Avenging Angel's MC - Book 8

October had gone by in a flash. Peter and Billy moved into the cabin next door to Marissa and even though Clara had not been happy about it at first, she eventually calmed down but insisted that Peter come home for dinner at least every Sunday. Since he couldn’t cook, he was going home some extra days and Billy and Marissa sometimes joined them. Billy because he wanted to be with Nicole and Marissa because she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Justin. Clara’s cooking was getting better but she still made things a bit spicier than most people did.

Atlas, Scope, Trapper and Apollo had taken Henry up to the old disposal site and imposed his sentence and sure enough the wolves showed up. They allowed them to feed until all of the wolves were partaking and then began to sedate them with the dart guns, one at a time. Thankfully the wolves didn’t realize what was going on or maybe they were just so hungry that their focus remained on Henry until they sedated the last one. There turned out to be 14 wolves. 8 males and 6 females.

After what had gone down with Andrew, Apollo had not wanted any prospects involved in this because none of them were due to patch in for a while. The executive staff had decided that from now on, only prospects who were due to patch in would be included in endings and disposals as their final loyalty test. If that situation didn’t present itself before a prospect was due to patch in, they would have to come up with an alternative way to test their loyalty or they would have to wait.

Roger was the next prospect to patch in but because he had already proven his loyalty many times over, even he was not required to be there. Apollo thought that with everything else that was happening and the fact that this was the step father of a new prospect and a patched member’s future wife, it was best that they keep this quiet and among just the executives.

The next day, Kevin from Haven called and said they had found Nan’s remains, well some of them. “We found the remains of Nan Carlton, the girl that was in the car that ran Nicole off the road that night.

It looks like she must have tried to run through the woods, perhaps the night I showed up at her house to arrest her or sometime since then and stepped on a snake. A late season hiker who got lost, found her skull and then her right leg, from the knee down was untouched. The snake struck her twice in the calf and apparently wolves won’t eat poisoned meat, which means they must have attacked her before she was dead so before the venom had a chance to spread because the only thing they didn’t consume was the leg. We assume she must have been running from them when she stepped on the snake. We’ll probably never find the rest of her remains, if there are any.” Kevin told Apollo, who could tell that he was having a hard time telling him what they had found because he kept gagging.

“Damn, that sucks. So have they set a trial date now?” Apollo asked, trying to get Kevin’s mind off of Nan.

“Yeah, it’s been set for two weeks from now. The prosecutor is going for the maximum.” Kevin told him.

“Have the McCandles been notified?” Apollo asked.

“Yes. I called Amos before I called you. He was upset about Nan but agreed with the prosecutor about the charges for the others.” Kevin said.

“I bet. Nicole could have been killed if she hadn’t hit that tree. Thankfully she had on her seatbelt and her window was up. Scraping the trees going down the hill had slowed her down enough that when she hit, she wasn’t hurt. But then to have that bear try to get to her. She definitely had a guardian angel watching over her that night.” Apollo said.

“Yeah. But she had been going fast enough that she hit with enough force that they had to cut up her car to get it up from there because the front of it was practically wrapped around the tree. It’s been rated as being a total loss. Her insurance should cover her for a new one.” Kevin told him.

“Who is being called for court?” Apollo wanted to know.

“Because there were so many people at the crash site that night, everyone’s names will be listed as witnesses but the prosecutor told me that he will only be calling the major players which will be Amos, because he filed the charges, Justin, Crash, Thunder and Billy to testify what they saw that night and Nicole, of course, because it happened to her.

That’s why I’m calling. Billy, Justin, Crash and Thunder will be receiving calls to meet with the prosecuting attorney to give formal statements and to talk about testifying.” Kevin said, then added, “Okay my formal duty is done.

Now, on a personal level to be kept between me and you that I advised you. It would be best if they dressed for court. I’m not saying they have to leave their cuts off but it would help her case if they did. If they have to wear them, make sure they have hip holsters on instead of shoulder holsters and they need to lock their guns down before they enter any government building. Also make sure they have their permits to carry a weapon on them and they must be current. Expired permits means a fine at the very least, jail if the judge is in a bad mood.

Apollo, I’m worried about what the impact on not only Nicole but all of the McCandles, including Aunt Nita, is going to be. I mean, other kids at school are going to be pissed because the kids being prosecuted are going to be tried as adults which is going to mean some serious jail time. They are all popular kids from the football team and cheerleaders squad.

Nan’s body being found is already stirring up activity. The kids have ignored the crime tape we put up and have been trampling the evidence sites to put flowers, stuffed animals, etc. in “memorial” of their classmate. I worry about them going after them again. I’ll do my best to protect them but I only have 5 men and I can’t dedicate them to watch over all of them 24/7. There are just too many targets for them to go after.” Kevin shared with Apollo.

