Sheriff Michaels

Getting in this morning, I’m a bit surprised reading the log from the night before. Not often that “vagrants” get picked up around here so I tell Kennelly to hold off on releasing them. With all the issues around here lately, figure it’s worth looking into so I pull their IDs and that’s when things get interesting.

I’ve had one official murder in my jurisdiction in the five years I’ve been in office. Not that I’m stupid enough to think that murders haven’t been committed around here during that time. I was on the force for ten years before this office came open, my mentor and predecessor sat my ass down early on and told me the facts of this job.

The fucking MC rules the area, those of us with badges just put a pretty face on why we have little to no crime around here. Our best bet is to ignore them, or like the old Sheriff did, invest where they do.

The one gun-related murder in this area in the last five years was Rusty’s bar-back. I’d been in there and seen Bree on several nights, I’d seen her out walking her dog, and then really got a sense of her when she stormed into my office the first time Kennelly gave her a ticket for having her dog off-leash in an empty park.

I looked into her and knew her background. I had called my Navy buddy in Chicago, he’s a cop there now; I’d had her husband’s case file two months before Reynaldo’s brother came hunting her. That the cops never followed any leads in Chicago confirmed what my gut told me; she may have killed a man, but she sure as fuck didn’t kill an innocent man.

Randy was no innocent, so I kept the investigation superficial and will just have to sleep with that. Her eyes when I told her the case was closed eased me a bit. She may be a murderess but it weighs on her in a way that I don’t believe it will ever be repeated; more than any prison sentence could.

Her need to avenge her husband was a surprising turn-on for me, but Flint was there first; besides, I don’t want the women in town talking about me.

Now, I just have to figure out if our caged guests have a beef with Flint. They’ve been hitting the businesses he has a share in pretty hard.

*

Of the three kids in my jail cells, I could only track down 2 IDs; the third swears he’s 18, but he’s my weak link so I just nod along and get him to an interview room and get him a bagel from the break room.

I sit there watching him eat, letting him get comfortable.

“Been up from Utah long?” I ask before he takes his last bite. He immediately nods.

“Couple months,” He says without thinking then realizes that he wasn’t supposed to be admitting to anything.

“You wet your bed?” I throw out next, angering him. “That’s what they say about psychos that torture and skin defenseless animals.”

“I never fucking did anything lik…”

“Then which one of your buddies down there did?” I sit and watch him, he’s looking everywhere but at me. “You? You I peg for the rocks through the lady’s windows. Fingerprints are due back later today actually.” I lie my ass off.

“I wore…Fuck. Shit man,” Kid’s face is getting all red and he looks like he’s gonna cry now.

“I need to call your parents in here?”

“I don’t have any, and I’m eighteen. I told you that.” He insists, but I just sit there silently again. A few minutes later, he’s had all he can take of that. “What are you going to do with me? I didn’t kill no animals, I swear.”

“Flint Kelly.” I say, looking for his reaction. And there it is…I smile to myself. “Why don’t you come for a ride with me.”

“Uh, you letting us go?” For some reason, he looks like he wants to stay here now.

“Nah, your buddies are going to enjoy the cells a bit longer. Come on now.” I lead the way out and secure him in the back of my truck.

Bree

“How long have you and Jasper been together?” I ask Emma as we fold the laundry together.

“We met last fall. Went to the courthouse with Flint to make it official right after Christmas.” She smiles at the memory. “Betsy and Amy put together a party for us the next day.”

“Is Amy another Girlie?” I ask.

“Sorry, I forgot you haven’t met everyone – I’m just going to blame all lapses on new-mother-brain, alright?” She smiles and I see how easy Emma is to like. “Amy is Wrench’s Ol’ Lady, they have three kids. She’s really sweet, actually, Betsy is also; some of the other Girlies? Not so much.”

“Action-packed year for you then! Wedding and twins.” I smiled back at her.

“I’ll tell you the rest of it another time.” Her smile has faded away, but Betsy’s arrival makes it less awkward.

I can see what everyone means about Betsy. She may dress about how I expected a Girlie to dress, but she comes across a little shy until she starts talking about the budget, upcoming needs for things around the clubhouse, and one of the probies initiation party in a few days. She really knows her stuff. I just sit back and listen, until Emma gets up when one of her twins start crying.

“I saw you at Rusty’s a time or two,” Betsy turns to me, seemingly nervous without Emma in the room. “I, ah, well, the guys, some of them were talking that you’re with Flint?”

“Yeah, I think we finally agreed on that point.” I smile back at her.

“He actually had me order a Property cut a little while back, I hadn’t heard a thing about him being involved with anyone, but I forced Russian to tell me.” She winks at me. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” I raise an eyebrow in her direction.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“No. I won’t say a word; just not used to…well, MC stuff.” I assure her. “So this initiation thing your planning, what is that…” I trail off when I see the look of panic across her face.

“Um, it’s Royce’s, and he’s well, he can get a bit carried away.” She looks like she trying to explain a kegger to her grandmother. Actually, orgy might be a better term; but she’s saved from further stuttering when Flint and Jasper walk into the house together.

