Devil's Spawn: Satan's Devils MC Colorado Chapter #6

by Manda Mellett

  “I’m fucked up, Mace. I don’t think I’ll ever be right again.”

  “Darlin’, you’ll get there. May need some help, but you’ll get through this.”

  “Help?”

  I nod. “Yeah. You and Esme both. I think you need some therapy. What I saw just now was a classic PTSD response, and Christ knows you’ve been through trauma.” As her face tightens, I wave my hand around the room. “If brothers here haven’t got it themselves, they know men who have. The way you reacted is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “How come you knew what to do?”

  “I served, babe. I’ve seen things no man should have. Yeah, I know a bit about what you’re going through.”

  “I’m scared I’ll never get over this. That I’ll always panic when a man gets too close.”

  I fucking hope not. “It’s about learning coping mechanisms, babe, and that’s why I think therapy could help.”

  She’s quiet for a moment, then she says, “I was surrounded by broken women. Each time a man would enter the room, it was to torture us, or take us to get dolled up so we could go service one of their clients. In my head, I equate men with pain, or being forced to do something I don’t want. Just telling you this, hurts, Mace.”

  I wish I could wave a wand and wipe away her past, but I can’t. “You won’t forget. But you can learn how to deal.”

  “After my panic attack just then?” Her eyes open wide. “I can’t see how.”

  “You’ve been free of him, what, three months? All that time you’ve been running on adrenaline, looking over your shoulder, doing your best for you and Esme. Fuck woman, have you any idea how strong you are? You got out and stayed free, and all with a disabled kid.”

  “If I’m as strong as you say, why do I feel so weak?”

  “Because we’ve taken the load off you, baby. You’ve got a roof over your head and food to eat. You’re protected and safe. That adrenaline that built up inside you, now has nowhere to go, but your body’s still programmed to fight or flee.”

  She flops back on the couch and brushes both hands down her face. “I suppose that makes sense. I still feel responsible for Esme.”

  “Where is she now?” I ask, although I already know.

  “With Jayden in the kitchen. She’s helping her draw. Or, just watching while she does it. She’s trying to get Esme to say something.”

  “She’s such a good kid, Shayla.” Hoping to put a smile on her face, I tell her of my plans. “Esme’s fuckin’ talented. That picture of a stallion she drew? I’m having that airbrushed on my bike.”

  “Mace!” The delighted grin shows I’ve startled her, but now in a good way. “She’s going to be so proud of that. When are you doing it?”

  “When Ink can get around to it. He’s our airbrushing expert. I’d attempt it myself, but don’t want to fuck it up.”

  A critical humph sounds from behind me. Shayla’s eyes rise over my head, and I swing around to see Esme standing there with her hand held out. And fuck me, in a soft, sweet voice with a scolding tone, she takes a breath, then says, “Pay up.”

  There’s a gasp from Shayla, and I’m feeling as though I’m on the top of the world as I give an exaggerated huff and reach into my wallet, but I wink as I hand the dollar over. I watch as the kid walks across the bar and drops the bill in with the others in the jar.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lizard

  As she wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t walked into my shop, I feel some responsibility for Shayla and Esme, so when I return from work and see the woman sitting alone, I at least feel I need to check in with her.

  “Hey, Shayla. How’s it going?” Some responsibility, not enough to cater to any of her possible whims, so her nod gives me all the answer I need, and I hardly break step as I continue my walk toward the bar.

  Once again, I’ve left Jonah to close up. Tomorrow, being Saturday, will be one of our busiest days, which means I’ll have to go slow at tonight’s party as always on a weekend. No one wants a tattoo artist who’s bleary eyed with a hangover working on them. Of course, I’ll have a few beers, but will resist the urge to overindulge, and concentrate instead on my other method of relaxation, sinking my cock into any available whore.

  Tonight, there will also be girls up from Pueblo, wanting to dip their toes into the wild side of life, but I tend to avoid them. I’m not in the market for a woman, and some of these girls want to attract a biker of their own. Club girls know the score and just want a good time.

  “Lizard.”

