Athena Sisterhood

by Dharma Kelleher

  “Laid it down to avoid a coyote. Must have hit some rocks or something.”

  “Or something.” Shea’s finger traced the outline of a dent on the side of the tank. No scraped paint or chrome. Just dents, even in places there shouldn’t be if it had been dropped at speed.

  Orphan had the jittery eyes of a frightened rabbit. Shea grew up seeing the same look in her abused mother’s eyes. “Cut the shit, Orphan. We both know you didn’t drop your bike. Is Richard abusing you?”

  “Richard? No!” Orphan shook her head, wiping tears from her face.

  “Look at me.” Shea held her gaze. “If it’s him, just tell me. I’ll personally beat the ever-loving shit outta him so he never does it again.”

  “It’s not him.” Orphan collapsed onto the seat of the motorcycle, buried her face in her hands, and sobbed. “Richard’s dead.”

  Shea stood there stunned. Seeing Orphan overcome with emotion evoked Shea’s own conflicted feelings about Monster’s suicide. “Shit! How’d it happen?”

  “Oh God, I’m such a horrible person.”

  “Why? What’d you do?”

  “If I tell you, you’ll hate me.”

  “I won’t. Trust me, no matter what it is, I’ve done worse.”

  Orphan took a deep breath. “I’ve been living off the trust fund my parents left me when they died. Paid for my condo. My bike. Past three years of college.” She wiped her face. “Then my accountant tells me the balance is running low. Tuition’s been going up. Property taxes, health insurance, all the other shit. I tried finding a job, but no one willing to hire an art student wants to pay what I need to make. So a friend of mine told me she was making a mint dealing party favors at clubs.”

  “And by party favors, you’re not talking glow sticks and beads.”

  “Poppers, weed, and ecstasy, mostly. A little acid and Special K now and then. But nothing serious, you know? No meth or dope or coke. She hooked me up with her supplier. Good money, so why not, ya know?”

  Shea glowered at her. “Other than getting yourself or someone else killed.”

  “Everything was fine until my supplier wanted me to sell this new kind of ecstasy, something called hex. Didn’t know what was in it at first. Just that it was like ex, but with a bigger kick. Customers loved it.”

  “Until…”

  “Until my roommate tried some and…and she died. Turns out my supplier had recut it with rat poison. Cops said a few other folks died, too.” Orphan broke down in sobs. “Oh God, I never meant to hurt anybody. Just trying to make a little bank, ya know?”

  Shea felt sick. She’d been so sure Deb was the one dealing the hex. After all the shit Deb had put her through, Shea had been only too happy to turn the manipulative woman over to the cops. But now that it was Orphan, she didn’t know what to do. Shea saw a lot of herself in Orphan. She wasn’t ready to give her up to Rios. “Jesus, girl.”

  “I know. I’m a horrible person.”

  “You gotta quit. Now. Before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “I tried. My supplier won’t let me. Says I’m too good an earner. When I tried, they killed Pipes and made it look like an OD, to let me know they’re serious. Then…they showed up at my condo. Insisted I start earning again. Brought ten grand’s worth of product for me to sell. When I refused…” Orphan stared out across the back parking lot. Her face hardened with anger. “This morning, I found Richard’s body on my doorstep. Throat cut.”

  Shea started putting the pieces together. “Your supplier go by the name Bonefish?”

  Orphan gasped. “How’d you know that?”

  “Bonefish bought the hex the Confederate Thunder stole from the Jaguars. Where do I find him?”

  “Him who?”

  “Bonefish.”

  “Bonefish isn’t a he; she’s a she.”

  “So how do I find her?”

  “I have a phone number. I call it and Lizzie Black, one of her enforcers, drops off the drugs and picks up the cash.”

  “What’s Bonefish’s real name?”

  “I don’t know. Everybody just calls her Bonefish.”

  “They do this to your face and bike?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Just so you know, your days of dealing drugs are over,” said Shea matter-of-factly.

  “I can’t. They’ll keep hurting people I know. Maybe even you.”

  “Then we’ll get the club involved and make sure they don’t.”

