I watch her walk into the building with Principal Harrison, and I don't move until the doors close behind her. Then I turn to Chief Harrison.
"The warrant?" I ask, my voice pitched low so that no one else can hear.
He speaks just as low. "Judge signed it this morning. We're executing it tonight."
My heart starts pounding. "Tonight?"
"No point in waiting. The longer we sit on this, the more chance someone tips them off." He glances around the parking lot, making sure we're alone. "You and Devil need to be visible at the clubhouse tonight. Make sure you've got alibis."
"We will be."
"Good." He pauses. "How's she really doing?"
I look back at the school. "Better than she should be. Stronger than she should have to be."
"She's lucky to have you."
"I'm the lucky one." I run a hand through my hair. "Just make sure nothing happens to her today, Chief. I'm trusting you."
"And I'm trusting you to keep your head on straight when this all goes down." He meets my eyes. "We're close, Grant. Real close to shutting this whole operation down. Don't blow it now by doing something stupid."
"I won't."
He nods and heads back to his patrol car. I get in my truck and sit there for a minute, watching the school, before I finally pull out of the parking lot.
The drive to Saint's Outlaws garage takes about twenty minutes. When I pull in, the place is already busy. Devil's got the bay doors open, and I can see Storm working on a Harley that looks like it's seen better days.
"Morning," Devil calls out as I walk in. "How'd it go?"
"She's back at school. Chief Harrison's keeping an eye on things."
"Good. She needs to get back to normal." He wipes his hands on a rag. "Warrant got signed."
"I know. Chief told me. Tonight."
"Yeah." Devil's expression is grim. "I'm going to bring everyone to the clubhouse tonight for dinner. Say we're celebrating Allison going back to work. Plenty of witnesses to say we were nowhere near that warehouse."'
"Sounds good, I just hope it's enough."
He nods, laughing nervously. "You got work to do today?"
"Whatever you need."
"Oil changes and brake jobs. Nothing exciting, but it'll keep you busy."
That's exactly what I need. Something to keep my hands occupied so my mind doesn't spiral thinking about what's going to happen tonight, and if Allison is okay today. If the raid goes well, we'll have the evidence we need to bring down the Rebels and whoever in the Clark family is helping them. If it goes badly, all of this could blow up in our faces.
I spend the morning elbow-deep in engine oil, changing filters and checking fluid levels. The work is repetitive and soothing, and I lose myself in the rhythm of it. Around noon, my stomach starts growling, and I realize I haven't eaten since last night.
I head out back to where we've got a picnic table set up. It's nothing fancy, just a weathered piece of wood and benches that have seen better days, but it's a good place to take a break. It gets you away from most of the noise, and you don't have to worry about staining anything or getting it dirty.
I'm halfway through my sandwich when Lee comes out, his own lunch in hand. The prospect looks tired, but he's got a satisfied expression on his face. Kid's been working hard, and it shows.
"Mind if I sit?" he asks.
"Go ahead."
He settles across from me, and I watch as he pulls out his lunch. Bologna and white bread. Same as mine.
