“I’ll behave.”
The tight hug she gave him made him feel better about leaving.
Waving at Matthew and Isaac as they were going inside their shop, he got inside Viper’s SUV.
“We’re late,” Viper snapped at him before Reaper could shut the door.
“I got that message two honks ago,” Reaper snapped back.
“I told you we couldn’t be late to the meeting with the FBI when I talked to you this morning. Now we’re not going to have time to meet with Diamond beforehand.”
“We already know what she would have told us—be quiet and let her do the talking. I plan to follow her advice, though she didn’t have time to give it.”
“You’re in a good mood.” Viper looked at him suspiciously.
“Do me a favor; if I swear not to off myself, will you quit looking for signs that aren’t there? At least not anymore. I feel good. Actually, I feel fucking great.”
“You back on your anti-depressants? If so, pass me a couple. I had to listen to every brother in the club offer to pack Taylor’s shit back into her car before you could come today. Then Knox called and told me the FBI were waiting for him when he came in this morning, wanting us brought in for questioning.”
“I’ll bring Taylor’s shit out to her car myself after our meeting, and we can let Diamond do the talking to the FBI. They have to build a case against us. They have to prove we’re responsible for Slate’s disappearance. That’s going to take time.”
“What about Memphis? They have the tape to prove what happened to him,” Viper stated as he parked in the police parking lot.
“I think I have a plan for that. We’ll talk after the meeting. Then I’ll go see the brothers and get Taylor out of your hair. At least Ginny doesn’t know about her being at the club,” he said, getting out of the car and catching Viper’s expression. He knew when he was fucked. “She knows Taylor’s at the club?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck. Thanks, big brother.” He slammed the car door shut.
“I was worried about how you would react. I thought Taylor was part of the reason you wanted to kill yourself ….” Viper snapped his mouth closed. “Okay, I fucked up.”
Gavin laughed, slinging a brotherly arm around Viper’s shoulders. “Welcome to my world.”
Any visage of a smile disappeared before walking into the sheriff’s office where the desk clerk sent them to the courthouse.
“Knox and your lawyer will meet you in Room 2, in the lower level. They are waiting for you.”
Reaper and Viper shared speculative glances as they went back out the door then headed for the courthouse.
“We’re fucked.”
Reaper’s good mood rapidly disappeared at Viper’s worried curse.
Viper had become mired in the shitstorm Memphis had created. The betraying bastard deserved the death he had been dealt. The greedy fucker had been ready to blow the whole fucking club up before he had been caught.
Finding the room, Reaper saw a state trooper guarding the door. Another state trooper was stationed outside a door farther down.
The trooper checked their IDs before opening the door. “Make sure you keep several feet apart.” Motioning them inside, he then shut the door behind them.
Knox and Diamond were waiting inside.
“Thank God you two finally showed up. They were threatening to issue warrants for your arrests if you didn’t show in the next ten minutes.”
“Time got away from me,” Reaper took the hit for being late. “If they were so anxious for our arrival, where are they?”
“The Commonwealth attorney is speaking with the special agents. They’ll call us in when they’re ready.”
Diamond stared at Knox worriedly as time passed and no one was sent for them.
Cognizant of possibly being recorded, they didn’t discuss any of the variety of reasons they could have been pulled in for questioning. Assuming they were there to discuss Slate, they were wary to mention his name. The longer it took them to be called, the harder it was not to talk, which Reaper took for the stalling tactic being used on them.
“Is this even fucking legal? Keeping us waiting this long?” Viper asked.
Diamond, just as frustrated as everyone in the room, went to the door to pull it open.
The officer broke off, saying something to the communicator on his shoulder.
“I was just informed to bring you to a larger room upstairs. If you all will follow me.”
The four of them filed out of the room.
Reaper’s gut clenched as they went up the steps, preparing himself to be arrested. Two weeks ago, he couldn’t have cared less. He still felt as if that was where he should be, but Ginny had changed him even before he realized she was behind the voice that had strengthened his will to survive.
She kept him so busy with trying to jinx him that he had lost the desire to end his life. She made life worth living again. He didn’t know if he could survive in a small cell without her.
The room they entered was a courtroom, except there was no judge sitting on the bench, only four suited men waiting for them in the front of the courtroom.
“Please, take a seat and keep a safe distance apart.” An older agent directed them to the seats in the front row.
“I made my clients available at the FBI’s request, despite no advance warning. Since you’re now playing games, we’re leaving.” Diamond firmly blocked the men from going down the aisle.
The older man, who must have been the lead agent, spoke up. “I’m sorry for the wait. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable. We were waiting for two more people to arrive. I was just notified that they arrived at the airport and will be with us in the next five minutes. The FBI appreciates your cooperation.”
As he finished speaking, the doors behind them opened again.
Reaper turned to see Sex Piston, T.A., and Dalton come inside, looking just as surprised to find them there as they were.
“What are you doing here? You get lost paying a ticket? This is a private meeting,” Diamond snapped at Sex Piston as they came farther into the room.
“I don’t know why the fuck I’m here, and neither does T.A. or Dalton. We were dragged here an hour ago,” Sex Piston argued back.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Diamond asked, her eyes on the group of men waiting for them at the front of the courtroom.
“I fucking tried!” Sex Piston yelled at her sister.
“Ladies, if you take your seats, we will be ready to get started as soon as those we’ve been waiting for have arrived.”
Ignoring the agent’s directive to keep a distance, Knox and Diamond sat together, as well as Sex Piston, T.A., and Dalton.
When the agent asked them to move apart, Sex Piston opened her mouth. “Mind your own fucking business, and I’ll mind mine. I’ve had my temperature taken by three people today—I’m good. How many fucking times has yours been checked today?”
The agent was saved from the opening of the door.
Turning around, Reaper was shocked by who came through the door.
Shade, Jonas, and Shade’s father, Will.
This shit went deeper and deeper.
Reaper didn’t know why they were there, and from Viper’s and Knox’s expressions, they didn’t know either.