Trouble is, as I told her, there are no guarantees in this life I lead; all I can hope is that I won’t be leaving her via a wooden box as well. But I’m too selfish to accept that as an excuse to step away. As I’d told her, there are no warranties given, however we choose to make our way in the world.
I arrive just in time as Peg is calling the members together. It’s hard not to pick up on the sombre mood in the clubroom, killing the bitch Chrissy quickly was kinder than marching her up to a grave in the woods, but it meant we couldn’t keep it quiet. But from the whispers I heard as I passed through the room it seemed the message had got round. Betray the club, and you’ll have to accept there’ll be bloody consequences. The sweet butts are whispering amongst themselves, and for once, not pestering the brothers.
Drum casts a worried glance towards me as I enter, and I raise my chin, showing him I understand. Until Horse and Sophie arrived we’d had years of peace. Now we’re about to have a council of war to prepare to do battle. It’s the kind of thing we’ve tried hard to avoid. The last time we came up against another club was back in the days when I was a prospect, all of ten years ago now.
One of the last to take my seat, I look around at my brothers, appreciating the looks of determination on their faces. We have each other’s backs. I can only hope all of us will be left standing at the end of this.
The gavel’s banged and church is called to order.
“Right, talk to me.” As Drum lays the meeting open, we’re all aware there’s only one topic he’s asking about.
“I’ll start arrangin’ Hank’s funeral,” I take the chance at the having the first shot, “All the out of state chapters will be invited. We should give him a good send-off.”
“Won’t that attract the Demons’ attention?” Heart is frowning.
Drum laughs, “If it doesn’t, there’ll be over a hundred of us against them. If they try to take us there, we’ll slaughter the motherfuckers.”
Peg growls, “And massacre them is what I want to do.” As he rubs his shoulder, I notice yet he’s no longer wearing the sling and wince on his behalf. But he’s got much better colour today; he bounces back fast, our sergeant-at-arms.
“Do we know exactly what that bitch whore told them?” Rock asks the question, fidgeting with his gun as usual. I realise they all need to be brought up to date. I leave it to Drum to explain that she told them Sophie was here, and that she was my old lady. Oh, and the info about the Utah trip, of course.”
“I’ve never trusted the fuckers,” Beef throws in, “It was only a matter of time before we came up against them head on. Been hearin’ some rumours about human traffickin’ up that way.”
Tongue snarls, “With you there, brother. Drugs are gettin’ out of hand, too. That could be why they were in the Running Horse.”
Beef nods, “Could well be. Wouldn’t put it past them to try to sell on our territory.”
Now we’re not into any business to do with women, our strippers get a good wage and are under no coercion to work for us. Likewise, we avoid hard drugs like the plague, would never deal. That kind of shit gets the attention of the wrong people.
“Blade, any thoughts?”
Blade doesn’t say a lot, but when he does, we all listen, “I think we should hit them hard. Take out the whole fuckin’ bag.”
Peg obviously agrees by the way he’s bobbing his head.
“VP?” Drum asks for my view.
My fingers play on the table as I give it some thought, “If it’s done clean, with little risk to us, I’m with the plan. But they’ll be expectin’ us to retaliate for Hank, so let’s bide our time and lull them into a false sense of fuckin’ security. Then we make our move.”
“You just want time to get your dick wet with your ol’ lady!” Trust Slick to put that in.
“If we’re going to hit their clubhouse I’d like to get some eyes inside,” Mouse offers. “Any way we can get someone who could put some cameras in there for us?”
“It’s a good idea,” Drum says, thoughtfully, “But it’s a risk. Don’t see how any we’d get an invitation. They know all of us.” After a brief pause, he resumes, “I could ask for a meet with Stick, their prez to discuss retribution for Hank, but I doubt they’ll let me roam free.”
“You’re not fuckin’ walking into that den of motherfuckers,” Peg roars out, “Or anyone else for that matter so keep your fuckin’ mouth shut, Wraith.”
I snap my lips back together without speaking, deciding I wasn’t going to waste breath offering to go instead of Drum after all.
