I finally had solid evidence to prove that the DA was involved, that El Diablo had been the one orchestrating this whole thing from the very beginning, but it was only going to make things much more difficult to prove. I was sure that the DA was no stranger to tampering with evidence, and I knew that if I let this video get into the wrong hands, it was going to be lost before anyone could have the chance to see it. I just couldn’t let that happen, and so I had to make sure that no one else knew about its existence.
“What is it, Moves?”
“Open up, I have something I need to show you,” I said, and he unlocked the screen door, letting me inside. I collapsed onto his couch, running my palm along my face out of pure frustration.
“I made a little visit to Las Balas’ new shop, trying to see if there was anything there that could point us to the truth and something that would lead to Chalupa’s freedom, but what I saw instead made me wonder if we’re ever going to get out of this,” I said, pulling out my cell phone and handing it to Hawk with the video clearly displayed so he could see for himself.
“How the hell is this even possible? What would the DA want that El Diablo could give him?” Hawk asked, and I wished I had any of those answers.
“I have no idea, but something tells me this has been in the works for quite some time, and that means we’re going to have much more trouble on our hands than I initially realized,” I confessed, and Hawk shook his head, unable to believe that this was the evidence I’d found.
“What are we going to do? I’m sure the DA already has a plan in place, a viable alibi that would keep him from ever being caught.”
“Videos and timestamps don’t lie, unfortunately. If this got into the right hands and it was verified, then we would be able to prove that this entire case has been dirty from the very beginning,” I said.
“And if it gets into the wrong hands then there just won’t be any saving Chalupa or the rest of us, will there?” I shook my head.
“We just have to make sure that doesn’t happen, so don’t tell anyone about the video, because I have yet to figure out who I can trust to use this to the best of our advantage. It’s a smoking gun if we figure out how to use it properly, I just don’t know who to turn to right now.” He looked at me like I already knew who I should be talking to about this, but I shook my head, realizing that it could very well be a terrible idea.
“You’re gonna have to tell Lacey about this. If there’s one thing I know about that girl it’s that she would do anything for the truth, and she was always going to stand up for what was right,” he said, and even though I agreed with him I was worried that she just wasn’t going to want to help.
“As much as that may be true, I don’t even think she wants to see me right now. I don’t even think she would hear me out after what I did.”
He glared at me, trying to figure out what I could’ve possibly done.
“What did you do, Moves?”
“I slept with her and then I left her right as the sun came up, because for the first time in my entire life, I felt something. I went running scared because I had no idea how to deal with any of those emotions, and now she has every right to hate me. How am I going to get her to help us now?” I asked, and he looked at me like I already knew the answer to that question.
Hawk gave me a stern look. “You’re going to have to fix things with her, and you’re going to have to get her on our side because I believe that’s the only chance we have of seeing this through.”
“I’ll try my best, but what if she doesn’t want to see me?”
“Then you’re going to have to own up to those emotions that scared you and finally tell her how you feel.”
I knew he had a point, but I’d never been the kind of person that would be good in a relationship, much less one with a lawyer. There was no way that I could ever be good enough for a woman like Lacey, and I felt like she was going to leave me in the dust when she realized that she could have anyone she wanted. She seemed like the type to fall for the rich, notable lawyers, not a biker who was struggling to make his way every day. I had to at least tell her the truth. After what I’d done, I at least owed her that.
Twenty-Four
Lacey
I couldn’t help but feel the hurt creep back in every time I closed my eyes, standing under the shower head in my bathroom trying to wash the sand and the memories away. I felt the warmth encapsulate me, allowing me to dive into my feelings without the worry that Mona was going to rush in asking if I was okay.
I wanted to set aside my feelings, to remember that it was probably all just a hookup to him, and that he didn’t feel things the way I did. I felt like it was my own fault for getting involved with a biker, without ever asking him if he’d felt what I had been feeling the last few weeks, and I got involved looking for a bit of adventure, but all I got was hurt.
I tried to forget the memory of last night, tried to set aside the fact that Moves probably only ever saw me as a conquest, someone that he wanted to sleep with, but he didn’t care much about what happened after that. It was exactly the kind of thing that I’d been afraid of, and it was what had held me back so long when it came to even entertaining the idea.
I hoped that it was just one big misunderstanding, that he was going to find his way back into my life and make it up to me for leaving without so much as saying goodbye. If I had only known what I was getting myself into, I probably would’ve convinced myself to stay away, to protect my heart, because now it was absolutely shattered.
I got out of the shower, wrapped my body in a towel, and wiped off the mirror so I could get a good look at my sullen reflection. I closed my eyes, trying to take a deep breath, but all I could focus on was how incredible Moves’ touch had been, how amazing it felt to have him hover over me, kiss every inch of my body, and make me feel like no one ever had before.
I knew that I had to work on forgetting all of that, otherwise I was just going to end up hurting myself time and time again, while he was out there getting back to a sense of normalcy in his life. I wasn’t sure that I was ever going to have that again, because I’d gotten so caught up in everything with the Outlaw Souls that I had no evidence to show the DA, and I could only imagine that my career was going to take a big hit after this one. I’d never been more disappointed in myself than I was right now, and I would’ve done anything to get that time back.
I sighed, slipping into a pair of sweats, not even in the mood to look over my case files again, because in my heart I already knew that Ortega’s was clean and there was no criminal activity happening there. I didn’t know how else to tell the DA that there just wasn’t anything to find, especially because he was so convinced that there was, but now I was starting to feel like he was going to take it out on me.
I still wondered why I’d been chosen for the job, what that spiel the DA gave me at the very start of all of this really meant, because I was starting to wonder whether someone else would’ve been able to do a much better job than I ever could. I knew that Richard wouldn’t have found himself getting caught up in the lives of these people, people he barely knew.
I realized that I barely knew them either, and even though I was trying everything in my power to get to know them, to understand how their world worked, it was much harder than I could’ve ever imagined.
