Page 88 of Sapphire's Gem
A day later
I was sitting at a table in the rec room with Cyber when the clubhouse door opened, and a surprise, possibly unwelcome, visitor entered.
“Captain Hatton,” I greeted him.
“Good, just the woman I wanted to see.”
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
Hatton approached, grabbed a chair, and joined us.
“A word in private?” he said, looking at Cyber.
She laughed and got to her feet. “It’s a good job I’ve got work to do.”
“That was rude, Captain, and unappreciated. If you want my cooperation, then don’t disrespect my sisters,” I stated.
Hatton held my eyes. “Why did you have Stitch save Wylde only to kick him to the curb?”
“What?” The question surprised me so much that my mind went blank.
“You heard me.” Hatton pulled a laptop out of the bag he was carrying and logged in. He handed me a sheet of paper with times on it.
“What’s this?”
“Those were the times that Wylde crashed. And here is the footage showing that every time he did, Stitch had an… episode, shall we call it?”
Hatton pressed play on the video, and my lips tightened. Shit, Hatton had done his due diligence. I couldn’t deny what I was seeing, but I was going to anyway.
“Stitch wasn’t feeling well,” I lamely replied.
Hatton stared at me in disbelief and snorted. “Funny how those spells corresponded to Wylde or Cassidy crashing, and when their hearts began beating, they ended.”
“Coincidence.”
Hatton threw his head back and laughed. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Sapphire, I’m going to be blunt. I know what Stitch is, and her secret will stay with me. I won’t use it for blackmail, threats, or anything else. That’s something I’d never do, nor will I discuss it with anyone else, apart from Cassidy and Wylde. I also reckon Stitch isn’t the only one with abilities in this club, and again, not my business. But I’m asking, why save his life to hurt him later on?”
I stared at Hatton for several moments, unsure what to say. “You came here for Wylde?”
“I showed up here because the man I call brother is hurting. Let’s put our cards on the table. Your club has illegal enterprises. I know that. But I don’t believe they’re harmful to anyone. No drug running, no trafficking, and no arms shipments. Those are the three big noes for me.
“Maybe you run an illegal poker game once a month, or perform some hacking or launder money, fine. As long as nobody innocent is being harmed, honestly, I’ve got bigger fish to fry. If I catch you in the act, sure, I’ll take you in and charge you. But am I actively coming after you? No, not anymore. I thought you were deep into my three noes, now I know different.”
“A month ago, you were trying to bring us down. And in four weeks, you’ve shifted your mind?” I challenged him.
Hatton smiled. “Two weeks ago, you ordered your club to save two men I call brothers. Yeah, I changed my mind. Because if you were the evil cunts I assumed you were, you’d have let them die. You didn’t, and changed my perspective. Now I’m working to change others’ attitudes. Mine and the chief’s prejudices have swayed them more than we realised. As I said, if we catch you, we’ll arrest you, but I’m not actively watching you anymore.”
“Bold change of opinion.”
“You saved Wylde. That goes a long way in my book.”
“You say I saved him; I don’t have any knowledge of what you’re saying.”
Hatton smiled slowly and tapped his laptop. “You told me you were sending Stitch. I know. So, let’s quit running around in circles, and you listen to me. Wylde is due back in two weeks. I’d rather he came back happy, healthy, and loved up. I want the club to stop concealing its community actions and step up and own them. The RHMC does a lot, and you keep it on the down low. Stop.