“We don’t know much about them, but what I do know is I wouldn’t trust ‘em. Anyone going in is at the risk of being held and ransomed for Wheels. That’s who they want, after all.”
Bullet’s made a good point, and we all nod. He nudges Dart and points to the packet on the table. Shaking his head, Dart taps out the last smoke and rolls it over to him.
Viper speaks up next, “The sweet butt, Jill, she’s been talking about a friend who’d like to get in with the club.” He glances around to see if we can guess where he’s going with this, “She’s got no connections to us at present, but if she offered her, er, services to the Demons she might be able to get inside.”
I’m shaking my head, hating the idea of sending a woman into that particular den of iniquity. Who knows what the fuck might happen to her?
It’s Drum’s turn to tap on the table now, “Could she be connected to us at all?”
“Nah, she’s been here a couple of times as a hang-around on party nights, but that shouldn’t be enough for them to link her with us.”
“So has almost every girl in Tucson,” Tongue nods at Viper, “They just can’t resist.” He waggles his tongue in his customary manner to make sure we all get the point. We do.
Cigarette smoke drifts across me, and I breathe in that shit. I might have given up, but sometimes even second-hand it still does the job.
“O…kay,” Drummer has made his decision. “Viper, talk to the girl, make sure she knows what she’ll be getting’ into. If she’s agreeable, we’ll get her set up in Phoenix. Would be too strange for a Tucson girl to want into their club, but if she’s in the locality and wants to make it with bikers, it won’t look odd.” His fingers rap on the table, “I’ll need two of you fuckers to be close by when she goes in. Get her a burner so she can ring us if she needs help. And she’ll have to tell them all about her mama and pa who’re going to raise merry shit if she doesn’t check in at home.”
“Pa being you, Drum?” The empty packet of cigarettes gets thrown at Viper.
“So we stay on lockdown and prepared. Don’t want those fuckers comin’ waltzin’ up to our door and findin’ us with our pants down. Viper will liaise with this girl see if she’s up for this shit. Tell her she can be a sweet butt and all the brothers will reward her with as much biker cock as she wants. And then some.” Drum pauses for the roars of laughter to subside.
“Too fuckin’ right!” Adam tosses in, the first time he’s spoken at the meeting. Known for being silent and his huge great fucking adam’s apple that bobs as if it’s a living thing when he swallows. Throwing him a glance I see him playing with something in his hand.
“Me! I’ll make the sacrifice!” offers Beef.
“Hey, brothers, she might look like the back end of a cow,” contributes Dart. Leaning forwards he extracts a new pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and retrieves his lighter from Bullet.
“Don’t give a fuck what she looks like. Long as she’s got a mouth and tight pussy, they all look the fuckin’ same in the dark!”
Drum glares at Rock, and gradually the table simmers down. “Mouse, you get some of those miniature camera gadgets and if the girl’s agreeable, make sure Viper’s got them to pass to her. Right, that’s it. Let’s hope things calm down a bit for tomorrow night’s church.”
Church again, fuck we’ve had a few too many of those lately. But tomorrow’s Friday so we’ll be back to our regular timetable.
I watch Dart light up and blow smoke before saying what I know is going to be very unpopular, “Can’t have the hang-arounds up tomorrow. If we’re gonna be sendin’ in a fuckin’ Trojan horse the Demons might be thinkin’ of doing the same thing.”
Collective groans and moans, but no one says anything, they all know that I’m right.
“Good point, VP. We can’t be too fuckin’ careful. Make sure everyone knows it’s a closed house. Ok, if that’s it, let’s break up this hen party, ladies.”
I’ll give it to the prez; he knows how to send us out grinning.
“Er, Prez. I found this outside.” Adam tosses whatever it was he’d been fiddling with onto the table. We all look at it in stunned silence. My eyes settle on Peg’s, and we both wince. It’s Hank’s fucking gremlin bell. Now I’m not a superstitious man, but the fleeting thought goes through my mind if things might have worked out differently if it had been on the young prospects bike that day.
