“Why didn’t you ever plan our pig roasts?” another woman asked.
“Lincoln said that he didn’t want me to. Said that I planned other people’s parties all day, every day, and that when I was with him, he wanted me to relax and be with him, not worrying about what’s going on behind the scenes..”
“And you’re booked until the first of the year?” Mary asked.
“Solid, I am. I have some free time at the beginning of the year, not much, but some. I’m already working on weddings for next summer.” Addy frowned when she saw her expression. “Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, any of you. I love Burt to death and would do anything for that man. It’s just that our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary is in late February. Burt said he wasplanning something and I’m not to worry about it. Now again, don’t get me wrong, but I’d like to have something nice. Not a biker pig roast or a riding event. There’s freaking snow on the ground still. I want something fancy.” She sighed. “But I can’t fault him for trying.”
Addy studied the women, then decided to ask, “Why are you guys really here?” She knew something was up when they all looked at each other and couldn’t look her in the eye. “Don’t worry, I’ve been through a lot of shit in the last few months, I can handle whatever you have to say to me. I’m just surprised, because in my experience, women who break up with a patch holder are shunned by you.” She paused to gauge their reactions. “Don’t get me wrong. I can understand the reasoning behind it. The women can’t take sides, not if it’s a patch holder whose relationship broke up. A prospect is different, but you still can’t take sides.”
“So, you do understand.”
“Yes, but since we’re being honest here, just before my marriage broke up, matter of fact, it was the night before the annual pig roast. I had a wedding the day you guys set up. So, on that Friday, I mentioned to Lincoln that I didn’t think you guys even liked me. I didn’t feel slighted, just not accepted. I know a lot of that was on me, in the last year I wasn’t really there.” When no one said anything to deny her feelings, but they still couldn’t look her in the eye, Addy sighed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a lot of work to do.”
“We’ll get out of your hair then,” Mary said sadly, and as one the women turned and left.
Hours later the detectives returned and put her phone back to order and told her thank you for her cooperation.
“Did it work?”
“It did. She’s under arrest and asking for a lawyer so we can’t do anything yet. But she’s facing numerous changes. We’ll let you know if you’re needed to make a statement or testify.”
“Thank you,” Addy said, and after they left, she cleaned up her office and headed home for the day. However, she stopped off at the hospital on the way home to check on Lincoln. She still never said anything to him, just stood at the foot of his bed, with her hands on his feet, for her allotted time.
At the hospital she entered his room and saw two people standing there. Lincoln’s eyes were open, but he still had a tube in his throat. She looked up when the man approached her. “Thank you for calling us, Ms. Barker. We’ll take it from here.”
Addy clenched her teeth and hands to prevent herself from hitting the man. For god’s sake, he was her father-in-law and he still called her by her maiden name. Lincoln’s parents had never liked her. She nodded and looked at the bed and saw surprise on Lincoln’s face. “I’ll leave you to him then, Mr. Murphy.” She turned on her heel and left before her tears blinded her. She drove home and sat in the dark reflecting on her life, and realized that she had absolutely no friends that she could call and cry on their shoulders. She sat there in the dark for hours planning to make some changes in her life.
CHAPTER NINE
Several weeks later Greaser walked into the office at work and looked at Lincoln sitting behind the desk doing paperwork. “You okay?”
“The next person that asks me if I’m okay is going to get fucking shot!” Lincoln yelled angrily.
“Do you even own a gun?” Greaser grinned at his best friend.
“No, but I’m sure I can get one. What’s up?”
“We got that thing.” Greaser sighed as he settled into a chair across from the desk.
“Thing?” As soon as Abe heard that word, he whipped his head around to see if his wife was there.
“Remember? Burt’s daughter asked the officers of the club to meet her and her siblings at the Hastings Hotel?”
“Oh, yeah, that thing. What time?”
“Thirty minutes. Luckily she told us to come as we are.” They stood and made their way out to their trucks and drove to their destination. They met the other men and went inside to wait.
Addy hurried into the Hastings Hotel with her assistant, Beth, Brian was working a wedding and when Addy saw Heather standing there, she gushed, “Sorry, I’m running late.”
“Oh, you’re not late, but I don’t know if we can help your clients.”
“Why?”
“Hard to say, I don’t think they’d fit into what we do here.”
“Why don’t we see what they want before we judge?” Addy sighed. “We’ve worked together enough that you should know that I can handle any type of client by now. Let’s see what they want and then we can decide.”
