Page 62 of Jake's Angel

“With both clubs actively looking for him, I took a couple days to allow Jonah’s wife the closure she needed. We had his funeral and gathered our men. When other chapters heard what had happened, they came down under the guise of paying their respects—which they did. It wasn’t the only reason they were here, though. War was coming, and we needed every man wecould enlist for our cause.” Caleb and Gabe share a knowing look.

Now, Gabe continues pressing forward with the story. “When Dad stepped down, the club voted me in to take his place as President. Jameson took Jonah’s place as VP, and Thomas lost his mind. He was too pissed about being passed up twice to even questionwhythe seat was made available.”

“Just shows how fucked in the head he was.” Jameson adds.

“Thomas spent most of the funeral and the celebration of life party in a drunken rage until he finally took off on his bike. During the party, people were sharing both their condolences and congratulations. Seeing all the other club chapters coming in and hearing their words, Maggie became restless. I don’t know if she sensed the danger ahead, or if she realized the burden that had been passed onto me as President, but she began pushing for us to get away for a few days. She said she wanted to visit Baron’s Edge, to see her parents and introduce her mother to Avery. It was the perfect excuse for me to get her as far away from the shitstorm that was about to go down. Dad and I thought it was a good way to get some space between Thomas and me as well. Give him a chance to accept the changes in the club and show his loyalty to me by protecting my family,” he scoffs.

“I hadn’t told Mags we knew the bastard who killed Jonah, or that we were preparing for war. I kept her as far away from club business as possible. I sent her away with the possibility of never seeing her again. Had I known how right I was, I never would’ve sent her.” He stands up and begins pacing behind his chair, taking several deep breaths.

“We never suspected your brother was out to get her killed, either.” Caleb consoles. “None of us could’ve seen it coming, son.”

“When we got to the scene, I went to Thomas first.” Caleb takes over the story once more. “Gabriel and Mack were trying to get Maggie out of the car.”

Images of them dragging her lifeless body through the passenger door, then Gabe holding her in his lap sobbing, flash through my mind.

“While we were on the ground, Thomas told me Viper had been the one who shot at him. He said they took Thomas down first, then went after Maggie. She fought to keep the car on the road, but the son of a bitch wasn’t alone. Between him causing her to swerve and a second vehicle slamming into her car while she struggled to regain control, the car was sent careening into the side of the mountain.” Gabe’s hunched over the back of his chair, his eyes wrenched shut. Pop joins him at his side, patting his shoulder to comfort him.

“Thomas told me where to find the bastard, which I did as soon as the ambulance had everyone loaded and on their way to the hospital.” Caleb shakes his head. “Gabe knew my intentions, and that’s why I handed the reins of the club over to him when I did. I wasn’t planning on coming back alive.” He’s stroking his beard, something I’ve noticed he does when he’s deep in thought or trying to regain control of his temper. Either way, I know he’s working to keep a level head.

“I hunted him down, and although he got a good shot off, hitting me in the shoulder, I did what needed to be done. When I was certain he was dead, I called the cops and told them where to come and get us.”

“Why not run?” Hawk questions. “Why not leave him for dead and come home? You did time for killing the bastard.”

“The court ruled it involuntary manslaughter,” Caleb states. “It was the best I could get, and I was more than willing to pay the price to see the fucker rot in hell.”

“You could’ve left him for dead and stayed a free man.”

“I could’ve, but we knew the DO would come for me first. I was the obvious choice. The man killed my brother, my daughter-in-law, and almost took out my eldest son and my granddaughter. They would’ve suspected me or Gabe, and I was just as proud then as I am now to say I ended that motherfucker’s life.” The men all nod their agreement. Any one of us would’ve done the same thing. Consequences be damned.

