Ice came in with a tray, putting it down on the coffee table and handing mugs to both Jonas and Jackson.
“Look at you, all domestic,” Jonas teased.
Ice flipped him off and then settled himself on the arm of Soleil’s chair. She loved it when he did that. She felt surrounded by the two members of Torpedo Ink, and safe. Treasured even. She reached up and took Ice’s hand. He threaded his fingers through hers.
Watching Ice carefully, Jonas Harrington smiled at Soleil. She noticed Deveau never took his gaze off her. He was like a hawk, waiting for his prey to make a mistake so he could pounce.
“Where was Ice the night Winston hung himself?”
She blinked, everything in her going still. She looked up at Ice.
“Don’t look at him. Look at me,” Harrington said. “Where was he?”
Ice remained exactly the same beside her. Relaxed. Not in the least bit tense. Stomach churning, she wished she could be equally as calm. It made her angry, though.
“What are you accusing him of?” she demanded.
“Answer the question,” Harrington persisted.
“Watch how you talk to her,” Ice said. “I know you have a job to do, but you can be polite about it.”
“My husband has been in bed with me every night since we’ve been married. In case you want to know, we have a very active sex life. I don’t think I’d forget if he missed a night with me.” She glared at Harrington.
He lifted his coffee cup to his mouth, but she caught the smile before he took a sip. That little smile made her relax again.
“So, he was with you that night?” Deveau persisted.
“Most of the night, yes. He worked with a crew putting in a floor at the apartments over the bar. Bannister was working as well. There were quite a few of the club members working that night. You can ask around.”
By their expressions, it was clear they had already done that. She detested that. If they already knew, why ask? They had expected to catch her in a lie. She leaned her head against Ice. “I don’t know what else I can tell you other than I’m happy with my husband and grateful I escaped when so many other women didn’t.”
“I’m happy as well,” Jonas said. “Did Winston ever talk to you about being angry with any of these men he supposedly killed?”
“Winston was angry at the world. He believed himself superior to everyone, and if anybody crossed him, he believed in taking retaliatory action immediately. I thought it was proven he killed those men.”
“They did trace all the bomb-making supplies back to him. He used his credit card. I suppose he didn’t care enough to hide his purchases since he was going to kill himself.”
“Honestly, I can see him killing all of them if he was angry. Maybe because he didn’t get to me, they were kicking him out, although I didn’t think he was the type to kill himself.”
Her statement seemed to satisfy the two men when before she wasn’t certain what they were looking for. They asked her a few more questions and then seemed to just chat with Ice and Absinthe about local business and Alena’s restaurant. Just before they left, they asked her a few more questions about her marriage, and this time, they asked Ice as well.
In the end, they just got up and left. She let out her breath, not realizing she’d been holding it on and off, afraid, but of what, she didn’t know.
Absinthe brushed his lips across her cheek. “You did great. I was proud of you.” He followed the two men out, leaving her alone with her husband.
Ice pulled her out of the chair and put his arms around her. “Stop shaking, princess, it’s over. They’ll leave you alone.”
“What was he trying to imply? That you had something to do with those murders all the way in San Francisco? I didn’t understand what he was getting at.”
“We’re MC. Law enforcement thinks all of us are criminals and we’re always up to no good.” He nuzzled her neck. “They might be right. Come on, baby. Let’s get to the club. We’re celebrating, remember?”
“I’ve forgotten what we’re celebrating.”
“We closed the deal with Inez. She owns the grocery store in Sea Haven, and she’s promised to help us open ours. We’re going into partnership with her so we can use the name. That was important to get the locals to use our store. She’ll run it for a couple of months to make certain it’s smooth sailing before she hands it over completely to us.”
* * *
Soleil hadn’t expected so many people. The party had gone on for hours. The alcohol buzzed pleasantly through her veins. She’d never laughed so hard or danced so much as she did that night. The locals attending had gone home, leaving only the clubs there, and that was when the real party started.
She sat outside by the firepit while all around them, the party took off. She enjoyed watching others. She’d been introduced to so many newcomers she couldn’t remember any of their names, only that some were from another chapter of Torpedo Ink and others were from a club that wanted to patch over to Torpedo Ink.
Ice told her that every man there had attended one of the schools in Russia. She was somewhat surprised, as they all spoke perfect English without a trace of an accent. She was part of all this. Ice had given that to her. She looked up at him with absolute love. He happened to be watching her face in the firelight, and he smiled down at her. The look on his face was breathtaking.
“Come on, baby.”
Her heart jumped and then began to pound. She’d been waiting for what seemed forever. She recognized that voice. She knew what was coming and all night, with the pounding beat of the music in her veins and her body, she’d been waiting. Sometimes she loved him so much she could barely breathe. She took his hand and let him pull her up.
She’d been surprised at his restraint. Usually, Ice didn’t go very long without wanting to have sex with her. At home, when they were alone, he made love to her at least twice a day. Sometimes more often. He had been gentle with her that morning, so sweet and loving, she’d cried. He could do that, go from wild to tender, and she craved both from him.
He walked her over to a bench set out in the field of wildflowers Lana and Alena had originally encouraged to grow by throwing seed everywhere and hoping it worked. It had. The field had all sorts of colorful flowers blooming in the daylight hours. They seemed to close their petals at night, but it was still beautiful.
They could look out and see the ocean, the way the surf came and went, white foam spraying high into the air as the waves crashed against the rocks. It was a very clear night, and the stars were out in abundance. The moon was nearly full, spilling its silvery light overhead, turning the sea a mesmerizing blue and the field of flowers various shades of green.