For Her Honor (18 page)

“Settled?”

He shrugged his bad shoulder again. “Whoever did this - tried to rob us last night – gotta be found. Dealt with. Settled. Understand?”

She did – scarily so.
It didn’t mean finding this shooter and turning him over to the police. From the little knowledge she had of bikers, they handled things their own way. His eyes closed and his head slumped. He was fast asleep. She put her arm around him, scooting closer so that his head rested on her shoulder, her fingertips lightly playing with his hair. That tender gesture of comfort showing just how she felt. “I understand,” she whispered.

And those two words
just sealed it.

Chapter Seventeen

Three days was long enough.
By Wednesday, Taz needed out.

On the orders of his president, and the woman of the house, he had stayed put, allowing his shoulder to heal and regain some strength.
Since Karen didn’t have to be at the bank or the card store until the afternoon, they spent the mornings together. She made him breakfast, changed the dressing on his wound, which was now covered by a large, adhesive bandage, and cooked a nice dinner at night. His ma had joined them after closing up the bakery, and she and Karen cleaned up, then went for a walk to the reservoir. There was something weird about his ma walking with his lady to where they first fucked. But not as weird as Taz realizing he’d just referred to Karen as ‘his lady’.

And after a third night with both the women in his life under the same roof, he plopped on the couch to digest another great meal while the two women left for their walk.
He was proud of his ma staying away from the cigarettes, but she was bitching about the fat ass she was going to have from her increased appetite because of it – thus the walks which Karen had suggested. He thought his ma would be dancing around on cloud nine, but instead Janice was keeping mum. She was butting out and letting everything happen on its own. But he knew his ma better than that. Inside her head she was knitting imaginary baby booties or something.

His cell rang and he couldn’t reach for it fast enough.
It was Aero. “Talk to me.”

“Are you done being doted on like a fairy princess?”

“Someone with an unhealthy obsession with the length of his hair shouldn’t be slingin’ shit, asshole. What’s up?”

“Got a call from the Hogs.
They found the white pickup. All the identifying markings were stripped before it was burned.”

Taz blew out a breath.
“Shit. We got nothin’ to go on then?”

“Not quite.
If the Hogs know anything it’s how to erase VINs – all of ‘em. They’re just not on the dashboard anymore. Got ‘em inside door jambs, hood stickers, even the bed of the truck. Hogs even said they’re hidden under some coating in the floor. Right now it’s impounded, but they know the gate guard. Gonna get in and do a thorough check. If there’s a VIN that didn’t burn off, they’ll find it.”

Okay, some light at the end of the tunnel.
“A’ight. I’ll be in tomorrow. Wes’ been keepin’ me in the loop with the shop. He and Zip are stayin’ on top of the repairs. I’m done rehabbin’.”

“Soak it up, bro.
Gonna need you full throttle once we find these guys.”

He wished.
“Nah. You forget? Adamo wants these guys. Maybe we can tussle ‘em up a bit, but we don’t administer any final blow.”

“Fuck, yeah – you’re right.
Was looking…….”
Aero cut off speaking, and Taz heard him talking to someone else.
“What? When? Now? Shit!”

“What?”

“Tanner just got a call from Charles. Mill’s on fire.”

He jumped off the couch and went for his cut and keys.
“On my way.”

Closing his phone, he left the house and went for his bike just as Karen and his ma were coming back from their walk.
“Taz!” Karen quickened her pace until she was in front of him. “Where are you going?”

“Fire at the mill.
Meetin’ the guys there.”

“Oh Jesus, no,” Janice said.

“You have to…..?”

He pulled her head down and gave her a kiss.
“Yeah, we do. All of us. Charles is a friend. Inside and lock up.”

Janice headed towards the house.
“Come on, hon. Let’s have a slice of cheesecake before I go.” So much for worrying about her fat ass.

Karen put a hand on his injured shoulder.
“Are you….?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart.
Itchy, but fine. Go.”