“Fuck it.” Peg sums it up succulently, and the look he throws me suggests he’s thinking along the same lines as me.
I don’t want to touch it, but know what I have to do. Reaching forwards, I pull it towards me, after holding it in my hand for a second I put it in my pocket. I nod at Drum, “I’ll put it in his coffin.”
“Good call.”
It’s a sombre end to the meeting as we all take a moment to remember the man we’d lost.
When I finally leave the room, Peg’s waiting for me in the hallway, “That fuckin’ bell.”
“Yeah.” I shake my head.
He sighs, and rests his hand on my shoulder for a second. Then he straightens, and shakes it off, making a rapid change of subject. “So how did it go with Wheels, you talk to her?”
Touching Peg’s good arm lightly, I wave him over to a table in the corner, then holding up two fingers towards the bar to alerting Marsh to the fact we need beers. Putting my elbows on the table, I lean towards the sergeant-at-arms, now seated opposite me. “She’s had some shit in her life, Peg. Got married very young, lost her husband a few months later in an explosion on an oil rig.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, well, she made up her mind not to get involved with anyone after that.”
“So until you, she stayed faithful to a dead fuckin’ man?”
I bark a laugh, “Quite the opposite! She’s been fuckin’ around likin’ the variety.”
“She’s a whore?”
“No more than any of us. Nothing worse than I’ve ever done, using someone just to get some release.”
He’s shaking his head, looking a bit disgusted, but fair’s fair. We take what we can get from whatever willing women we find, who are we to criticise someone else doing it just because they’re a member of the opposite sex? “You okay with that?” He sounds dubious.
“Don’t see any problem with it. I’m no fuckin’ hypocrite.”
He’s quiet for a moment as he considers it. “As long as she’s got a tight pussy, I s’pose.”
I toss him a glare, “Don’t go there.”
He laughs, the fucker. “So all’s sorted then?
“I fuckin’ hope so.” Marsh delivers the beers; I take a large swallow then wipe my lips on the back of my hand, “She’s feeling guilty she brought all this to our door, Peg.”
“Yeah, I get that. Shit happens. We agreed to give her protection. If it wasn’t for that bitch Chrissy, she’d have been safe here. Ain’t Wheels’ fault.”
“The Demons might have come knockin’ in any event; sheer fuckin’ luck they took the contract.”
“That reward was too darn attractive, should have guessed he’d look for her in Arizona since she flew into Phoenix.”
“Yeah, we underestimated the how fixated this St John-Davies guy is on her.” I think for a moment as an idea occurs to me, “What if I get her out of here, take her somewhere he can’t find her?”
Peg’s head moves side to side, my off the cuff plan not settling well with him, “You’d have to steer clear of any of our other chapters, first place they’d look. Don’t really know where you could go and be safe. Hey, you got company.”
Not sure what he’s talking about, I turn my head to see Sophie coming into the clubroom on crutches, her face creased with the effort. When she catches my eye, she smiles and continues our way. Peg stands like the gentleman he is and pulls out a seat for her. I take hold of her crutches as she eases herself into it.
Peg avoids any mention of our altercation by the gate, “You’re lookin’ good there, darlin’” He nods at her crutches so she knows what he’s talking about.
She thanks him and reaches out her hand to take mine. I place our entwined fingers on the table; I’m making a point for all to see and feel a sense of elation when she doesn’t pull away. Then and her eyes flick around the room, settling for a moment on little Amy who’s playing with her Dad and the other old ladies who are drinking coffee around one of the other tables. She turns back to me.
“Look at this,” she circles her hand to take in all the room, “It’s ridiculous, everyone here because of a threat to me. I know you don’t want me to leave, but I feel so guilty being here.”
Peg glowers, and suddenly he’s the sergeant-at-arms, not the friend she’s come to know, “We talked about a lot of things in church, but not one of the brothers suggested the solution was for you to go, Wheels. So just suck it up. You’re here under our fuckin’ protection, and that’s where you’re going to fuckin’ stay. I don’t want to hear another word about you leavin’ else you’ll be soundin’ like a fuckin’ ungrateful bitch!”
