Climbing out of the car before I do or say something stupid like ‘Come visit me behind bars’ or ‘I’ll write you every day,’ I open the door to the backseat to grab my bag and then slam the door shut without another word.
Malcolm walks out the front door with his little girl on his shoulder right around the time that Lucy puts her car in drive and throws dust on me as she peels out down the gravel road.
“Lucy didn’t want to join us for your last supper?” Malcolm asks as I walk up the porch steps.
“Nah, it’s best to make a clean break,” I reply.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You fell hard for her, didn’t you?” he asks with a cocky grin as he rubs circles on his daughter’s back.
“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Why the hell else would you drag her into our shit?”
“I didn’t drag Lucy into anything,” Malcolm counters before pausing. “Okay, so I did persuade her initially, but the rest is on you two. I can’t lie, though. I figured you two would end up together.”
“How the hell did you know that? She’s the opposite of Ellie in every single way that counts.”
“You’re my best friend. I know what you needed – someone to kick you in the ass and not be afraid of their hands getting dirty.”
“I sort of hate you for throwing us together right when I’m done.”
“You’re not done,” Malcolm grits out. “And I was joking about this being your last supper. Keep the faith, brother.”
“Easier said than done,” I mutter.
Lucy
* * *
That dick!
I can’t believe he wouldn’t just come out and tell me the truth about what’s going on after how close we were these past few days.
He deserves to rot in jail!
Except he doesn’t.
I don’t care what charges the police may bring against him; if Nash hurt or killed people, it was for a damn good reason and they were bad men.
And I know that I won’t be able to sleep until I know everything there is to know about the case.
As soon as I get home, I get to work looking up the search warrants. I want to know the dates of offense and all of the gory details to see if there is anything I can do to help, even though Nash made it clear that he doesn’t want me to wait for him.
I can’t give up on him, though.
That’s what Ellie did and his parents. All of his life, people have walked away and abandoned him when he needed them the most. The only constant in Nash’s life has been the guys in the Dirty Aces MC. They’re like a close-knit brotherhood who would do anything for each other, which is why Nash most likely did what he’s suspected of doing.
Wrong or right still matters to me. But I know Nash, and he’s not some psychotic killer who goes around hurting innocent people.
Within a few hours of research, I’ve connected the victims’ names to the fire at a mansion a few miles away that was owned by Harold Cox, the same victims Nash had me find addresses for their families. The autopsy reports showed that they were all killed by bullets before being engulfed in the fire that’s been ruled an arson.
Cox had a record of being into all sorts of dirty businesses, including prostitution and gambling. And based on the other victims’ records, they were big men, probably hired thugs helping Cox get away with all sorts of illegal shit.
What I can’t figure out from the warrants and indictments I found online is why Nash is the only person they suspect.
Do they have some sort of evidence tying him directly to the arson? There’s no way he killed those men and burned the place down all on his own. The cops have to know that, which means they’re going to do their best to try and convince Nash to snitch on the others. But he won’t. Even if I haven’t known him very long, I know he’s loyal. He would never do anything to hurt his friends who are like family to him. The only family he has.
I want to be his family too, if he just would let me in.
And while it would be easier to give up, to forget about Nash and move on, I couldn’t imagine ever doing that to him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nash
* * *
“How is everything?” Naomi asks as the Dirty Aces and Jetta sit around the long wooden table in her and Malcolm’s dining room, digging into her homemade meal like we’re all starving animals.
“This is amazing, Naomi,” Jetta gushes first as the rest of us add our agreement.
“The fried chicken is absolutely delicious,” I tell her as I savor each and every bite, knowing that none of my meals in the foreseeable future will ever compare.
“So, Nash, why don’t you tell us about how the wedding went this weekend?” Malcolm asks with a smirk.
“You bastard!” I shout at him as I pick up a napkin to wipe my hands. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”
“Why did you think I tried to talk you out of it?” he grunts.
“Knew what?” Naomi asks, looking between us.
“That Lucy is related to Nash’s ex-wife Ellie,” Malcolm explains, causing everyone at the table to gasp and nearly choke on their chicken. “And that Ellie married Lucy’s ex-boyfriend this weekend.”
“Hold up, hold up, hold up!” Devlin exclaims with his palm raised in the air. “You went to your ex-wife’s wedding with your new girlfriend, who is her cousin?”
“Yep, except Lucy’s not really my girlfriend.”
“Damn, that’s messed up,” Silas mutters with a chuckle and shake of his head.
“When did Lucy finally tell you?” Malcolm asks while grinning.
“Oh, she didn’t,” I reply. “I had no idea until I saw Ellie with her new man. Oh, and did I mention that she just sent the divorce papers a few weeks ago even though she’s, like, six months pregnant with his kid?”
“No!” Jetta exclaims as she slaps a hand over her gaping mouth.
“Yes.”
“You don’t seem too bothered by that shit now,” Wirth points out.
“I’m not. At the time, I think I was mostly just shocked, you know, because it was so out of the blue and I hadn’t seen her in years. But now I’m glad I went with Lucy. I needed the closure just as much, if not more than she did, from her cheating ex.”
“I don’t think I understood half of what y’all are talking about,” Fiasco grumbles.
“Did you think about standing up and objecting during the wedding?” Naomi asks.
“Nope. Although, some family members were looking at me and Lucy both like they expected us to proclaim our love at the last minute. She was so over that douche that it didn’t cross her mind either.”
“That’s good,” Naomi replies with a smile. “Sounds like it all worked out for everyone.”
“Yeah, except I spent the last few days in bed with Lucy, which was selfish since I knew how it was going to end when we got back.”
“Oh, Lucy knew too,” Jetta speaks up and declares.
“About the warrant, yes, but not what I’m suspected of doing, and I want to keep it that way.”