushed Adley toward her desk while keeping the gun against Adley’s neck. The door opening had her grabbing Adley and stopping her.
“It’s about time you got here. Tie up the sister,” she said.
“Sure. And I had to take care of the prospect before coming in, so we’d have a clear way to take them out of here,” Detective Stanza said, sending a cold chill down Adley’s spine. She was guessing the woman holding the gun to her neck was his mother. Well, yay, she could tell Justice they knew where Stain and his mom were. Unfortunately, Stain’s mom had the upper hand.
C’mon, Adley! Think! Look at your surroundings and figure out how to change the status quo. She had two guns in the office. One she carried in her purse and one in a holster stuck to the underside of her desk. Both were not in reach right now, but it was possible they could be. But if she grabbed her gun and shot the mom, would Stain get a chance to shoot Macy?
“Answer the phone on speaker,” the woman directed.
Adley pushed the speaker button. “Hello,” she said.
“Hey, I’m sitting here feeding my little man, so I thought I’d check in. Are you in the mood for aCode Rossand watching the pivot scene, or is it aCode Monicaand we’ll watch the one where she’s the chef and wears the big balloons under her sweater?” Ariel asked.
Adley wanted to freaking kiss Ariel for the phone call and the codes. She hoped it meant the guys were close with help, though she wasn’t sure how they knew she was in trouble.
“Oh, it’s definitely aCode Ross. I love when he’s screaming pivot at Chandler,” Adley said.
“Oh, me too. If only Chandler had followed Ross’s directions. If I had been Chandler and Ross was yelling at me, Iwould have dropped to the floor. Pivot!” Ariel screamed the last word.
The woman had loosened the gun from Adley’s neck the longer Ariel spoke. At Ariel’s scream, Adley dropped to the floor and covered her head. A popping sound, along with shattering glass and gunshots, filled her office. She scooted underneath her desk and grabbed her gun just in case whoever was shooting didn’t get Stain and his mother. She held the gun facing out, but her hands were shaking. All the practice at the gun range, with bullets being discharged from other guns around her, hadn’t prepared her for the adrenaline running through her and the uncertainty of what to do.
She listened as the room quieted, waiting to see if she was safe. Boots crunching across glass came closer. She raised her gunand put her finger on the trigger, ready to defend herself. Jean-covered legs attached to motorcycle boots she recognized came into view. She’d offered to buy Justice new boots because the ones he’d been wearing were a little scuffed. He’d said they were his favorites because they were soft and broken in. She lowered the gun as Justice crouched down until his face appeared in front of her.
“Honey, how about we get you out of here?” he asked, holding out his hand. Adley grasped his hand, holding the gun facing the floor with her other hand, and let him help her up. It wouldn’t do to shoot her rescuer now because her hand was shaking so much. Justice pulled her into his arms. A hand took the gun out of hers, and she turned to see Tack, smiling at her.
“Good job, Adley, though I’m thinking instead of Honey, I should call you HoneyBadger because, woman, you are fierce,” he said, placing the gun on the desk.
She soaked in the warmth of Justice and then wondered how Ariel had known to call when she did. She leaned back and stared at Justice, trying to figure out what she’d missed. Before she could ask, yelling from the front room had Justice leading her out there. She had to step over the body of the woman. Adley thought she had a strong stomach, but she gagged a little seeing that half her head was gone. Justice held his hand up to the side of her eyes, blocking her view. Adley was fine with Justice sheltering her because she had no wish to see brain matter and blood splattered on her cream wall.
Macy was the one yelling, and she was kicking Stain—or should they call him Shit Stain—as he lay on the floor. One of the Saint’s Outlaws had him hogtied.Adley wondered where the rope came from. Did bikers just carry it around with them just in case they needed to tie someone up?
