Mace, p.6
Mace, page 6
I slid my sunglasses over my eyes and stepped into the sunlight.
Mace was here, and he had brought his friend with him again, but someone was riding behind his friend.
A woman.
Dorothy was likely going to have to miss that ride she was hoping for.
“Oh shoot,” she whispered. She cupped her hand over her eyes and watched Mace’s friend help the woman off the bike.
“Maybe it is his sister,” I murmured.
The woman leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed the man’s lips.
“Or not,” I cringed.
“Why can’t I have that?” Dorothy moaned. “I just want a hot biker who will drive me around on the back of his bike and kiss me in the funeral home parking lot.”
“I didn’t know you had a thing for bikers?” I laughed and bumped Dorothy with my shoulder. “Or is that a newfound love.”
“I mean, I of course, watched Sons of Anarchy and would have loved to take Tara’s place on the back of Jax’s bike, but I guess I’m really just looking for a guy who will like me longer than it takes to mess up my sheets.”
Mace made his way over to us, with his friends following behind.
“We could have come in,” Mace called.
I shrugged. “We heard you pull up and decided a little fresh air would be good for Dorothy since she’ll be cooped up inside all day.”
“I will be?” Dorothy asked. “I was kind of thinking I’d camp out on your deck upstairs and wait for the phone to ring for our next... client.” She smiled sheepishly.
“Does she mean dead body?” the woman behind Mace asked. “Can I stay with her while you guys head back to Sacramento?”
“Mitzy,” the man next to her scolded. “Just one time, can you hold in your thoughts?”
“No,” she snapped. “Haven’t you heard that holding things in isn’t good for you?”
“I think that only applies to farts,” Dorothy advised. She moved her hands in front of her stomach. “You get all gassy in there, and then eventually, you’re just going to explode. I think it’s also bad to hold in your pee when you gotta go. That’s a whole other problem if you hold that in.”
“Dorothy,” I hissed.
Dorothy pasted a smile on her face and zipped her fingers over her lips. “See, I’m going to hold in my words now, and I won’t explode.”
Mitzy wagged her finger at Dorothy. “I like her. I think I’m going to stay here while you guys fix shit.”
“You’re not staying here,” the man grunted.
“Monk, why can’t I stay? It’s not like we have anyone trying to kill us anymore. Jinx blew up the last ones who tried. I am so safe here.” She waved her hand around. “It’s a funeral home, for god’s sake. What could happen here?”
Uh, wait. Did she just say they blew up the last people who tried to kill them? And why did they have people trying to kill them?
Dorothy raised her hand. “And if something does happen here, you’re right where you need to be when you die. Imogen and I will take great care of you.” Obviously, Dorothy was not concerned with anything Mitzy had said.
“You’d rather hang out at a funeral home than spend the day with me?” Monk asked.
“I always get to spend the day with you, and even my nights are with you even when I’m working. I think a little time apart will be good for us before the baby comes.” Mitzy rubbed her belly. “God knows when this little nugget comes into the world; I will not let you run off with the guys while I care for your children. Nugget can bake in my stomach while I hang out at the funeral home today while his daddy helps his friend.”
“You don’t even know her name,” Monk pointed out.
Dorothy raised her hand higher. “I’m Dorothy. I have worked at Brooks for the past ten years. I like long walks down the street to where I live in a duplex and spend my nights watching true crime shows. Imogen is pretty much my only friend, but I’m always looking for more friends who are cool with me being around dead people all of the time.”
“Did she just write a want ad looking for friends?” Monk laughed.
“She sure did,” Mitzy laughed, “and I’m answering it. Pick me up when you guys are done.” Mitzy pressed a kiss to Monk’s cheek. She stepped around Mace and hooked her arm through Dorothy’s. “I’m Mitzy, by the way.”
“Cool, cool. Let me show you around, and then we can hang out on Imogen’s deck upstairs.”
“Why is it Imogen’s deck?”