With that last word he took off
.

~~~***~~~

The Hancock County fire department was already there putting out the blaze. It seemed to have been concentrated to the interior courtyard and not in the cutting room, where all the machinery was. Still, there had been a recent delivery of raw wood, which was exposed to the fire. Fortunately, it had been sprayed down with water to remove any material which could dull the sharp blades of the cutters. It hadn’t been consumed, but the quality of the wood had been compromised.

Charles Owens stood back with the fire chief
, watching the blaze being extinguished as the Skulls rode up. His cousin Tanner was off his bike first, followed by Ben, who ran towards the mill. Everyone else, including Taz, swung off and went up to Charles. “Anything?” Vic asked.

Charles shook his head.
“Not a clue. We closed up two hours ago and everyone left.”

“Arson?” Doug asked.

“Who?” Charles shrugged. “Why?”

“Why’d someone trash your cousin John’s house?” Taz shot back.

“Wait.
” Charles paused a moment to think. “You think this is connected?”

“We d
on’t know anything,” Vic replied. “Which is why we gotta think of everything.”

“Chief!
Chief!”

One of the firemen screamed from the smoldering courtyard after the flames were put out.
Everyone, including the Skulls, ran towards the structure. Taz began to violently cough, as the stench of smoke and burnt wood was still heavy. The chief stopped, holding the other men at bay. “Stay here.” He walked towards the fireman who was pointing to something in the courtyard. After a long pause, he waved Charles forward. He, including seven Skulls, went with him. This man had been a tight ally of the club, and now that his livelihood was on the line, they were right there behind him. “Mr. Owens. Did everyone leave after closing down?”

“Yes.
Why?”

The chief pointed and every eye looked at the half-charred body with smoke still rising off it.
A hand flew to Charles’ mouth. “Oh my God!”

“Call the police,” the chief told one
of his men. “And the coroner.”

The chief walked forward with every man behind him.
Boots slushed through puddles of water, soot and dirt. Bottoms of t-shirts were pulled up to faces to avoid breathing in the lingering smoke. The body was face down near the recent delivery and badly burned from legs to ribs. A large log, mostly charred, rested by the head. Floating in the water were cigarette butts, and Taz felt his stomach clench. He knew who this was. He remembered from the day he’d come down here to get the material for the shop door before a big brawl broke out. He toed the butts and looked at Ben. “Bro?”

“Shit, no,” Big Ben replied.

Leaning by the head, the chief gently turned it so that Charles could see his dirty and bloodied face. “Ty. Jesus, Christ he’s practically still a kid.” He looked at Ben and Tanner. “What was he still doing here?”

“He wasn’t!” Tanner hotly replied.

“He said he was gonna spray down the wood, but decided to leave it for tomorrow,” Ben added.

Charles shook his head.
“He was always looking for overtime. Maybe he was in the shitter when you closed up and decided to stay anyway.”

“Employee?” T
he chief asked, looking at the cigarette butts. “Who smoked near dry wood?”

Charles crouched down, clasping his hands behind his head.
“Holy fuck. Holy fucking fuck.”

“It don’t make sense.”
Wes snooped around. “Why didn’t he just run when the fire started?”

The chief continued to scan
Ty’s dead body – and the log next to his head. “Maybe he was smoking, log fell off the pile, knocked him out and his cigarette fell into the sawdust.”

Flashing black and whites showed up as everyone moved back from the scene.
Charles still couldn’t move. Tanner bent down towards him. “Cous, c’mon.”

“Wrongful death,” Charles murmured.
“This could fucking ruin me. Shit, this kid’s dead and all I can think about is……”

“C’mon.” Tanner tugged him up.
“Ain’t nothin’ we can do.”

“That’s right.”
Ben came over. “It was an accident. Let’s stay clear. Let the cops sort it out.”

An accident, Taz thought.
Stranger things had happened. But this was very strange.

