Knox's Stand (2 page)

Chapter Two

Knox woke to someone shaking his shoulder hard. “Leave me alone.” He felt Evie raise up on an elbow next to him.

“Knox, wake up. Something’s going on downstairs. Viper just called and wants you to come down.”

Groggily sliding out of the bed, he stood up and grabbed his jeans from the floor before pulling them on. Turning back to the bed, he saw Evie going back to sleep. She always ended up sleeping in his bed with one or more of the other women members. His bed was the largest in the house and he liked waking up in the middle of the night with a woman available.

“Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Evie merely gave a mumbled reply to that.

Already wide-awake by the time he pulled on his boots and t-shirt, he left the room and headed towards the downstairs when he heard loud voices from the top of the stairs. Looking down, he saw Viper and Shade arguing with the Sheriff.

“This is bullshit. Knox didn’t touch that bitch!” Viper was yelling at the Sheriff.

“Calm down, Viper. Let’s hear him out,” Knox heard Shade’s calm voice.

Knox went down the steps and everyone turned to watch his approach. Knox began getting a bad feeling in his gut when he saw the grim looks on his friends’ faces.

“What’s up?” Knox asked the Sheriff.

“Samantha Bedford’s body was found this afternoon at the motel,” The sheriff replied while watching his reaction to the news.

Knox stiffened, already sensing where this was going.

“Knox has had nothing to do with that bitch since she attacked Beth; none of us have. She wasn’t allowed back here at the clubhouse, and after the stunt she pulled with Winter, Beth and Lily at the diner, we haven’t seen her.”

The sheriff didn’t say anything, just continued staring at Knox.

Knox could tell by the sheriff’s reaction that he already knew that Knox had spent some time with Samantha the day before.

“I saw her yesterday. She stopped her car after I crashed my bike.” The silence in the room became tangible.

“What happened then?” The sheriff probed.

Knox debated keeping his mouth shut, but by the look in the sheriff’s eyes, he already knew that Sam and Knox had been in the motel room.

“We went back to her hotel room and fucked. When Viper called, I left. She was breathing just fine when I walked out that door.” Knox stared back at the sheriff.

“Damn it, Knox,” Viper said angrily.

“You’re not going to say anything I didn’t say to myself.” Knox felt the anger of his brothers directed towards him.

“There are enough women here that you didn’t need that bitch. What were you thinking?” Viper asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“I wasn’t. She pulled out my dick and went down on me,” Knox said wryly.

“I have to take you in for questioning, Knox. There’s no way around it; the newspaper is involved. A witness saw you leaving her room and told the reporter.”
Of course someone saw him
, Knox thought wryly. Treepoint was full of busybodies.

Knox nodded, stepping forward. “Let’s go.”

Viper took his arm. “Don’t answer any more questions. I’ll get you a lawyer.” Knox nodded his head and went out the door with the sheriff following him closely.

As the approached the squad car, the sheriff held the passenger door to the front seat open for Knox. He ignored it, and instead he opened the door to the backseat, getting in. “No sense in giving anyone the chance to say that you didn’t do everything by the book.”

Sighing, the sheriff closed both doors before getting in the car. Knox stared out the car window as the sheriff pulled out of the club’s parking lot. As he leaned his head back
against the seat, he had a sick feeling in his stomach that things were about to change, and not for the better.

* * *

Diamond poured herself a cup of coffee as she opened her newspaper, barely managing not to burn herself when she saw the headline.
Murdered woman found at the motel
. She read further on to discover that Samantha Bedford, a local woman that Diamond had never met, had been found by the maid sent in to clean the room.

Diamond moved to sit behind her desk as she read. It didn’t say how she had died, however it did mention that a local resident had seen a man leave the room hours before her body had been discovered. Although it didn’t state the man’s name, the article did say he had been brought in for questioning. Diamond was sure she wouldn’t know him anyway; she hadn’t lived in Treepoint long and hadn’t met many of the residents yet.

She heard the phone ring, but didn’t move to answer it. She had hired a secretary part-time to answer her phone and mail. She really couldn’t afford the added expense right now, yet with the new criminal cases she was taking, the secretary helped ease her workload.

“You’re due in court in twenty minutes,” a soft voice said from the doorway.

“Thanks, Holly. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.” Diamond looked up at the young woman in the doorway. They had met when she had applied for the job she had posted in the want ads. They had liked each other on sight. Both were new to Treepoint and had become friends in the short time they had known each other.

