She used her nails to rip at the upholstery behind her back as she kept kicking the cage.
When the deputy jerked the car to a stop at the sheriff’s office, she heard him call for help. Her rage was out of control, yet she didn’t care. It took three officers and a Taser to remove her from the cruiser.
After that, it was a blur as she was restrained to a metal chair, each limb handcuffed to the chair. Wheeled into a cell, she caught a glimpse of Fat Louise in the cell across from hers before the door was slammed shut.
She started wiggling on the seat, trying to make it move. Her rage was so overwhelming, adrenaline rushing through her system, that she refused to give up the futile struggle.
The deputy’s confession had sent her over a tipping point. He’d had no fear admitting he had pulled her over without reason. If he was so sure enough of himself to drop his guard once, he would do it again. All it would take was pushing the right button. She might not have a college degree, but she had a PHD in making men regret screwing her over.
Visualizing putting her head through the steel door, she felt the metal chair slide a scant inch across the concrete floor, despite the brakes the deputy had engaged before leaving her cell.
“Ha!” she yelled out, proud of her success, wiggling harder as the cell door was swung open.
It was her last thought before another jolt of electricity shot through her body, stunning her senseless and dimming the cell walls as her eyes involuntary rolled upward.
With sheer force of will, she twisted one of her hands in the restraints, visualizing an imaginary hand holding hers, giving her the peace of mind she needed to succumb to the waiting darkness.
25
“How much longer do we have to wait?” Frustrated, Calder rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, trying to stretch the kink out of it.
He had started driving back from Lexington last night after Stud had called to tell him about Sam. He had every intention of finding that man and beating the hell out of him for trying to roofie Crazy Bitch. Then he had been forced to change his mind when he had stopped to get gas and saw Stud’s text about her getting arrested.
Every pit-stop he made after that, the news kept getting worse until he stopped looking at the texts, afraid he would wreck if he rode any faster.
“Calder, calm down. Killyama will come outside the courtroom when they call Crazy Bitch’s name.” Diamond sat with her briefcase on her lap outside the courtroom, studying the documents in her hand.
“How did Fat Louise get out so fast and Crazy Bitch didn’t?”
“Her charges were misdemeanors, and there were no aggravating circumstances. Crazy Bitch has a past history of offenses, though she wasn’t convicted of any of them, thanks to me. She’s why I moved to Treepoint. I was tired of getting her out of jail. At least she’s stayed out of trouble since her mother’s death. I was actually expecting worse when Sex Piston called to tell me she had been arrested. It could be worse.”
“How could it be worse? She’s been charged with drug possession, resisting arrest, destroying police property, and striking a police officer.” Calder rubbed his neck harder, the tension making the crick in his neck worse.
“The car wasn’t hers. It was rented in your name.” Diamond glanced up at him, tapping her pen on the rental agreement where his name was signed on the bottom.
He paled. “I didn’t even step foot in that car. I don’t want this pinned on me for something I didn’t do.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll defend you and blame it on her if it goes to court. You have to love the judicial system. When it comes down to it, it can’t be proven who was responsible for those drugs being in that car. By the time one of you are convicted, you’ll be so old the state won’t want to pay for your medical bills.”
“What about the rest of the charges?”
“Those she’s guilty of. She’s looking at jail time or probation, and she’ll have to make restitution for the property she destroyed. It’s going to be a pretty penny. She ripped the upholstery in the back seat, one of the side windows is damaged, and they have to replace the barrier between the front and back seat. The charge that has me the most worried is striking an officer. The deputy said she hit him in the back of his head when he was driving. She could do serious time for that. Are you sure you know what you’re getting into with her?”
“I love her.” He felt a muscle spasm at the back of his neck at his admission.
The door of the courtroom opened, and Killyama motioned for them.
Diamond placed a folder back in her briefcase before standing. “I hope you don’t want children. If she gets convicted, you can kiss the likelihood of that happening good-bye. You should take some aspirin for your neck. It looks like it hurts.”
“You have no idea,” he stated, unable to move his neck to look at her. “I don’t take aspirins. It’ll work its way out in a couple of days.”
“You should go to a chiropractor. It’ll be less painful than waiting. This shouldn’t take long. It’s just a parole hearing.”
“How are we supposed to pay if it’s a large amount? The club doesn’t have much money, and Kentucky doesn’t allow bail bond companies to post bail. It has to be cash… and none of us have a lot.”
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”
“You have that kind of money?” he asked.
“Enough to pay, unless it’s for a ridiculous amount. Don’t worry.” Diamond went through the door first, coming to an abrupt stop. Turning back, she gripped the door tightly. “You should wait out here. I’ll come outside after I get her released.”
He lifted his brow. “Why? I want to go inside.”
“I have money, but I’m not rich. I don’t have enough to get you both out of jail. Do me a favor and go sit down and wait.”
He wanted to rip the door out of her hand, but he didn’t want to make her angry by doing it. He had promised to be at Crazy Bitch’s back whenever she needed him. He had failed last night by not being there to keep her from getting arrested. He wouldn’t fail her now.
“I’m going into that courtroom. I won’t make a sound, whatever happens. I swear.”
