Lacey
This is a stupid idea. I didn’t even pull out any parts from my car this time. They are not going to believe I have car trouble for one second, so I better come up with something fast.
Hearing the bell ring overhead, I waited patiently for someone to come out to help me. It felt like ages before the door opened, but when I glanced up at the man standing before me, I was truly shocked. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility that Moves could be there, and it made me feel even more uneasy now that he could see right through me. He was a smart man, and I could already tell that he was suspicious about the fact that I just turned up unannounced.
I was worried that he was going to call everyone out here, expose me for being a lawyer, and then proceed to tell them that I was working for the DA. I already had a hunch that he knew, but I wasn’t going to be sure until he told me himself.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, and I didn’t know how to answer him, but I knew I had to think of something quick.
“I came to apologize, Moves. I know that we left things abruptly the other night after I told you what I do for a living, but I didn’t think that would be much of a problem for you,” I said to him, watching his cold exterior start to soften the more I spoke.
“It is a problem for me, Lacey. As nice of a girl as you are, I just can’t see myself getting involved with you now, especially knowing that you’re a lawyer,” he said, making it sound like it was the worst thing in the world.
“Why is that?” I asked, trying not to pry too much to the point where he started to believe that I had an ulterior motive.
“It’s more complicated than I can explain right now, and I think it’s best that we don’t talk about it anymore.”
As he spoke, everyone else came out to join us. I caught sight of Lily and Bailey, realizing that they all belonged to the Outlaw Souls. I hadn’t put the pieces together at first, but now I began to see that they were all like a family around here. The biker the LPPD had picked up was there too, although he was hanging back, trying to look inconspicuous. At the party, I guessed they didn’t connect me with the case. Why would they? I was just a lawyer. But after what had happened since then, I was sure Moves would fill in the blanks for them.
“Oh my God, Lacey!” screamed Lily, heading in to embrace me, until she stood back and had a look at the expression of everyone else in the room, realizing that there was something going on there that she didn’t initially pick up on.
“It’s nice to see you all again. I recognize each of your faces, except for yours,” I said, turning to the mysterious older man, but I had a hunch I knew exactly who he was.
“You guys can go ahead, we got this,” Moves said, and they all took off except for him and the mystery man.
“I’m not sure I know your name, but I think you might be the man that had a really nice time with my best friend. She just can’t seem to stop talking about you. She’s been wanting to get in touch with you again, and I can tell that she likes you, so why don’t I give you her number?” I offered, and the man nodded.
“My name is Hawk, and thank you. That would be very kind,” he said, and I smiled, scribbling Mona’s number down on a piece of paper and handing it to him. He immediately took off in the other direction, and I could see him pulling out his cell phone in the corner of my eye.
“I think the two of them really did hit it off,” I said, trying to lighten the mood between Moves and me, even though I was quite sure he was still undecided about me.
“You really are something, Lacey. I don’t know what it is about you, but you don’t seem like the type of lawyer that wants to cause trouble. You see, we’ve dealt with a lot of dirty cops and lawyers trying to put us behind bars for things we had no involvement in for a very long time, so forgive me for being quite harsh earlier. I’m just looking out for everyone else around here,” he said, and it was nice to know that he was so protective of them all.
“Trust me, I’m not here to cause any trouble. I may be a lawyer by occupation, but right now I’m just a friend trying to help my best friend get in touch with the guy she likes,” I said, lying through my teeth.
“Well, I appreciate you coming down here to do that,” he said. I thought that we were starting to get somewhere, but all he did was lead me back to my car and bid me goodbye. I took off, knowing that if I stayed trying to sniff around, Moves was going to start to suspect me. Right now, I needed him to trust me if I was going to get more evidence and find out what was really happening around there.
I could tell that he was still a bit uneasy, and when I left Ortega’s, I felt my stomach turn at the thought of how Moves made me feel. He made it incredibly clear that he couldn’t get involved with someone like me, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was starting to feel quite attracted to him, even if I wasn’t sure what his involvement was in all of this.
I wanted to believe that everyone there had been innocent and that I was just trying to fill in the blanks, but I knew I had to stay alert. I didn’t want to find myself thinking about a man that could possibly have been involved in breaking the law, and until I was sure that he or the other members of the Outlaw Souls had anything to do with the stolen car and chop shop allegations, I couldn’t allow myself to consider any kind of relationship with him.
I returned home that night to find Mona in the kitchen making dinner. It was the first time I’d seen her lift a finger around the house willingly in a while, and I could already tell by the smile on her face that Hawk had reached out to her. I was glad that in the middle of all of this, she’d found some happiness, and I just wanted her to be careful because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she got involved in something dangerous. I knew that she was doing everything she could to help me out with the case, even though she didn’t have to, and I appreciated her so much for sticking out her neck for me.
“I take it that me giving Hawk your number wasn’t a mistake?” I asked teasingly.
“Thank you, Lacey. I truly didn’t know when I was going to see him again, and while we haven’t quite worked out those details yet, it’s certainly a start,” she said.
“I’m just glad you’re happy, Mona. Though I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy that you opted to cook instead of ordering in,” I said.
She grinned at me. “I know it’s a bit of a shock, but I wanted to treat my best friend for supporting me through this, because you’re not the only one that hasn’t been dating much lately. I’m not sure that anything substantial is going to come from it, but I’m willing to try.”
I was glad that she still had a healthy amount of doubt, especially because she wouldn’t be able to be sure that he wasn’t involved in any criminal activity until she found out for herself. I hated that I had to count on her to find out these things instead of it being the other way around, but I just had to make sure that I did everything I could to protect her.
She was indulging in a little young infatuation, giddy, excited, and ready for just about anything. I didn’t want to take any of that away from her on account of a few suspicions that really didn’t have much merit at that point. I promised myself that I was going to hold out at least until I knew more, or until she found out something that would prove that Ortega’s was in fact harboring criminal activity.
“Please, sit. I need your advice on how exactly this date might go,” she said, and I took the seat next to her, talking about all the things she loved about this guy. I tried to keep my head up, to not let her in on the fact that I was worried she was making a terrible mistake even though I needed her to stay in touch with Hawk so I could keep an eye on the rest of the Outlaw Souls.
I was also under a lot of pressure from the DA to see this case through, and if I turned up empty-handed at the end of this, he was going to take what was left of my career to the chopping block.