They both were quiet and liked to keep to themselves. Holly was a dainty little brunette that had abundant curves. Whenever they had lunch together, Diamond felt men’s eyes going to the woman next to her, but she wasn’t jealous, she felt sympathy for her when she felt the woman’s embarrassment at the way men looked at her. She had even confided in Diamond she had once considered breast reduction surgery, however the expense was out of her financial means.

She waved to Holly as she left the office, heading to the courthouse. Diamond was only a block away from the courthouse, which made it an easy walk. The back of the Church was across the street from her office, a building over from the courthouse. She would often cut across the Church parking lot. Today she wanted the walk and went the longer route, cutting down another side street. She turned the corner of the street to the courthouse and saw several motorcycles parked in front of the sheriff’s office next door to the Courthouse.

“Hey Di.”

Caleb greeted her from the top of the steps.

“Hi Caleb. You ready for court?”

“Always.” He gave her his ‘game on’ smile, nodding towards the sheriff’s office. “Did you hear the news?”

“What news?” she asked as they walked through the large doorway.

“They arrested one of The Last Rider’s for the murder of Samantha Bedford,” he answered her question as they walked into the crowded courtroom, each going to their respective tables, bringing their short conversation to an end.

Diamond opened her briefcase as the deputy brought in her client. Greer Porter had been caught selling a small amount of pot. The cocky, young man sat down next to Diamond at the table.

“You going to get me out of here today?” he asked as soon as his butt hit the chair.

“I’m going to try,” was all Diamond could get out before the Judge entered the room.

“All Rise,” the bailiff called from the front of the courtroom.

The case didn’t last long with Greer being given a stern warning and a huge fine. He was lucky it had been such a small amount or it could have gone much harder on the young man.

“Thanks, Ms. Richards,” he said as soon as the judge left the courtroom.

“If you get caught again, Greer, you won’t get off so lightly.”

The young man smiled back. “I don’t intend on getting caught again. I should have known better than to sell to someone I didn’t know. How was I supposed to know the sheriff hired a new deputy from out of town? Tate is going to kick my ass for being such a dumbass, but at least I was smart enough to start him off with a small enough quantity that I wouldn’t get in too much trouble.” Diamond could only stare back at Greer who was obviously proud of himself.

Diamond wanted to kick his ass herself.

“You’re done here. I paid your fine.” Tate Porter walked up behind Greer. The tall, lean man was older than the one that she had represented. He was the opposite of his brother as Diamond had found out when he had hired her to represent Greer. Greer had told her Tate had raised his brothers and sister after his parents were killed in a boating accident the year after Tate had graduated high school.

Diamond stared as the youngest brother, Dustin, and the sister, Rachel, came to stand by their brother.
Dustin had a head full of jet black hair unlike his brothers and sister who also had dark hair, but it wasn’t as curly nor did they have Dustin’s grey eyes. The effect was a handsome man that Diamond was sure kept the local girls busy.

“Thanks, Ms. Richard.” Rachel reached out to shake Diamond’s hand. Her hand was rough unlike most women. She had learned that
Rachel was a popular herbalist in the area, actually around the country. People traveled from all over to purchase her homemade medicines and have her perform a healing touch on them. Diamond thought it was ridiculous herself, but had found that the people in Treepoint took it very seriously.

The work-roughened hand that touched hers inspired nothing except wanting to end the uncomfortable contact.

Rachel eyed her curiously as their hands separated. Diamond avoided her eyes as she picked up the papers on the desk, shoving them into her briefcase.

“I’ll send you my final bill in the mail,” Diamond stated, turning to face the family with her briefcase in hand.

“That will be fine. As soon as I get it, I’ll stop by your office and take care of it. You never know when we might need your services again,” Tate said, looking at his unconcerned brother with censure. Diamond didn’t envy him trying to take care of his strange family.

She walked outside with them, saying her goodbyes in front of the courthouse. She was turning to walk towards her office when The Last Riders walked outside the s
heriff’s office with an angry Marc Harris, the town’s best criminal lawyer. The older lawyer looked ready to have a heart attack.

“I won’t be talked to that way by anyone! Did you hear what he told me to do?” Marc was practically screaming at Viper and Winter.

“Mr. Harris, Knox didn’t mean for you to take it so literally. He’s jus
t—
” Winter tried to placate the older man.