Flint quickly crosses to me but his phone rings before he can kiss me. With just a pause in his step, he does lay one on me, then picks it up. Behind him, I can see Betsy’s face and she looks like she’s watching the kiss at the end of her favorite Disney movie.

Flint

“There’s someone I think you should meet.” Sheriff Michaels immediately says. “Where can we meet?”

“You know where Gunner’s workshop is?” I reply after considering options.

“Be there in ten.” Click.

I hold up my finger when Jasper and Emma start to question me, wanting to dial Gunner first.

“Yeah, Boss?” He answers.

“Sheriff wants to meet me, I told him your workshop. Meet us there?” Gunner grunts and hangs up.

“Jasper, you stay here with them.” He nods but I can see Bree start to open her mouth. I lean back down, cupping her face as I kiss her. “Shouldn’t be too long, Doll. I got Russian covering for you at Rusty’s, was hoping I can take you out to dinner tonight?”

“Where you’ll tell me what’s going on?” She smirks back at me; knowing I was trying to distract her. I nod but only cause she’s got me by the balls. I’m pretty sure she knows that too.

*

Ten minutes later, I watch Michaels’ truck pull up the drive towards the barn that Gunner converted for his workshop. As he pulls alongside me, a kid is looking at me bug-eyed from the back seat.

“You ever see him before?” Michaels starts by way of greeting.

“Do I look like I hang out with junior high kids?” I smirk back at him.

“Claims he’s eighteen.” He laughs, shaking his head. “Kinda getting tired about how many people think I’m the village idiot.”

“Don’t worry, that title’s reserved for Kennelly,” I assure him.

“So the kid and his two buddies, one actually is eighteen and the other is in his early twenties, and they all got picked up last night. Kennelly was going to release them but I pulled this one out for a chat. He flinched at your name, but I don’t think he’s the one killing small animals; the older one was getting twitchy, I’d say he was coming down from something. Had that look about him, anyway.” Michaels explains. “This one though, I think we can get it all out of him…”

“No ‘we’, Sheriff,” I state. “How about you just let me slide in there with him and I’ll get a statement from him?”

“He’s a kid, Flint. Probably just following the other two, don’t want him mixed up in this if he doesn’t need to be.” Michaels’ lets out a breath before tensing up at Gunner’s arrival. “Stay where you are Gunner, we’re just having a chat.”

I nod to Gunner to back that up, Michaels doesn’t care for the big guy much.

Without another word, I slide into the seat next to the kid.

“What are you doing? What do you want?” He immediately sputters out but I just sit and watch him.

“I didn’t do nothing.” He mutters next.

“Was the lawyer’s office your idea?” I ask quietly, and his eyes brighten for a second before he looks away. “Michaels don’t think much of the other two guys you were with, so that makes me wonder who thought of getting the list of my businesses. A man who thinks that way could be useful around here.”

And there it is, this kid is young and probably been bounced around a lot but he’s not dumb. And I just gave him the only hope he’s had in a long while.

“I didn’t have any place left to go; they wanted revenge for their family. I mean their uncles, Spiders. I just tagged along up here.” He finally says, trying to make eye contact. “One of them worked at the pizza place you bought back home, saw your name on something so they decided to come and fuck with you.”

“So the lawyer’s office we’ve established. Best tell me what else you did.”

“The rocks and some graffiti.” He looks disgusted. “That thing with the rabbits, I swear to God it wasn’t me. Fucking sick shit.”

“My Ol’ Lady didn’t deserve any of that. You’ll make it up to her, you understand me?”

“Yes, sir.” He pauses. “Um, what do you mean?”

“Were you a probie down there?” I ask.

“Nah, they let me hang around and run some errands but no one would bring me in. I washed dishes in a couple places around town. That’s how I knew Scott. He’s still in jail.” He saws looking towards the Sheriff.

“You’ll give a statement to the Sheriff; the other two will have charges pressed against them. I find out you lied to me and I’ll cut your tongue out. Otherwise, once my Ol’ Lady forgives you; you can go through probation with us. Gunner’ll get you a ride to the clubhouse, you may need to share a room with another probie but you’ll get 3 squares a day.” That does it for me, so I slide out.

“I’ll press charges against the other two for damages done to my businesses, you get them on that animal shit. Ain’t got a problem with him.” I tell Michaels.

“You’ll press charges?” Michaels doesn’t look convinced. “You fucking with me?”

“Nope. You mind releasing that kid to me after you get his statement? I’ll get him a place to stay.”

“I fucking hate this shit.” Michaels snarls.

“Yeah, but what’d happen to him otherwise? We’ll take him in.”

“Flint’s Home for Wayward Boys?” His laugh holds no humor. “I swear to you, anything happens to him or I pick him up for anything else, even a speeding ticket, and I will take your ass down; you hear me?”

I nod and he turns back to his truck.

“Sheriff? You want to keep that shiny star of yours, don’t ever FUCKING threaten me again.” He keeps walking, giving me a glare before he takes off.