Lauren stood near the construction site with a pair of binoculars held up to her eyes. She watched the road from a distance. She had a map laid out on the hood of the car, held down by her cup of coffee. The road wasn’t on the map, but there it was. She had been there an hour, and the only truck she saw drive on it was a MOORE’S COMMERCIAL FOOD & LIQUOR delivery truck. She was about to give up until she saw three of the Brass Bonds MC bikers ride out from the Clubhouse toward the construction site. On the other side of the construction site, waiting for them, was Darla Lovell’s black Porsche. Darla stood there, leaning against the car. Lauren could swear she had an unearthly glow about her. She watched as the seemingly lead biker got off his bike and embraced Darla, then kissed her … hard.
Lauren rubbed her eyes and looked again. The man was pressed against Darla, and squeezing her bottom.
“Oh, boss lady has a thing for the bad boys, too.” Lauren whispered to herself.
“Maybe she does.” The voice came out of nowhere. Lauren spun to see who was behind her, but the man was already on her, and hoisting her up over his shoulder. He carried her into a black van, shut the door, and slapped the van’s side twice. The driver took off while another man in the van held her down.
“You like spying on people?” said the guy holding her down. The driver just laughed as the man holding her continued, “Hell, you even have binoculars. You must really enjoy watching, huh?”
Lauren struggled against his hold, fearing for her life! She had no idea who had kidnapped her, but she pleaded.
“I wasn’t spying! I was just looking for something.”
She realized that made no sense until something caught her eye. It was a tattoo on the driver’s arm of brass knuckles.
“Brass! You’re one of the Brass Bonds!”
Now she got excited thinking she had a bargaining chip, “I’m Jasper’s attorney! Jasper Connor currently imprisoned for the murder of Lucas Jackson!” The words spilled out of her mouth.
“Honey, we know exactly who you are,” the driver said without turning around. Then the guy holding her put a bag over her head.
*
Lauren found herself in a room that was inherently dark. even in the mid-afternoon daylight. A long table was centered in the room with nine chairs around it. Lauren was seated at one end of the table. The man that had been kissing Darla, and grabbing her ass, was seated at the other. Darla stood behind him, with her hand on his shoulder. The little bit of light in the room glinted against the round blue stone that sparkled on her finger. Lauren thought that they looked like some mismatched king and queen.
“Lauren, please meet our client, Whitey Smith. He’s the president of the Brass Bonds MC, Farmount Chapter.” Whitey touched Darla’s hand, then smiled to Lauren.
“I’m sorry for the behavior my two guys exhibited. It’s completely inexcusable.”
He flashed her a bright smile, not as charming as Jasper’s, but she could understand Darla’s attraction to the man. He was handsome with killer eyes, and the presence of a confident leader.
“Three … it was three men that manhandled me.”
Lauren was not quite ready to forgive. Her hair was half on her face, and she looked like a lunatic from when they messily pulled the bag off her head. Two of the men were standing on either side of her, making sure she stayed put.
The man and Darla laughed.
“My apologies. I stand corrected. You can, however, imagine our surprise to find you up on the hilltop spying on our road. What, exactly, were you hoping to find?” Darla arched a brow as she waited to hear Lauren explain.
“Ms. Lovell assigned me to assist her with Jasper’s case. I was hoping to find something related to the Lucas Jackson murder, so that I could use it to free Jasper.” Without revealing what Jasper told her, she added, “Despite the situation, I don’t believe he killed Lucas Jackson.”
Whitey nodded, listening intently, then looked back at Darla, as if he expected her to speak. For the first time, Darla looked uneasy.
“Lauren doesn’t have all the facts of the case yet. She was instructed to meet with Jasper. He called, frantic about the fact that the police found the body.” Darla kept her eyes on Lauren as she explained.
Whitey nodded and turned back to Lauren.
“Ms. Holden … may I call you Lauren?” He did anyway, “Lauren, Jasper murdered Lucas Jackson, in cold blood. Jasper was having an affair with his fiancée. It was an act of jealousy, and nothing more. We appreciate that you are trying to find a loophole.” He flashed that smile again. The hairs on the back of Lauren’s neck stood on end.
“We are still going to try and get him a lesser sentence, but things do not look good for Mr. Connor.” Darla continued, and squeezed Whitey’s shoulder affectionately. “Jasper is very important to the Brass, and we’re going to do everything we can for our beloved clients.”
Lauren went to open her mouth, to ask why Jasper never said anything about having an affair with Lucas’ fiancée. There was no record of it in the file, but clearly, something more was going on here than meets the eye. Whatever it was, it was well above Lauren’s pay grade. She sensed she was in danger.
“Ms. Lovell, I am so terribly sorry that I … deviated from your orders. You merely said to meet with Jasper. I guess I got caught up in wanting to make a good impression on my first case.” She laughed nervously, “You know … the new kids always think they’re going to change the world on their first job out of school.”
Whitey smiled and nodded, as if he completely understood. Lauren licked her dry lips and blurted, “Are you going to take me off the case?” She really wanted to ask if they were going to kill her, but that would mean Darla Lovell would have to be killed too, so Lauren internally blamed her fear on her paranoia.
Darla smiled and shook her head.
“No, dear. It’s good to have a lawyer that’s committed to her client. We’ll discuss the case further in the office, so you can help us save Jasper from the electric chair, even if we can’t get the charges dropped.”
Darla offered an uncharacteristically warm smile. Outwardly, Lauren sighed a sigh of relief, but internally, she was sure she was in danger. Who throws a woman into the back of a van and puts a hood over her head?
Whitey slapped the table, concluding the meeting.
“Lauren, we are a very exclusive club. We don’t allow outsiders into our private den, so I do apologize for the van and the hood. We just weren’t sure who was spying up on the hill, but you’re unharmed, and we’re glad you’re on our side, and Jasper’s.”
But the driver said he knew exactly who she was. Lauren opened her mouth, but something entirely different came out:
“Sir, I really don’t want to lose my job. I’m sorry I was spying, but I was just looking for something that night help with Jasper’s case, in favor of him.” Then she turned to Darla, “I’m really sorry if I embarrassed you in front of the client. If it helps anyone put their minds at ease, there was nothing to see but dirt.”
The man nodded.
“Well, tell us what you saw?” His crystal blue eyes bore through her as he assessed her response.
Lauren remained calm.
“I saw three motorcycles on the far end of the road, but then I took my eyes off of the road. I thought I heard a noise. The next think I know, I was in the van.” She shrugged, “So basically, I saw nothing.”