So, Blaze wasn’t ready to take over the club. He wasn’t ready to fill my dad’s shoes. But was that an excuse on my dad’s part? Was he using that because he didn’t want to stand down?
My mom would never up and leave again but how much more was he going to put her through? This hadn’t just been his life for all those years it had been hers as well.
Yes, she left and got out, but do you ever really get out?
A sigh fell from my lips as we stopped at a red light.
“What you sighing for darling?”.
“Just tired”. I missed my own bed. I loved staying at my parents, I felt safe there but there was nothing like sleeping in my own bed.
“All this is gonna blow over darling just give it time”.
“I just don’t want any trouble”.
“Ain’t gonna be trouble darling. It’ll get handled and that’ll be that. You staying with us again tonight?”.
By him changing the subject told me the conversation was over.
“Yeah, just for another few nights if that’s okay?”.
“Stay as long as you like sweetheart. You and Blaze, okay?”.
“Yeah”. I nodded. “Well, I think we are. There’s just no talking to him sometimes. We both know how he wants to handle this, and I can’t let him do that”.
“Aye darling but sometimes you gotta just sit back and let him take care of what needs to be done”.
“And if he goes to jail?”. I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Then he goes to jail”. He shrugged. “Blaze knows what he’s doing sweetheart. Let him handle this”.
Maybe my dad was right?
..
I was doing laundry at my parents’ house when he graced me with his presence.
“Daddy”. She screamed as she jumped from the chair and ran into his arms.
“Hey baby”. He kissed the top of her head.
I continued to fold away our clothes. We weren’t not talking but there was a little bit of tension between us.
“You good?”. He asked closing the distance between us and kissing the top of my head.
I nodded. “Are you?”.
“Cops are going to arrest me darling”.
My heart stopped. I knew it was coming. They had no one else to put the blame on so of course they were coming for him.
“When?”. I swallowed the lump that appeared in my throat.
“I’ve to hand myself in tomorrow morning”. He placed Everleigh on her feet. “Go play baby”.
And she did. She always listened to everything he said.
“And if you don’t?”.
“Then they’ll come for me. They want to do this without fuss Ava”.
“But you had nothing to do with that fire”. I sighed.
“They gotta put the blame on someone darling”. He shrugged. “I’ll be back home before you know it”.
“But they have nothing on you right?”. I stopped with the laundry. “I mean are they just arresting you because of who you are?”.
He shrugged. “I’ll be out by tomorrow afternoon. McColl’s already on it. You stay here tonight, and I’ll come get you tomorrow”.
“How are you so calm about spending the night in jail?”. I asked.
“I ain’t going to jail darling. They’ll hold me in lock up and I’ll go in front of a judge tomorrow morning”.
A judge?
“And what if he puts you in jail?”.
“He won’t he’ll set bail and then I’ll be out”.
Did we even have money for bail?
“I can’t believe this is happening. Have you talked to Sammie?”.
“Fuck Sammie”. He glared. “And don’t you talk to her either”.
Why was there so much bad blood between them? I get that she was a cop but my dad kept her around so she must be worth something.
“You promise you’ll be out by tomorrow?”. I asked.
“Aye darling it’s nothing for you to worry about”. As he kissed the top of my head I fell against his chest.
I had a bad feeling about this.
…
I couldn’t sleep. I was sitting on the back step smoking a cigarette. Everleigh had been in bed for hours; my mom and Leighton were fast asleep also. My dad had yet to come home from the clubhouse.
Blaze handed himself in and I could do nothing but worry. What if they remanded him? What if we couldn’t make bail? What if this was the time they finally nailed him?
I was going to lose my mind.
Blaze had been on the hit list with the cops for years and never once had they had enough evidence to lock him up so why now? What could they have on him that was enough to send him to jail?
Running a hand down my face I scrolled through my phone until I found Jared’s number. He should be at home with Sasha and the baby, but I needed reassurance that this wasn’t all going to go tit’s up.