“I’m going to hold you to your words.”
Diamond released the door, and Calder followed her inside, immediately regretting making the promise.
Finding a seat next to Sex Piston and Stud, he saw they were tightly holding hands. They were just as upset as he was at Crazy Bitch’s appearance.
Diamond took her seat at the table in front of the judge where Crazy Bitch was standing, her hands and feet shackled, and her hair that was always styled and teased upward was a holy mess, sticking out in different angles. When she had turned to watch them enter the courtroom, he had seen how the left side of her face was bruised and she had a gash on her forehead. Seeing her in the orange jumpsuit broke his heart, imagining how they had gotten her out of her clothes.
The judge looked over his glasses at Diamond as the bailiff read the charges off. The judge’s face grew glacial.
“Ms. Macrae, our police have enough to do without you making their jobs harder. Have you got anything to say for yourself?”
“Yes, I f… Yes, I do, Your Honor.”
Diamond covered the microphone so those sitting in the courtroom couldn’t hear what she said to Crazy Bitch.
“Mrs. Richards-Bates we’re waiting.”
“Yes, Your Honor. I’m sorry. Go ahead, Anna-Kate.”
From where he was sitting, Calder could see the warning look on Diamond’s face as she pulled her hand away from the microphone.
“I was just about to say that I have been falsely accused.”
“Of which charge? Resisting arrest?” the judge asked.
“No, I did that,” she admitted.
“Destroying police property?”
“No, I did that, too.”
Diamond put her hand over the microphone again. This time, Calder could hear the women arguing without the microphone
.
“Do you want out of here? Shut up!”
“I’m going to tell the truth. You’re supposed to tell the truth and swear on a Bible, aren’t you?” Crazy Bitch whispered loudly.
“Do you see a Bible?” Diamond hissed back.
“No.”
“Then shut up!”
“Okay.”
The women turned back to the judge.
“Are you ready to explain which charges you have been falsely accused of?” The judge pushed his glasses back up his nose.
“I’m trying, but she keeps interrupting me.” Crazy Bitch nodded her head sideways at Diamond.
“So, are you guilty of striking an officer?”
“Not technically, no.”
“What do you mean, not technically? Either you did or you didn’t.”
“He was a police officer. And may I state for the record that I do admire and thank them for the job they do, but he stopped being a police officer when he pulled me over without just cause. I stopped at that stop sign, I didn’t have a light out, and I wasn’t speeding. When he put me in the back of his car, he admitted it to me, so when I kicked that metal cage, I wasn’t hitting a police officer. I was hitting a kidnapper.”
The longer Crazy Bitch talked, the more the judge’s face took on a ruddy hue.
Calder wanted to bury his hands in his hair, but his neck hurt too bad.
“So, you’re saying you were falsely accused of running the stop sign?”
“Yes, Your Honor, and the pills. They weren’t mine. Do you have a CSI to test the baggie for fingerprints? Mine are on file if you want to match them.”
“Ms. Macrae, we don’t have a CSI.”
“That sucks. They wouldn’t find mine if you did.”
“Ms. Macrae, I don’t find that reassuring. With your history—”
“You see any drug charges on that record?”
“Ms. Macrae, remain silent until you’re asked to respond.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The judge’s jowly face shook as he pointed a finger at Crazy Bitch. “I’m setting bail at full cash, three-hundred-thousand-dollar bond.” The judge started to pound his gavel down.
“Your Honor, Ms. Macrae is a hairdresser. She has nothing of value to meet that bond. She’s isn’t a flight risk—”
“Your Honor, I don’t have any family to run to. I’ve only lived in Jamestown. I’ve never been out of the country, unless you count the time I went to Mexico to rescue Fat Louise, and I came right back. I have to feed my cat. He gets lonely without me. The only friends I have are in this courtroom, and they can’t afford that bail.”
“Ms. Macrae, you should have thought about that before you struck an officer.” The judge slammed his gavel down then left with a swoosh of his robe.
Calder went to the wooden barrier as Crazy Bitch turned to leave at the deputy’s urging.
“Hot thang! You’re back!” She tried to shuffle toward him. “I was going to make you dinner.”
The deputy took her arm, leading her to the side of the courtroom.
“I missed your smiling face, so I came back early.”
“Awe. I might need to start calling you sweet cheeks,” she said, blowing him a kiss. Then she gave him a water-filled smile. “Wait for me!” she yelled dramatically as the deputy tried to push her through the door. Then she tried to hop up so she could see him. “Don’t let those sluts at the club get you to stray. Remember, you’re mine!” she howled as the door swung shut.
“Jesus.” Diamond fanned her face with her folder before she went to the row of seats where Sex Piston and Stud were sitting. “I’m pregnant, and that woman makes me want a stiff drink.”
“I have five thousand in my checking account.” Calder took out his debit card.
“I have twelve thousand, give or take.” Sex Piston opened her purse, taking hers out.
“I thought you’re broke?” Stud asked, dropping the hand he had been holding.
“It’s my emergency money in case our marriage doesn’t work out.”
