“I’ll be fine.” I waved the prison guards away after they’d secured Lincoln. Only when they’d left the room did I lean forward and look him dead in the eye. “Did you rape that girl?” I asked bluntly.
His face showed respect before it went blank. “No.” Truth rang out in that one word.
When he sat back, saying nothing more, it felt like he was baiting me. I opened the file, acting like he wasn’t flustering me and that I hadn’t already decided to defend him no matter how it would encroach into my already non-existent personal time.
“There is very little evidence in this file. All they have is the testimony of the girl that says you raped her in the clubhouse after asking her to stay behind for a drink...” A rumbling sound that resembled a bike starting startled me and I looked up from the file.
I met his gaze, only the gold seemed to have disappeared in the depth of the dark molten brown.
“It’s a fucking lie. I don’t get involved with club members or hang arounds. It’s a hard and fast rule.” He seemed to gather himself as the anger filled the small room. “She’s a newbie to the club, brought by one of the other members. She got it into her head that I was going to be hers. I told her to fuck off. She didn’t like that. Next thing I know I’m hauled into this shithole and accused of rape.” The anger continued to buzz in the room, his body no longer relaxed. “You gotta get me outta here or they’ll try and take River from me.”
For the first time, I saw a chink in his armor as he struggled to keep himself under control.
“I’ll work on getting you bail, first. Then we’ll work to clear your name.”
His chuckle was completely humorless. “You’ll never get me bail, but if you get rid of the other bogus shit, that will be enough.” He held out his hand toward me and I took it without hesitation. “Thanks for taking my case.”
He kept hold of my hand and the warmth of his calloused palm pressed against mine felt strangely intimate as he kept my gaze.
“As long as you tell me the truth at all times, then you can thank me when I get you out of here and, how did you put it, ‘get rid of the bogus charges.’”
This time there was genuine humor in the laughter. “You’re alright, like your dad.”
For some reason, the sentiment behind his simple words warmed me. I shook off the silly notion and released his hand to take hold of my pen with tingling fingers. “Talk me through the night she’s made the allegations. I need you to tell me everything you remember.”
Chapter Three
Lincoln
The clang of the chains didn’t give me a moment to overlook where the fuck I was, not that I’d be forgetting any time soon. The scents and sounds of the men they housed in the County Jail they’d brought me to, kept me on high alert. There was a tension in the air that made it impossible to take five and chill. A guy needed to keep his smarts about him, and life had taught me that lesson early on. So far, I’d avoided trouble, my sheer size and ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude keeping most at bay. But I wasn’t stupid, it would only be a matter of time before someone would want to show that they were boss.
Thing is, I didn’t give a fuck who that was in here. The guys housed here weren’t worth the steam of my piss. I’d fought my battles to run Dark Angels and my rep preceded me. What I didn’t do anymore was look for trouble. Lizzie’s death had changed that. The old familiar wound throbbed in my chest, but my chained hands prevented me from rubbing at the ache.
Was River okay? Had the state tried to take her while I was stuck in this rat hole?
It irked me more than I wanted to admit that River and I were reliant upon the dude who sat watching me with careful, sea-green eyes. There was something about him that reminded me I’d not scratched a particular itch in a long time. The smell of his cologne was spicy and expensive, and it suited him. The tug low in my belly was a distraction I didn’t need or want. Besides, this sharp looking dude probably preferred his men clean cut and well put together.
His brown hair was styled short at the sides, longer on top, and brushed off his attractive face. His jaw wasn’t quite square as it was a little too pointed, but his lips were full, and for a second, I indulged in imagining what they’d feel like against mine.
When his eyes narrowed on me as if I’d given away my thoughts, I slipped on a mask of disinterest, but I found my gaze shifting to the sharp looking suit he wore over what appeared to be an athletic body. How tall he was he? Would he be able to look me in the eye when we were standing?
“Does the silence mean you’ve nothing else to say?”
I shifted my gaze back to his face when his honey-coated voice disturbed me. “Looks like.” I kept my expression bland and worked to suppress my embarrassment. How long had we been sitting, saying nothing?
“It’s too late today to petition the court for bail. I’ll file first thing tomorrow, and hopefully, we’ll have you out in the next couple of days. Be warned, bail might be set high and there’ll be restrictions about going to the club.” He continued to outline what he thought the judge would make part of the provisions for bail while he neatly placed the pad he’d used and my file into his briefcase. His tanned, manicured hands were sure and steady.
When I’d asked Nutty to contact Mr. Davenport, I had no clue he had a son that was also a lawyer. Not that we’d shared personal information other than what was necessary to sort out the shit storm after River was born. The dude had done a solid job and hadn’t shown any aversion to me or the club.
After he’d trounced the hospital and made sure I kept guardianship of River, he’d given me his card saying that if I ever needed him again, he’d be more than willing to help. I’d taken him at his word. As I sat listening to his son, I wasn’t so sure what all it meant that he’d sent him this time. Would the son fight as hard as his father had? I’d need to reserve judgement on that and see if he got me out of this hellhole.
Only when Mr. Davenport indicated at the glass window behind me that we were done, did the door open and I got my first chance to see him standing. He waited for the chains to be unlocked and I was allowed to stand before offering me his hand. He was a few inches shorter, but he kept his eyes level with mine as I took hold of the soft-skinned palm he offered.
“I’ll check in with the court appointed official dealing with your case and ensure that River remains with”—his brow wrinkled—“Nutty, that’s who you said was looking after her right now?”
My hair shifted around my shoulders as I gave a curt nod.
“I’ll pop by the club and check in with them before I go home.”
“They ain’t at the club. I own River’s Tattoo shop and my home is on the top floor, Nutty and River live there with me.” On hearing the information, his face showed mixed emotions, ones that were gone too fast for me to decipher them.
“I’ve that address, I’ll go there next.” He seemed flustered for the first time as he glanced down at our still joined hands.
What the fuck was I thinking holding on to the dude’s hand? I dropped it faster than I could change gears on my motorcycle. He stepped to the side, gave me a polite smile, and walked out the open door. I watched his retreating back for a moment and let my gaze lower to his ass.