  My name makes me turn. Shayla’s followed me to the bar. “Want a drink?” I nod at Beaver and get his attention.

  “No, I’m fine. I, er, just wanted to know when Vi could do some more work on my back.”

  I grin. I happen to know she’s already been pestering Vi. “Week after next, babe. Sure, we can put the sessions closer together, but it’s best that the outline is properly healed before she continues.” A thought occurs to me. “You are sticking around, aren’t you?”

  She shrugs. “I’ve been in Pueblo a month now.”

  I take it she’s getting itchy feet. I turn to face her, so she knows I’m being serious here. “No one knows where you are. You might have noticed we keep ourselves to ourselves and don’t go divulging our business to strangers. You’re safest where you are, doll. Where else would you go? You got family or friends you can stay with?”

  She huffs. “I do, but back in Vegas, and I’m not going anywhere near there.”

  She’s right to steer clear of anyone from her old life, of course. If Major’s looking for her, her known contacts are the first place he’d go. Means she’s totally alone now, though.

  “Well, you’ve got us now. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, and if Vi is going to complete your tat, that’s one more session at least.”

  “Lizard.”

  I lift my chin to the man who’s just joined us. “Ro.”

  “Just who I was looking for.” But he’s not talking to me, he’s addressing the woman by my side. “Mace says you know your way around engines?”

  My lips press together. Now that’s something I didn’t know. I raise my eyebrow toward her.

  “Big ones, yeah,” she replies.

  “What about cars and bikes?”

  For the first time I’ve seen, she becomes animated. “They work on combustion?”

  “Well we’re not talking electric ones. Not yet.”

  She frowns. “Lots of mechanics are going to be out of work when those get more popular.”

  Pyro grimaces. “Tell me about it. A completely new set of skills will be required. Mechanics like us will be relegated to swapping out tyres. Might need Cad to replace us with his knowledge of computers as we won’t know how shit works.”

  “Can’t you retrain?” I ask, interested.

  It’s Shayla who replies, “For electric cars it will be all about the electronics. Some people may be able to learn a new trade, but engines won’t be the same anymore. Mind you, it’s already getting increasingly more computerised. Which is why I like working on farm machinery.”

  “But you do know your way around gas engines now?”

  “Yeah, I can fix them. Why?”

  “Because Mace is a fuckin’ pain in my ass and he wants Ink to paint his tank. Spring’s here and everyone wants their bike serviced now. Don’t like turning work away, so an extra pair of hands would help.”

  Shayla’s eyes have more life in them than I’ve seen so far. “Sure, I’ll help. I, er, don’t have access to my qualifications…”

  “Don’t give a shit. I’ll tell you what I want doing and supervise, at first at least. The way you work, darlin’, will tell me all I need to know. Get Mace to bring you to the shop on Monday, and I’ll show you around. We’ll talk rates then, dependent on what you’ll be capable of doing.”

  “No,” she says fast. “You’re housing and feeding me and Esme. I don’t want anything more than that.”

  “You ain’t workin
g for nothing, babe, and that’s final. Mel?” Pyro’s already walking off toward his wife.

  As Shayla’s mouth drops open, I laugh. “I wouldn’t argue with him. If he wants to pay you, why turn it down?”

  Her reaction to Pyro offering her work that she was trained for seems to have given her back a spark that she’d lost. We’ve been tiptoeing around her, but perhaps this is exactly what she needs, something to occupy her and get her out of her head.

  “Lizard? Shayla? Can you come to Demon’s office now?” Cad yells out, and waves frantically toward the room he’d suggested.

  “Oh shit,” Shayla breathes. “Is it Major? Has he found us?” Just like that, her pleasure in Pyro’s offer disappears.

  “Don’t borrow trouble,” I warn her. “Quickest way to find out is to go and talk to Demon, now.”

  But when we reach Demon’s office, he waves us out with the explanation. “Gonna get a few heads in on this, we’ll use the meeting room instead.”

