She winces. “I didn’t, but I can tell you I’ve only taken stuff from two offices the past two months. Damian,” she mentions another lawyer we’re friendly with, “and a couple from the public defender’s office. In order to stay in the good graces over there, I take at least ten cases a year. Because of the pregnancy and delivery, I hadn’t taken any, realized it, and just told them to stack me up.”
“This is good.” I write down the two offices she’s given me. “I can work with this. The only reason I’m asking is because I want to make sure we haven’t missed anything.” I hold up the file. “If this is all there is, then this is all there is, but we’re smart to verify.”
“You call Damian.” She points at me. “And I’ll look up the information in the system about the public defender’s office. Even if it didn’t come from there, we might be able to get some more info.”
Excitement courses through my body. I haven’t felt like this is almost a year. This used to be the shit I lived for, finding out mysteries and helping to find an answer to the questions that had none. Somewhere along the way, I lost this part of myself.
But I’ll gain it back, as slow as I have to. Starting with this phone call, and hopefully ending with whatever will help the guys out the most.
My stomach flutters as I grab the phone, dialing Damian’s number from memory, even though it’s been a while since I had to use that particular muscle. He answers on the second ring.
“Which MC Princess am I talking to today?”
He’s a charmer, and most women are flattered by him, but luckily for me, I have everything I want at home.
“Mandy.” I smile, even though he can’t see.
“It’s been forever, how are you? Doing better, I hope?”
God, how many people knew about what happened? I guess it was foolish to believe it wouldn’t get out, but I had hoped it wouldn’t.
“Doing better than I ever have.”
I realize that’s not just a line to keep people from asking me questions. It’s the honest truth. I no longer have to hide behind fake smiles and stupid empowering quotes to make me seem more put together than I really am.
I’m finally that put together.
“Glad to hear it. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yeah, we have a file on an Owen Fitzpatrick. Is it one of yours, by any chance?”
He makes a noise of disgust.
“No, it’s not mine, but I know who he is. He’s a sleaze who thinks he’s going to be a big-time drug dealer.”
“How come he isn’t right now?”
That seems like the most obvious question for me.
“Capital. He has none. The only money he makes is what he wins in small-time street races. Nothing like what Cash used to do. And he leans on his girlfriend a lot. Apparently she makes pretty good money at Wet Wanda’s.”
I’m taking notes as he speaks.
“So if he were to want to make it to the big-time, would, say, a night deposit from Wet Wanda’s be enough to get him started?”
“Oh shit,” Damian laughs. “He stole the night deposit?”
I don’t want to speak out of turn, instead I make a non-committal noise in the back of my throat.
“Maybe, we aren’t sure yet. Signs point to possibly, but I’m doing some recon for Drew and Dalton right now.”
There, that gave him a little information without giving him all of it. Give Damian too much and he’ll run with it.
“I will tell you this. I’ve dealt with him a few times and he’s not very brave. So if he’s willing to steal the night deposit at Wet Wanda’s, it’s either because his balls have finally dropped or he’s started sampling his merchandise.”
“What does he sell?”
“Last I heard he was dabbling in weed and meth. My guess? He’s using the meth to hype himself and stay up for days at a time, then using the weed to try and mellow himself out. Either way it’s going to be a deadly combination at some point or another.”
“This has all been very helpful, Damian. Thanks for the information. I owe ya.”
“Trust me,” he laughs. “When I need something, you will definitely pay up.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dalton
“Would you turn that damn thing down?” I yell at Jagger. He’s got the radio up so loud I can’t hear myself think.
There’s a problem with the bike I’m working on. I know there’s a solution, but I have to think. To think I need quiet, and thanks to that goddamn radio, there is absolutely no quiet in the garage bays today.
“I’m older, shouldn’t I be the one saying this shit?”
“You probably can’t hear with all the shows you’ve played anyway,” I mumble.
“I might not be able to hear but I can read lips,” he tosses back.
There are some days I hate that all of us are so close. I’m ready to tell him where to take his lipreading when a hand clasps around my arm. It’s Drew, and his face is pulled tight.
“We gotta go talk to Caelin. He got some more info on Laura and Owen.”
Took him long enough. I’m feeling particularly uncomfortable with them being around lately, and I’d like to know what we can do to get rid of their presence in town. “This have anything to do with the information Mandy and Charity were able to dig up?”
“I think so. I wanted to ask questions, but the more questions I ask the longer it’s going to take for him to get to the point. He’s at the clubhouse, so that’s where we need to meet him.”
Both of us rode our bikes today, so that’s where we head, hopping on, starting them up,