“In other words, “HELP!” Apollo chuckled. He knew just how Kevin felt.

“Exactly. Our only saving grace is that it’s going to start snowing soon which means it will be harder for them to get around and if they do try something, they can’t hide it as easily because they will leave obvious tracks in the snow.” Kevin said, as if talking to himself.

“I’ll be honest with you, Kevin. I could send some men up there but I’d need some place to house them. Aunt Nita has the cabins and she’s already using two of them to house her new waitress, Billy and Peter McCandles. I don’t know if she’s going to want to let us use the rest of them to house men to guard for something that might never happen.

What I think needs to happen is you need to have an assembly and talk to the kids about redirecting their anger to the really responsible parties. Brad and the other kids that have already been arrested. Make them see that the kids who did the deed are paying the price. Make it clear that if they want to join them and that they will if they keep attacking an innocent person or people. Ask them what they would do if they were the targets.” Apollo told him.

“Man, how do you handle being the leader of all those men? I struggle with just 6 and you have how many now?” Kevin asked.

That question made Apollo stop and think for a minute before he said “A couple of dozen men and almost everyone has found his life mate, so almost as many women and almost another dozen prospects that will be patching in within the next year except for one or two, at the moment and that can change at any time. Believe me, it’s not easy!” Apollo said.

“I’ve been planning to contact the schools that serve Haven to have an assembly with all students like we do here. For the elementary kids, it’s kind of a “Stranger Danger” or “Who and how to ask for help if someone is hurting me or a family member” assembly.

For the older kids, talk to them about basically the same thing but on a more “adult” level. How to handle bullies, harassment, etc. Let them know that they can call us if someone is hurting them and we will get them someplace safe. We normally do it at least once a year per school but let the kids know that they can call any time they need help.” Apollo said.

“That’s great! When are you planning on doing it for the high school?” Kevin asked.

“It sounds like I need to talk to the principal asap! I’ll try to give him a call after we hang up and see if we can schedule it within the next week or two.” Apollo said.

“The sooner the better. Let me know. I’d like to sit in on that.” Kevin said. Kevin wanted to learn how and what to say in case he had to do one of these meetings.

They chatted for a few minutes about Kevin’s new baby. His wife had had their first child a little over a month ago, a little boy and Kevin was definitely a proud new father.

They hung up and before Apollo called the principal of the high school, he called for an executive staff meeting. As soon as they were all seated around the table, Apollo told them about Kevin’s call.

“I think we need to take our biggest men in the club. Cut sleeve t-shirts, five o’clock shadows or don’t shave for a couple of days at least, I want the guys to look as badass as possible. Go in in numbers so that we seem overpowering and imposing. We need to make the troublemakers think twice.” Apollo told them. “I’ve got to call the principal to get it scheduled and once I know when we are going in, I’ll call for church.”

“I think I’m going to take a ride up there tomorrow and check on my house. Kids that have grown up in the area know that I have a house out there and that Aunt Nita has her cabins out there. I’ll talk to her about renting us the cabins for guys to stay there until we get this situation under control. She might lose the rental income for this year but if something were to happen to a guest, she would feel so guilty, not to mention that it could put her in a world of hurt financially.” Sarge said. He was worried about someone targeting her.

“So who do you want to attend?” Atlas grinned, already knowing the line up but wanted to be sure.

“Well, me, you, Riggs, Crash, Thunder, Rocky, Cub and Steady. Man, I can’t even believe how much Steady has grown since he’s been here. Oh and Billy and Justin should be there too. Billy is another one who has really had a growth spurt. And since he grew up there, the kids will recognize Justin.” Apollo said.

“Remember when Billy first came to us? He was a scared little shadow, barely 5′9" and now he’s what about 6′3"? He’s bulked up considerably, can move without making a sound and he’s doing great in his martial arts skills. Scope says he’s near an Ace level on his shooting skills. I don’t know where he stands with a knife.” Atlas reported.

“Man, I wish we could patch him in already. He’s more than proved himself as a loyal member and even though he’s not here to train, he works hard to keep up and improve on his skills by himself.” Apollo said with feeling. He made a mental note to talk to Diego about Billy to see where he stands on his knife skills. If he needed improvement or help, then perhaps Diego would consider going up to Haven to work with him.

A glance at the clock told him that it would be lunch time soon so Apollo said, “I’m going to call the principal and set up an assembly, hopefully before the trial which is in two weeks. You guys can hang around or go get ready for lunch. Someone should be calling for it soon. I’m hungry!” Apollo said.

Everyone stood up to go but Flash stayed back. “Prez, before I go get Gloria, I wanted to talk to you about something. Gloria’s feet have been swelling really bad and it’s more than uncomfortable for her to get around. She’s asking if we can move down into one of the ground floor bedrooms until she has the baby. I think she’s also worried about being so far away from the infirmary for when it’s time for her to give birth.” Flash said.

