“You missed our monthly drinks last night. And you didn’t return my calls. I was worried about you. After what happened at your house…”
Damn. She’d totally forgotten about the monthly meet-up with her self-defense class. After moving to Conundrum, she’d taken the course as part of a therapy program to get over Jimmy’s abuse, and made some close, supportive friends, including Doug. After the course finished, Doug suggested a monthly drinks night to stay in touch, and Dawn had never missed a night.
“I’m so sorry. I totally forgot. I was at … a party.” She couldn’t bring herself to tell him she’d spent the night becoming Cade’s old lady in more ways than one.
“Good to hear you’re getting out.” He fiddled with the napkin on the table. “I thought maybe you’d turned to the dark side and joined the Sinners. Your friend Cade can be pretty overbearing. Kinda like Jimmy.”
Ouch. That stung. And so unlike Doug she almost couldn’t believe he’d said it. Sharp barbs were so not Doug’s style.
“He’s nothing like Jimmy.” Aside from the violence, beatings, and torture that seemed to be as much a part of Sinner life as it was with the Brethren. But the violence was directed outside the club, not in.
Doug clasped Dawn’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I came to see you this morning because I’ve got some exciting news. We’ve been through the tapes from the bus shelter and the sheriff agrees we have enough evidence to charge Jimmy for assault. When we bring him in, we’ll question him about the break-in as well.”
“That’s great.” She smiled through clenched teeth while her stomach twisted in a knot. What had she been thinking? There was no way the police would be able to hold Jimmy. Once he was out on bail, he’d come for her, and he would show no mercy. Where would the police be then? According him due process while she bled out on the floor? Although she hated to admit it, the biker system worked better. There was no presumption of innocence, no proof beyond a reasonable doubt. There were no long delays before trial, plea bargains, or paying off judges. Jimmy did something bad, Jimmy was punished. End of story.
“You don’t sound happy.” He released her hand and sank back in the booth.
“How long can you hold him?” This plan didn’t just put her at risk; it put Cade at risk, too. She didn’t want to see him dead on the street as a result of Jimmy’s wrath.
“You’re afraid of the repercussions.” Disappointment laced his tone and Dawn instantly felt contrite.
“There’s just other stuff going on right now…” She hesitated, weighing her words. Club business couldn’t be discussed outside the club and now that she was ostensibly a Sinner, she had to be careful what she said. “Stuff that will make Jimmy more volatile than usual. If you can’t hold him, he’ll come after me the second he’s out on bail.”
Stan coughed discreetly and she pulled out her order pad and gave him a wave. He knew Doug was a cop and he wouldn’t intervene the way he had with Cade. Still, she didn’t want to push what little advantage she’d just bought herself.
“I have to work, Doug. But I’ve changed my mind. Can we just pretend I didn’t give the statement?” If her plan to find out who had filmed the setup panned out, she might be able to get her girls back without provoking Jimmy, and then she could find another way to deal with him. Now that she was a Sinner she had access to an entirely new set of tools, and they didn’t involve civilian law. She’d already crossed the legal line long ago; she just needed a little kick to cross it again, and Sinners had done that for her.
“I can’t do that.” Doug’s face crumpled. “The sheriff is involved. He intends to wage war against all bikers, and he’s going to use Jimmy as an example.”
“You won’t have a case without a witness. I won’t testify against him.”
“Dawn…” Doug laced his fingers through hers and stroked his thumb along her hand, a decidedly intimate gesture that sent her pulse skittering. Except for that night outside her house, he’d never crossed the friendship line, and this small, earnest gesture was definitely more than friendship.
“We can protect you. I can protect you. That’s what the police do. That’s what the system is there for.”
“I made the biggest mistake of my life when I thought I could rely on the system to get my girls back.” Dawn gently removed her hand from his grasp. “Not only was the system not there for me, Jimmy was able to turn it against me. I should have known. When Jimmy beat me, the cops would never come out, no matter how many times I called, and eventually I just gave up.”