“I don’t care. You can find another lawyer, one that can deal with that asshole.” Diamond was shocked that the established attorney had lost his composure to the extent she was witnessing.

“Bu
t—
” again Winter tried to intercede, yet before she could continue, Harris stormed across the lot to his car.

All of them were still staring when he pulled out with a screech of tires. Diamond closed her mouth when she realized The Last Riders were all staring at her. Seeing the speculation in Viper’s eyes, she could almost see the wheels turning in his mind.

Hell no
, Diamond thought to herself. Swiveling in her high heels, she took off down the street at a brisk walk, trying to avoid what she saw coming.

“Ms. Richard.” Diamond heard Winter’s voice, but kept booking it down the street.

Suddenly, a man stepped out in front of her, bringing her to a sudden stop. She hadn’t seen him before, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was a part of the motorcycle club. He was covered in tattoos, wearing dark jeans and a t-shirt. The sunglasses on his face hid his eyes, but he was good looking in a harsh kind of way. He gave Diamond the chills down her back. She didn’t even try to move past him as Winter, Viper and two other members surrounded her on the sidewalk.

“Ms. Richard, we need your help,” Winter began.

“I’m not taking on any new cases,” Diamond said, turning to look at Winter instead of the one that was giving her the willies.

“That isn’t what your sister said. She said you’re having a hard time finding clients, and that was why you moved to Treepoint from Jamestown. Please can we just go somewhere to talk for a few minutes?” Winter pleaded.

Diamond grudgingly gave in. “My office is just around the corner.” Her heart sank at Winter’s relieved smile. She had every intention of convincing her to accept her friend’s case, but Diamond had every intention of refusing. Nothing on earth could convince her to take the case. It would mean having more contact with the motorcycle club. She hadn’t managed to get away from her parents’ club to find herself entangled in another club’s problems. No way in hell.

Chapter Three

Diamond went into her office, followed closely by The Last Riders. Holly was filing papers in the cabinet when she turned to see who came in. Diamond wasn’t surprised when the woman’s mouth fell open as the office filled with several of the bikers.

“Holly, I’ll be in my office if you need me.” A nod was the only response the woman could manage besides the look that begged her not to leave her alone with the dangerous looking men that were taking a seat on the few chairs and small couch she had available for seating.

Winter, Viper and the heavily tattooed biker followed her inside her private office. Diamond went behind her desk, placing her briefcase on the neat surface before taking a seat.

“What’s going on, Winter?” Diamond decided not to beat around the bush; the faster she found out what they wanted, the faster she could get rid of them.

“One of our members has been arrested in the murder of Samantha Bedford,” Viper answered her question. Diamond blew out a breath of air. She had been expecting that, thanks to the brief information that Caleb had told her before court. Drug possession, assault, DU
I;
those were what she had dealt with since moving to Treepoint. She had never thought to represent a case for a client with the seriousness of a murder charge.

“I am going to save us both some time. I don’t have the experience to defend a murder case.” Diamond started to rise to her feet.

“The best criminal defense lawyer in the state of Kentucky just walked out on us. That asshole will defend anyone for the right amount of money. Knox pisses everyone off. There’s not a lawyer that won’t become angry and quit with his attitude. I don’t want to be looking for a new lawyer everyday, we need someone that isn’t going to run away the first time that Knox gets angry and scares the shit out of them.”

“I’m sorry.”
Actually she wasn’t
, Diamond thought again, rising to show them the door.

“I’ll pay whatever fee you want,” Viper stated, looking around her office. Diamond sat back down.

“If money is no object, then you can afford any lawyer you want,” Diamond protested, but then paused, rethinking whether she really wanted to talk them out of hiring her.

“Money didn’t prevent Harris from walking out on us,” Viper said in disgust.

Diamond just bet. Lawyers were notoriously uptight, leaving the men like Knox to the lower lawyers to deal with. Diamond swallowed. She was one of the lower lawyers hungry enough to need the money and the exposure the case would bring.

“How much money are we talking about?” Diamond asked.

The gleam in Viper’s eyes said he knew he had her. Diamond forced down her anger and mentally added another figure on for his being an asshole.

“Let’s cut to the chase. You prove Knox is innocent, I’ll give you five hundred thousand dollars.”

Diamond’s figure went out her open door, liking his much better.

