CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Bea

The couple of days have helped to clear my head. It really put everything into perspective for me.

I walked out on Alex once before.

Before I actually took the time to talk shit through with him.

I should have tried harder.

I should have pushed him.

I should have known he was in a really dark place and needed me.

I've felt like a failure ever since I left for San Jose—knowing there were warning signs that Alex was slipping away, but I didn't see them.

Honestly, Jason's diagnosis and Alex's deep dive into depression were the reason I selected the courses I did in college. The Grimes boys are the reason I developed my health and wellness app in the first place. To help people who don't necessarily understand they need help. When I found out Alex had joined Defiance, my push to make the app available to people from all walks of life became my next focus.

Because Alex wouldn't be ‘Loki' if it weren't for our history.

He would have gone to college.

Got swept up by some big tech firm.

He wouldn't be VP of a 1% biker club known for illegal activities and God knows what else.

He's at the club because my actions led him down a different path. Not that it's a bad or the wrong path for him, but I just know it's not the path he would have taken had I stayed in Los Angeles.

The thing is, though, my time at the clubhouse surprised me.

It wasn't at all what I pictured, and to be honest, I feel really comfortable here. San Jose is nice, but LA has always been my home. I went back to the clubhouse earlier to talk to Loki and tell him that I'm sorry for everything—back then, now—fucking all of it. But he was called into a meeting with Alpha. While I watched him walk away, South and Ingrid approached me, and they filled me in on the plan that Alpha and Haven had set up for me.

That is where I am now.

At the women's correctional facility.

Once South and Ingrid told me what they wanted me to do, I decided not to tell Loki because I didn't think he'd want me to come here alone.

And to make this look legitimate, I need to do this on my own.

I'll face the consequences of his wrath when I get back to the clubhouse.

But I am hopeful he will see that I'm doing this to help the club.

To help Haven.

To help Montana.

And hopefully, help our app in the process.

Making my way up to the reception area, Rhonda sits behind the guarded screen as I approach. Her eyes widen when she spots me. "Well, well… if it isn't little Miss Sassy, Bea. Come back to show these inmates a thing or two?" she quips.

"You know it, Rhonda." I chuckle back at her.

"It's always a good day when you're here, Bea. Let her on through, Davis. Make sure she's taken care of in there."

Smiling at Guard Davis, he dips his chin at me. "Will do, Rhonda. Right this way, ma'am."

Turning back to Rhonda, I give her a small wave. "Thanks, Rhonda. I'll send you through a batch of those energy balls you like so much."

"Oh, sweet Lord! Bea, you are like a gift from Heaven, I swear," she chimes happily.

Grinning, I wink before making my way with Davis toward the processing area.

"Next!" Rhonda calls out in her usual monotone voice while smacking away on her gum.

Giggling away to myself at how I have managed to charm the ever-grumpy Rhonda is beyond me, but hey, if I can bribe my way into her good graces with energy balls and my good spirits, then so be it.

Davis leads me through the normal visitor protocol. The door buzzes, and I enter the large room, where tables and chairs are spread out sporadically. Inmates and their families or friends sit with them, having their allotted time together.

I take my seat at an empty table, trying to keep my expression the same as when I am always here. Today should be no different. These inmates know me. They know I come in periodically to update information on the app. So my being here is not unusual.

The buzzer sounds, and a guard ushers Montana's mother, Valerie, and Haven through the doors. My eyes light a little, seeing Haven fully playing the role of a new inmate. She's wearing a blue jumpsuit, her hands in cuffs as she thrashes about against the guard.

"Get your hands off me, pig!"

He shoves Haven harder into the room toward me. "Shut up, inmate. Or I'll take you back to your cell!"

Haven spins to face him, her eyes hard on his. "To what? Let me fuck you with my cock that's bigger than yours?" She spits at his feet for extra emphasis.

The guard puffs out his chest while I try to hold back my smirk. The rest of the room cheers as Valerie reaches out, grabbing Haven and yanking her away from the guard, who looks like he is about to smack Haven out in front of everyone. "All right, newbie, settle it down a notch."

Haven chuckles and turns, then starts skipping toward me. Raising my brow, she drops down onto the seat opposite me, Valerie sliding in beside her while everyone's focus is completely on the new girl in town. The guard stands to the side, giving us a little space while I pull out my documentation as if I'm recruiting ‘the new girl' to the app.

"You've been here all of what? Half an hour? And already making an impression, I see." I jab.

Haven smirks, tilting her head. "I'm playing the role of Tammy-Lynn, the slightly unhinged serial killer. A little sassiness here, a little split personality there. You know, I gotta fit in and all that."

