All I Know So Far

Chapter 26. Cleaning House

I filed through the paperwork that was faxed to me by KC. I had instructed him to give me everything he knew about Lincoln Potter, and a list of everyone and anything that would help me shut him down. KC, fortunately, had some guys on the inside that let me in on Potter's secret operation. I made sure to ask Mila to phone Juice for his involvement with Roosevelt and to also place a visitation at Stockton with Otto.

I noticed that Potter was hoping that he could get Otto to rat on the club, so I had to make sure I could get my hands on him first. I made a mental note of bringing my dad along with me to see Otto so that he wouldn't think I was lying to him.

I suddenly heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Juice. He looked nervous to see me and I motioned for him to sit down. "Do you know why I called you here Juice?" I tried to sound calm, but the truth was I was incredibly agitated.

"No," his voice was quiet.

I slammed the photos of his father before him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Where did you get those?"

"That's not the point, why are you letting this man," I pointed aggressively at his father's face, "be used as leverage! Are you an idiot? Or are you a racist?"

"Ella, you know what the rules say," he began.

"Oh, stick those rules up you're a**! Look at me! Look at my dad for goodness sake! Do you really think anyone cares that you're black?"

He began to stutter, "I- I didn't know."

"Great, now you do! So, I better not see any more involvement from inside the sheriff's office with your name on it." I readjusted my hair and rolled my neck to relieve some stress. I looked over at the picture of Ava on my desk and mentally thanked Jax for taking her from this today. Initially, I wasn't ecstatic to hear how he and Tara were trying to make a getaway from Charming. Considering how forward they were with making sure I stayed. But it was nice to know that Tara Knowles wasn't the doormat I thought she was. I couldn't be angry with her for wanting to get her children out of the line of fire. I just wish she had the same consideration for mine.

Juice peered over at my desk and his eyes widened, "how do you know all of this? This is club information!"

"Did I miss the part where I basically handed them over my club or was I at the spa?"

He put his hands up, "I don't mean it that way, I just want to know how you know all of this stuff."

I cocked my head at him, "I guess I just have really good friends," my eyes drew back to the information in front of me and I looked back up at Juice. "Speaking of friends, I need you to call everyone to set up an emergency meeting."

"Why?" he said confused.

"Because since men are ruled by the planet Idiot and can't sniff out a fed when they see one. You guys are now on the chopping block for the RICO case."

"But Potter-"

"Potter doesn't have the jurisdiction to shut down the Galindo cartel or the IRA for that matter, It's way above his paygrade. All you need to know is that Galindo will never face any consequences, just you delusional little guys who think you're getting an easy payday. Now, let's go," I said getting out of my seat to grab my things, "time is money and you're wasting mine."

I shoved Juice out of the chair and placed my hand on his shoulder to control his speed. My father was waiting outside ready to drive us all to Stockton. Juice went to his bike and promised me that he would go flag down the club to get a church meeting going.

I was nervous that we weren't going to be able to see Otto, but Dad had someone pull a few strings on the inside. I hadn't seen Otto Delaney since I was a child, so when he walked into the conference room I was completely blown away. Otto used to carry an aura that was so carefree and unburdened with the world. The only thing he loved more than the club was his Luanne, and her death had taken a physical toll on him. I could see that the inside of these walls had also not been kind to him.

He looked at my father through his one functional eye, and he seemed like he had seen a ghost. "Dice?" his voice was filled with disbelief.

"Hey brother," my dad said sadly. I wasn't expecting Otto to cry, but when he did my father was there to comfort him. I guess my father was the only one who truly knew how it felt to lose the only thing he cared about most.

Otto cleared his throat and then noticed my presence. He sighed a shared a sad smile, "she has her mother's eyes." I shifted awkwardly in my chair, suddenly uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"Hi Otto," I said sheepishly.

"Hi Princess Noel," his eyes watered up again, while mine mirrored his as we shared in the memory. I had no idea that he remembered me, or even remembered what Luanne called me when she met me for the first time. She never recognized me as an adult, but she was still the same sweet Luanne.

I let my father do all the talking with Otto, while I just sat and listened. Otto told us that one of his demands from Potter was to move up his execution date. I felt uneasy granting this command, but I respected his wishes as I promised to have him transferred out of Stockton over the next few days. I was going to move him to a facility specifically for prisoners on death row. I figured he had endured enough torment at Stockton, and that he would like to live out his final days peacefully.

"Oh, and another thing," he placed his hand on mine and looked at me deeply, "I want my brothers and the man who was bedding my wife to come and see me die. I want them to see what I have become. Where my sacrifices for them have led me."

My mouth hung open a bit before I nodded my head slowly. My hands became clammy as he watched me write down his final request. I just about jumped when my phone began to ring and claim my attention. I broke away from Otto's presence and went out in the hall to answer the phone.

On the other line, I could hear a frantic Gemma, "You need to get back here now! Someone tried to abduct Tara!"