Page 11 of Bonita Brynne

Cash craned his neck to see us. “I wouldn’t change nothin’. I want my baby girl, Willa. I just hope her Aunt Shea will be there if I can’t. Or else my baby might suffer after she is born.”

Jesus, I felt terrible for Cash. He was young and had his whole life ahead of him.

“Any one of you ready to talk?” A voice came from the side.

I approached the bars. “I want to see my woman and an update on how my boy is doing?” My boy, as in Ryder. After the dipshit crashed his ATV into a squad car, they shot him in the leg. Hero probably went ballistic when Storm told him. Since the day Ryder was released from jail, Hero had been his protector and mentor. The SAA loved that kid like his own son. Heads were gonna roll for this.

“You are in no position to make demands. You get talking or sit here all night until the judge returns from his fishing trip.”

“Jesus Christ! We’ve already been here for hours! I want to talk to my lawyer!” Was this asshole for real?

“Four hours and twenty minutes, to be exact. Your lawyer is on his way, but this isn’t the big city. You’ll get to see him at eight in the morning.”

I blew out a slow breath to calm my rage. “My wife is innocent and pregnant.”

“You should’ve protected her instead of involving her and your unborn child in your criminal activity. The murder of a young college student.” He dropped his head and made a tsk-tsk sound, no doubt taunting me to get a reaction.

I bit my tongue until I tasted blood.

“You got nothing on us,” Espada barked from his corner. “Nothing!”

The detective stared smugly at me. “We do things differently in Montana.”

“Like filling your coffers with dirty money from a man trying to frame innocent people. I see how it is.” I leaned toward him and lowered my voice. “But let me tell you something, detective. There are a lot of people who know who you are and your family. You don’t want to fuck with us, so let me see my wife.Now.” I was all out of patience and had enough of this pathetic excuse for a human.

Nobody fucked with the Knights and got away with it. He should know better. But keeping my woman in a cell and away from me was a personal offense, one I’d exact revenge for and enjoy making him suffer the way he made me.

Understanding flashed in his eyes. “I…”

“Better set it up, detective. I’ll tell my club you were reasonable. Although, they may not care.”

He gulped.

Not long after I scared the shit out of the detective, he freed me from the holding cell and took me to an interrogation room.

I wore the floor out in the small box, waiting for Tina to arrive. My muscles were tense, jaw tight. I had been lucky in my fifty-two years, never spending the night in jail. My record was clean. Not because I hadn’t committed any crimes, I had. I just never got caught.

My feet stopped, and I stared out the skylights at the big Montana sky. It must’ve been nearing ten o’clock, judging by the fading sun. Northern states had long days during the summer. Raymond and Valerie used to complain when Tina put them to bed. They’d whine,“But it’s not dark yet.”

I rubbed my chest and swallowed the emotion in my throat. My kids had better be okay, in one piece and not a scratch on them. I didn’t blame the prospects who’d been guarding them. I blamed myself.

My family meant the world to me, but I sucked at showing it. A grumpy dad was what Valerie called me. When Raymond was younger, he avoided me. I hadn’t cared because I was always busy with club business. Few people knew the real me. Tina knew me better than anyone. As for my club, Track and Storm were the only ones I had shown my vulnerability.

You should’ve personally ensured Raymond and Valerie’s safety. Been a better father and protector. Now it could be too late.

“Raul?” Tina’s soft voice came from behind me.

I spun around and took her in my arms. “Are you okay?”

“You’ve got ten minutes,” the detective said as he closed the door.

“I’m fine, honey. What about you and the guys?”

“They’re fine.” I buried my face in her neck and hugged her tightly. She was my lifeline. “Anyone hurt you?”

“No, my love.”

I reared my head back to assess her. “Don’t lie to me, Tina. If someone mishandled you, I want to know.”

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