“I know you need time to let it all sink in. Give me your phone.” When she didn’t immediately move to comply, I grabbed her bag and dug it out myself. I quickly programmed my number in it, then hit call so I’d have hers before dropping the device back into her purse. “If you have questions or want to talk, give me a call.”
Kiara sniffled for a second, then nodded before turning and climbing into her little car.
As she drove off, my gut clenched. I fucking hated that she was going back home and would be anywhere near that slimy asshole. But the fact that he’d kept her in the dark and that she’d driven into MC territory to demand answers told me that he loved his daughter. Still…I would ride out there and check on her tonight. Now that I’d found my girl again, I couldn’t stay away for long.
3
Kiara
My hands shook during the drive home. I couldn’t wrap my head around the evidence Knight had shown me…or my reaction to the sexy biker. If even half of the things the Silver Saints had dug up on my dad were true, he wasn’t the man I thought he was. He had taught me how to ride a bicycle and blown on my scraped knees before bandaging them. Framed my artwork and put it up in his office.
How could he have also sentenced people to jail for longer terms than they deserved? And even worse, he may have helped send the innocent there, too. Defendants who hadn’t broken any laws but had the bad fortune to find themselves in a crooked judge’s court…my dad’s.
No matter how I turned everything around in my head during the drive, it just didn’t seem possible. Luckily, my mom wasn’t downstairs when I got back to the house, and I was able to head straight into my dad’s office without her grilling me to make sure I hadn’t gone out and told the entire town about Dad’s suspension. Her head would have exploded if I told her what I’d really been out doing.
So would my dad’s but there was no getting around keeping this from him. I had too many questions that needed answers, and he was the only one who could give them to me.
This time, I didn’t bother knocking on the door. I just stormed into his office, stalking over to his desk and planting my hands on my hips. “It isn’t all lies? You’re really a dirty judge who takes bribes?”
“How can you ask me such a thing, Kiara?” He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m your father.”
My nostrils flared as I lifted my chin. “That’s a lot of blustering, but I didn’t hear an actual denial.”
He pushed his chair back and got to his feet with a sigh. “Because I didn’t think you needed one.”
“I didn’t either, until I went to the Silver Saints compound and saw the evidence that they have against you.” My voice wavered as tears filled my eyes. “I was so righteous when I went there, planning to confront their president. Instead, one of them showed me proof of what you did. Stuff that couldn’t be doctored—actual court records.”
“You don’t understand.” There was a deep growl of an engine outside, and Dad strode over to the window to peek through the blinds. Jumping away from the window, he turned back toward me and hissed, “Please tell me your car is in the garage.”
“What in the world does that have to do with anything?”
He hurried over to me and wrapped his hand around my arm, dragging me toward the closet. “I heard the garage door open and close. If your car is in there, he won’t know you’re home.”
My brows drew together as my gaze darted toward the window. “He who?”
“A very bad man who’s not happy about my suspension since I was supposed to hear his son’s case.” He flung the closet door open and shoved me inside. “You need to hide. He needs to think you haven’t gotten into town yet.”
I didn’t need him to answer my questions anymore. His reaction had already confirmed what Knight had told me.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I dropped to the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees, whispering, “Yes, I parked in the garage.”
“Good.” His eyes were pained as he stared down at me. “No matter what you hear, stay quiet and don’t come out.”
“What about Mom?”
“She should be fine.” His gaze darted toward the ceiling. “She’s passed out upstairs and won’t hear a thing. He’ll be long gone before she wakes up again.”
I took some small comfort in the fact that my mom’s heavy drinking had the unintentional benefit of keeping her safe during whatever was about to happen. I held on to that as I listened to the doorbell ring and my dad greeting the bad guy who’d come calling. “You shouldn’t be here, Bickle.”
“You gave me no choice, Judge Timkins,” a deep voice replied. “Or should I call you Mr. Timkins now that you’ve been suspended?”
“I’m still a judge,” my dad insisted. “The suspension is only temporary. Once I’ve successfully defended myself against the accusations made against me, I’ll be back on the bench.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t do my son much good, now does it? His case has already been assigned to another judge. One who my sources tell me isn’t for sale, unlike you.”
The voices came closer, and I shrank back against the wall, pressing trembling fingers against my lips to keep from making any noise.
“Your sources are correct. Thompson has earned his reputation for being a stickler,” my dad confirmed.