“What are you—” she started, but I disarmed her of the bat and twisted one arm behind her back.Unlike the last time I’d arrested her, however, I was without my cuffs.“Carlos, get over here and cuff her.”
He scrambled forward, but she began to resist.“You’re all idiots.I didn’t do a damned thing wrong.Grier is the one who committed a crime, not me!I’m innocent.”
“You’re a baby murderer!”Grier cried, finally finding her voice.
Hilary stopped struggling between Carlos and me, a deranged smile twisting her face.“Oh no.Did your precious Waffles not make it?”
Otis appeared beside me, taking over restraining Hilary.Which was the only smart thing he’d done, as far as I could see.
Hilary kept running her mouth.“That little monster got exactly what he deserved.”
I could have stopped what happened next.I could have grabbed Grier and carried her away.I could have stepped in front of Hilary and shielded her.Instead, when I felt the enraged little spitfire brush against me, I let her.
Whoever had taught Grier how to punch had done a fantastic job.Her thumb placement was perfect, the swing a thing of beauty, and the crunch that followed impact truly musical.Hilary cried out as her head snapped back, blood already dripping down her nose and into her mouth before Grier fully stepped aside, shaking out her hand.
Grier
Maybe I shouldn’t have hither.And I probably should not have done it in front of three cops and an entire neighborhood of witnesses.It wasn’t exactly my proudest moment—that was for sure.Hilary didn’t have a fighting chance, what with her hands cuffed behind her and two deputies holding her in place.
But she said what she said about Waffles, calling my boy a monster and saying that he deserved to be poisoned.She’d wanted him to die.I knew that.There was no way she hadn’t understood something terrible would happen when she’d placed that rodenticide.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back several steps before lifting me off my feet and carrying me away.Behind me, Hilary screamed obscenities and demanded I be arrested for assault.Carlos told her to shut her mouth.
Finn opened the passenger door of his truck and carefully sat me down.Cupping my face, he kissed my forehead.“Are you okay, baby?Does anything hurt?”
“Just my heart,” I muttered.“She’s evil.”
“You don’t have to worry about that crazy idiot again, Grier.I promise.”His hands were still moving over my body, as if he needed to check for himself that I was okay.
“Sheriff, do you want to put her in the back of my cruiser since Carlos is taking Hilary?”Otis called out.
He inhaled sharply.“Someone really wants me to put a bullet in their skull today,” he growled before raising his voice.“Why would I want to do that, Otis?”
“Because she hit Hilary,” he called back, and then his face drained of color when Finn snarled something vicious.That was when I really noticed the number of Angel’s Halo brothers gathered along the sidewalk across the street.“I-I mean… Never mind.My mistake, Sheriff.”
Finn shifted his gaze from Otis to Carlos.“Since it’s Sunday, take Hilary straight to the regional jail.They have a full staff on the weekends to process her, unlike the county jail here.No use in getting the DA out of bed when there won’t be a judge available until tomorrow morning.”
I watched through the window as Carlos struggled to get Hilary into the back of his cruiser.“You’re going to catch more charges if you don’t stop resisting, Hilary… Aw, Now, you see that?I have to charge you with assault on a LEO times two because you spat on me.Don’t make me have to hobble you and put a spit mask on.”His annoyed huff was loud since Finn had finally turned off his sirens.“Put your feet inside.Don’t kick me.Christ.Assault on a LEO times three.”
“Take me to the hospital.I have a broken nose!”
“We’ll have someone from the medical ward come over to check you out after you’re booked.Your nose ain’t even bleeding that bad.Just a trickle, really.You’ll be all right after they put ice on it.”Carlos finally got the door shut.“I don’t get paid enough for this shit.”
Once he left, Finn told Otis to follow Carlos and help get Hilary booked.I had never seen the regional jail.It was in another county, north of Trinity, supposedly holding the more volatile and long-term inmates who were awaiting trial in several of the surrounding counties.
“What about that 10-37 over at?—”
“I’ll take care of it,” Finn barked.“Do what I told you.”
“Yes, Sheriff,” Otis replied with a resigned sigh.
As he drove away, the crowd began to disperse, and a few of the bikers crossed the street.I recognized Finn’s uncle.He gave me a slow grin, and I could almost picture how Finn would look in twenty years.Same dark hair with gray sprinkled throughout, same blue eyes with deep laugh lines around them.
“Hello, Miss Grier,” Max greeted.“Are you doing okay?”
“I’ve been better,” I answered honestly, my shoulders drooping.“The last twenty-four hours feel like they belong in a very bad dream.”
Finn lifted my hand for a closer examination.I winced when his thumb prodded my middle knuckles.“Who taught you how to hit like that?”