“Because she lives upstairs,” Dorothy explained.
“Shut up,” Mitzy gasped. “That is freaking cool.”
Not the normal reaction I got when people found out I lived above a funeral home. It was actually nice to hear someone be excited about it and not freaked out. “Uh, it’s pretty nice up there,” I replied lamely. “Can’t even tell you’re chilling above a funeral home.” Chilling? Oh my god. Could I be any lamer?
“You’re serious about staying here?” Monk asked. “We’re going to be gone all morning and most of the afternoon.”
I didn’t know how long this was going to take, but it would for sure be two hours since it took that long just to drive back and forth.
“I’m staying. I am going to have way more fun than you three will at the lawyer’s.” Mitzy pulled Dorothy to the front door. “Don’t rush,” she called.
“Lawyer?” Dorothy wondered.
“Mitzy,” Monk boomed.
She raised her hand over her head. “I know, I know. I like to talk, Monk, but I do know when to keep my mouth shut. I love you.”
We all watched as they marched into the funeral home, and the door shut behind them.
“I did not see that happening,” Mace muttered.
“I never see any of this shit coming, brother. It’s always something new and crazy when you’ve got an ol’ lady.” Monk reached his hand out to me, and I awkwardly shook it. “I’m Monk, by the way. Mitzy is my ol’ lady.”
“Uh, I’m Imogen. Though you probably already knew that.” I smiled sheepishly.
“Yeah, Mace has mentioned you.”
And in that mentioning, how much did he really know about me? “Uh, well, I hope it was all good.”
Monk winked. “Trust me; it was, doll.” He returned to his bike and tucked the helmet Mitzy had been wearing into his saddlebag.
“Can we rewind to people wanting to kill you guys and then some guy named Kink blowing them up?”
Mace reached for my hand and pulled me over to his bike. “It’s Jinx, and you don’t have to worry about any of that. It’s over.”
“Because Jinx blew them up?” I tried to clarify.
“Uh, well, yeah. But you might want to keep that information to yourself, babe.” Mace stopped by the side of his bike and reached into his saddlebag. “Let me help you put this on.” He pulled out a black helmet and set it on my head. He was face to face with me, and his warm, brown eyes stared into my soul. At least, that was what it felt like. “Hello, Imogen,” he whispered.
I swayed slightly and gazed into his eyes. “Hello, Mace.” I almost called him Mason, but looking into his eyes, I could see he wasn’t there anymore. He was replaced by Mace.
Mace gave me the same butterflies in my stomach that Mason had, but there was more there. Mace had an air of danger and excitement to him, but I also knew that I would still be safe with him.
He was the same boy I knew when I was fifteen, but he had grown into a man.
A man I wanted to get to know.
“Ever been on a motorcycle before?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Well, then I get to be your first, babe.” He snapped the strap under my chin and dropped his arms to his sides. “Just hold on tight, and lean when I lean.”
“Uh, I can do the hold-on tight, but the leaning seems a bit more complicated.”
He shook his head and smiled. “If you’re holding on tight, babe, you’ll be leaning with me.”
“You ready?” Monk called. “We gotta meet with Pam at ten, and I need to stop for gas.”
Mace nodded. “You ready?” he asked me.
“Ready as I can be.” I looked down at my clothes. “Am I dressed okay?”
“You look good, babe.”
“Do I look like you should believe me when I tell you what happened fifteen years ago? I need to impress your lawyer.”
Mace reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “You look believable, babe. Don’t worry about anything. Just tell Pam what you remember.”
“I can do that.” I could. I just hoped it helped Mace.
Mace stepped next to the bike and threw his leg over the seat. “Put your hand on my shoulder and throw your leg over,” he ordered.
I shuffled next to the bike and laid my hand on his shoulder. “Is this kind of like riding a horse?” I asked.
“Done that before?”
“Uh, when I was sixteen. My grandma thought it would be a fun thing to do for my birthday.”