It wasn’t just what he said, but the way in which he delivered it. Wheels pales, as his words sink in, and I hope to goodness that she’s going to let it drop now. But she doesn’t, “I don’t understand why,” she says, quietly.
He’s still frowning, but his face has softened, “Because you’re one of us, now. You’re with Wraith, aren’t you?”
When she nods, confirming it in public, I feel like we’ve crossed the final hurdle.
“Too fuckin’ right, you’re mine now,” I growl. Oh to hell with it. I scoop her out of her chair and onto my lap. Putting my hands either side of her head I gaze into her gorgeous bright and sparkling eyes, and though it might be wishful thinking, it looks like a shadow has gone. Almost reverently I touch my lips to hers, and then apply more pressure, pushing my tongue inside. Her perfume assaults my nostrils, and a rumbling comes from my throat as I fist my hand in her hair, pulling her closer. The taste; the scent of her driving me crazy.
“Looks like Wraith’s got himself an ol’ lady!” Peg announces loudly to the whole room.
Ignoring the shouts and hollers, I lose myself in her. Not letting go of her hair I loosen one finger and hold it up. As the comments get more ribald, we at last come up for air. She’s laughing, and her cheeky grin shows me she’s going to fit in here. I don’t know if she’s thought all this through and realised it yet, but this is her home, and where she’s going to stay. Forever if I have my way.
Peg’s still sitting there, smirking at us. He’s got his phone in his hand and holds it up to show me the screen.
“You were fuckin’ timin’ us?”
“Yup. Should have taken bets on it. Quite a record you set there, VP.”
Sophie bats his arm, “Peg! How could you?”
“Any takers for how long they’re gonna disappear for?” Christ, Slick’s getting into the act now.
“Three hours fifteen!” Adam calls out, though he’s not taken his eyes from the game he’s currently battling with.
Sophie’s face is glowing red, but she’s not upset at all, in fact, she’s laughing so hard she’s hiccupping. I decide taking some personal time is a fuckin’ good idea. Standing, I go to lift her into my arms then Peg stops me.
“Six o’clock, Wheels. Meet me in the gym.”
“She’ll be too tired to exercise,” I tell him, grinning.
“Not if you do all the work.” He repl
ies, his eyebrows waggling up and down suggestively.
Chapter 25
Sophie
Despite Wraith’s reassurance, the feeling of guilt remains that I’m the cause of the club being on lockdown, but to be fair, it must be in my head as no one makes any comment to make me feel that way. If anyone, it seems to be Chrissy who draws their ire. She betrayed the club after all, and most of the blame gets apportioned to her, but I can’t shake the feeling that deep down I’m responsible.
Life goes on. Every night Peg has me working to build strength in my legs and to get my balance until it gets to the point when I can walk a few steps confidently without using the crutches. Despite recent events, my confidence is returning along with my independence, and I can feel the old Sophie starting to emerge. I’ll never get my leg back, but my man doesn’t give a damn, and that’s all that matters to me. There can’t be many men in the world prepared to put up with a one-legged woman.
Being an official old lady has raised my status in the club, and now I have a role to play. Along with the other brothers’ women, I help plan, organise and cook for Hank’s funeral and with Wraith, make sure the prospects have prepared as many of the guest rooms as possible. I’ve been warned there’ll be many people from out of state who’ll need to be fed and housed.
This morning Wraith had presented me with a cut of my own, and at first, I was taken aback to see what is known as a Property patch on the back. But having got used to the other old ladies proudly wearing their cuts which, in their world was akin to a wedding ring, tears came to my eyes as I realised it signified how much I actually mean to Wraith, and the woven words, Property of Wraith, give me a warm feeling. He’s given me strict instructions to wear my cut at the funeral, that way, the men from the other chapters will know I’m taken.
Turning Wheels (Satan's Devils MC #1): A Blood Brothers Spin off Page 27