“I don’t think it will be a problem. But she’s still got over 2 months to go right? Isn’t she due in January?” Apollo asked.

“Yeah but I think as the time gets closer, she’s starting to get a little scared. She’s been so conscious about cutting out salt, has been sleeping with her feet on pillows to keep them elevated but nothing seems to be helping.” Flash said.

“Yeah, Tori’s been having issues with swelling feet too. I wonder if part of it is stress? If you are going to move down here, I’d take one of the rooms closer to the front. That trek down to the infirmary is ridiculous but she won’t be going there as much as she will for meals! I’m going to look into getting some scooters for her and Tori. I can’t wait till we get the apartments built and we can remodel this place. It was a big mistake for us to just add on to the back of the building! We should have made an L or a T.” Apollo said.

“Well, I’m going to talk to Sarge about assigning some prospects to come help us get our bed moved down here. I can’t sleep on those queens, especially with Gloria hogging so much of the bed with all the pillows she says she needs to support her stomach and back and legs. Lord, I feel like I’m intruding on her space on our king. I can’t wait for her to have this baby! I miss cuddling with my wife without having to fight my way through the pillows.” Flash complained.

He had not said much of anything to anyone else because he didn’t need his brother’s razing him about it but his wife’s demands were starting to wear on his nerves. Flash would do most anything for Gloria but she was getting a bit too spoiled and starting to act like a brat.

He was trying to be compassionate about what she is going through and he hated that she was so uncomfortable but she was becoming very hard to live with and his patience was just about at its limit. He left Apollo’s office and went in search of Sarge.

Apollo got on the phone and called Haven High School. The secretary answered the phone on the second ring. “Haven High School. Debra Sanders speaking. How may I help you?”

“This is Apollo from the Avenging Angels MC. May I speak to Principal Brooks, please?” Apollo asked.

“Just a moment please.” she said and put him on hold. Apollo waited patiently and a minute later a voice that sounded slightly nervous answered, “Principal Brooks”.

“Principal Brooks, this is Apollo of the Avenging Angels MC. Every year we request an assembly with the students of every school in our area but have never held one in the home town of many of our members, myself included.

After all of the issues that occurred at the end of the last school year and the beginning of this school year, I would like to correct that oversight this year and schedule an assembly with the students of Haven High School, hopefully within the next week to ten days.” Apollo told him.

He expected him to object but was surprised when Principal Brooks said “I’ve heard of the assemblies you hold from other principals. To be honest with you, if you had not contacted me, I was thinking of calling you, especially after Nan Carlton’s remains were located yesterday.

The kids are really riled up. She was a very popular cheerleader and to be honest with you, I’ve never had to deal with the death of a student, much less something like this. Frankly, I’m at a loss on how to deal with it.” Principal Brooks admitted.

“Well, I hope we can help. I will tell you that the AAMC is going to become a presence in Haven, at least until the trial of the other kids is over. At the assembly we will make it plain to the students that they could follow them and join them or reassess where their loyalties should be and stay out of jail.

From what I understand, Brad Harris and some of the other boys from the football team were bullying some of the other students and it led to them being arrested. Now they are going to face the consequences of their own actions.

We will make it plain to the students that if they do the crime, they will face the punishments and do time in jail.” Apollo said, making notes on his legal pad.

“When can we do this?” Principal Brooks asked.

“Well, I’ve already got something planned for tomorrow but we could do it this Thursday. Let me explain what will happen so that you are fully aware of how we handle these assemblies.” Apollo went on to tell the Principal exactly how they conducted the assemblies, especially when the school staff reported an escalating problem of bullying and harassment. They scheduled it to happen and Apollo hung up with a smile on his face.

He knew Aunt Nita would be busy with her lunch rush so he got up to go get ready for lunch, just as someone knocked on his door and called out “LUNCH”!

He began to hurry down the hall to see if Tori was going to come eat with him or if she was going to have a prospect to bring her food, which she had been doing more often lately. He was less than half way down the hall when he spotted Amanda pushing Tori in a wheelchair and Michelle pushing Willow in another wheelchair.

“Wow! This is great! Nice to see you are feeling better, Willow, and it’s always great to see my lovely wife!” Apollo said as they came close. He bent over to give his wife a kiss and took over pushing her wheelchair.

“If I had thought about it sooner, I would have been able to get around more. I was just about to call for a prospect when Amanda and Michelle passed our door and suggested using the wheelchairs.

Babe, I’m going to insist on having a mobility scooter soon. I can’t expect someone to push me around all the time but today my feet are so swollen. Our baby is getting so heavy and I’m so bloated that it’s too hard to walk down this hallway. It’s going to be needed as I get bigger. I sure do hope the next three months go by fast.” Tori said as they all walked or rode down the hall to the dining room.