“Russ’s lawyer was able to get my charges reduced to involuntary manslaughter with the help of some witnesses.” He chuckles. “I had been shot while grappling to get the gun away from him. That, along with Thomas’ statement from the hospital stating the same man had shot him while he was on his bike, allowed Russ’s lawyer to convince the judge I didn’tintendto kill the man. He convinced the judge and jury that my plan was to capture and subdue him. The judge agreed while I didn’t intend to kill him, he still died at my hands and there was enough evidence to show I had motive and would’ve considered it. Unfortunately, I had to serve a small sentence but it was worth it in the end. Mostly.”

“Dad went to jail, but not because he killed the man responsible for Maggie’s death. Viper was guilty, make no mistake. He killed Jonah and shot Thomas. His death was warranted. But it’s Thomas who is responsible for what happened to Maggie. The only men who knew the details about Maggie leaving town were all in this room, except for Thomas. He must have let Viper, and we assume Nate, know about our plans.”

“Nate and Thomas were close, and both felt the club screwed them out of their take when we declined the partnership offer, and the knife was dug even deeper when Thomas was passed over to become President. Nate was all for getting in on their drug action. His personal supply chain was his motive.”

“A lot easier to stay loaded when you’re in good with the guy who makes it,” Hawk quips.

“Well, Thomas saw nothing but dollar signs with both the guns and the drugs. He was blinded by his own greed,” Caleb adds.

“We still weren’t sure if Thomas was working alone or with the Devil’s Order. If he was trying to get in on their deal or take it over. All we knew was he wasn’t acting like himself. We didn’t know who we could trust other than the men who are still here with us now. So, to figure out where Thomas’s loyalties really stood, we told him that Maggie died on impact, and Avery succumbed to her injuries and passed away overnight. Thomas was released from the hospital the following evening, but when we sent our prospects to pick him up in a cage, he was already gone.”

Ghost grunts from his corner of the room, displeased that Thomas has eluded even him.

“When Thomas first disappeared, we weren’t sure if he was going to the Devils or if he was just hiding from the club. If he was working with them and caused his sister-in-law’s death, he knew the price he would pay for treason to this club. If he was supposed to scare Maggie, but his plans went sideways, causing her death instead, he brought war to the Devils and would pay the price for the blood lost for his mistake. Anyway, you looked at it—Thomas was desperate and in trouble.” Gabe sits back down in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck, turning it side-to-side to loosen the tension.

Caleb lifts his chin toward Ghost, who’s been silently observing this entire conversation. He nods back, showing an obvious silent agreement between the three men, then Caleb begins again.

“Desperate men do desperate things. Thomas blamed me and the club for taking everything away from him. His pay day,the rank of president, his wife and daughter, and he had to let it all go. We all knew if given a chance to retaliate, he would. If he found out Avery was alive, he might’ve tried to finish what he started. Knowing I was going to be doing time for a while, Gabriel had to make some decisions not only for this club but also for the safety and mental stability of our family.”

“I got in touch with Russ and his lawyer and asked them to meet with us. Gabriel asked if there was a legal way for Russ to adopt Avery and become her new guardian. They, with Ghost’s help, erased all of us from her life completely. Ghost made Maggie’s life in Oak Ridge vanish completely, erasing everything from work records to her marriage certificate. All that remained was a falsified rental agreement, the record of Avery’s birth, and Maggie’s death certificate.”

Gabe hasn’t moved while Caleb explains everything done to protect Avery. He sits frozen in place as he listens, but doesn’t add or correct any details. He’s a statue of a man at this moment.

“Then we assigned Mack as Russell’s head of security for both him and West Enterprises, putting Mack in charge of all security matters surrounding their family and businesses. He set up a team of trusted men and they kept vigilant watch over the home and everyone in it. He even handpicked Chuck to be their personal security on site at the mansion.” I cringe at the mention of his name. Pop stiffens, rolling his shoulders. I know he feels guilty.

“We still don’t know for sure what part Chuck played in Avery’s life but, based on the relief Avery expressed over his death, we know she didn’t feel safe with him. Maybe you’ll be able to enlighten us all about that later, yeah?”

I shrug. I don’t know what she’ll tell me, knowing what she knows now. She may cut me off all together.

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