My stomach clenched as he said the three names.
“They were the only ones unaccounted for that night,” I explained. “Two were paired together, but that doesn’t necessarily give them an alibi as much as it makes it look like they’re both guilty. They’re the newest to the club. And they’ve also been the most vocal about not wanting to add any more members.”
“You mean the members that came in a year or so ago that were convicts?” Silas offered.
“Not just that. They’re against any new members, period. They all three hate Bells and Thumper. They question every decision I’ve made for years. And when Juliana left me, they didn’t outright come out and say it, but they were smug as fuck about sharing that ‘she deserved better.’”
Silas sighed. “Tack’s called me twice on you in the last year.”
I rolled my eyes.
Nothing like complaining to daddy like I’m an unruly child.
“I’m here for a couple of weeks.” His face slid into a grin as some movement at my back caught his attention. “Look who’s here.”
I looked over my shoulder to find Juliana arriving with her lawyer.
She was pale and kept looking at Silas like he would jump out and murder her any second.
“I never understood what it was about you that she was so terrified of.”
There was a long pause and then, “I caught her flirting with one of my guys a while back. Not in a way that was bad enough I felt you should know. But in a way that didn’t sit right with me, so I confronted her.”
“Of course she was.” I shook my head. “She was always doing that. Looking for attention from me. As if any kind of attention was better than nothing. But here’s the thing. I paid her plenty attention. She had my name on her back. She was the mother of my children. I treated her like gold. I was home every single night when I could. I spent my every spare moment with her when I wasn’t working the farm. And she never felt like that was good enough.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Denver.” Silas snorted. “I’ve had my own share of crazy ex-wives.”
He sure had.
“Let’s get inside,” I suggested. “Maybe your presence will be enough that she won’t show her ass.”
As we climbed the steps, I didn’t miss the way Juliana kept turning around looking warily at us.
I sighed.
Today was day two in court, but this time it was for my children.
Holly was at work, the kids were at school, and the only people in the courtroom were Juliana on her side with her lawyer, a couple of her friends behind her, and my family behind me.
They were all there, too.
My mom, my brother, my sister, and even Boone were there. Hell, even my newest niece that I’d only found out about recently, Ida Bell, was there as well.
Jedidiah gestured for me to take a seat next to him, and I did.
“You’re late.”
“Getting my secret weapon when it comes to Juliana,” I admitted, jerking my head in Silas’s direction. “Silas Mackenzie.”
Jedidiah snorted.
Jedidiah was also a part of our club, and he knew Silas well.
Everyone did.
There was no Dixie Warden in the world thatdidn’tknow him.
He was one hell of a national club president and put the fear of God into young and old. But he also led with his heart and cared about all his club members.
