Page 31 of Bullet

“I was trying to get to the club,” Violet confesses.

“Since we’re all here, I think it’s time we get the whole story from you, Violet,” Guard says. It’s not a request; it’s a demand.

“Guard—” Ava stands and puts her hand on her husband’s arm.

“Ava, not happening. Satan’s Pride did not ask for shit to be dropped on our doorstep. We didn’t ask for the cops to implicate our brothers for the murder of Sal Temuro. Yet here we are. We got detectives wanting to cause us trouble that isn’t ours to bear. Vance is looking for someone to blame and wants revenge, and now we have Violet, who came running to the club for help instead of going to the cops. My patience is wearing thin, and I want some answers.”

“Mr. Guard, I came here because I can’t go to the police. I wouldn’t have come here either if I could have found a way to get across the country and as far as possible from this place. They’re looking for me, and I don’t know where else to go,” Violet says.

Guard looks up to the ceiling, closes his eyes, and takes in a breath. The room remains silent, and after what seems a lot longer than a minute, Guard looks around the room at his men. “Where’s Risk?”

“He’s on his way back from a job with Priest,” War answers.

“We need to wait for him,” Guard states, then adds, I’ll be in my office.” He leaves with Ava, Ghost, and Abby.

Hanna breaks the silence. “I’ve made a pot of coffee and sandwiches to tide us over until dinner.” That’s our Hanna. She shows love through food. This is her way of taking care of us. She even has a separate plate that she carries to Guard’s office.

“From the beginning, Violet,” Guard urges. Guard takes a chair and sits in front of her. Crush takes the seat next to her, while Amelia is on the other side. I sit on the armrest of the sofa, waiting for it all to unfold.

Violet looks at Crush. “Go on, babe,” he tells her.

“I met Sal two years ago, after my aunt took off with her new boyfriend. He came to the apartment I rented over a deli and told me he was my father. I didn’t believe him. I told him he was full of shit and to get the hell out. He left, and I thought that was the last I’d see of the guy,” Violet starts. I did not expect to hear that coming out of Violet’s mouth.

I’m not the only one who’s shocked. The women gasp, but Guard just clenches his jaw. “Go on,” he says gently.

“Sal didn’t come back for a month. In that month, I couldn’t keep up with the rent, and I was literally being evicted the day he showed up and told me that, whether I believed him or not, he had a job for me. The pay was great and the hours even better. I was going to be able to pay my tuition and get a place of my own. Sal even offered me his basement apartment, although I said no.” She turns to Crush. “I didn’t know what to do. He seemed to have all the answers, and accepting his offer meant I wouldn’t have to sleep on the streets that night.”

“You were desperate. I get that,” Crush says, putting his arm around her.

“He never mentioned being my father again. I went to work for him, and he paid me well. I have a tiny place of my own, and I was able to save up enough money to start taking college courses. Sal was nice to me, and Vance was pretty cool as well. If any of the other guys did or said anything stupid, they would set them straight. Then things started to change. Sal was more uptight. He would lose his temper more often. Up to that point, he’d never yelled at me, but then one day, he told me to go home and not to come back until he called me. Vance called me two days later and asked me why I wasn’t at work. It was just strange,” Violet explains.

“Something must have triggered this change,” Guard prompts.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Two men came in earlier that day, wanting their car serviced. Vance was speaking to them, but they wanted to talk to the owner. Sal went out, and when he came back in, he was in a rage. That’s the first time he ever lost his shit. After that day, he was always on guard. He tried to look calm and stuff, but he wasn’t. That’s why, when you came in”—she turns to look at me—“I told you I was getting out before it gets worse. I was already planning on quitting at the end of the semester. I’m almost done with my courses, and I was going to leave and look for a job someplace else. I could get a fresh start, and this time, I had an education to back me up.”

“That sounded like a good plan,” Amelia tells her.

“Yeah, except I forgot one of my books at the shop. I had a day off the next day and wanted to get a jump on an essay I had to write. Since I had a key, I decided to go to the shop, grab my book, and leave.”

“Instead, you found Sal there,” Guard says.

“Yeah, and he was jittery. He told me to grab my book and get out. Before I could, a dark blue car pulled up. Sal panicked and told me to hide in the closet. I’d never seem him so freaked out. I did what he told me. I could hear them talking, and then one man started arguing with Sal. Sal kept saying, ‘It’s all there.’ Then I heard one of the men threaten his son and daughter. I felt like I was going to pass out. Then there was dead silence. Maybe it was over, I thought. I inched open the door and caught a glimpse of one of them looming over Sal, then a gun went off. I knew if I made a sound, they would kill me too. I sat in that closet until I was sure they left. I can’t even tell you how long that was. When I came out, I saw that Sal was dead. The only thing I could think of was to get the hell away from there and everyone associated with the shop.”

“I know it’s hard for you to take your mind back there, but did you hear what they were arguing about? Or do you have any idea why Sal was paying them off?” Guard asks.

“Business hasn’t been great for a while, but a year ago, Sal decided to start a courier service. It was his thing. I never saw the books for it. I only did the books for the mechanic shop. Not even Vance was involved in it. Sal said that once it was off the ground, he would hand it over to Vance to run. Sal seemed okay with how it was going and was even bragging about it being the best investment he ever made. Then he stopped talking about it, and eventually, whenever I or Vance asked, he would tell us to mind our own business. I noticed he was taking more and more money from the shop, but I didn’t know where it was going. It wasn’t any of my business. He’s the owner. Vance wasn’t thrilled, though, and he and his father got into an argument about it. Vance even threatened to leave and start his own shop. They kissed and made up, though, which makes sense because Vance can be stubborn, but he loved his father.”

“You saw who murdered Sal, didn’t you?” Guard asks point-blank.

She drops her gaze to her hands and doesn’t answer. Her lips clamp tight, forming a thin line. She’s scared.

Amelia places her hand over Violet’s. “Why did you come to the school?”

“I remembered him.” She points to me. “He was nice, and I saw their Pride jackets. I knew they were part of a motorcycle club. I thought I could get them to help me disappear. I tried to come directly here, but the same car in the parking lot outside has been hanging around the clubhouse.”

“What the fuck!” Orion snaps. He would be pissed if he missed something on the surveillance cameras.

“I remember you telling Sal you only wanted the money back that was paid by your girlfriend and showed him the bill. I don’t know why, but it stuck in my head. When I saw she was at the school, I followed her, thinking it was the best way to get to the club. Then I freaked out when I saw the same men who killed Sal. I thought for sure they would find me, so I ran to the nearest room and hid,” Violet says, covering her face with her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”