Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(12)
“Exactly my thought. She’d grant him immunity on unrelated crimes to get him talking. He’ll terrorize his daughter and her grandmother.”
“Right.” Her hand moved papers around on the table until she lifted another one. “With this rap sheet, if Cummings gets immunity, I can’t imagine what he’d do.”
Alec took the multi-page stapled document Janice handed over. He’d seen a lot of this information before, but this particular form listed each offense, one right after the other. Dammit. He’d met Keely and her grandmother on several different occasions now. They were fresh and honest…and very frightened. Rosa and Keely played a large role in doing what it took to keep Donald behind bars until his criminal trial, and Donald’s ugly outburst in court today, stating clearly his intention to exact revenge on Rosa, didn’t hurt their case either.
His mind reeled as the metaphorical gate swung shut, possibly locking him into this unwanted job. With this case complete—at least Alec’s portion had been wrapped up in a nice bow—Alec had been free to tender his resignation with the DA’s office and implement his plans to remove the obstacles keeping him and Key hidden.
Alec let a defeated sigh slip free. What were his options now? His mind raced as he looked for any out he could find. “Give me some time before you say anything, will you? I want to go through this information. When I get back into the office, I’ll call Rosa, Keely’s grandmother, see what she knows.”
“I’ll help you, Alec, any way I can, but if Twiford finds out we’re holding this…” Janice shook her head, and he completely understood her concern. The DA had such a single-minded focus to bring down the Havoc bike club both he and Janice would immediately be on the chopping block for failure to disclose this valuable information.
“I’ll take responsibility—” Alec started, but Janice cut him off.
“My prints are all over this, so to speak. My log-in pulled the information,” she explained, showing the depth of her concern.
“But you pulled it for me and never read it—it’s that simple. Just give me a little bit of time,” he said, meeting Janice’s worried stare, and nodded. Janice was slower, but she did finally nod her agreement.
“That was pretty much my plan from the beginning. That’s why we’re here and not the office. Just be careful, Alec. That club’s something else,” Janice said, reaching across the table to squeeze his forearm. He appreciated the sentiment, and of course, his emotions were all over the place about Key’s club. It was hard to reconcile the kind, generous lover he’d grown to adore with the awful allegations spouted by a vicious, manipulative district attorney who seemed as horrible and calculating as the club she’d sworn to take down.
Ultimately, though, Alec didn’t care about any of that. His concern rested with the safety of a little girl and with the man he loved. Nothing more.
“Does it say who sponsored him in the club?” Alec asked absently, placing the sheet back on the stack of papers in the folder. The best Alec could remember, Key had only mentioned one or two of his brothers by their nicknames. The likelihood of Alec recognizing the name of the sponsor was slim.
“Yeah, I went ahead and pulled his record too. He’s a long-time member.” She reached for the folder, thumbing through several pages, before handing one to him with the name Paul “Smoke” Dixon at the top. Alec’s heart dropped. No fucking way. “He has a long, sordid past. He’s been arrested many times, most recently in the raid a few months back. Dixon’s also very familiar with CPS. From the early nineties on, he was regularly investigated. His child was taken from him and his wife, and it looks like the club attorney fought to bring him back. Not a good mentor for Cummings. Alec, this club’s bad news,” she said again in warning.
The information in the folder just grew more important. The ugly demon tattoo on Key’s chest came to mind, clouding these murky waters even more. Alec laid his papers inside the file and closed the folder before setting it to the side. He needed to be in the privacy of his home office to explore Key’s past. The thought made his stomach turn. Alec reached for his wine, draining the glass in a couple of long gulps as he heard the distant rumble of the pipes. He turned, hoping to see Key. His gaze locked on the familiar Harley and the very man he’d hoped to find. The biker was sexy, his long muscular body relaxed as he cruised by. His eyes landed on the black boots Key had shoved on this morning then followed a line up his jean-covered leg to his muscular thigh. Alec was instantly jealous of the bike, because he knew exactly how hard those thick thighs could squeeze. His mister wasn’t wearing his helmet—he’d have to talk to him about that later—but damn Key was a tempting sight. His dick plumped, wanting Key’s attention. Key wore his leather vest—his patch—something Alec couldn’t remember seeing on Key before and a pair of aviator sunglasses. His long hair whipped behind him. His lover did glance over at the restaurant, the heat so intense Alec swore Key had seen him.
“That’s one of them. Their hangout’s over here somewhere,” Janice stated, and Alec turned back when Key was out of view. He did everything he could to school his facial features and act neutral even with the chaos spinning rampant inside him.
“Hmm,” he said noncommittally, then with more determination, added, “You’re going to have to give me time.”