Chapter Eighteen

Banks

Nash hadn’t said a single word since he told us who marked up his back. Not even when Lidi checked him out from head to toe, and when the woman was done, she looked madder than hell.

“If you don’t kill that son of a bitch, I will,” Lidi sneered. “The scars on Nash’s back and legs are permanent. Williams didn’t just whip Nash, what he did was torture. I am required by law to report this, King. That man shouldn’t be around children. Ever.”

“No need to report anything, Lidi,” King assured. “Mike is on his way.”

“Where is Laurel?”

“With the girls at the Tavern. Been drinking for the last few hours. Enigma is keeping an eye on them. Sent Hawk to help.”

“She needs to be here,” Lidi spoke up.

“Nash doesn’t want her to know.”

“Too fucking bad!” Lidi shouted. “He’s a minor. She is his parent. She has a right to know.”

“No!” Nash piped up. “Please, Dr. Lidi. You can’t tell my mom.”

Lidi sighed. “Nash, she’s going to find out eventually and trust me. The longer you keep this from her, the madder she will be. Laurel doesn’t strike me as the woman who would take kindly to being kept in the dark regarding her son.”

“I know. Just not right now. I promise I will tell her. I will, just not right now.”

I sat there, next to my son, eyes closed, hands balled tightly while I tried to get control of the rage rolling through my veins. The volatile fury coursing through my body robbed me of the very air in my lungs. Never in my life had I ever been so fucking angry.

I sat in front of that motherfucker. Listened to him go on and on about my son. I fucking agreed with him and that fucker smiled at me, knowing what he did to my son.

I even shook the fucker’s hand.

“King,” I growled. My legs twitched while I tried to stop my hands from shaking as the frenzy inside me exploded. “I can’t stop it.”

“Shit,” King snapped as he, Frank and Scribe had me out of the chair before anyone could say anything.

The second they touched me, I thundered, swinging at anything and everyone as they dragged me out of the clubhouse. I couldn’t get my son’s face out of my head. Nash sat there, listening to that bastard talk, knowing what he did to him, and that fucker smiled! He belittled my son, made him out to be the worst of humanity, and I fucking agreed with him.

I fucking agreed with the son of a bitch!

“Banks, take a deep breath, brother,” King coaxed, standing a few feet away from me.

“He smiled, King,” I thundered.

“I know, man. I was there too.”

“Dad?”

Turning, I saw Nash standing near Frank, and the second I saw the look on my son’s face, all the anger I felt, just moments ago, vanished. All that mattered was Nash.

Walking over to him, I grabbed him, hugging him tightly.

“Never again. I swear. Never again will I take someone else’s side. You are my son, Nash. Mine. Mine to protect, and I will from this day forward. Oh God, I’m so sorry, Nash. No wonder you hate me.”

Nash released me, shaking his head. “No, Dad. I don’t hate you. I hate Mr. Williams. Yeah, I was angry that you and everyone else believed him, but it’s not your fault. I made it easy to believe him. Mainly, I hated myself because I let that asshole win. Mom always told me I could come to her with anything, and instead I kept it to myself. She’s gonna be so fucking pissed I didn’t tell her.”

Looking at him, I sighed. “It’s not your fault, Nash. You’re just a teenager in a new place. That fucker was the adult. He knew better. As for your mom, you let me handle her. Yeah, she’s gonna be mad, but not at you.”

“You’re really not going anywhere, are you?”

“No, Son. I’m not.”

Nash smirked. “Wouldn’t mind some help with them. Mom is getting snarkier by the minute, and Kai is getting too big for his britches, now that he’s friends with Cameron and Benny. No offense, King.”

King grinned. “None taken.”

Placing my hand on my son’s shoulder, I explained, “Nash, we’re gonna need you to tell us everything. You can’t leave anything out. Mr. Williams is going to pay for what he did. That we can promise you.”

“I know.” He sighed, looking at the ground.

“What’s the matter?”

Nash looked up at me and said, “It’s bad, Dad. Like really bad.”

Nash was sitting with Mike in King’s office, taking his statement. I hated not being in there, but Mike said it would be better if he got Nash’s statement with no interference. While Nash was willing to tell the sheriff everything, he still wanted one of us in the room with him, so Priest offered to sit with him. As a former FBI agent, Mike allowed it, knowing that Priest would remain objective and help ask the right questions.

Sitting at the bar, I twirled a beer bottle in my hand while my brothers all rallied around me.

“Where is your head, Banks?” King asked.

“Somewhere dark, brother.”

“We’re gonna get him, Banks,” Gunner vowed solemnly. “Give you my word, brother. Fucker is going down.”

