Lexi

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I was shaking when we made it down the stairwell and into the parking lot, and Viper hugged me. “It’ll be okay. Is that the first time you’ve stood up to her?”

“For the racist stuff, yeah. I let her make me think I was inferior when I was younger, and I learned it isn’t wrong to be white when I lived with my foster family. I don’t want to deny the black parts of me, but I don’t want to feel guilty for being able to pass as white, either.” I pulled away and met his gaze. “I noticed the Native American in you when we first met, and like it or not, there are stereotypes that go with it. You fit some, you don’t fit others, but those ideas were in my head until I got to know you. It isn’t right and it isn’t fair, and I didn’t judge you for anything, it’s just… expectations? I don’t know. Bottom line, people I’ve just met treat me different when my hair’s dark brown and isn’t straightened, when it’s a lighter color and straightened, and when it’s like this.”

“I get it. When I was younger, there were times I wished I was white. Took me a while to grow into being proud of my heritage. You’re sortin’ through different heritages, and your mom screwed it all up while you were supposed to be learning to feel good about yourself.”

I sighed. “She’s never hallucinated before. I’m a little worried.”

“She was okay when we left.”

“Is it safe for her to be here alone? I didn’t know she’d moved back home.”

“Should be. It would probably be okay for you to start driving yourself, but Bubbles is being extra cautious.”

He sat on his bike, handed me the extra helmet, and within moments, we were headed to the clubhouse.

However, Viper pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot instead of the clubhouse.

“I need to change clothes. I didn’t at home because I wanted to get away from Mama.”

“You’ll be fine in your school clothes. Zeke and Bubbles will be here in a few minutes, and Zeke will talk to you about what the cops are probably going to ask, so you aren’t surprised. Honestly, the cops seeing you like this might play better than seeing you in street clothes.”

“Why?”

“Reminds them you’re in school and are a productive member of society.”

My face went hot when Hotpocket walked towards us. Damn, I could only see her naked, with a cock in all three holes. I couldn’t make eye contact with her, and mumbled that I just wanted a Coke and a salad.

Zeke went straight into the office when he arrived, and Bubbles told me we’d eat in there. He carried my food and Coke, and Viper followed.

“I don’t want to talk to them,” I told Zeke as soon as I stepped into the office. May as well make that known before we started. I probably didn’t have a choice, but I was a wreck just thinking of having to walk into the police station.

“I’ll be by your side the entire time,” said Zeke. “I’ll drive you there and I’ll bring you back.”

“Different detectives are in charge now,” said Bubbles. “One of them is friendly.”

The way he said it, there was no doubt the MC owned him.

Zeke looked frustrated, but only said, “I didn’t hear that.” He opened a tablet — an old-fashioned paper tablet with yellow paper — and said, “They’re going to want to know where you were from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning. They’ll ask about your relationship with the men, when you last saw them, that kind of thing. They’re getting it all on record so you can’t change your story later. Based on the questions they asked Bubbles, I think we might be able to walk in with a written statement.” He unfolded a little piece of plastic until it was a full sized keyboard, propped an electronic tablet into a slot in the keyboard, and started typing. I looked to the screen and saw he’d typed the date and that this was my statement.

He stopped typing and asked me, “Whereabouts Saturday through Sunday?”

We spent an hour coming up with how to word my answers to the questions they’d asked Bubbles, and Zeke printed it on the MC’s printer without having to ask. This wasn’t the first time he’d used their office, apparently.

Bubbles walked me out and put me into Zeke’s big-assed Cadillac SUV. I’d never want to drive anything that big, but it was sweet.

We were in the police department ten minutes without anyone coming to see us, and Zeke told the officer who’d seated us in a little waiting area, “Miss Washington voluntarily came to be questioned, and has fulfilled her obligation to help solve a crime. Please see to it the detectives receive her statement. I’ll need you to sign that you received it.” Zeke had something written up for the officer to sign, and he stared at the sheet of paper a few moments before saying, “Just another couple of minutes. Let me see if I can find them.”

Three minutes later, two male detectives introduced themselves and ushered us into a conference room.

“This interview is being recorded for video and audio, Miss Washington.” He nodded towards a camera mounted in a corner, and I looked to Zeke. He’d told me to let him speak unless he gave me the nod.

“We’re aware. Based on your questions for Mr. Ross, we’ve put together a written statement, which she’ll sign in your presence and on camera.”

The men took a while to look over the statement before they pushed it back across the table for me to sign. They started asking bullshit questions about what had made me decide to record the conversation with the other detectives, but Zeke put a halt to the questions by pointing out it was a good thing I’d protected myself, and said it was a sad state of affairs when the public has to take defensive measures against the people sworn to protect them.

I was shaking again when we got into Zeke’s SUV, and he handed me a bottle of water from a cooler in his back seat. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I downed nearly the entire thing.

“You did good. Is there anything I need to know that you haven’t told me?”

I wasn’t sure what to do with the question. Finally, I said, “Nothing comes to mind. The cops made me nervous at school, so I recorded the conversation without telling them. I have no idea what happened to the Playas. I don’t know of an OD that’ll do that, but if something new is out there, that’s kinda scary.”

“It is. Last thing you need to know — the detectives who visited you have made some high-profile arrests and convictions, all of which are likely to be thrown out. Some of their cop friends might try to make life hard for you, but most of the good cops will be angry at the detectives for not playing by the rules. If a cop harasses you for any reason, keep in mind they probably aren’t one of the good guys, and do not give them an excuse to arrest you. Once you’re away from them, notify me as soon as you can. Time, date, place, circumstances, and the officer’s name and badge number. Don’t write anything down while you’re talking to him or her because it’ll piss them off, but do it as soon as you can after they’re gone.”

I stared out the window and tried to keep from crying. “I just want this whole thing to go away.”

“I hope to make that happen, but I need to coach you in case things escalate.”

I breathed in relief when Zeke pulled into the RTMC compound, and my insides relaxed when Bubbles came out the door and walked towards me. He was to me by the time I unfastened my seatbelt, and he lifted me into his arms, but I only let him hold me a few minutes before I slid my legs down. He took the hint and settled me on the ground beside him.

“Any problems?”

I didn’t know if he asked me or Zeke, but the attorney answered, “None. She’s a pro.”

They talked a few minutes, Zeke drove away, and Bubbles told me, “There’s something I’d like to tell you, but there are some really intense rules about who can know. I can bring outsiders in as kind of a failsafe, but I’d rather keep it to just you, me, and a few of my brothers.” He sighed. “Look, if you’ll trust me and do as I ask, I can tell you tonight.”

“What are you going to ask me to do?”

“It’ll sound crazy, but once I tell you the secret, I’m hopin’ you’ll get it.”

I looked at my feet, and the pavement under them. Bubbles hadn’t steered me wrong yet. He’d protected me against some really bad guys, and I believed him when he told me he loved me.

I met his gaze. “I trust you.”

“And I won’t do anything to break that trust.”

He walked me inside and downstairs, to a room with a bunch of beds, two sofas, some tables, and folding chairs. Duke, Viper, Razor, and Angelica were in the room.

My insides went shaky again, and Bubbles sat on a sofa and pulled me into his lap.

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll tell you, and then Angelica’s going to show you while I hold you. If you want to see more, I’ll show you, too.”

I turned in his lap and looked at him, and he said the last thing I’d ever expect to hear from a rational human being.