Chapter Nineteen Wildcard

CHAPTER NINETEEN: WILDCARD

Watching Brigit fall apart is more painful than getting shot. Hell, if it would save her pain, I'd have Preacher shoot me again. But I can't take her pain. All I can do is give her my strength. My brothers and sister give her the time she needs to pull herself back together. I can feel their compassion like a physical force. I hope Brigit can feel it, too.

Chill hops up and returns with a box of tissues. I take two and press them into Brigit's hand. She hiccups a few times before wiping her cheeks and her nose. Standing, she walks over to Puma's desk and throws the tissues into the wastebasket. Turning, she straightens her shoulders and takes a deep breath. A warrior preparing for battle. I've never been prouder.

"Can I get you anything? Water?" Spark asks.

"A shot of tequila?" Chill offers.

"Brandy?" Brigit asks.

Spark jumps up. "I'll go get it."

"Bring some pretzels," I shout at his back. He lifts his hand to let me know he's heard me.

He comes back with a snifter of Brandy, a bag of pretzels, and four beers. It's coming up on lunch time, so a bit early. But I take the beer and crack it open. This has already been a fucking long day. So, why not?

Brigit takes a few sips of her brandy and I'm happy to see the color returning to her pale skin. Brigit has the pale skin of her Irish heritage, but the blows she's dealt with today made her appear ghost-like.

"Okay, sorry about that. Abby is like a mother to me. Knowing someone may have hurt her because of me is hard. Abby was the first person I met when Wildcard left me in Boston. She saw Wildcard and his motorcycle. Knew he was a member of a motorcycle club, but she didn't know which one. I didn't tell her until later. At first, I only told her I was in hiding, but not who from. When I discovered I was pregnant, she was my rock. She went with me to all my doctor appointments and she helped me prepare for Colt's arrival. When I went into labor, I panicked. I kept imagining worse-case scenarios. I told Abby about Wildcard. Asked her to reach out to you if something happened to me. She knew your real name, your road name, and the club's name."

"So, if they questioned her, they likely know you came here?" Chill asks.

Brigit nods. "I'm sorry. She was watching Colt the morning of Mike's murder. I told her to leave because I was afraid Misha and his men would come looking for me. She must not have left soon enough."

"Or she didn't plan on leaving. She might have thought you overreacted," Havoc says. "You can't blame yourself."

Brigit sighs and leans into me. "Easier said than done."

A knock on the door keeps anyone from responding.

"Enter!" Bellows Puma. We chuckle as Havoc curses about warning a guy before trying to blow out his eardrums.

Viper opens the door and steps in. The look on her face has us all tensing.

"What's wrong?" Puma asks.

"Rafe just called and is on his way here. He's not alone. He's got a detective from the Boston PD with him. The detective claims that we're hiding a fugitive wanted for murder in Boston."

"Shit," I mutter.

"Panic room. Get Brigit and Colt in there. Hell, put all the kids in there. We don't want them exposed," Puma orders. "Get Hunter to go in with them." Chill nods and rushes out.

I help Brigit stand and take her hand. "Let's go find Colt and get you somewhere safe. No one can get you in the panic room. Even if they have a warrant. Rafe doesn't know where it is. He doesn't want to know, for situations like this one," I explain as I lead her through the common room and down the hallway to the entertainment center. As I hoped, Colt and the rest of the kids are already there. Hunter opens the panic room and ushers everyone inside. I kiss Brigit before letting her go.

"My stuff!" Brigit says, before Hunter can close the door. "My driver's license and wallet are in your room."

"Shit, you're right. Hold on." I rush into my room and grab Brigit's purse and duffle bag. After making a second stop to grab Colt's things, I rush back into the entertainment room and toss Hunter the bags. After he closes the door, Chill and I toss a few floor pillows against the wall. Chill turns off the light as we leave the room. We take seats at the table with Puma and Dice. They have a deck of cards on the table and piles of chips in front of each of chair. I sit across from Puma, facing the door.