“And was it?” Mace asked.
I threw my leg over, and my butt hit the seat hard. “Not really. My horse was crazy and tried to buck me off when a rabbit crossed in front of us. I haven’t been on a horse since.”
“In that case, this is nothing like riding a horse,” Mace laughed.
“So a bunny jumping in front of us won’t scare you.”
Mace shook his head. “I think I can handle that, babe.”
Monk started his bike and backed up until he was pointed out the driveway.
“Just hold tight, and everything will be okay, Imogen.” He cranked up the bike and backed up.
Monk took off first, and we followed close behind.
“How come Monk is leading?” I called over the wind.
“Rank, babe. He’s my VP.”
“And what are you?” I asked.
“Just a member. Barracuda and Monk call the shots when it comes to the club.”
We pulled up to Monk at a stoplight.
“So he’s your boss?” I asked loudly.
Monk glanced over and let out a bark of laughter. “She ask you why you’re bringing up the rear?” he called over the roar of the engines.
Mace flipped off Monk and nodded.
That seemed dangerous. If I were to flip off Mr. Brooks, I would be fired instantly.
“I like bringing up the rear,” I shouted. “It’s nice.”
Mace reached his left arm back and squeezed my thigh. He glanced back at me with a huge smile on his face.
“I’m his VP, doll, but no one's boss. If anything, Mitzy is my boss.” The light turned green, and Monk rocketed off.
Mace followed closely behind but put his hand back on my thigh as we drove through town.
It was nice.
Really nice.
I could totally handle riding on the back of Mace’s bike for an hour.
I just wished we were driving somewhere else and not to a lawyer’s office to try to clear him of murder.
We drove for half an hour before I realized we hadn’t driven through Sutter Creek. “You took the long way,” I called into his ear.
“The scenic route, doll.”
I sighed and relaxed my arms around his waist.
Without me even realizing it, Mace was keeping me safe. Whether it was physically safe or mentally safe, he did it without thought.
I didn’t know how today would go, but I hoped that whatever happened, this wouldn’t be the last day I got to spend with Mace.
For fifteen years, I missed out on talking and being with him, and I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Having Mace back in my life was something I didn’t realize I was missing.
Chapter Nine
Mace
“What hospital did she take you to?”
Imogen shifted in her chair. “Uh, I can’t remember.”
Pam leveled her gaze on Imogen. “You can’t remember the name of the hospital your grandma worked at where she also took you for a rape kit?”
“Easy,” I interrupted. Imogen had been uncomfortable this whole time, but it ramped up when Pam started asking more questions about where the testing and pictures had been taken.
“I understand this is very upsetting for you, Imogen, but if you want to help Mason, I will need more than you just corroborating his story. The state has physical evidence that puts Mason at the crime scene. We need physical evidence proving that Kent raped you and that you killed him in self-defense. Mason might do some time for being an accessory, but hopefully, we can fight that, too. You didn’t use excessive force to kill Kent; anyone can see it was self-defense.” Pam sat back. “As long as we can prove he raped you and your life was in danger.”
“He did, and it was,” Imogen insisted.
“And I believe you, Imogen. I really do. I looked up this Kent guy. He was not a good guy. The problem is that we need concrete proof. That is where going to the hospital your grandma took you and talking to your grandma is our next step.”
“She’s old. I don’t want to burden her with this,” Imogen sighed. “And, she doesn’t know anything about Kent...” she cleared her throat, “no longer being here.”
Pam turned to me. “You guys are giving me the absolute bare minimum here, Mason. You two need to cut the shit and let me do my job.”
“We are telling you exactly what happened,” I insisted.
“I don’t know Imogen’s last name. I don’t know her Grandma’s name. I don’t know what hospital she was taken to. All you’ve given me is the same story you had but coming from her mouth. I. Need. More.” Pam swept her arm over the table. “I need it all. Don’t make me have to go digging around. I will find everything you are trying to hide and more.”
