“Any opportunity to get on my bike is a good one,” Absinthe said.
“I’m sorry I freaked out on all of you earlier,” Soleil continued.
“Babe. Really?” Absinthe returned. “There was every reason to freak out. Glad you’re feeling better.”
She smiled, and Ice threaded his fingers through her hand. Absinthe got down to business, taking her step by step through the process—and extensive paperwork—of hiring him as her personal lawyer. His credentials were impeccable. Code had seen to that. From hiring him, they went next to making certain to file papers stating that Donald Monroe had been fired as of the date a month earlier she’d officially terminated him. Then more papers declaring he was to cease and desist from acting falsely on her behalf and that he had no authority whatsoever to act on her behalf.
“You’re going to have to make a public appearance soon, but let’s give it a few days so we can see what their reaction is,” Absinthe advised.
“Ice said it was possible they would demand some kind of competency hearing and they might have a corrupt judge and they’d get them to turn me over to Winston.”
Absinthe’s eyebrow shot up. He turned his head to look at Ice with cool eyes. Absinthe’s eyes were so light blue they were like two crystals. At times they were strangely opaque, as if they could see through things, rather than their outward appearance. “You told her that? I can assure you, both of you, that won’t happen. They can try. I even expect them to try, but they won’t get away with it.”
“But, Absinthe, if they have a corrupt judge . . .” Soleil looked and sounded scared.
Ice put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. “Seriously, Soleil, do you think I’m the kind of man to let someone take my woman from me?”
Mechanic didn’t open his eyes. “Or that we’re the kind of club that allows some jack-off to take one of ours away and mess with her? Not happening.”
Code looked up. He’d been busy ensuring everything Absinthe wanted was done. “Babe. Really? The first mention of a judge’s name and I’ve got all I need to find out everything about him, especially if the name is the same one you gave us. We can take him down before he can put on his robes. And when we take someone down, we do it hard, so it’s very difficult to get back up.”
Ice sent him a look that said to shut the hell up. “You don’t have to worry about those things, princess. Absinthe will do that for you, and he’s very good at his job. I know because he brags all the time.” He got the smile he’d hoped for. Soleil seemed to relax a little, the tension easing out of her slowly.
“Thanks, everyone. I honestly can’t see what they think they’re going to gain by running to authorities and making the fight public. When they kill me, won’t people be just a little bit suspicious?”
“No one’s killing you,” Absinthe said. “Honey, I need you to let me take your wrist, and I want you to answer as truthfully as you can. Really think about your answers. This is important. I’m not expecting you to lie, there’s no reason to, but sometimes your brain retains something buried deep, and I’ll know and I can ask you more questions. That’s why I said to really think carefully.”
Soleil looked at Ice for direction. He nodded. Now, he was the one who had tension coiling deep, although he knew this wouldn’t hurt her, no matter her answer. Absinthe leaned toward her and she extended her arm. He was careful to keep her comfortable, not making her stretch too far or lean forward. Absinthe loosely circled her wrist, but two fingers were over her pulse—that lifeline.
“Have you ever heard the names Yeger Kushnir or Basil Alanis before this morning? Have you met them? Did Winston ever mention them?”
Soleil frowned and nodded her head slowly. “Winston liked to go to fund-raising events, and he always wanted me to meet the right people. He gave me a list of names to memorize so I could be nice and smile and pretend we were all going to be friends. Kushnir was on the list. This morning I didn’t mention it because, honestly, I didn’t recognize him. When I first saw him, he was wearing a tux and looking—and acting—very sophisticated. But he was on the list.”
She ran her palm up and down Ice’s thigh, revealing her nerves. “I’m sorry, Ice, I should have remembered. I couldn’t hear what you were saying most of the time. I was pretty far away, and it happened so fast.”
“Babe, look at me,” Absinthe said. “No one’s upset with you. The circumstances weren’t the best. How did Winston know Kushnir?”
“They didn’t really interact much. They stood next to each other at the bar, and I know they exchanged at least pleasantries. Kushnir looked at me a couple of times while they were talking.”
Absinthe glanced at Ice. It was possible Winston was bargaining with Kushnir to see if it was worth his while to spare her life and sell her into the world of human trafficking. He’d make money on her as well as get rid of her, although it would be more complicated to get her money out of the trust.
“What do you know about him?” Absinthe persisted.
“Only that he owns a string of real estate businesses as well as an export business in San Francisco.”
“Perfect for human trafficking,” Mechanic muttered.
Absinthe ignored him. “Did Winston ever talk about a connection with him? School? A past of any kind?”
She shook her head. “No. He actually didn’t reveal much about himself at all. What he did tell me was never about his friends, only how difficult his childhood was.”
“Difficult?” Absinthe pushed.
“He was very broken up when his parents divorced. He was seventeen, and he said it tore him up and he’s never been over it.”
“Tough life,” Absinthe said, straightening up in his chair and letting go of her wrist. “So grateful I didn’t have his problems growing up.”
“Yeah,” Mechanic confirmed. “I’m with you there.”
Code made a rude noise and Ice laughed, leaning in to brush a kiss along Soleil’s temple.
FIFTEEN
The roar of pipes was extremely loud as fifteen hundred motorcycles went down the highway and through small towns and large cities in formation, with more clubs joining them along the way. The entire Torpedo Ink club rode together. There were forty-five members and seven prospects. Ice had forgotten to tell Soleil the club had a second chapter in Trinity, and they came down to be supportive of the run. The Demons, a club they were allied with, rode directly behind them.
It was strange to ride with so many others wearing their colors. The twenty-five newer members had come from another one of the schools in Russia. Theirs had been brutal, but it had been a legitimate school to train the students as agents. Casimir Prakenskii, birth brother to Czar, had gone to Trinity to oversee their club, as the entire club had been patched over. Now, there was at least one more club asking to be patched over as well. Czar hadn’t met with them yet. He was leery of growing their club too fast. He didn’t want any more attention called to them than was strictly necessary.