"Where's Preacher?"

"He's in the kitchen getting lunch ready. I want to keep him out of sight, in case this asshole knows about him. He'll want to talk to you. Know what you're going to say?"

I shrug. "Depends on what he wants to know."

"They're through the gate," Spark announces. He's sitting at the bar with his iPad in front of him. He is watching all the cameras. When he snorts, I glance over at him. "Rafe stopped him from opening the door. They're knocking."

As he says it, we hear it. Puma smirks, but nods at Viper to open the door. When she does, a man pushes his way inside. He's wearing a cheap suit the color of dust and a blue shirt. He's sweating and his face is as red as his tie. I get all this without looking directly at him. Chill, Puma, Dice, and I are playing poker. We're focused on the cards in our hands.

"Look here, you reprobates. I'm Detective Scott Sully. I'm here to get answers and you're going to give them to me. Or we're going to have a problem."

No one pays him the slightest attention. Puma casually selects two chips from the pile in front of him and tosses them into the kitty. "I call. What have you got?"

Dice lays down his cards. He has two aces. Chill has two pairs. I drop my cards in disgust. Puma lays down a flush and chuckles as he claims his winnings. While Chill deals the next hand, I casually scan the room. Rafe winks at me while the other detective fumes. Viper has taken a seat against the wall, her eyes on the detective with her man.

The detective tries another tactic. "Who's in charge here?" When he doesn't get a response, he glares at Rafe. "Do something."

"Puma, can we have a word? I promise we won't take up too much of your time," Rafe asks. His polite tone makes me want to snicker. His deference is a direct contrast to the other man's rudeness.

Puma stays in his seat, but turns slightly to face Rafe. "What can I do for you, Detective Sterling?"

"It's Acting Lieutenant Sterling," Rafe corrects him. We all know that he's getting a promotion. Puma knows his boss. We already have a party planned for him. But we don't want to let the other man know how close Rafe is with the club.

"Congratulations," Puma says. "Now, what can I do for you, Acting Lieutenant Sterling? Is this a friend of yours? Thought you had better taste."

Puma's words piss the detective off. He kicks Puma's chair. "Get up, you piece of shit. We're fucking cops. Show some respect."

Puma slowly unfolds his 7'0" frame until he's towering over the two men. I can't see his expression, but it must be formidable. Even Rafe takes a step a back.

"You come into my home and insult my brothers and sisters, and you dare order me to show you respect? I don't know who you think you are or where you're from. But I suggest you go back."

The man gains enough confidence to glare at Puma, but he doesn't move closer. "Are you threatening me?"

"If that's how you want to take it. Now, I'll ask you again. What the fuck do you want?"

"We're looking for a woman. We think she came here from Boston to find Wildcard. Her name is Brigit Jones."

I snort. "Is she looking for her diary?" I ask, getting a snort of laughter from the others.

"She's supposedly the mother of your child. Does that ring a bell? Or are there too many whores out there who can say the same?" The detective asks.

I ignore him and keep my attention on Rafe. "How am I supposed to know this woman?"

"Her father is a member of the club. He goes by the road name Preacher."

"No Preacher here," Puma says. "We have a Nomad that goes by that name, but he's out of the San Diego Chapter and doesn't have a daughter. Not sure where you're getting your info, but you've got it wrong. Afraid you made the trip out here for nothing."

"You think we'll take your word for it? We'll look for him ourselves," Detective Sully proclaims. Rafe rolls his eyes.

"You can search if you have a warrant. Do you have a warrant?" Puma asks. When Sully just glares at him, Puma chuckles. "Didn't think so. Now, I've been more than patient. Time to take your East Coast rudeness and get the fuck out of my clubhouse."

"I told you this was a waste of time," Rafe says to Sully. "You don't have evidence putting your suspect here. Do you?"

"We have a statement from her neighbor. She said Brigit Jones was heading here, because that man is the father of her son." He points at me while I glare back.