  “No, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. It’s my problem. I’ll deal with it.”

  “When they killed Pipes, they made it the club’s problem.” Shea pulled out her phone and called Labrys.

  “What do you want, Havoc?” asked Labrys in a nasty voice. “I’m busy.”

  “Look, I’m sorry I accused you of dealing hex.”

  “Well, that’s a first! Shea Stevens apologizing. I should—”

  “But I found out who is.”

  There was a pause. “Who?”

  “She’s right here.” Shea handed the phone to Orphan.

  “Hello?” Orphan looked like a dog about to be whipped. “Yeah, it’s me.” Her face crumpled in humiliation.

  Shea couldn’t make out Labrys’ words, but could tell she was yelling. Orphan related the same story about her dealings with Bonefish.

  “Labrys wants to talk to you.” Orphan returned the phone to Shea, looking utterly defeated.

  “What’s the word?” asked Shea.

  “I honestly don’t know what to do. Bad enough we have the Thunder breathing down our necks. And now this Bonefish bitch is killing our members? I’m out of my depth here. What do we do?”

  “Wow! Debbie Raymond asking my advice? That’s a first! I should—”

  “Yeah, yeah, you made your point. You’ve dealt with people like this before. I haven’t.”

  A plan formed in Shea’s head. “I got a few ideas.”

  “Like what?”

  “Hold on for a sec.” Shea covered the mike on the phone. “Orphan, you got that stash of Bonefish’s drugs, right?”

  “At my condo. Why?”

  Shea turned back to the phone. “Call Savage and the rest of the club. Have them meet me at Orphan’s place in an hour, armed if possible. Everyone but Dragon.”

  “Why not Dragon?” asked Labrys.

  “She’s the club’s lawyer. What I’m proposing ain’t exactly legal.”

  Labrys huffed. “I have a class to teach in twenty minutes.”

  “This is for the safety of your club, Lady President. What are your priorities?”

  “Shit! Fine, I’ll call my department head. Tell him I’ve got menstrual cramps. He won’t ask any questions. See you in an hour.”

  Shea hung up. “Follow me.” Shea led Orphan to the shop’s office. “Yo, T! Gotta run an errand. I’ll be back…well, it might be awhile.” She slipped on her Kevlar vest.

  “What are you doing? The Stansbury bike’s our number-one priority.”

  “Kyle can handle it. I got other priorities.” Shea tossed him the keys to Orphan’s bike. “Also, write up an estimate to repair the damage on the Sportster out back.”

  “Shea!” Terrance grumbled as Shea pulled on her jacket and helmet. “This is not the way to run a business.”

  “No, but if I’m real lucky, I might save a few lives.” She pulled her Glock out of her top drawer and tucked it into her waistband holster. “Time to pay the piper, Orphan!”

  “What am I driving?”

  “You’re riding bitch. Grab your helmet.”

  Chapter 43

  As Shea reached the top of the stairs outside Orphan’s condo, her eyes were drawn to the rust-colored stain on the concrete. Shea could still smell the scent of blood. A trail of drops led to the other end of the breezeway. Orphan whimpered and covered her mouth, a tear streaming down her left cheek.

  “Come on, girl.” Shea put a hand on Orphan’s shoulder. “Let’s get inside.”

  Orphan unlocked the door. Shea found herself gazing wide-ey
ed around at the condo. “So this is the kinda crib dealing drugs gets ya, huh?”

  Orphan didn’t respond.

  “Sorry, guess that was uncalled for. So where’s the stash?”

  Orphan led Shea to her kitchen area, pulled a large Stouffer’s lasagna box from the freezer and set it on the table. She opened the cardboard flap and took out the foil container. “In here.”

  Shea removed the aluminum foil cover to reveal a plastic bag filled with smaller bags, each containing black pills.

  “Weren’t you afraid your roommate would cook it, thinking it was lasagna?”

  “Genette’s allergic…was allergic to gluten.”

  A loud pounding at the door set Shea into high alert. She wrapped a hand around the grip of her Glock.

  “Who is it?” asked Orphan in a timid voice.