  It’s been a while since a woman has entered our hallowed room where we hold church. Shayla walks in and stands for a moment, taking in the leather-seated chairs and the table with the Satan’s Devils’ insignia carved into it. She shivers as though she finds it intimidating.

  Demon follows us in and points Shayla to a seat. She sits, perching on the edge, looking uncomfortable, as well as nervous.

  The door keeps opening and shutting. Mace enters, followed by Beef and Hellfire. Cad arrives carrying his computer, and Thunder takes his place to Prez’s right-hand side.

  Demon flashes a glance toward Shayla, taking in her shaking hands, and starts, “Won’t draw this out. No need to worry, Shayla. But Cad’s got some good news, or at least, we think he has.”

  When Demon gives Cad a nod, he takes over. “Found this out and brought it to Prez. He wanted to make sure it checked out, so I’ve dug as deep as I can.” He pauses and opens his laptop. “Pretty certain I’ve found Esme’s parents. In Flagstaff of all places.”

  “Flagstaff, Arizona?”

  “Is there another, Beef?”

  He shrugs. If the VP doesn’t know of one, I certainly don’t.

  “Their kid disappeared on a shopping trip,” Cad continues. “One minute she was supposed to be with them, next it seemed she’d wandered off. They searched for her, involved the cops, but nothing ever turned up. That was four months ago, which tallies with your timeline, Shayla.”

  Shayla’s head nods vigorously, but her brow is scrunched as though she’s trying to process this information. “Major took her from them? What was he doing in Arizona?”

  Cad looks blank. “I’ve no fuckin’ idea. More likely to be opportunist rather than planned, or maybe he did target her, who the fuck knows? Esme’s a pretty girl.” He grimaces. It’s easy to see why Major thought she’d be worth something. “I don’t take anything at face value, and neither does Prez. A kid like Esme is bound to be challenging. I wanted to check that the parents weren’t involved, that they genuinely lost her and want her back. I’ve checked their bank accounts and recent purchases, and nothing suggests they came into money at the time. Quite the opposite, in fact. Once the cops turned up nothing, they re-mortgaged their house to fund private investigators.”

  “So they’ve been actively trying to find her?”

  “She’s still listed as a missing person, and from the police reports, the parents haven’t given up. They’re still pestering the cops on what is now a cold case for them. No one saw Esme being taken away, so the snatch was done cleanly and efficiently. The only CCTV available shows her looking at a window display while her parents hadn’t noticed her stop, then, she walks out of sight. No one else in the footage.”

  “Major picked his moment and was clever about it,” I suggest.

  “Doubt he did it himself,” observes Beef. “Probably one of his minions.”

  “If she got lost,” Shayla adds to the conversation, “she’d have trusted anyone who said they’d help her.”

  Of course, she would, and someone had taken advantage.

  “It’s a mystery how she got from Flagstaff to Vegas, or how she came into Major’s hands, but it appears she did. It’s Esme from photos the parents posted. They’re all over social media.”

  Shayla’s hands form fists. “Major had books with our pictures in there, a brochure of sorts. He showed me once.” Her face twists. “If her picture’s been plastered around, people who saw that would have known she was missed. Not one of them did anything to stop it.”

  I refrain from telling her it wouldn’t have mattered a damn to men who preferred their women unwilling, or young.

  “Are you on social media, Shayla?” Cad asks.

  She shakes her head. “I was… before. But I’ve avoided it and any digital footprint since I got free.”

  Sensible girl. She hadn’t given into temptation in case Major used it to track her.

  Demon takes over. “Cad brought this to me first thing today. I asked the Tucson boys to check the home out and then called this meeting when Drummer reported back. From what they said, the house is in a nice neighbourhood and the family’s lived there for years. Lady posed as a journalist, and the parents were only too willing to talk to him to get her name front and foremost in the news once again. Obviously, the story had died over the months she’d been gone, the initial interest fading. He saw her bedroom left untouched, her drawings pinned up in the house, some framed. Her mom was upset, but proud of the work her daughter had produced. He also talked to the neighbours and heard stories of a happy, loved and cared for girl.” He pauses and looks around. “From what he said, it sounds like they’re genuine.”

