Dark Destiny by Avelyn Paige

StoneFace

I walkinto the small room set aside for inmates to meet with their legal counsel, and can’t help but gape at the tiny woman sitting beside Judge.

She’s petite, blonde, beautiful, and extremely young. Add to that her pink pencil skirt and blazer, you have yourself the least likely biker lawyer in all the free world.

But considering Judge is perched on the chair beside her, I know this is no mistake.

Standing as I approach the table, she waits for the guards to adjust the handcuffs. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Darby. My name is Brooke Miller-Stewart. I’m a partner at Miller, Stewart, & Cline Law Office here in Austin, and I have been hired by our mutual friend here to be your legal counsel.”

I look at Judge and smirk. “Since when does the club have Barbie covering our legal issues?”

Judge chuckles, but doesn’t answer. Brooke Miller-Stewart does, though.

“First of all, Mr. Darby, my name is not Barbie, it’s Brooke. I may be blonde, but I am no bimbo. You will treat me with the respect all women deserve, and you will keep your sexist opinions to yourself. We clear?”

Judge’s grin grows wider as mine disappears. “Yes, ma’am.”

Brooke nods and takes a seat, pulling the stack of papers in front of her a little closer and picking up a pen. “My secretary informs me that you would like to cooperate now.”

I nod. “I want out.”

She arches her brow. “You could’ve been out of here a long time ago, Mr. Darby, but you kept refusing to see me.”

“You and everyone else,” Judge mutters, leaning back in his chair.

I ignore him. “Well, I’m cooperating now, and I want out of here.”

Brooke presses her lips together, considering that. “This isn’t a state-run hotel, Mr. Darby. You are here because you stole a police car and evaded arrest.”

Judge snorts. “If by evading arrest, you mean driving like a little old woman that lost her glasses, then sure, he evaded arrest. But he did it at a ridiculously slow speed.”

Brooke doesn’t even crack a smile. “Regardless, you’re facing a third-degree felony grand theft auto charge, as well as driving under the influence and resisting arrest. All of those charges are serious on their own, but the three of them together could earn you some serious time.”

To Judge, I say, “Isn’t she full of good fucking news?”

Brooke’s lips twitch just a little bit at that. “If you plead guilty, you’re looking at two to ten years in the state prison, including time served, as well as a fine of up to ten thousand dollars.”

“Jesus,” Judge mutters.

“And if I fight it?”

Brooke places her pen on the table. “Well, you can’t exactly plead not guilty. They have you on surveillance footage from the convenience store, walking out with your case of beer and climbing inside the cruiser.”

Judge shakes his head slowly, burying his face in his hands.

“And every cop in the city was following you that night, meaning every dashcam available was trained on you. And that wouldn’t have been so bad if you had just been in the driver’s seat, but you were definitely not. I’ve seen the footage. You were leaning out the window for a good portion of the ‘chase,’ at which point you were flipping off the pursuing officers and screaming profanities at them.”

“Such a fucking jackass,” Judge barks.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” I joke, but Judge isn’t in a laughing mood.

He sits a little straighter and turns to face her. “So what’re our options?”

“One, we do nothing, take our chances in court, and likely end up in jail for years and pay whatever the judge deems an appropriate fine. But, considering you’re a biker, and you took a police vehicle for your little joy ride, I doubt the judge would be feeling particularly forgiving toward you.”

“Next,” Judge says, his face back in his hands.

“We take a plea deal. The prosecution is offering a deal for five years, less time served, plus five years’ probation.”

Five fucking years.

If you would’ve told me I’d get five years just a few days ago, I’d have told you I couldn’t care less. But that was before I realized I still had shit to offer. Before I realized I wanted to be with Delilah outside of these prison walls. Before I came to the very powerful understanding that I am letting my sister down by being in this jail right now.

“Please tell me there’s a third option.”

Brooke leans forward. “We use your military credentials. I looked you up. You were a sniper for the Marines, correct?”

My jaw tightens, but I nod.

“We explain what you’ve done for our country. We explain that you lost your entire team to an improvised explosive device, and that you were the only survivor. We tell them about your PTSD as a result, and the fact that you quit taking your meds a couple of months before the incident took place.”

“Jesus Christ, woman. How do you know all this shit about me?”

“I wouldn’t be much of a lawyer if I didn’t look a little deeper into my clients, now would I?”

Judge frowns. “Even I didn’t know most of this shit.”

“You can take that up with my client after I’m gone.”

Fuck.I haven’t told the club about Reba, or about losing my team. Most of them knew I was a sniper, but that’s as much as I’d ever shared. Making this plea would bring all that messy shit from my past out into the light for everyone to see.

Delilah’s sweet smile flashes in my mind, and I don’t have to give it another thought. “Let’s use it. Tell it all if you think it’ll get me off.”

“Why did you do that shit anyway?” Judge finally asks. “That’s the part I never understood.”

“It’s a long fucking story, Judge. I promise you, once I’m out of here, I’ll share every last detail with you, but not today.”

Judge doesn’t seem satisfied with that, but he tips his head, telling me he’ll let it go, for now.

And then I remember. “That little gift you arranged for me came in very handy the other day,” I say, holding his gaze.

At first, he looks confused, but once he realizes I’m talking about the shiv and Henry Tucker, his eyes fill with relief.

And then, even though he’s not supposed to touch me, he reaches across the table and puts his heavy hand on mine. “Thank you doesn't even cut it, brother. You’ve released so many in our family from a world of hurt.”

It’s not until that moment I realize the Black Hoods had done the same for me all along. They’d unknowingly taken my hurt and absorbed it into their brotherhood. Without them, I’d have fallen to pieces long ago.

“You’ve done that for me too,” I tell him, and I know he understands.