“You know what’s bugging me,” Scribe said, leaning against the bar. “Nash isn’t a small kid. He could have taken Mr. Williams. Snapped the fucker like a twig. Yet, he didn’t. We’re missing something here.”

“What are you thinking, Scribe?” Pyro asked.

“Think about it. Three teenage boys. All active players on the team. Then there is Mr. Williams. The man couldn’t weigh more than a buck fifty, yet he bested three football players. There is only one way I know to keep three boys like Nash and his friends quiet.”

“He threatened someone they cared about,” King spoke as Scribe nodded.

Looking up, I asked, “You think Williams threatened Laurel or Kai?”

“Makes sense,” Gunner added. “How else would he ensure the boys’ silence? Tyler has a little brother, and Sebastian has two little sisters. All in elementary school. Threaten them and those boys would fall in line.”

“You’re right, Cord.” Pyro sighed. “If I were in Nash’s shoes and someone threatened Cassie, I wouldn’t think twice before protecting my sister.”

“Same,” King and Gunner muttered.

“But how do we prove that?” I asked.

“We can’t,” King groaned. “Only Nash can, unless Tyler and Sebastian corroborate his story, because right now, it’s Nash’s word against Mr. Williams’. And it will not be easy to verify because of the boy’s past run-ins and the trouble he caused. Right now, all anyone knows is that an angry troublemaker has accused an upstanding citizen of abuse.”

“You saying my son lied?” I snarled at King, who shook his head.

“No. I believe him, Banks, but it’s the others who will question him. Nash’s wounds have healed. Mr. Williams could state that he never touched Nash, that he made everything up because Nash was angry that he got kicked out of school and off the football team. Unless Mike can find something to cause him concern, it’s going to be Nash’s word against Mr. Williams’.”

“This is bullshit,” I shouted. “My son isn’t lying!”

“He isn’t lying,” Mike said, walking toward us.

Looking over his shoulder, I didn’t see Nash.

“He’s talking with Priest. Give them a few minutes.” Mike sighed, reaching across the bar for a beer. Twisting off the cap, he downed half of it, before looking at all of us. “I really hate this job sometimes. I can handle pretty much anything, but when it comes to kids. That’s my limit. King, I have to call in the FEDs for this one. Priest has already called his former boss. He’s agreed to investigate and will be here in a few hours.”

“What aren’t you saying, Mike?” I asked, getting to my feet. “Did that motherfucker touch my son?”

Mike shook his head. “No. Not in the way you think, but it’s just as bad. According to Nash, he and his friends got held up after football practice. They were leaving the school grounds when they were walking past the girls’ locker room and saw Mr. Williams taking pictures of some of the girls’ track team in the shower. The fucker was snapping pictures while doing lewd things. Nash said that Sebastian gasped, and that’s when Mr. Williams saw them. Before the boys could leave school grounds, Williams stopped them. That’s when, according to Nash, Williams beat him and Tyler with his belt and threatened Sebastian to watch or he would make his sisters pay. All three of the boys knew Williams could make life hell for them and he did, because after that day, Williams would bring each boy, one at a time, into his office for one stupid infraction or another. Nash said it got so bad, he started skipping school. He couldn’t take being there anymore. Every time he looked around, Mr. Williams was there, watching him.”

“Do you believe Nash?” King asked, and Mike nodded.

“Yeah. I do. That kid may be a pain in the ass, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who would make shit like this up. Plus, seeing his back and knowing that it wasn’t just him, I believe him. I need to speak with Tyler and Sebastian, and when they corroborate Nash’s story, all hell is going to break loose in this town. Gonna need all of you to keep a tight rein on your tempers, because this shit is going to get worse before it gets better.”

“We will do whatever you say, Mike,” King spoke up. “This is your show but understand this. I will protect my own. If that fucker comes for me and mine, nothing you say or do will stop me from protecting my family.”

Mike nodded, getting to his feet. “Understood.” Then he turned to Gunner and added, “You keep protecting my daughter and grandbabies and we are good. Got me?”

Gunner stood, extending his hand. Mike took it as both men silently nodded, saying nothing. Their silence spoke volumes.

Releasing Gunner’s hand, Mike went to leave when we all heard Mike’s walkie-talkie crackle to life.

“Sheriff Mike!”

Groaning, Mike grabbed the hand-held device from his shoulder and spoke, “I’m here, Linda. What now?”

“Uh, you better get your ass here, fast. That stupid deputy you hired just arrested Bailey’s crew and they are hopping mad!”

Mike turned and King smirked. “It’s Sunday. You go take care of those boys. We’ll take care of our women.”

Shaking his head, Mike grumbled, walking out of the clubhouse. “I knew I should have stayed retired. I’m too old for this shit.”