  “It’s Savage. Labrys, Fuego, Brillo, and Indigo are with me.”

  Orphan opened the door and let them in. “You have any problem getting through the gate? I told the guard to let in anyone on a motorcycle asking for me.”

  “No problem at all,” said Savage as she hugged Orphan.

  “Nice place.” Brillo, a lanky woman with freckle-dusted ivory skin and tight curls of coppery hair, stopped at the bag of drugs on the kitchen table. “Holy shit! What the hell’s this?”

  Orphan lowered her head and sank into a brass-framed chair.

  “I know what it is.” Fuego glared at Orphan. “It’s ecstasy mixed with chiva. They call it hex, and for good reason. That shit killed Pipes. You a drug dealer, mija?”

  Shea folded her arms and met the gazes of the other women. “Orphan’s been dealing at the clubs, not realizing her supplier recut it with rat poison.”

  “Geez, prospect!” Labrys picked up the bag of hex and tossed it at Orphan. “You been doing this under our noses the whole time?”

  “Didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. Just trying to keep my condo.”

  “Aw, pinche pobrecita.” Poor fucking girl. Fuego kicked the leg of Orphan’s chair. “Don’t care who she kill, long as she keeps her fancy crib, eh, pendeja?”

  “Havoc, you gonna report her to that cop you’re working for?” asked Indigo.

  Shea’s face warmed as all eyes turned to her. “No.”

  “You a snitch, prospect?” Fuego shoved Shea’s shoulder.

  “Not by choice. Some detective jammed me up on bogus charges awhile back.” Shea straightened her jacket. “If we turn Orphan over to the cops, her supplier will likely come after us.”

  “Why?” asked Brillo. “We’re not involved.”

  “To keep Orphan from talking.”

  “Did you sell this shit to Pipes?” asked Savage. The other women pressed in around Orphan.

  She looked up at them like a wounded puppy. “No. My supplier, Bonefish, had Pipes killed when I threatened to quit.”

  Labrys cuffed Orphan’s ear. “This is why we don’t allow drugs in the club, you idiot. Shit likes this happens.”

  “Point is,” said Shea, “we’re all in danger here. We need to work together.”

  Labrys pressed her palms against her temples. “You said you have a plan?”

  “Yeah. Are the rest of the gals coming?” asked Shea. “We need all the muscle we can get.”

  “This is it. Most couldn’t get out of work.” Labrys’ face darkened as she exchanged a glance with Savage.

  “So what’s the plan?” asked Brillo.

  Shea held up the hex. “This bag’s worth ten grand or more—money Bonefish probably doesn’t want to lose. I’ll call the number Orphan has for her, tell her to meet us somewhere. When Bonefish and her enforcer, Lizzie Black, show up, we take them out.”

  “How you going to convince her to show up, mija?” asked Fuego.

  “I’ll tell her we have her drugs and want to negotiate a truce.”

  “What if she doesn’t want a truce?” asked Brillo.

  “I’m sure she won’t. And even if she did, she wouldn’t keep it. Not after all the shit she’s done. But she’ll want her drugs back. I just need her in my gun sights.”

  “Havoc, you’re talking murder,” said Indigo. “Since when are we an outlaw club? Can’t we just scare them?”

  “We’re not outlaw,” insisted Labrys. “But we have a right to protect ourselves. Against the Thunder. Against these drug dealers.”

  “I’ve dealt with people like this several times. They don’t scare easy. Putting a beat down on them ain’t enough. They’ll come right back atcha when you ain’t looking. Either they die or we do.” Shea looked from one face to another. “So are we ready to do this?”

  “Hold on, prospect,” said Labrys. “We’re a club. We vote on these things.”

  Shea shrugged. “You’re the one who said you were outta your depth.”

  Labrys smirked. “All in favor of Havoc’s plan?”

  All but Indigo and Brillo raised their hands and said, “Aye.”

  Indigo shook her head. “I can’t risk going to prison. Not in my situation. They would fucking kill me in there. Or worse.”

  Savage put an arm around Indigo. “You wanna sit this one out, babe, I won’t blame you.”

  “Brillo?” asked Labrys.