And Jared always knew how to make me feel better. He had a way with words that made me believe everything was going to be okay.
“It’s late darling”.
“And yet you’re still awake”. I sighed.
“Ain’t home yet darling. What do you need?”. He asked.
“Are you at the clubhouse?”.
“I’m at the store picking up diapers. Little man shits like a grown man”. He chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. I was glad he worked things out with Sasha. That baby may not be his by blood, but he was still his son, and Jared was going to be the best dad.
“Have you heard anything?”. I asked.
“He’s all right Ava. Ain’t the first time he’s spent the night in lock up”.
“What if he doesn’t get bail?”.
“He will they ain’t got nothing on him”.
A sigh fell from my lips. I wasn’t sure I could handle this and nothing had happened yet. I couldn’t stop thinking the worst. What was I going to do if he gets sent to jail?
“Still there?”. He asked.
“Yeah”.
“Get the head down and get some sleep. I’ll drop by in the morning”.
“Okay I’ll see you tomorrow”. I ended the call and headed back inside making sure to lock the door behind me.
I headed to bed filled with dread afraid of what tomorrow would bring.
..
They remanded him. Bail was set at $250, 000 and we didn’t have that kind of money. Everyone was at the clubhouse that needed to be. Honestly, it was brutal I couldn’t hear myself think.
Surprisingly, I was taking it better than I thought. I dropped Everleigh off at pre-school as normal and went to Starbucks for a large coffee. It wasn’t until I was pulling up to the clubhouse that I found out what was happening.
Maybe I was dealing with it so well because it hadn’t fully hit me yet or maybe it was because deep down, I knew this was coming. I managed without him for years and yes, I could do it again but it’s not something I wanted.
But I had to be strong for our daughter and keep everything as normal as possible. I blocked out the noise around me while I sat at the bar drinking my coffee.
They didn’t have the money to bail him out and I didn’t want to even bring his name into the equation but there was one person that had that kind of money.
But I was treading on thin ice even considering going to see him. Blaze would never forgive me but was it a risk I had to take? I wanted him home. The thought of him being locked up for something he didn’t do made me sick.
It showed how pathetic the legal system was.
“How you holding up?”. Jared asked as he sat in the seat next to me.
“I’ve been better”. I shrugged. “But I just have to get on with it”.
“We’ll get him out darling. Don’t worry about it”.
I wasn’t worried about them getting him out I was worried about him personally. I couldn’t stomach the thought of him being harmed. I had never been to jail or even been inside one, but I can’t imagine it’s a delightful place to be.
“Is he safe in there?”. I asked.
“Blaze can take care of himself Ava. Don’t underestimate him”.
“I wasn’t but okay”. I took another sip of my coffee.
“He’ll be home in a few days”. He spoke.
“Are you going to have that kind of money in a few days?”.
“We’ll sort something”. He squeezed my shoulder before walking off.
It was never a simple yes or no. They always beat around the bush, and I understood why. They didn’t want to worry me, but it was a little too late for that.
A sigh fell from my lips as I slipped off the barstool. I didn’t want to do this, but I had to. I wouldn’t leave him sitting in a jail cell to rot. He could hate me later but right now we needed money and there was only one person that could dig us out of this hole.
“Where you going?”. My dad frowned.
“A drive to clear my head”.
“We’ll get him home darling”.
“I know”. I gave him a small smile before I left.
He shouldn’t be there in the first place. This whole thing was a mess. I didn’t understand how we were being punished when I was the one that got hurt. Blaze was innocent.
I got in my car and took off down the street. I had one place I needed to go before I went in search for Nate. I pulled up outside the police station an sat for a good fifteen minutes before I plucked up the courage to go inside.
And just as I expected no one was available for me to talk to. Well, that was until Sammie walked through the doors.
“I wondered when I was going to see you. Follow me”. She spoke.
So, I did. I followed her down the corridor and into her office.