“I take it you believe Knox is innocent?” Diamond queried.

“I know he is,” Viper stated without pausing.

“You can’t be so sure. Everyone has a breaking point, and from what you’re telling me, Knox isn’t the sweetest man in the county. Perhaps they got in an argumen
t—
”

“If he had killed her, Ms. Richards, no one would have found the body.”

Diamond’s eyes widened at Viper’s calm reply while Winter winced, but didn’t speak up, which led her to believe that she felt the same way. She stared out into her outer office at the men who were listening and saw the agreement on their faces.

Damn. Diamond knew she shouldn’t touch this case, however the money was too much to resist. Even if she bailed, they would still have to pay her for the hours she billed.

As if reading her thoughts, Viper stated, “Of course, if you quit on us, I won’t pay you one fucking dime.”

Diamond started to protest, but she could see that this part was nonnegotiable.

“All right, you have a deal.” Diamond heard herself agree while at the same time she wanted to smack herself silly. Her eyes saw one of The Last Riders get up from his chair in the lobby and go to Holly’s desk, leaning against it as he spoke casually to her. She could tell from the seductive smile on the man’s face he was making a play for her quiet secretary.

She was right. The sound of a chair hitting the wall sounded in the outside room and Holly all but ran into the room, coming to stand behind Diamond’s chair with her face flaming red. The man gave a smile and came to stand in the doorway, watching with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

“Ms. Richards, your next appointment is due in ten minutes.” Holly’s voice was surprisingly firm, but she remained behind her desk. The Last Riders didn’t try to hide their amusement at Holly’s reaction.

“Stop it, Rider. Go on outside,” Winter snapped at the man who then turned and walked away with a final wink at Holly.

“Thanks, Holly.” Diamond stared hard at Viper. “After I’m finished with my next client, I’ll go down to the sheriff’s office and see what they have on him. I’ll keep in touch. Get a bail bondsman ready for a call. I’ll see what I can do about getting him out. Is he going to be a flight risk?”

“Knox wouldn’t run if you pointed a gun at him. It’s not in him; he is a soldier. He stands and fights.”

“Good to know because, if he takes off, I’ll still expect my money, and you can find yourself another lawyer.”

“Deal,” Viper said, walking out her door and taking his men with him.

Winter paused before leaving. “Thank you, Ms. Richards.”

Diamond nodded her head, watching as her office emptied and Holly came to stand next to her.

“You took a case involving one of them?” she questioned.

“Yes,” Diamond said grimly. “I did.”

“What did he do?”

“They arrested him for killing Samantha Bedford.” Diamond kept staring out of her office, seriously thinking about running after them and telling them to find another lawyer.

“Can I quit?” Holly asked her boss, gripping the desk.

“No.”

* * *

Diamond took a deep breath to steady her nerves before going into the sheriff’s office. The small office wasn’t very busy as the dispatcher sat behind the front desk and watched curiously while Diamond approached.

“Hello, is the sheriff in?” Diamond requested.

“He sure is, honey. You wanting to see him?”

“Yes, thank you.” Expecting the woman to pick up the phone, Diamond jumped when the woman yelled.

“Sheriff! You have someone here wantin’ to talk to you.” The office door at the end of the hall opened showing the sheriff.

“Come on back.” His loud voice filled the office. Diamond hid her wince at the lack of decorum.

“Sheriff.” Diamond extended her hand towards the large man who everyone in town respected. Diamond had met him before, several times, at the courthouse.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Richards?”

“I’d like to talk to my client, Knox Bates. I’ve scheduled a hearing in the morning to set bail.”

Diamond didn’t see surprise on his face when she told him she was representing Knox.

“Have you met Knox before?”

“No, but I know he must be a little difficult if his other lawyer quit,” Diamond answered.

“Little doesn’t describe anything about Knox. Prepare yourself.” Diamond ignored his warning. Thanks to her parents’ lifestyle, she had been exposed to some hardass bikers and she had held her own. She wasn’t worried about dealing with Knox.

The sheriff went into his office again before coming back with the keys and then walked down the short hallway, Diamond following behind. The steel door was unlocked and pushed opened.

Diamond walked into a large, grey room containing a small window and long table with several chairs placed around the table.

“Have a seat. I’ll bring him out.”

Diamond sat down, opening her briefcase and pulling out her writing pad as well as a pen. She looked up when the sheriff returned with a huge man that Diamond recognized instantly. It wasn’t like you could forget something that big and bald.

