Emily
SORE AND TIRED, I dragged my butt out of Link’s bed Friday morning and went to work with Bull in tow. We stopped by a coffee shop on the way in for lattes and donuts, and stuffing both into my face made me feel almost human again. At least it did until I walked into the office and Jayson handed me the request for a reciprocal discovery from Mayor Kinlan’s attorney.
Jayson and I prepared the paperwork, and then I spent the next few hours on the phone with clients. Since Tuesday would now be a court day, I had to rearrange my entire schedule, making Friday way busier than it should have been. We ate lunch in the office, and around four, we locked up and called it a day. By the time I got back to the station, there had to be at least fifty bikes and half a dozen cars parked in the lot and on the surrounding street.
“What’s going on?” I asked Bull as he took his helmet off.
He shrugged, scanning the outside of the building as he swung his leg over the bike. “Your guess is as good as mine. You should probably stay close to me, though.”
Because I liked Bull, I didn’t tell him how lame that sounded.
We walked in the front door and were met with a crowd of rowdy bikers, which wasn’t surprising since we had basically crashed their clubhouse. What did surprise me was the number of women and children mingled in with the beards and tattoos.
A smiling silver-haired woman with kind eyes and a friendly smile approached me. “You must be Emily,” she said, pulling me in for a quick, somewhat awkward hug. “We’ve heard so much about you.”
With no clue who she was or why she’d just hugged me, I said, “I’m sorry, I…”
“I’m Margo. Jake’s old lady.”
Still, nothing registered. I shook my head.
“Oh, you haven’t met Jake.” She stood on her tip-toes and looked around. “We’ll fix that right now. I know he can’t wait to meet you. There he is, over talking with Sage.”
Sage sounded familiar. Certain he’d been one of the men I’d interviewed about Havoc, I searched the crowd. Before I saw anyone I recognized, Margo grabbed my hand and tugged me through the throng of people. We stopped in front of two familiar faces: one I’d interviewed, and one was framed in Link’s office. He was older now, bearded, his eyebrows were thicker, his body more relaxed, but he still had the same intense eyes. Link’s eyes.
“Jake, this is Emily,” Margo introduced us.
I held out my hand, but he dismissed it and hugged me. “Damn good to meet you, Emily. I remember your grandpa. Andrew was a good man. I couldn’t have gotten this place finished without him. I was sorry to hear about the cancer.”
I thanked him, not knowing what else to say.
He asked after my grandmother and I assured him she was fine.
“What’s going on here?” I asked. “Why all the people?”
“The old ladies are always lookin’ for a reason to throw a party. They heard Havoc’s home and threw together a potluck. Hope you’re hungry, because they always make too much damn food.”
I started to ask what the heck old ladies were, but something he’d said registered and gave me pause. “Wait, Havoc’s home?” I asked.
“Yeah. Link bailed him out this morning.”
Strange, since there were only four more days until Havoc’s trial. I started to ask Jake about it, but figured it would be a conversation best reserved for Link, and not in a crowded room.
“Hey, I see you two met Emily,” Link said, sidling up to me.
His hand snaked up to the back of my neck and pulled me against him, kissing me deeply. Shocked that he was showing such an outrageous level of PDA in front of his parents, who I’d just met, I planted my palms on his chest and shoved. He laughed in my mouth and gave me one more peck on the lips before releasing me.
“I’m gonna go find the man of the hour, but I’ll be back,” he said, smacking me on the ass before he walked away.
My face felt like it was on fire. “I’m so sorry,” I told his parents.
“What for?” Jake asked, trying to act nonchalant, but the twinkle in his eyes said differently. He elbowed his wife. “See. Told ya.”
Margo’s eyes were wide. A slow smile stretched across her face. “Yes, you sure did, but I didn’t believe it. I still can’t hardly believe it.”
Since they were both staring at me, I felt like I should be let in on the conversation. “What?” I asked.
“Oh, honey, Link’s not like that with anyone,” Margo said. “I’m surprised he hasn’t put a property patch on you yet.”