  “I agree it sounds kosher,” says Beef, and Thunder nods.

  “So what are we going to do about it?” Hellfire asks.

  “That’s why I’ve called us together,” Demon states. “If there’s a fuckin’ sniff of a chance they had something to do with Major, I wouldn’t for one second countenance handing her back. But Cad’s found no link with him anywhere. Looks like this is just how it sounds, an abduction and grieving parents who’ve no idea where their daughter disappeared to.” He glances at the only female in the room. “You know her, Shayla. Your view is important to me. Did she ever mention her home or family?”

  Shayla’s lips purse and she doesn’t give an immediate answer. Then her mouth opens. “She used to cry for her mom and her dad. I got the impression she had no siblings?” Her intonation rises, and Cad interprets it as a question.

  “She’s their only child,” he confirms.

  Shayla nods. “Crying for her mom was one of the things that got her punished, so in the end, she stopped. Then, of course, she wouldn’t talk at all. Before that, I’d tried to ask where she came from, but all I got was 1601 River Street, which was probably useful if you knew the town or city, but…” her voice trails off and she shrugs.

  Probably why she hasn’t mentioned it before.

  Cad’s eyes brighten. “That’s the address,” he confirms.

  “What are we waiting for?” Hell snaps. “Let’s get them here. Esme wants to go with them, she can. She indicates otherwise…”

  “One sign that Esme’s uncomfortable with them, I’ll take her away.” Shayla sounds firm. “Not allowing Esme near Major again.”

  “No one wants her back in his hands,” Demon growls. “Not taking any chance of that.”

  “Is there a problem here?” I’ve been quiet up to now. “If Esme was going to be making Major money, and fuck knows I hate to think it, but I can understand how he could have from some twisted motherfuckers, but might he try to take her back? He might have eyes on her parents, just in case she returns if she’s that valuable to him. He was never able to cash in on his investment.”

  “She can’t go home then.” Shayla sounds alarmed. “I agree with Lizard there’s too much risk.”

  Beef wipes his hand over his head. “Esme has needs, and God help us, we’re trying to provide them, but she needs serious therapy. She won�
��t say a fuckin’ word. That’s not good for the kid.”

  “She spoke yesterday,” Mace puts in. “Told me to pay up when I slipped up and swore, but she hasn’t said a word since.” He catches Shayla’s eyes.

  She shakes her head and confirms it. “I tried, thinking that was a breakthrough, and I think it was. But she needs time and patience, and, as you say, professional help.”

  “So how do we swing it?” Thunder’s face is taut.

  Demon thinks for a moment. “Shayla did nothing wrong. All she did was free Esme and kept her safe for the last few months. Esme wasn’t talking, so how did we know where to return her?” Fuck me, he sounds like he’s talking about a stray dog. But relocating her might have been easier if she was. Some dogs are microchipped. As we learned to our cost, Max is. When Beef took Steph into hiding, Max’s chip led the bad guys directly to them. “We tell them the truth but ask them to keep us out of it.”

  “I’ll have to move on,” Shayla tells us. “If her parents see me here and let slip where I am, Major will come to get me. I know he will.” Her voice has gone soft, scared, but also determined.

  I see Mace tense. “You’re going nowhere, Shayla. We just need to make fuckin’ sure you’re left out of it. As far as they’ll know, you’ve already moved on and left Esme with us.”

  “That would work,” Beef agrees. “We’ve got enough women around to make this a safe place for Esme to be left, her parents would buy that.”

  “Settled.” Demon picks up the gavel and bangs it, the noise making Shayla jump. “I’ll ring her parents. If I’m right, they’ll be here first thing in the morning. We’ll check Esme’s reaction, and if she’s happy to go with them, the handover shouldn’t take long. We’ll say the woman who saved her has already left and we’ve no idea where she’s gone. We don’t even have to mention Shayla’s name.”

  “Warn the parents to be on the lookout for Major.” Beef’s looking concerned. “They’ve got to understand the risk they’re taking. Soon as she reappears at her home, he’ll know where to find her.”