Adley’s tone sounded a little too perky, as if she was compensating.
“Are you under duress?” he asked because something was off.
“I’m good. A little excitement I hadn’t expected, but we’re all together at your house and safe. We’ll have a couple loose ends to tie up when you get here. Are you all okay? How’s the restaurant?”
“Restaurant has damage but not significant. We had to make a stop at Mom’s flower shop because someone broke out the front window. Everything is good, but she’ll need a new front window. Be there soon, Honey,” he said. He wished he could pull her into his arms because something hadshaken Adley, but she was holding it together well. It was exactly one of the traits he wanted in his Ol’ Lady and wife.
“Let’s get home,” Pit called.
Justice followed him out and to their bikes. He stopped near Pit. “Adley said they’re fine at my house but had some excitement.”
Pit’s eyes burned with anger, but that is why he told him now. By the time they rode to the compound, Pit would have worked through his anger and also considered the angles of all these things happening the same night.
Pit nodded and started his bike. Justice got on his and pulled out behind his President. What the hell was going on, and who had it in for them? Because this wasn’t only about Justice now.
Chapter Eighteen
Justice waited while they gathered in the conference room again. Ariel had sewn up Pit’s arm while the women made some breakfast. Justice and Tack had walked the property and then made sure there were extra people on the patrols.
The woman who Justice didn’t recognize, who had come into the building as a supposed Siren, had been communicating with someone. She’d been given directions to take Teddy or Ian and then call for the next instructions. Macy’s friend had said the contact number went to a burner phone, so it was a dead end.
After they’d eaten, Pit wanted them to go over what Macy had found out and try to identify this threat. Justice was sipping his coffee, trying to tamp down his anger and not succeeding. Not only was someone targeting his club, but waking up to make love to Adley had not happened. After finally having her in his arms and admitting he loved her, he’d envisioned waking her up with his head between her legs. From there, he’d planned on her screaming his name at least once. He’d wanted it perfect for her. Instead, he’d had to deal with some person, or maybe a group, targeting his club—his family.
Justice stared at his son, who was asleep in his arms—the sleep of the innocent. Justice wanted to keep the world a safe place for Ian and his cousin Teddy. Since he’d returned, Ian and Teddy were in the arms of someonethey trusted in the club. Neither boy would be left alone now that they knew there was a threat.
Adley came in and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning down to place a kiss on his cheek. He turned to look up at her. Her instincts had saved his son.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Justice said, choking up a little at the thought of losing Ian.
“You don’t need to thank me. He’s mine now too,” she said.
“Why is that?” Justice asked.
“Because dealing with all this made me realize, not only do I love his daddy, but I love him too. I was just too scared to say it out loud,” Adley said, her eyes shining bright. He was one lucky bastard, and he was going to make sure his family was safe.
“Love you too, Honey,” he said.
Adley nodded, then headed toward the front of the room with Macy.
Pit walked in carrying his son with his bandaged arm around his wife.
“Let’s get this started,” he growled.
Ruthy, Charlie, and Judith took seats across the table from him. Judith slid a tray of muffins to the middle. If there was one thing he’d learned about Judith Pearson, it was that she thrived on feeding people. Justice decided he was still uncomfortably full from breakfast and would pass, but Tack had no problem grabbing three muffins—one of each flavor—from the tray.
“Macy, why don’t you go first?” Pit directed.
Macy nodded and walked to the butcher paper. “My contact was checking into Gina Brown because of the roadblock I hit andalso into Detective Stanza, or Stain, as Adley likes to call him.
“Gina Brown’s Social Security Number goes back to someone who died in infancy. My contact found out that Gina Brown, at least the one Justice met, appeared two months prior to meeting Justice in that bar. It’s when the apartment was rented and when she first appears with a credit card and driver’s license,” Macy paused.
“You’re saying she was using an alias?” Justice asked.
“Yes. Also, my contact discovered that Gina’s autopsy information has now disappeared from the morgue. Samples, notes, everything relating to her death is gone,” Macy said.
“What does that mean?” Tack asked. “Can they still try to prosecute Justice? I’m confused.”
“I think that can best be answered with what my contact found when she investigated Detective Stanza. He might have been hired into the police department, but his name and record as a police officer don’t exist prior to him coming to Kansas City,” Macy said.