The huge biker was wearing faded jeans and a blue t-shirt that covered a muscled chest that she had seen the day that she had gone to The Last Riders clubhouse to interview Winter. He had been wearing only jeans then and his muscled chest had been bare, showing the tats on his chest and arm. He had also had his hands on two very attractive women who had obviously just been very intimate with the biker.

Diamond was more than familiar with the loose sexual atmosphere of a biker club, but from the way the trio acted, Diamond suspected it went beyond what even she had been exposed to.

Observing the man as he came across the room, Diamond was struck by his sexual aura. His cleanly shaven head and fierce expression were intimidating. He wasn’t ugly by a long shot, however he wasn’t handsome, either. The huge body, she was sure, had caused more than one man to back down from the threatening looking biker.

Diamond stood to her feet. “Hello, my name is Ms. Richards…”

“I know who you are.” Knox took a seat at the table across from where she was standing, ignoring her outstretched hand.

Diamond’s eyes narrowed at his interruption. “Then you know that Viper hired me to represent you in court.”

“Viper told me. When you getting me out of here?” Knox asked bluntly.

“You have a hearing in the morning. If they set bail and your friends come up with the bond, you can be released afterward,” Diamond explained.

“They’ll have the money; just get me out of here.”

“I intend to. Now, I looked over the case and I would like to ask you several questions. Sheriff, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone with my client.”

The sheriff gave her an amused look. “Certainly, if you need anything, just yell,” he said, leaving with a warning look towards Knox who gave him a stubborn one in return.

Opening the file that Holly had put together for her, Diamond tried to ignore his hard stare.

“How well did you know Samantha Bedford?” Diamond started her questions.

“If you needed to know how she fucked, I could tell you anything you want to know. Personally, not a damn thing,” Knox answered crudely. Diamond looked up at him from her papers to show him he wasn’t going to get anywhere by trying to shock her.

“Okay. How long had you been fuck buddies?” she rephrased her question.

“Not buddies, we just fucked. You have to like each other to be buddies. I hated the bitch.”

“I see. How did she feel about you?”

“Nothing. Sam didn’t feel emotion other than the need to fuck. Had to have it all the time, didn’t care who gave it to her or where as long as she got off,” Knox said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms across his massive chest.

“Can you give me some names of other men she had a sexual relationship with?”

“No.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Diamond tried to clarify his answer.

“Sam wasn’t allowed to hang with The Last Riders anymore. Since she quit being a hang around, I don’t know who she’s been fucking. I didn’t care enough to ask.”

“You had sex with a woman and didn’t inquire about her sexual history?” Diamond couldn’t believe that a man could be so stupid in this day and age not to check out a partner’s health status.

Knox shrugged, unconcerned. “I used a condom. Didn’t let her have my mouth. She was safe enough to fuck.”

Diamond’s fingers tightened on her pen. This man was a living,-breathing jerk. Taking a deep breath, her mind kept going over and over how much she needed the money that defending Knox would bring.

“Let’s move along. When did you meet Sam on Friday?”

“I didn’t meet her. I crashed my bike and she was driving by and offered me a ride about four o’clock,” Knox estimated.

“She offered you a ride?” Diamond looked up at him. “So how did her giving you a ride end up with both of you at the hotel? Are you sure you didn’t have plans to meet her?”

“I’m sure,” Knox stated.

“Okay, so she gave you a ride and you both decided to go to the motel?” Diamond asked. Trying to get the chain of events straight was like pulling teeth.

Knox sighed. “I called for a lift. While I was waiting for Viper to call me back, we sat in her car. She made a move, I didn’t say no, so we went back to her hotel where we fucked for an hour. Viper returned my call, so I left to meet Rider. End of story.”

“Do you have any witness to that fact? Did she come to the door and someone see her?” Diamond asked hopefully.

“No, she was still lying on the bed when I left.” Damn. Diamond should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Was she breathing?”

Knox’s eyes narrowed at her caustic reply. “Yeah, she was breathing.” Knox leaned forward. “If I was going to kill the bitch, I wouldn’t have left my condom in the trash can. They wouldn’t have found my fingerprints and they fucking would have never found her body.”

Diamond shivered at his harsh answer. She was definitely understanding why the rest of his club had no doubt that he spoke the truth. This man would cover his tracks.