Page 89 of Single Mom's Biker Brigade
I’d have loved to be there, to be right in the thick of the action, but while we were welcome to help from the sidelines, I didn’t dare enter that house with Hart out of respect for the case he’d built. If we showed up on camera, there would be too many questions.
So I throttled back and stopped a block away in one of the safe zones Diesel had pointed out somewhere around midnight when he and Hart tagged cameras.
“Got one trying to destroy evidence.” The voice I didn’t recognize continued. “Looks like the lieutenant. Caught him trying to destroy phones and dump a bag of documents. Evidence secured.”
Fuck that had been close. We had the ledger photos, which gave us a lot of information, but anything this crew had would only help build the case against them, especially if Hart could cross reference more matching data.
“Secondary units engage. Close in on all locations. We’re still looking for Ridge.” Anger threaded through the radio as Hart cursed. “Let’s go.”
An hour later, confirmation came through the comms. The Hellhounds had lost their leverage and all plausible deniability. There was something to be said for a sanctioned pressure campaign that came off without a hitch. Now they were exposed and if Hart continued to do his job, we were all safe. Except he hadn’t managed to find Ridge or secure a warrant for him.
“Circle back.” I gave the order to go home and turned around. Adrenaline pumped, but I managed to keep it under control. Would’ve been nice to storm the compound and get a first-hand account of everything but like Callie agreeing to stay in the safe room, I had to do what was best for my guys and to make sure every conviction held enough weight to stick.
I drove to the property with the radio chatter in my ear and the wide open road helping bleed out the adrenaline so that by the time I parked and made my way to the safe room, I no longer had that narrow focus of one objective.
Everything rushed in at once, and I paused at the top of the steps leading down to the door where my heart and soul remained quiet but safe. I knocked twice and Colt opened the door, stepping back and to the side with a finger against his lips.
Callie sat on the single bed, her back against the wall and Cody in her lap. He’d curled into a ball, his entire body drawn up into the hoodie except for one hand that held a fistful of Callie’s shirt.
Her eyes remained closed, the sunken cheeks and dark shadows beneath her eyes almost convincing me not to wake her up. But she’d want to know. She deserved to know that we’d made serious progress tonight.
I sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand between mine. “Callie.” I wasn’t the kind of man who softened my words, but I did temper the usual hardness. “We did it. The Hellhounds can’t come after you anymore.”
Her eyelashes fluttered, a moment of sleepiness clouding her face before it cleared. She inhaled deeply and blinked. “If this is a dream, I’m going to be so pissed off.”
Colt snorted a laugh behind her.
“You’re not going to ask if I’m sure?” I almost grinned. It would be completely in line with Callie to question me a million different ways until she was satisfied with my answer.
She rested her cheek against Cody’s head and squeezed my fingers. “I trust you, Hawk.”
“It’s not completely over. You still need to give an official statement.”
“Hawk.” Diesel stepped into the room. His choppy hair stood up on one side where he’d been riding, but the way he stood in the doorway with his hands curled into fists kept me from pointing it out.
“Yeah?”
“Got another update.” His gaze skipped from me to Callie and back to me. “Hart got the last warrant. He has what he needs to go after Ridge.”
I stood and rubbed my hands together, the adrenaline returning so fast everything else fell away. “We finish it today.”
33
CALLIE
Twelve hours after Hawk found me in the safe room, I stood outside the police station–again–with Hawk at my side. God I was already tired of this place and I’d only been here twice this year. There would be more visits. No doubt I’d have to be there for trials and all sorts of stuff I’d rather avoid.
Avoiding the problem didn’t make it go away. It had taken me a while to learn that, and I didn’t dare give in to my urge to stick my head in the sand and pretend none of my problems existed.
“Diesel is on the perimeter and Colt just checked in.” Hawk took my hand and brought it to his lips. “You can do this, Callie. Your statement is the final piece that ties it all together.”
“I know.” But hearing him say it helped calm my racing pulse. I took the first step, then the next. “And I’m sure Agent Hart will love hearing that you’re here to make sure the Vultures don’t get framed as the aggressor.”
“Hey, I trust Hart. It’s everyone else who might try and twist the narrative.” He kept his lips in a flat line, but hints of amusement glittered in his eyes. “Colt isn’t happy about being left out.”
“He’ll be okay.” I managed a smile. He’d pouted almost as convincingly as Cody when Hawk told him to stay behind and keep watch. But he did it, kissing my cheek and promising me that he understood being a father meant doing whatever it took to keep the kid breathing. He’d smiled as he said it, and we both realized that he’d genuinely settled into the role of Cody’s father.
We entered the police station side by side, and the same woman behind the desk half rose from her seat.
