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“I met him. Once. He interviewed me about the attack. I gave him my account, but the questions he asked made it clear he believed I’d led the men on during my performance. He acted like I was a stripper who teased them with lap dances rather than a showgirl up on the stage with twenty other women.”
“There is something wrong with him,” Rafe says, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “The fucker drives a car worth at least $100K. Even on a lieutenant’s salary, I can’t see him being able to afford it. Maybe he has investments or comes from money, but I wonder if he’s taking bribes.”
Puma takes out his phone and calls Spark to ask him to join us.
“I have a question,” I state, looking at Rafe. “Why were you so certain that I didn’t kill Wayne? Do you think I couldn’t do it?”
He shakes his head and gives a dark chuckle. “No, baby, that’s not it. I knew you didn’t do it for several reasons. The firstis that someone shot him. Twice. Once in the chest and then between the eyes. Pretty certain whoever shot him aimed for the larger target. You wouldn’t need two shots. The second reason is because I doubt we would have found his body if you and the club were involved in the murder. But the third reason, one I have to admit disturbs me the most, is that I don’t think you would have killed him outright. You would have wanted him to suffer.”
I grin at him. He knows me so well.
Spark gives a quick knock before opening the door. He nods at the three of us before fixing his attention on Puma. “What’s up, Prez?”
“Need you to look into a cop for me. Lieutenant Steve Traynor of the LVMPD. He’s Rafe’s boss. He was in charge of the case against those assholes who attacked Viper two years ago. I want everything you can find on him.”
Spark looks at Rafe and then back at Puma. “Okay, I’m on it.”
Puma leans forward and studies Rafe. “With Wayne out of the picture, where does this leave Angelica?”
CHAPTER TWELVE: RAFE
“I’ve found Angela, Angelica’s mother,” I tell them. “I’m waiting on the CPS agent to call me so we can set up a meeting with Angela and her daughter.”
“You found Angela? Is she okay?” Max asks.
“Where the hell has she been? Why didn’t she protect Angelica? Why didn’t she report her missing?” Viper demands.
“I’ve spoken with her, but I still need to question her more thoroughly. But I’m certain she had nothing to do with what happened to Angelica. She told me she discovered Angelica missing after work. She wanted to call the police, but Wayne threatened to kill her and her daughter. After he beat the hell out of her. She stayed long enough to figure out Wayne brought Angelica to Vegas. Once she had that lead, she quit her job and moved here. She’s been searching for Angelica ever since. While also staying off Wayne’s radar.”
“Why didn’t she report Angelica’s disappearance once she moved here?” Viper asks, stubbornly, and I can see she’s not ready to forgive the woman for not protecting her daughter.
“Wayne told her he has contacts in the police department. He said he’d know if she went to the cops. She believed him. Shewas terrified of him and knew that the only way she’d find her daughter was by searching for her herself.”
“I can see that,” Max chimes in. “Angela was a sweet, naive girl when Wayne got his hooks into her. By the time she figured out what a bastard he was, it was too late. I tried to talk her into leaving him, but she knew he’d come after her.”
“Well, I don’t like it. She could make it impossible for us to see Angelica. I just found my sister. I don’t want to lose her,” Viper says mulishly. “I wish you hadn’t found her. Couldn’t you have just left her out of this?”
I’m angry with her attitude, but I keep my temper in check by recognizing that she’s scared. Angela could very well take Angelica and run.
“Look, I know you’re worried about losing Angelica, but reuniting her with her mother is a good thing. For both of them. Without Angela, Angelica risks going into the system. Having Desdemona as her foster mother is only temporary. I know Avery and Dice wanted to adopt her, but Angela’s her mother. I met her last night, along with a man I think she’s seeing. He knew about Angelica, and he was very protective of Angela. I ran a check on both of them, and they came back clean.”
“I agree with Rafe. Reuniting Angelica with her mother is best,” Puma says. “If it makes you feel better, we can run a deeper search on both Angela and her boyfriend.”
“If either of them hurts that kid, I’ll kill them both,” Viper snarls before standing and striding out of the room.
I share a look with Puma, who just shrugs. “What is she going to do? Should we stop her?” I ask him.
“She won’t do anything, but she needs time to calm down,” Puma responds. “I share her concern. Angelica means something to all of us. We won’t sit back and let anything happen to that little girl.”
I clamp my mouth shut and stride over to the window. Looking out over the playground Puma built for the kids, I know he’s looking at this from the only angle he considers important. Angelica’s well-being. Puma and the club will do anything and everything to protect her. They won’t hesitate to break the law to keep her safe. As a cop, I can’t condone their actions, even though I understand the motivation behind them.
“We need to make sure she doesn’t get Angelica and run,” Puma continues. “Update us when you know where and when you’re meeting with Angela and CPS?”
I let out a long sigh of exasperation. Why can’t I just tell Puma to go to hell? Instead, I glare at him and nod.
“How about I attend the meeting?” Max offers. “I know Angela and Angelica trust me. I can keep the peace and ensure Angelica feels safe, and I can explain to Angela how much the club cares about her daughter.”
“Detective?” Puma asks.