“I’ll look them up online and see how much one costs. I think we could use more than one too. Flash asked if he and Gloria could move downstairs and I told him to pick a room but recommended one closer to the front of the house. Are you sure you want to stay in the room we’re in? We could always move the furniture we have to another room.” Apollo said.

“Let me look at them again and then I’ll let you know.” Tori smiled up at him. She loved him so much. He was being so patient with her. She had originally liked the room they were in because of the colors it was painted and the furniture but they could paint any other room the same way and just move the furniture they had into it.

The fact that their current room was slightly bigger didn’t really matter since it was not a significant amount but the quiet of it was. Because their current room was so much farther down the hall, it wasn’t as noisy down there. But it meant a real hike for either one of them to come to the front of the house where they were so often needed.

They enjoyed an excellent lunch of Evan’s baked spaghetti with garlic bread and green salad and there wasn’t a scrap left when it was over.

Both Jason and Michael had been working as much as possible and saving as much of their money as they could. They had talked and agreed that they needed help in picking engagement rings for Amanda and Michelle and had decided to go to Tori for help. She is the club queen after all. Plus the girl’s birthdays were coming up and they wanted to get them something nice.

Michael had clean up duty in the dining room today so as soon as Amanda and Michelle left to go back to Michelle and Michael’s room where they had been working on their bracelets to sell online, Michael approached Tori and Apollo.

“Um, excuse me, Tori but can I ask you for a favor?” Michael asked nervously.

“Sure, Michael. What can I do for you?” Tori smiled at him. She liked Michael. He was always polite and courteous and would jump to help any of the ladies with whatever was needed without complaining or making faces about doing it. She knew that he and Michelle were soulmates. The same was true for Jason and Amanda and from what she had seen of them so far it was true for all of the new couples.

“Jason and I want to propose to Amanda and Michelle and we want to buy their engagement rings before Christmas but we don’t have a clue about what they would like so it’s been really hard to figure out how much we’ll need to have. We’ve been trying to think of ways to get their ring sizes too but since neither one of them has any jewelry other than the braided bracelets they are making, we can’t get ring sizes without asking them outright.” Michael said, all in one breath.

“I think just about every man with a woman here has faced the same problem.” Apollo said.

“I can find out. Jewelry is an easy subject to discuss when we are all together. I’ve got a feeling that you are not the only one that will be coming to ask soon. I’ll talk to them and let you know. Okay?” Tori said. She had been thinking about it and it would be an easy database to start.

Now the hard part, “Michael, I can’t stop you from proposing to Michelle but you do know that you can’t claim her as your ole’ lady until you are patched in right?” Apollo said.

“Yes sir. We’re hoping to have enough saved by the time that we get patched in to be able to do it the same night if not by Christmas. We just need a target to aim for right now.” Michael said.

“Michelle’s birthday is coming up soon and even if I can’t afford the engagement ring she wants right now, I’d like to get her something nice but have no idea of what to get.”

“When is her birthday?” Tori asked.

“The 28th, right after Thanksgiving. Amanda’s is not long after that. I think hers is the second week of December but I’m not positive about the actual date.” Michael said.

“Wow. That’s soon! Let me see what I can find out and I’ll let you know.” Tori said.

“Thank you!” Michael said and then started clearing the tables around them.

“Babe, do you have time to walk down and see which room we can move into? You’re right about us needing to be closer to the front of the house. Like now, I need my laptop but it’s in our room. That means I’ll have to go all the way down the hall and then back to the living room.” Tori said.

“I thought the girls were going to work on their bracelets. That puts them two doors down from you.” Apollo grinned at her.

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. Well, I was going to make it a ladies group discussion but maybe it will be easier doing it with fewer of them around. I’ll come back and do the other ladies later.” Tori grinned back at him.

“Well there goes any chance of an afternoon rendezvous with my husband.” Tori thought but didn’t push it. She knew that Apollo already had enough on his plate and her turning him into a limp noodle in the middle of the day was not going to help him.

As if he knew why she wanted him to go back to their room together, and he regretted that he just couldn’t take the time right now, he bent over and whispered in her ear “I would love to spend the rest of the day tangling our sheets with you but I’ve got so much on my plate and I’m working against time to get it all arranged. I’ll make it up to you later tonight. Okay?”

“I’m going to hold you to that, my love. Please don’t forget that we have my baby check up appointment in the morning. 9 am.” Tori told him.

“Oh wow! Thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot that it is tomorrow. I’m sure I’ve got it on my calendar but I haven’t had time to review that today yet. Don’t you worry, I will be there for that. I really want to know what we are going to have.” Apollo said with a big smile.

Apollo called for a prospect and Phillip hurried over. “Phillip, please take my wife back to our room and then push her over to Michelle and Michael’s room.” Apollo said.

“Sure, no problem.” Phillip said, eager to please.