~~~***~~~

Karen stared out the back door, her cell clenched in her hand. Though there hadn’t been any vibes as if someone was lurking about, something made her uneasy. Ever since Taz put her on notice to be aware of her surroundings, her mind had gone into overdrive. It then made her think of Preston and how Taz had called her out for taking off on him. Even though she’d admitted to not being in love with him, it had taken a stranger to make her realize what a shitty thing it was to do. To walk out on someone in their time of need in order to save your own hide was the coward’s way out. Of course, it was what Karen had been counseled to do. She’d never had the option to make the choice herself, as her mother had made it abundantly clear to keep the Hanson family name as far away from the situation as possible. Never had her mother asked Karen what she had
wanted,
but rather had made it clear what she was
expected
to do.

When she saw the way Taz
had torn out of here for a friend in need, it really showed just how different they were, more than just biker and civilian. He could care less that he’d just gotten shot three days ago. He got a call and he went – end of story. Even the way his mom had defended her in front of her mother and sister showed just how different and tightknit these small town folks were. She really felt herself getting close to Janice and saw the similarities Taz saw. And when Janice had admitted her own self-esteem issues, Karen felt for her. Though successful in town in her own right, the unwed mother and former groupie felt like she could never compare to the powerful awesomeness that was Elle Connors. It was pretty much how Karen felt when she was compared to Shelia – the one who’d married a powerful man, commanded a gorgeous home and held dinner parties for her husband’s associates, while Karen had done the exact opposite. And now she was looked upon with pity, after quietly escaping the judgmental eyes.

But here she didn’t have to hide.
She’d found work, a home and friends and planned to rebuild her life around what she’d scraped back together. But if she was going to make Tippitt her home, she needed to square some things away first. She needed closure.

She went to call her dad
, when she heard Taz’s bike pull up. He came through the door and she met him halfway. “Hey. How’s everything?”

She watched him slide his cut – that
was what she’d heard him refer to it as – off his back, followed by the shoulder holster. She’d never known anyone who needed to carry a gun. Then again, she’d never known an outlaw. “Not good.”

“Did it burn down?”

He shook his head. “No. But, one of the employees was caught in it. Got killed.”

Karen sucked in her breath.
“Oh my God.”

She watched him lift his
good arm to run a hand over his head. It was a move of frustration, agitation, but at the same time she couldn’t help but appreciate the way it made his biceps flex and revealed a sexy strip of muscled abs where his t-shirt rose up. She felt guilty lusting over his body amid somber news. “Police are on it. They think a piece of wood knocked him out while he was smokin’. Cigarette started the fire. Burned ‘im halfway up.”

“Jesus.”

He walked over towards her. “When’d Ma leave?”

“A c
ouple of hours ago. I’ve, uh……been thinking.”

“About?”

“Something I want to do. And I want you to come with me.”

That raised his brows with curiosity.
“What is it?”

“I want to go see Preston.”

He backed up, shaking his head. “Karen, I don’t think….”

“Yes.”
She reached out, flattening a hand tenderly against his chest. “I need to do this, Taz. What you said to me Monday got me thinking. You’re right – I did skip off on him without so much as a goodbye. And you called me out on it. Regardless of how I felt, or didn’t feel, about him, it was still a shitty thing to do. I let family and lawyers orchestrate my every move. The only thing I didn’t do was what I wanted. I want to talk to him. To say I’m sorry.”

Taz gave her a suspicious look.
“And what about what he did to you?”

Karen shrugged.
“He really didn’t do anything to me. He didn’t drag my name into it. I wasn’t hurt in any way. And he’s doing time, so he’s getting his punishment. But I need closure. I don’t want to be someone who abandons someone when they’re in need. That’s what your mother’s family did to her. That’s what my family did to me. And that’s exactly what I’m guilty of with Preston. I can call and arrange it.”

“I’ll do it.
Gimme the name of the place and I’ll have Wes set it up. But you’re right. I go with you.” He closed the distance between them, cupping the side of her face. “I ain’t gonna abandon you either.”