I can't hold in my laugh as I stare at her. "Tammy-Lynn?" I ask.

Haven shrugs and turns to Valerie. "We thought it would make the women in here a little more accepting of her ‘persona,' " Valerie adds.

Nodding, I can totally understand. "Okay, well… we need to make this look real. So I'm going to take out my cell and pretend to show you the app."

Haven sits back in her chair, her handcuffs rattling with her movements. "I don't see the point in this bullshit. I don't need any fucking wellness in my life. My head is crystal clear," she barks loud enough for everyone to hear.

I know exactly what she's doing.

Not only keeping her character intact but also letting everyone know what I'm here for.

She's smart.

"Okay, but how about I show you some of the features before you close yourself off to it? Valerie's signed up for it, and she has found great personal growth from using the tools and techniques, right Val?" I reply.

Valerie nods. "Absolutely! Tammy-Lynn, you really need to check it all out before you give it a hard pass."

Haven grumbles under her breath. "Fuck… fine. Show me what it's all about, then."

Smiling, I lean in closer, continuing the ruse of showing Haven what is going on in the app, and Valerie leans in, too, making it to where we can talk more freely.

"Our plans so far are that I need to keep the app up and running as if nothing has gone wrong. That way, whoever blackmailed me thinks that we are still trying to figure everything out and a way to pay them. But Val, have you heard anything new in here?"

Valerie leans a little closer, pointing to something on my phone as if she is showing Haven a feature. "This morning, when I was pulled into the warden's office, Haven was in there, and they all told me what was going on, so I knew I had to get right on this. I have been talking to my contacts here, but from what I've been able to find out, Atlas' gangs are saying this hack didn't come from his men. That the order came from much higher up."

Widening my eyes, I glance at Haven, and she purses her lips in shock. "Well, that is interesting," I reply. "Do you think you two can keep digging through your contacts in here?"

Haven chuckles. "I'll break some faces to get the information. Even if I get put in solitary. It's the entire reason I'm in here, Bea—"

"The warden knows Haven is in here and what's going on. We should be able to do this a much smoother way than breaking people's faces." Valerie interrupts Haven and chuckles.

"But I will! I will smash shit up if I have to." Haven smirks.

Chuckling, I nod. "I appreciate that. But don't get yourself into any trouble. Take Valerie's lead on this."

Haven frowns, slumping her body like she's disappointed she's not going to be able to cause a damn prison riot.

"You should be able to come back and visit at any time rather than the typical monthly visitation roster. It's all worked out with the warden, thanks to Alpha," Valerie states.

"Great. Hopefully, we can figure out who is behind all this and get my app back into working order without having a huge issue with the breach." My stomach churns thinking about all the data that's already gone.

"Us girls will get the job done, Bea. You can count on that!" Haven smiles.

"Loki always told me in his emails that the club stuck together. Thank you for helping me with this."

Haven sits forward, a genuine smile crossing her face. "Any friend of Loki's is a friend of mine. You're a part of the club now, Bea. We take care of our own."

A real sense of pride and happiness flows through me.

A sense of belonging.

Of purpose.

"I really appreciate that… truly." Sitting back, I smile and raise my voice. "If you're happy to go ahead, I will sign you up, then come back again to sign you up to the app," I state.

Haven rolls her eyes, turning to Valerie. "You really think this will help me, Val?" she asks.

Valerie places her hand on Haven's shoulder. "Yeah, Tammy-Lynn. If anyone needs this, you do."

Haven snorts out a laugh and throws her handcuffed hands in the air. "All right, coach. Put me in. But if you turn me into some latte-sipping hippy who sages her house when I get out of here, so help me, God!"

Chuckling, I tilt my head. "Not that kind of app, Tammy-Lynn. But if we can help calm your mind while working on your inner health, too, then that can only be a good thing, right?"

Haven shrugs. "Yeah… maybe. Can I go back to my cell? I have a sudden urge to craft a shiv," she calls out, a slight smirk on her face as she stands abruptly, and the guard rushes over to grab her aggressively.

"Keep your head down in there, Tammy-Lynn," I state as she is escorted back toward the exit.

She bursts out laughing, her body bucking and fighting against the guard. "Not my style, sunshine," she yells as the buzzer sounds, the door opens, and he shoves her through.

Valerie chuckles under her breath, turning back to face me. "She's going to do just fine in here. You can go back and tell Alpha that he has absolutely nothing to worry about. And now that they have switched out my usual cellmate and put her in with me, I can keep my eye on her all the time. We will figure this out, Bea. I promise."

