"That can be another way to delay us," he said. Nolan agreed. He had no intention of trading the evidence for a promise or allowing the papers to travel to Pike's house. But he wanted to give the man one final opportunity to speak in the presence of witnesses, and he wanted Pike to understand that the complaint would proceed whether or not they reached an agreement.
Francis advised against making the meeting a confrontation. Pauline's attorney insisted that any discussion occur without documents and preferably with counsel present. Nolan accepted those boundaries, although part of him resented every restriction.
He would have liked to arrive alone and tell Pike exactly what he had taken from his family. Instead he recognized that the truth was now bigger than his anger. Fourteen or more households might be affected, and the safety of witnesses mattered. He agreed that Silas and an attorney would accompany him, that they would leave if threatened, and that the club's riders would remain outside the property unless invited.
The Iron Ravens traveled together toward the county seat, their engines low beneath the steady rain. They stopped at a public turnout before the private road leading to Pike's estate. From there Nolan could see the lights of a large stone house beyond a line of trees. Most of the riders stayed with the motorcycles while Silas, Nolan, and their legal observer approached in a truck. Their presence was not meant to threaten anyone, Silas had said, and he expected his men to behave accordingly. Yet the sight of so many old machines standing in the rain made Nolan think of how long these men had been waiting for a reason to believe Elias could be found.
Pike's estate looked like the physical expression of a man who needed the world to agree with him. Stone walls, broad steps, mature landscaping, and bright security lights created an impression of effortless permanence. Two guards stood near the front entrance when Nolan arrived, but they did not interfere after verifying the invitation. Warren Pike came down the steps wearing an expensive coat over clothes that suggested he had not slept. His hair was neat, his expression controlled, and his gaze went at once to the leather cut Nolan now wore over his jacket.
"I see you've become part of their theater," Pike said. Nolan looked at him steadily. "It's my father's vest." Pike's eyes held on the patch for a beat too long.
"Your father and I had a complicated history." Silas answered before Nolan could. "The files make parts of that history less complicated than you would like." Pike glanced at the legal observer standing a little behind them and seemed to reconsider his tone. "I assume you've come to negotiate."
"I've come to tell you what is going to happen," Nolan said. "The documents will be reviewed by people outside your company and outside this club. The families named in them will be contacted by people who can explain their options. You can dispute the evidence and respond through lawyers, but the decision about whether it matters won't belong only to you anymore."