Knox's Stand (The Last Riders 3)

“You’ll have to come to lunch with Sex Piston, Killyama and Crazy Bitch sometime. It was good to see you again, Diamond.” With that parting shot, Winter and The Last Riders moved to leave the restaurant. Barely managing to keep her face from showing her embarrassment, Diamond met the angry glare of the large man as he threw a contemptuous look at both her and Caleb.

“Who’s Sex Piston, Killyama and Crazy Bitch?”

Diamond skillfully evaded the question. “We better finish; we have to be back in court in thirty minutes.”

Caleb looked as if he was about to ask the question again, but she quickly took a bite of her salad and Caleb began eating his lunch while he threw her several inquiring looks. Afterwards, they each paid for their own lunch before returning to the courthouse.

Diamond’s next case was another DUI. This time her client received a stint with rehab and a device placed in his car that he would have to breathe into for the ignition to start. She wasn’t upset about getting those requirements; he hadn’t been given jail time and he would get some help with his drinking problem. That was what she called a win-win situation.

Diamond drove home afterwards, tired after the long day. Her mind kept wandering back to the episode in the diner. Winter had witnessed her rocky relationship with her sister, Sex Piston. Diamond was the first to admit she deserved the set down for her behavior, yet she had felt uncomfortable with the large group surrounding the table. She had been well aware that the judgmental townspeople as well as Caleb were eavesdropping on their conversation.

As she passed the local motel, she saw the local sheriff and the coroner’s car. Wondering what had happened, she almost pulled over, but didn’t. She was sure she would read about it in the local paper tomorrow.

Chapter Two

Knox woke to someone shaking his shoulder hard. “Leave me alone.” He felt Evie raise up on an elbow next to him.

“Knox, wake up. Something’s going on downstairs. Viper just called and wants you to come down.”

Groggily sliding out of the bed, he stood up and grabbed his jeans from the floor before pulling them on. Turning back to the bed, he saw Evie going back to sleep. She always ended up sleeping in his bed with one or more of the other women members. His bed was the largest in the house and he liked waking up in the middle of the night with a woman available.

“Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Evie merely gave a mumbled reply to that.

Already wide-awake by the time he pulled on his boots and t-shirt, he left the room and headed towards the downstairs when he heard loud voices from the top of the stairs. Looking down, he saw Viper and Shade arguing with the Sheriff.

“This is bullshit. Knox didn’t touch that bitch!” Viper was yelling at the Sheriff.

“Calm down, Viper. Let’s hear him out,” Knox heard Shade’s calm voice.

Knox went down the steps and everyone turned to watch his approach. Knox began getting a bad feeling in his gut when he saw the grim looks on his friends’ faces.

“What’s up?” Knox asked the Sheriff.

“Samantha Bedford’s body was found this afternoon at the motel,” The sheriff replied while watching his reaction to the news.

Knox stiffened, already sensing where this was going.

“Knox has had nothing to do with that bitch since she attacked Beth; none of us have. She wasn’t allowed back here at the clubhouse, and after the stunt she pulled with Winter, Beth and Lily at the diner, we haven’t seen her.”

The sheriff didn’t say anything, just continued staring at Knox.

Knox could tell by the sheriff’s reaction that he already knew that Knox had spent some time with Samantha the day before.

“I saw her yesterday. She stopped her car after I crashed my bike.” The silence in the room became tangible.

“What happened then?” The sheriff probed.

Knox debated keeping his mouth shut, but by the look in the sheriff’s eyes, he already knew that Sam and Knox had been in the motel room.

“We went back to her hotel room and fucked. When Viper called, I left. She was breathing just fine when I walked out that door.” Knox stared back at the sheriff.

“Damn it, Knox,” Viper said angrily.

“You’re not going to say anything I didn’t say to myself.” Knox felt the anger of his brothers directed towards him.

“There are enough women here that you didn’t need that bitch. What were you thinking?” Viper asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“I wasn’t. She pulled out my dick and went down on me,” Knox said wryly.

“I have to take you in for questioning, Knox. There’s no way around it; the newspaper is involved. A witness saw you leaving her room and told the reporter.” Of course someone saw him, Knox thought wryly. Treepoint was full of busybodies.

Knox nodded, stepping forward. “Let’s go.”

Viper took his arm. “Don’t answer any more questions. I’ll get you a lawyer.” Knox nodded his head and went out the door with the sheriff following him closely.

As the approached the squad car, the sheriff held the passenger door to the front seat open for Knox. He ignored it, and instead he opened the door to the backseat, getting in. “No sense in giving anyone the chance to say that you didn’t do everything by the book.”

Sighing, the sheriff closed both doors before getting in the car. Knox stared out the car window as the sheriff pulled out of the club’s parking lot. As he leaned his head back against the seat, he had a sick feeling in his stomach that things were about to change, and not for the better.

* * *

Diamond poured herself a cup of coffee as she opened her newspaper, barely managing not to burn herself when she saw the headline. Murdered woman found at the motel. She read further on to discover that Samantha Bedford, a local woman that Diamond had never met, had been found by the maid sent in to clean the room.

Diamond moved to sit behind her desk as she read. It didn’t say how she had died, however it did mention that a local resident had seen a man leave the room hours before her body had been discovered. Although it didn’t state the man’s name, the article did say he had been brought in for questioning. Diamond was sure she wouldn’t know him anyway; she hadn’t lived in Treepoint long and hadn’t met many of the residents yet.

She heard the phone ring, but didn’t move to answer it. She had hired a secretary part-time to answer her phone and mail. She really couldn’t afford the added expense right now, yet with the new criminal cases she was taking, the secretary helped ease her workload.

“You’re due in court in twenty minutes,” a soft voice said from the doorway.

“Thanks, Holly. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.” Diamond looked up at the young woman in the doorway. They had met when she had applied for the job she had posted in the want ads. They had liked each other on sight. Both were new to Treepoint and had become friends in the short time they had known each other.

They both were quiet and liked to keep to themselves. Holly was a dainty little brunette that had abundant curves. Whenever they had lunch together, Diamond felt men’s eyes going to the woman next to her, but she wasn’t jealous, she felt sympathy for her when she felt the woman’s embarrassment at the way men looked at her. She had even confided in Diamond she had once considered breast reduction surgery, however the expense was out of her financial means.

She waved to Holly as she left the office, heading to the courthouse. Diamond was only a block away from the courthouse, which made it an easy walk. The back of the Church was across the street from her office, a building over from the courthouse. She would often cut across the Church parking lot. Today she wanted the walk and went the longer route, cutting down another side street. She turned the corner of the street to the courthouse and saw several motorcycles parked in front of the sheriff’s office next door to the Courthouse.

“Hey Di.”

Caleb greeted her from the top of the steps.

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nbsp; “Hi Caleb. You ready for court?”

“Always.” He gave her his ‘game on’ smile, nodding towards the sheriff’s office. “Did you hear the news?”

“What news?” she asked as they walked through the large doorway.

“They arrested one of The Last Rider’s for the murder of Samantha Bedford,” he answered her question as they walked into the crowded courtroom, each going to their respective tables, bringing their short conversation to an end.

Diamond opened her briefcase as the deputy brought in her client. Greer Porter had been caught selling a small amount of pot. The cocky, young man sat down next to Diamond at the table.

“You going to get me out of here today?” he asked as soon as his butt hit the chair.

“I’m going to try,” was all Diamond could get out before the Judge entered the room.