“No,” Imogen interrupted. “I will get you everything you need. Just let me talk to my grandma before you go after her.”
“I’m not going after her, Imogen. She is in no way in trouble,” Pam promised.
“She might have destroyed hospital paperwork and not reported a crime,” Imogen pointed out.
“All things that don’t matter fifteen years after she did them. The statute of limitations is way up for any of those things. All I want is for her to point us to where the paperwork might be.” Pam tapped her fingers on the table. “I can make this all go away, but I need more from you.”
Imogen closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “Fine.” She opened her eyes. “When do you need to have everything?”
“The sooner, the better, so we can wrap this up with a bow and present it to the court. The trial is in four and a half weeks. I can give you no more than two weeks, but that will be putting pressure on me. I can do some of the work beforehand, but if you don’t get me those papers and proof Kent raped you, then nothing is going to save Mace from prison.” Pam stacked her papers in a pile and took off her glasses. “I believe everything you two are telling me; I just need more. One piece of paper stating that Imogen was raped. A DNA sample that we can connect to Kent. Hell, even having your therapist stating you were raped and were in therapy with him around the time of Kent’s death could be helpful.”
“Okay,” Imogen whispered. “I can do that.”
“That DNA though and rape kit is going to be the things that will be a slam dunk.” Pam reached out and squeezed Imogen’s hand. “I know I’m asking for a lot, but trust me when I say it will be worth it in the end.”
Imogen nodded.
“Thank you, Pam.” I stood and pulled back Imogen’s chair as she shakily stood. “As soon as we have what you want, we’ll be in touch.”
“If you need help getting paperwork from the hospital, let me know. I will help however you need me to.” Pam led us out of the conference room, and we walked outside.
Monk was perched on his bike and popped up when he saw us. “Well?”
I glanced at Imogen. Her head was turned to the side, staring into the distance.
“Well,” I drawled. “We’ve got some digging and work to do, but things look better than before.”
“Anything we can do to help?” Monk asked.
“No,” Imogen spouted. “I can take care of this myself.”
“Uh, I think we got it right now, brother. It’s just finding some paperwork.”
Imogen wrapped her arms around herself and shifted from foot to foot.
“Cool, cool,” Monk mumbled. “Then I guess we can head back to Jackson, right? Mitzy has been keeping me updated on everything she’s doing with Dorothy. Last she said they were headed to the basement.”
“Do I even want to know what is in the basement?” I asked.
“That’s where I do the embalming and care for the... client.” Imogen shrugged. “It’s pretty boring down there.”
“Nothing is boring when Mitzy is around,” Monk laughed. “Swear to god she’s gotten crazier since she got pregnant.”
“Hell, when you put all the ol’ ladies together, we don’t stand a chance,” I grumbled.
“Speaking of,” Monk laughed. He nodded over my shoulder, and I turned to see Barracuda and Playboy pull into the parking lot with Rayna and Raelynn with them.
“What the hell are they doing here?” I wondered.
Imogen stepped closer to me, and her shoulder bumped into me.
“Knowing the girls, they couldn’t wait for you to call and tell everyone what happened with Pam.” Monk smiled wide and raised his hand to wave.
“Does everyone know?” Imogen whispered. She tipped her head back, and her eyes connected with mine. “Everything?”
I nodded and put my arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, babe.”
“Here I thought no one knew except for you, me, and your lawyer. Well, and Kent.” She chewed on her bottom lip, and I felt her tense.
“They’re my family, Imogen. Not one of them will look at you any differently.” And I knew they wouldn’t. If anything, it would make them all protective of her, just like I was.
Imogen was special, and I knew the club would see it as soon as they met her.
Which was happening now.
It was probably good that she would meet everyone in small doses. It was a lot to take when we were all together.
Mitzy was the most forward and took no bullshit, so it was good she had already met her. Rayna and Raelynn were both laidback and wouldn’t do anything but make Imogen feel included.