"Thanks, Val. And again, I am so, so sorry about the breach with—"

"Shh, don't say anymore. And I know you're sorry, honey. But whatever this is, it's bigger than you. Haven and I will try to figure it out, and in the meantime, you and Loki keep digging into the technical side of things. No matter who gets to the evidence first, we will get there. I truly believe that."

Exhaling a heavy breath, I bite on my bottom lip. "I sure hope so, Val. Or all the work I have put into this app will be for nothing. Let alone the trouble I am going to be in when news of the breach breaks."

"Head back to the clubhouse. That's all you can do for now. Try to take it easy if you can."

Weakly smiling, I nod. "Thank you again for helping me with this. You really didn't have to put yourself on the line like this."

She chuckles. "Hey, I'm in here for the rest of my life. I need a little bit of excitement. Plus, you may not realize this, Bea, but your app actually works, especially for women in a place like this..." my heart races faster hearing that, and my smile brightens my face while she continues, "… it's helped me more than you could ever know. The fact they have daily sessions with a teacher to walk us through how to use it. That we can go into this one safe place in the prison for an hour a day just to take time out of this fucking hellhole, and go through the programs on the app… it's life-changing." I wish I could reach across the table and hug her. But I know I can't. Nevertheless, her kind words are making my eyes glisten. "The work you have put into this, Bea, the fact you have made it possible for inmates to have a sanctuary to go so they can have time to work on themselves mentally and physically… well, I don't want to be pulling out the Mother Teresa card, but, if the nun habit fits?"

I let out a small laugh as she continues, "You need to give yourself more credit for what you have accomplished here with these women. So, yeah… I don't want whoever is doing this to ruin something that is so fucking good for so many people. You've created a great thing, Bea. You should be proud of yourself."

My bottom lip begins to tremble as I fight back my tears. I knew the app was good. I knew it had the potential to do good. Real good for people who need it. I just had no proof it was working.

Until now.

And it feels extremely fucking good.

"I wish I could hug you right now. You have made my absolute day."

Valerie smiles wide. "I'm giving you the praise you deserve, Bea. Now I better get back out there and stop whatever chaos Haven has inevitably gotten herself into."

Snorting, I stand at the same time as Valerie. "I'll see you again soon. If you need me, don't hesitate to call." I turn to leave, but she stops me.

"Bea?"

I spin back to face her. "Yeah?"

"Can you say hi to Noah… sorry, Montana, for me? Tell him I'm always thinking of him."

"Of course. He'll be pissed I got to come and see you."

She forces a slight smile. "Is he doing okay?"

"I haven't been at the clubhouse for a long time, but from what I have seen, he's happy. Really happy. He has his Old Lady, Rhyan, and he's doing well as a newly patched member. Everyone loves him, Val. He's found his home."

Valerie closes her eyes, the biggest smile crossing her face. "Thank God," she whispers. Her eyes slowly open again, and they're full to the brim with tears. "I'll see you next time you come in. Stay safe, Bea." She turns and walks to the exit, where the guard waits for her.

I find myself feeling sad for this woman. She has to spend the rest of her life in this god-awful place, all because she protected her young son from a man who was going to kill them both.

Sometimes, the justice system can be so horribly flawed.

Gathering my things, I turn and walk out, heading back into the main reception. I say my farewell and then jump in my car, driving back to the clubhouse to tell Alpha everything Valerie has found out, which was quite helpful. I also know he sent me in to check that Haven is settling in okay.

It's more than obvious from her small amount of time inside that Haven has her lockup under control.

Pulling my car into the clubhouse parking lot after the long drive, I hop out with a pep in my step. Making my way toward the entrance, I walk in, with my main mission to talk to Alpha first.

Then I need to find Loki.

I have to deal with our issues head-on for once.

No more running away.

I spot Loki pacing the clubhouse floor as I head further inside. He seems agitated. Anxious even. I put my quest to find Alpha to the side. "Loki?" I call out to gain his attention.

His head snaps to the side at the sound of my voice, his eyes widening like saucers at the sight of me. Loki's chest heaves like he doesn't know whether to yell at me or break down in tears. His reaction startles me for a moment, before his stomping feet begin their tirade toward me. "Where the hell have you been?" he yells obnoxiously loud, causing everyone else in the clubroom to turn and look at us.

Jerking my head back, I let out a small scoff in embarrassment at the sudden attention we're receiving.

Inhaling sharply, I reach out for his bicep and begin to pull him toward his den to take what is obviously going to be a heated conversation away from everyone. Thankfully, he doesn't resist, following me in, understanding that I want to take this somewhere private.