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“Hey!” Sheriff Cross stood between his man and my lawyer with a scowl on his face before he ordered Massey to leave. He was gentler when he turned back to Kira. “She’s already been booked and processed, there’s nothing we can do to undo this. She has to be arraigned, but I’ll make sure her case is heard first.”
Kira turned to me with an expression of regret on her face. “Sorry Emma. You’ll have to stay here for the night.”
I was trying to stay calm, but I felt the dampness on my cheeks as a tear fell. “Will I get out tomorrow?”
“Absolutely,” she promised. “And I will be filing a formal complaint and a lawsuit, Sheriff. This is a vendetta against my client, whom you did nothing to protect over the years. If I didn’t know better, I’d say your whole damn department is compromised in some way.”
“I assure you that is not the case, Ms. St. Vincent.” His lips were pinched tight as if he was offended by the suggestion.
“All evidence to the contrary.” She rolled her eyes once more and turned to me. “I’ll be here bright and early for thearraignment. Ash is fine, worried but safe. Don’t say a word to anyone here, period. Got it?”
I nodded, thanked Kira for her help and then settled in for a long night in a cell and hoped it wouldn’t be my first of many nights.
Chapter 32
Slate
It took every ounce of willpower I could muster to stay away from the Sheriff’s Department knowing that Emma was being released today. It was a shitshow from the moment Massey showed up yesterday afternoon and knowing that Emma had been sitting inside a jail cell all this time pissed me off.
But Kira had ordered me to stay away, to stay home with Ash because in her words, “It wouldn’t look good to have her rush into the open arms of a local biker gang member.” I hated those fucking words and hated more that she was right. There were some people who thought we were a gang, not a motorcycle club—or they didn’t know the damn difference, so I took her advice.
It didn’t always matter what the truth was, just what the truth looked like. And with Massey determined to pin this on Emma, I had to make sure I wasn’t the reason it all got fucked up.
“Daddy, is Mommy really coming home today?” Ash asked as I got her ready. She had been hysterical last night, damn near inconsolable. I had to hold her in my arms for most of the night until she cried herself to sleep.
When I woke up this morning she was curled against my side. “Yep. Kira is going to bring her home.” She’d been texting updates every thirty minutes, probably to make sure I didn’t show up unexpectedly.
“We should make her breakfast. Shelovesbreakfast.”
“That is a good idea, Ash.” But I had an even better one, at least I thought so. “How about if we plan a party for her at the clubhouse?” I wasn’t sure if Emma would want to be here, the place where she was arrested, as soon as she got back.
“Yes!” She jumped up and down excitedly, clapping her hands as she wrapped her arms around my legs. “That would be so good!”
I placed a call to Rocky, who picked up right away. “How you doin’ brother?”
“Been better. Kira is getting Emma out and I was thinking she needs a warm welcome.”
“We got you, brother. Anything specific?”
I stared at Ash and smiled. “She really loves breakfast.”
“All right. Give us a few hours and we’ll take care of the rest.” Rocky ended the call before I said anything else. “Looks like we’re having a welcome home party.”
“Mommy will love it. No one ever gets to do nice things for her.”
That was exactly why I wanted to do this for her. Emma didn’t deserve the pile of shit that had been heaped on her shoulders lately and I wanted to do whatever I could to make things a little better.
***
An hour later Emma walked inside with Kira on her heels. “Ash!” She dropped to her knees and wrapped our little girl in her arms, closing her eyes as she hugged her close.
“Mommy, you’re home!”
It was a sight to see, mother and daughter hugging each other so tight that neither of them could breathe. Their love for one another was so obvious, so on display, that the ache in my heart area returned. I turned my attention to Kira, who flashed a knowing smile in my direction. “Kira, thanks for your help.”
“No problem. You know I love putting those assholes in their place.”
Ash gasped. “You said a bad word.”
