“Knox, wake up. Something’s going on downstairs. Viper just called and wants you to come down.”
Groggily sliding out of the bed, he stood up and grabbed his jeans from the floor before pulling them on. Turning back to the bed, he saw Evie going back to sleep. She always ended up sleeping in his bed with one or more of the other women members. His bed was the largest in the house and he liked waking up in the middle of the night with a woman available.
“Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Evie merely gave a mumbled reply to that.
Already wide-awake by the time he pulled on his boots and t-shirt, he left the room and headed towards the downstairs when he heard loud voices from the top of the stairs. Looking down, he saw Viper and Shade arguing with the Sheriff.
“This is bullshit. Knox didn’t touch that bitch!” Viper was yelling at the Sheriff.
“Calm down, Viper. Let’s hear him out,” Knox heard Shade’s calm voice.
Knox went down the steps and everyone turned to watch his approach. Knox began getting a bad feeling in his gut when he saw the grim looks on his friends’ faces.
“What’s up?” Knox asked the Sheriff.
“Samantha Bedford’s body was found this afternoon at the motel,” The sheriff replied while watching his reaction to the news.
Knox stiffened, already sensing where this was going.
“Knox has had nothing to do with that bitch since she attacked Beth; none of us have. She wasn’t allowed back here at the clubhouse, and after the stunt she pulled with Winter, Beth and Lily at the diner, we haven’t seen her.”
The sheriff didn’t say anything, just continued staring at Knox.
Knox could tell by the sheriff’s reaction that he already knew that Knox had spent some time with Samantha the day before.
“I saw her yesterday. She stopped her car after I crashed my bike.” The silence in the room became tangible.
“What happened then?” The sheriff probed.
Knox debated keeping his mouth shut, but by the look in the sheriff’s eyes, he already knew that Sam and Knox had been in the motel room.
“We went back to her hotel room and fucked. When Viper called, I left. She was breathing just fine when I walked out that door.” Knox stared back at the sheriff.
“Damn it, Knox,” Viper said angrily.
“You’re not going to say anything I didn’t say to myself.” Knox felt the anger of his brothers directed towards him.
“There are enough women here that you didn’t need that bitch. What were you thinking?” Viper asked the question on everyone’s mind.
“I wasn’t. She pulled out my dick and went down on me,” Knox said wryly.
“I have to take you in for questioning, Knox. There’s no way around it; the newspaper is involved. A witness saw you leaving her room and told the reporter.” Of course someone saw him, Knox thought wryly. Treepoint was full of busybodies.
Knox nodded, stepping forward. “Let’s go.”
Viper took his arm. “Don’t answer any more questions. I’ll get you a lawyer.” Knox nodded his head and went out the door with the sheriff following him closely.
As the approached the squad car, the sheriff held the passenger door to the front seat open for Knox. He ignored it, and instead he opened the door to the backseat, getting in. “No sense in giving anyone the chance to say that you didn’t do everything by the book.”
Sighing, the sheriff closed both doors before getting in the car. Knox stared out the car window as the sheriff pulled out of the club’s parking lot. As he leaned his head back against the seat, he had a sick feeling in his stomach that things were about to change, and not for the better.
*
Diamond poured herself a cup of coffee as she opened her newspaper, barely managing not to burn herself when she saw the headline. Murdered woman found at the motel. She read further on to discover that Samantha Bedford, a local woman that Diamond had never met, had been found by the maid sent in to clean the room.
Diamond moved to sit behind her desk as she read. It didn’t say how she had died, however it did mention that a local resident had seen a man leave the room hours before her body had been discovered. Although it didn’t state the man’s name, the article did say he had been brought in for questioning. Diamond was sure she wouldn’t know him anyway; she hadn’t lived in Treepoint long and hadn’t met many of the residents yet.
She heard the phone ring, but didn’t move to answer it. She had hired a secretary part-time to answer her phone and mail. She really couldn’t afford the added expense right now, yet with the new criminal cases she was taking, the secretary helped ease her workload.
“You’re due in court in twenty minutes,” a soft voice said from the doorway.