AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Puma raises his bottle of water and takes a swig before placing it back on the table and giving the cops a side-eye. “Are you just going to stand there? Say what you want, and then get the fuck out.”
Traynor pulls a folded sheet of paper and offers it. “I have a warrant for the arrest of Ashley Turner, aka Viper.”
Puma glances at him, the paper, and then back at Traynor, but he doesn’t move to take it.
“For what?”
“She’s coming with me down to the station to answer some questions about the murder of her father, Wayne Turner.”
“You think so, huh? Sorry to disappoint you, but she’s not here,” Puma says with a smirk.
“You can’t hide her. We’ll tear the place apart if we have to.”
“You could tear the place apart, but you won’t find her,” Puma says, giving Alisa a deep kiss with plenty of tongue before standing. He’s seven feet tall, so he towers over the cops like Lilliputians facing off against Gulliver. I grin as the cops collectively take a step back. The slack looks on their faces are also very amusing. My grin turns into a chuckle when I see Traynor’s hand shake as he holds the warrant. When Puma snatches it out of his hand, Traynor can’t keep himself from jerking in surprise.
Puma reads through the warrant before focusing his attention back on Traynor. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Lieutenant Steve Traynor. You don’t frighten me. Now bring me Ashley,” he demands, flinching when Puma steps closer to the man. Puma doesn’t hold back his chuckle. Even on the small screen, I can see Traynor’s face redden with embarrassment.
“She isn’t here. I already told you that. She left the clubhouse the day before yesterday. Went camping up at Red Rock Canyon. You can find her there.”
“You expect me to believe you?” Traynor sneers.
Puma shrugs his massive shoulders. “Don’t care.”
“This warrant gives me the right to search the premises.”
“Then search. She isn’t here.”
Puma sits back down, pulling Alisa onto his lap. He ignores the cops as they move about the clubhouse, conducting their search. While he gives off the appearance of nonchalance, I can see the signs of his anger. Traynor sneaks glances at Puma as his men search. His agitation grows as more time passes. Puma may not be watching their progress, but I know Spark is watching, just like Max and me. When the cops come back empty-handed, Traynor storms over to Puma. “I know you have a panic room in here. Open it,” he orders.
Puma lifts an eyebrow and waits a beat before responding. He barks out a loud laugh, which has Traynor glowering. “A panic room? We’re a fucking riding club. What the hell do we need a panic room for? You’ve been watching too many movies.”
“Where are the kids? I know you have kids here. Where are they if they’re not in the panic room with Ashley?”
“I told you Viper’s camping. The kids are at a friend’s house. Swimming.”
“Then that’s where Ashley is. Who is this friend?”
“Desdemona Konstantin and Diego Perez. Good luck getting a warrant to search their home.”
Traynor snarls at Puma before storming out of the clubhouse. He doesn’t bother giving his men instructions. He just jumps into his high-priced car. Unfortunately for him, the other cop cars block his escape route. Puma and the others stride outside, laughing as the uniformed officers hustle to their vehicles and move out of their boss’s way.
Once the gate’s closed, Max and I stay inside the armory until Spark sends us the all-clear. While we wait, we finish up the inventory and make a note of which guns need cleaning.
I join Puma in his office. He’s no longer in a good mood.
“Where the fuck is Sterling? Why didn’t he warn us about this?”
I shake my head because I don’t know. However, my phone buzzes several times in succession. Taking it out, I see several text messages from Barry Jones and two missed voicemails. I read through the texts and the voicemail before looking at Puma.
“Barry was at the station giving his statement about my alibi when Traynor accosted Rafe. He ordered two cops to lock Rafe in his office while he executed the warrant for my arrest.”
“Shit.” Puma takes out his phone and makes a call. He puts it on speaker so I can hear that it goes straight to Rafe’s voicemail.
“Now what do we do?”
CHAPTER TWENTY: RAFE
