“Now what?”she asked, sounding defeated.He watched, helpless, as she pressed the heel of her hand into her chest and rubbed, as if it would soothe away the ache of her parents’ betrayals.She looked from face-to-face around the large carved table in church.Raven had told them to use it.This was the best space for them to sit down and talk this out, without being constantly interrupted or disturbing Pike and Kraken as they kept an eye on the compound’s security.
“Read through this.Make sure there’s nothing you object to, then sign it.We’ll get Werner to sign it, then file it.Once filed, we’ll reach out to the judge.As soon as the judge signs it, you’re legally free.”Hawkeye slid a stack of papers a half inch thick across the table.“If there’s anything you want changed, let us know.We’ll get Fletch to make the changes, then you can sign it.Remember, the longer you take to sign, the longer it will take for a judge to finalize.”
She nodded and pulled the pages toward her.
“Do you mind if I take this out in the other room to read?It will take me a few minutes.I need to grab something to drink and I want to check on Carter.”
“That’s fine.We’ll be here when you’re done, or in the other room.”Hawkeye jerked one thumb over his shoulder indicating the command center.
“Want me to come with you?”Smokey asked.
“No.I’m good.I’m sure you have other things to talk about.”She looked from him to Hawkeye, then Dagger and Raven before looking back at him.“I’ll come see you if I have questions.I promise.”
“All right.”He stood, kissed the top of her head and watched her leave.
“What are we going to do about that dipshit and his father?Oh.How’s Hunter doing?”Smokey asked.He’d seen David earlier and knew the prospect was sore, and would be for a couple of days but he wasn’t hurt too badly.
“Hunter will heal.It will take a few weeks before Freud will let him back on a bike, but he’ll be well enough to do things like man the gate or watch camera feeds in a couple of days.”
Smokey nodded.He hated knowing that one of his brothers, even if it was a prospect, had been hurt dealing with Tania’s business.But that was part of this life, and part of what Hunter had signed up for.If he hadn’t known it when he’d joined, then he did now, and better that he learned it now than after he was fully patched in, especially if it turned out to be a deal breaker for him.
From what Smokey knew of Hunter, he didn’t think it would be but still, you had to wonder when something big came up like this.And it was good to know he would heal, and it wouldn’t be like Spider, who had been in Bozeman for a month now, and from the looks of things, wouldn’t be coming home for several more.
“As for Werner Junior, we’ll keep him here until he signs the divorce papers and they’re filed.I emailed his supervisor, pretending to be him of course, and told him Werner had an emergency and needed a couple of days off.After the paperwork is filed and we’ve contacted the judge, then we’ll let him go, for now, with him thinking that as long as he keeps his mouth shut, he’s free and clear, at least with us.Werner Sr.is more complicated.We don’t have any leverage on him, and other than what he did we have no tie to him, which is both good and bad.It means we could eliminate him now, and other than Jr knowing that we know, and possibly pointing the finger at us, there’s no reason for anyone to look at the Angels,” Raven said.
“Can I make a suggestion?”Dagger asked, leaning forward.
Raven nodded.
“I know I’m coming in part way through, but from what I’ve seen, we can scare Junior into silence, let Senior go.For now.Give it six months, maybe a year, then we arrange for the two of them to have a fatal accident.”Dagger paused to look around the table.“It’s disappointing when you’re looking for revenge, or even justice, but it keeps us in the clear and it eliminates them.And if we can arrange for their worlds to fall down around them in the meantime, even better.And with the world falling down around them, we can watch them spiral, that will feed that need for revenge.”
Each of the men looked around the table, meeting gaze after gaze.
Smokey didn’t like it.He wanted to be able to make that fucker pay for hurting Tania.He wanted to make sure he had every bruise he’d given her.If they went with Dagger’s plan, he wouldn’t be able to do that.But it would likely make Tania feel better about the whole thing.Because if we went for the long game when dealing with the Werners, Smokey wouldn’t be telling her that the accident wasn’t as much of an accident as it appeared.She could feel good about it, and he would feel better knowing that the threat was gone.
“I see what you’re saying,” Smokey said, “but I have some concerns.How do we keep either one of them from trying to hurt Tania?And I don’t mean just physically.If her father in law would show up and shoot strangers with no warning, what else might he do?Would he show up here and try to get to her?Would he hire someone to kill her?I don’t know the man and I don’t want to but I can’t leave that threat to my woman and my kid out there.”
“Senior is who shot Hunter?”Dagger asked.
Smokey and Raven nodded.
“Shit.Then we can’t leave him on the streets.If he’ll do that, he’s too unpredictable to have in town with any of our women.”
“But can we manage it without it blowing back on us?”Raven asked, looking around the table.“We should get Bear, Chain, and Shotgun to go together.The three of them are the best at figuring how to make something look like an accident.”He pinned Smokey with his gaze.“You were excellent when it came to blowing the Demon’s clubhouse but stealth isn’t your strength.Take care of your family.Do what it takes to convince your woman to stay, get to know your kid, we’ll make sure all the women are safe.”
Smokey nodded.He hated that he couldn’t have his hands in whatever was going to happen to the Werners.“What about her parents?”He shook his head.Smokey couldn’t imagine having someone who is supposed to be on your side, who is supposed to fight for you always, to do something like that.Not just hide her inheritance, but to steal it.It blew him away.
“I’m not sure.I’d like to string them up for this.They basically sold her so they could have a portion of money that was never meant for them.”Dagger shook his head.“It’s the same as human trafficking, but socially acceptable.”
Several heads nodded around the table.
“I know it’s disappointing, or at least not as satisfying, but I’m going to suggest we let the law take care of her parents, for a couple of reasons.”Raven looked around the table, taking in everyone’s reactions.“Partly because if we do something to them, she may hold it against us, or at least Smokey, and that’s no way to start a relationship.Fletch is desperate for things to do, I say we hand it over to him, give him whatever retainers, power of attorney or whatever he needs to handle it all.He’s got the contacts to make sure it’s investigated and they are prosecuted.”He paused as if waiting for input.When no one said anything, he continued.“They end up paying for their crimes, but at least to Tania, it was their own doing.”
Smokey stared at his president for a moment.He wanted to be able to use his fists.He needed to hit something, or better, someone, but this all worked out to look like that wasn’t going to happen.
“But in the meantime,” Hawkeye spoke, “We’ve got someone downstairs who could use a little...persuasion.”
“Persuasion?”Smokey asked, lifting one brow at the tech sergeant.