“We’ve been married for six years.” Stud reached for his wallet. “I have four thousand. I’d have more, but you’re always telling me you’re broke.”
Killyama reached in her back pocket. “I brought a check for fifty thousand.”
“Next time, you’re buying lunch,” T.A. said, taking an envelope out her purse. “Here’s seven thousand in cash. The brothers, me, and Fat Louise put in. I tried to convince Cade, but he’s still mad at Crazy Bitch for not letting Fat Louise tell him about Sam. How much is that?”
“It’s not three hundred thousand,” Diamond said, still fanning herself.
“Ma and Skulls don’t have money.”
“My mother would give some if she was here.” Killyama cast a look at Train, who was trying to avoid looking at her directly.
Giving a hard sigh, he took out his wallet, the chain attached whipping his leg at the jerking movement. “Where do we pay?”
Killyama’s unhappy frown broke into a relieved smile. “How much are you putting in?”
“All of it. You all can keep your money.”
Killyama was so happy she jumped on Train, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. When we get home, I’m going to do something for you,” she promised, dropping back to her feet.
“I’ll show you where you pay. Then I’m going to the sheriff’s office to be there when they release her. I don’t trust her not to do something to screw it up before I can get her out.” Diamond fastened her briefcase, standing up.
“I’ll go with you. Give me a second,” Calder said to Diamond, holding his hand out to Train. “I owe Shade a debt. Now I owe you, though I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you.”
Train took his hand, not releasing it. “You don’t owe me shit. Crazy Bitch won’t break bail, so I’ll get my money back. What you and Peyton are doing for Gavin is a debt we can’t repay.”
Calder gripped Train’s hand tighter. “I will always be there for Gavin when he needs me.”
When Train released his hand, Calder went with a waiting Diamond to the parking lot. Getting on his bike, he rode behind her as she drove her car to the police station where Crazy Bitch was being held.
They waited in the lobby for the call to come through, and when it did, the sheriff and four of his deputies went through a steel door to get her.
Calder heard Diamond mumbling.
“I can’t hear what you are saying.”
“I am praying.”
“She wouldn’t really do anything that would keep her from getting released, would she?”
Diamond gave him a look filled with exasperation. “You have no idea. Crazy Bitch is crazy. If she feels that she or someone she loves has been wronged, she goes after them no-holds-barred. Did she ever tell you about the men she killed?”
“I thought she was joking.”
“She wasn’t joking. She was telling you the truth. Her mother was one of the worst addicts I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a few. She’d get waitressing jobs, but as soon as she got a new boyfriend, she’d quit working. To give her credit, she made sure none of those lowlifes ever touched Crazy Bitch. That being said, she spent most of her time going back and forth to different foster homes. As far as I know, most of them treated her fairly well, but I don’t know for sure. She really hasn’t ever talked to me personally, and Sex Piston and her crew damn sure wouldn’t say anything if she did.
“One of her boyfriends had a rap sheet of domestic violence charges. A couple of them were brought on by Crazy Bitch’s mother. She kicked him out and managed to get custody back during one of those times.
“One day, Crazy Bitch came home from school and heard her mother in the bathroom, crying for help. When she went to the bathroom, she found her half dead, the boyfriend strangling her. Crazy Bitch went nuts trying to get him off her. She went to the kitchen and got a knife. When she came back, he was still on top of her mother.
She stabbed him in the back. They tried her for murder, but she was acquitted.”
“I don’t remember hearing about that, and I’ve known her a long time.”
“I didn’t know about it either until I got my law degree and had to get her out of jail one time for breaking a man’s jaw because he had tried to rape T.A. As her lawyer, I was given access to her records. None of the other brothers know because she was underage and her identity had to be protected.”
“How old was she?” Calder asked hoarsely.
“Eleven years old.”
26
“Why are you telling me? You wouldn’t talk to Stud about my case because I wouldn’t give you permission.” Calder hadn’t been trying to convince Gavin to trust Diamond for no reason. Besides being a hell of a lawyer, she knew how to keep her mouth shut. She didn’t talk about other clients’ cases.
“Because, when I had an office in Jamestown, all my cases were here. Several of those cases were for the Destructors, and those include Crazy Bitch’s.” Diamond stepped to the side, motioning for him.
She lowered her voice to make sure no one in the offices could hear them. “When I talked to Crazy Bitch last night, she said she knew something didn’t feel right when the sheriff showed up. She said, as many times as she’s dealt with the cops, the sheriff has never responded to a call. She’s right. I grew up here. I’ve never dealt with him, either.
“He comes to work about ten and leaves about four. Anytime I’ve had to come to the station, he’s always in his office. Crazy Bitch said that when the deputy put her in his car, he told her that she hadn’t blown the stop sign.”
“Why would he tell her that?” Becoming indignant at Crazy Bitch’s treatment, he warily looked around the room to make sure no one could overhear their conversation.
“I think he did it to set her off. Anyone who has access to her rap sheet would know she has anger issues.”
“What kind of anger issues?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.” Diamond’s mouth closed tightly.
Her discussing Crazy Bitch’s record showed she felt he needed to know this to understand that Diamond believed Crazy Bitch’s traffic stop had been a setup.