On top of that, I had Jack’s lawyer, Holden, blowing up my phone asking where Jack was. After ignoring his calls and the twenty text messages, I stepped away to call him, leaving Lacey to look after her fugitive of a father.
I told Holden about the accident and that Jack was not turning himself in as planned. That didn’t sit too well with the lawyer and he warned me the district attorney wasn’t likely to react kindly to being made a fool of by a criminal. If his days weren’t already numbered, I may have told Holden to suck a dick.
Instead, I hung up with him and ordered Bianci to the courthouse. I didn’t give a fuck if the guy had to camp out there, I wanted Schwartz at my fucking disposal. Especially now that the district attorney knew Jack wasn’t surrendering. He was probably calling every law enforcement agency from here to D.C., plotting his next move and we were sitting around like a bunch of mutts.
It made me wonder if Wolf had a plan. Even if he wasn’t the president of the club, as a man who rode with Jack for the greater part of his life, he had to know this was a fucking disaster. However, he remained ever the stoic leader. Not a fucking whisker out of place as he stood tall, stroking his beard, taking in the chaos surrounding him.
Talk about a difference in leadership.
Maybe that’s what happens when a man lives off experience and not heroism. Wolf ain’t looking to prove himself. He’s not looking to repent. He’s already been the hero, and he took this role, intent on putting his woman before his leathers. He ain’t going to send himself up the river and why should he? He’s not the reason Jack is in the position he’s in.
That’s all me.
Making my way back to the waiting room, my eyes find Lacey huddled close to her father. The two of them look to be in a deep conversation and I don’t want to interrupt. It’s not like I’ve got anything to say to either of them. Lacey’s looking for answers and Jack is looking for a miracle. I’m not equipped to supply either.
Tearing my gaze away, I focus on Nico. I don’t know what it is about the kid, but every time I look at him, I’m struck with the desire to break every bone in his face. I don’t like that he fucking called Lacey. Don’t get me wrong, I get why he did, but she should’ve heard it from me. Yet, she was the furthest thing from my mind at the time. There was a lot going on and as usual, Jack was my number one priority.
Calming Jack.
Controlling Jack.
Exonerating Jack.
It all came before Lacey.
The realization makes me sick and well, pathetic. I’m starting to think I have fucking daddy issues or something. Shaking the thought from my mind, I kick up my boot and lean against the wall, listening as Deuce grills Nico for information regarding the accident.
None of us have had a chance to get the full story from him. I watch as he locks eyes with his father. Pushing off the wall, I make my way towards him. He turns to me as my feet come to a halt and I cross my arms against my chest.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
As Nico looks nervously between me and his old man, I start to wonder if anyone realizes this guy has a lot of maturing to do before he earns his colors. If the vote came today, he’d get a big fucking no from me.
“Look, I did everything that was asked of me. I offered to drive Reina—hell, I even insisted at one point, but she wasn’t having it. The woman threatened to slash my tires and I mean, well, she married him…” he says, pointing to Jack. “…so, I wouldn’t put it past her. No offense, Uncle Jack.”
It’s a fucking shit thing to say, but like I said, the motherfucker is immature. He’s probably still waiting for his balls to drop.
“She appeared okay when we left the house,” the dumb fuck continues. “You could tell she was upset, but she wasn’t crying,” he adds, turning his gaze to me. “She put Danny in the car and peeled out of the driveway. I followed her like you told me to. At some point, I got stuck at a light. When I caught up to her, she was three cars ahead of me. I didn’t see the collision but a witness on the scene said a vintage Cadillac hit her from behind and pushed her into the semi. I heard the impact over my engine, but I didn’t know it was Reina until I saw the car flip…”
My hatred for him starts to fade as shares how he found Reina laying in the middle of the street unconscious and Danny trapped in the backseat hysterical crying. Nico stayed with Danny and tried to calm him down while the fire department used the Jaws of Life to free her from the car. I’m guessing that’s also about the time he started making calls.
“I took some pictures,” he said. “You know in case you want to sue…”
“Back up,” Jack says, lifting his head. “You said there was a witness.”
It’s the first coherent thing he hasn’t shouted since we arrived, and it makes me look at him. The expression on his face is one I’ve seen a thousand times before. It’s the one he makes when the wheels are spinning in his head, when he’s at war with logic.
“Yeah, I don’t have her information but I’m sure the cops do. The driver of the semi is in surgery. He was in bad shape too and I don’t believe he’ll be talking anytime soon but if he tries to make a case or accuses Reina of blowing the light, the woman gave a statement. That’s gotta count for something,” Nico says.
Apparently, me and Lacey weren’t the only ones who had a pair of cops stationed outside our house because Pipe reveals Jack had a pair too. Even though it pains me to look at him after that shit he pulled last night, I divert my attention towards him. I listen as he asks if the cops could’ve followed Reina. Robotically Jack responds, revealing they left their post sometime last night and as he says it, I realize the patrol car that was parked in front of my house was gone this morning too. It wasn’t even there when I left to score the drugs.
“You said that she was hit from behind,” Jack continues, squashing any more cop talk.
“That’s right,” Nico confirms with a nod.
“What happened to the Cadillac?” Pipe questions before anyone else has a chance.
“You only mentioned the driver of the truck, but you never said what happened to the guy driving the Cadillac,” Bas adds.
My gaze volleys between Pipe and Bas as bits and pieces start to align.
“I never saw the Cadillac. It was gone by the time I got to them.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that someone intentionally drove their car into the back of my wife’s and purposely pushed her into oncoming traffic?” Jack roars.
I think back to last night and how I stared at that fucking line of coke, realizing we might’ve played this whole thing wrong. Yeah, I was almost certain the feds and the D.A. wanted the cartel. What I hadn’t considered is that the cartel would fucking want us. I killed two of their guys and put one in critical condition. We didn’t live up to our end of the deal. Javier didn’t walk away with the piece of pie he wanted.
Looking at Jack, I watch as his fists curl and his eyes darken. It’s easy to read him and I gotta tell you, piecing together what we know, I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch to consider this wasn’t a fucking accident. Maybe I’ve spent too many years trying to make sense of Jack’s head because I seem to be the only one buying the theory he’s selling.