“Detective Harvey,” Rigs says.
The name is familiar. He’s the club’s contact at Las Salinas PD.
Siege perks up and jerks his chin in a welcoming gesture. The officer nods. “How’s your prospect?”
Siege replies, “Rick is a tough fucker. He’s holding his own when better men would have been scraped off the pavement.”
“Ain’t that always the way with your crew, Siege. You’re some of the luckiest fuckers I’ve ever met.”
It’s weird to see a cop talk like a biker. I think it’s his way of creating rapport.
Rigs interjects, “We make our own luck.”
“Well, be as it may, I’m going to need to ask a few questions about what happened.”
Bear steps up, keeping his expression blank. “Ask away. I’ve got a pretty fucking good idea what happened.”
The detective takes out his phone and sets it to record. “Tell me what you know, Bear.”
Bear walks the detective through what he saw with my brother’s bike, specifically, his brake line was cut. This time I’m better able to pay attention to the images he shows. From the images, that’s exactly what it looks like.
He glances at me and asks, “Ma’am, were you riding with him this time? I rushed through the paperwork for your police check.”
I’m not sure if they told him about the break-in at our home. Just in case it’s not something that Bear wants their police contact to know I stick with the basic facts. “No. I wasn’t working today. I was at the clubhouse.”
I’m distracted by the video Bear made at the scene. Suddenly, I see someone I recognize. Reaching out, I snatch the phone out of Bear’s hand.
He lets me, asking, “What do you see, Nat.”
I reverse the video and zoom in on a face, the only one smiling in the whole crowd. “I recognize this man. He’s not from my father’s church but he’s a man they hired once when someone deserted the church and tried to cause trouble. My foster mother described him as a union buster with extra time on his hands.”
Handing the phone back to Bear, I say what I’m thinking out loud. “I don’t think this is a club vendetta. I think this is my foster family trying to sabotage what little stability I’ve found here.”
“You’re sure it’s him?” Bear asks.
The question catches me off guard and I reach out and take the phone again. I hesitate longer this time, looking over his facial features. When I look up at Bear, his gaze is on me, not the phone.
Sighing, I hand his phone back. “I think so. The face looks a little older but just like him.”
Rigs steps closer. “I think she’s right. Mattie was successful,” he states flatly. “CPS served your former foster parents with a removal order. They took all the foster kids out of the home and found emergency placements for them.”
“Are they okay?” I ask. I have sudden, awful images of the kids being dragged from their beds in the middle of the night.
Rigs smiles gently. “The kids are settling. Mattie made sure they all went to a place together. The foster parents, not so much. By all accounts they’re pissed.”
“They probably knew it was me,” I say quietly. “If so, that’s why they sent that church member to harass me and when they couldn’t get to me, they targeted my brother.”
Bear shakes his head slightly. “They might suspect you. That doesn’t mean they know or they sent anyone here. It’s more likely to be someone the club had a beef with circling around for round two. Men like your former foster father or that idiot he sent to scare you are cowards. They’re all talk and intimidation.”
Siege comes closer. His expression is guarded. “Bear is right. This sabotage has all the hallmarks of someone who is familiar with motorcycles and the way bikers operate. I don’t think there is a connection between your former foster parents and what happened to Rick.”
I frown at him. “Why not?”
“Because they’re drowning right now,” Zen says from across the room. The Savage Legion’s IT guy is one of the most intelligent men in the club, so I definitely want to hear more about what he has to say on this issue.
Zen gives me a slight, knowing grin. “Those assholes just lost one hundred percent of their income in one fell swoop. The evidence Mattie provided resulted in them losing their official designation as a foster home provider. They’re only worried about one thing right now and that’s how to get their livelihood back. They’re busy hiring lawyers to help them get their license and rebuild their credibility and image.”
“They likely wouldn’t have the time, energy or mental bandwidth to start something with us,” Rigs adds.