  Brillo knitted her brow and sighed. “Sorry, I can’t risk losing custody of my kids again.”

  “That’s fine. The rest of us are in,” said Fuego.

  Savage nodded. “Damn straight.”

  “Absolutely,” said Shea.

  Orphan shook her head. “Y’all don’t know who you’re dealing with. Lizzie Black—she’s huge. And fast. I heard she served in the Israeli military. She could probably take out all y’all with one arm tied behind her back. She fights dirty.”

  “So do I.” Shea pulled out her Glock and chambered a round, then reholstered it. “And the fact that she’s big just makes her a larger target.”

  Tears ran down Orphan’s face. “I’m sorry I got y’all into this. I’ll do whatever you want. They killed Richard. They killed Pipes. I’m in it to the end.” She pulled out her phone, tapped through a few screens, then held it up to Shea. “Here’s the number.”

  Shea dialed the number on her own phone. It rang five times before a recorded female voice said, “Leave a message.”

  “Hello, Bonefish. My name’s Shea.” She silently cursed herself for not using her road name. “I have the hex you gave Orphan. Reckon it’s worth ten grand or more. You want it back, call me. If I don’t hear back from you by midnight, I’ll flush it down the toilet.”

  “What do we do when she does call back?” asked Brillo. “Where we going to meet her?”

  Shea thought about it. “Black Rock Mine. There’s a lot of equipment there we can use for cover.”

  “Mine’s closed,” said Savage.

  “Yup,” Shea said with a nod. “But I can pick the lock on the gate easy enough.”

  “Let’s show this bitch we mean business.” From a shoulder holster under her jacket, Labrys pulled a Glock, identical to Shea’s, holding it cocked sideways at arm’s length and swinging it around.

  “Jesus Christ!” Shea pushed Labrys’ arm down until the pistol was pointing at the floor. “You even know how to use that thing?”

  “Yeah. Sort of.”

  “Sort of will get you killed, Lady President.”

  “Fine.” Labrys holstered the pistol. “You teach me.”

  Shea rolled her eyes. “Take a fucking class.”

  “I need to learn now. You want me to show up unable to defend myself?”

  Fuego nudged Shea. “She’s got a point, mija. We don’t know how many Bonefish got working for her. We need all the firepower we can get. If she don’t know how to shoot, she’s no good to us.”

  “As your president,” said Labrys with a smirk, “I order you to accompany me to the gun range and teach me how to shoot.”

  “Oh good lord!” Shea hated to admit it, but Fuego was right. “Fine. Let’s go. Anyone else wanna come on this field trip?”

 
“Nah,” said Savage. “We’ll stay here and keep an eye on Orphan. Just in case Lizzie Black shows up again.”

  Shea picked up the bag of hex. “I’ll take this with me. If Bonefish or one of her crew shows up, tell her she needs to call me.”

  Chapter 44

  Shea stood behind Labrys in the stall at the Avid Marksman Indoor Gun Range. Each wore a pair of rented ear muffs. “Keep the index finger of your shooting hand parallel to the slide, with the rest of your fingers wrapped around the grip. Put your thumb down on the other side or it could break it when you fire.”

  Labrys pressed her body against Shea’s. “Like this?” Her voice had a hint of breathiness in it that brought heat to Shea’s groin.

  Shea tried to ignore it. “Lay the thumb of your other hand on top of the first one and wrap the fingers of your left on top of your right fingers.”

  “Like a golfer’s grip.”

  “I suppose. Never played golf.”

  “Really? You’d love it. We’ll have to go sometime. I can teach you. Only fair since you’re showing me how to shoot.”

  “Deb…”

  “It’s Labrys!”

  “Whatever! Let’s stick with the subject at hand. We ain’t got a lotta time.”

  “Sorry, sweetie.”

  “And don’t call me sweetie. I ain’t been your sweetie in a long time.”

  “Geez, Shea, what crawled up your derrière and died?”

  “Can we just focus on shooting?”

  “Fine. Now what?”

  “Okay, is the safety off?”

  Labrys lowered her pistol, pointing it toward Shea as she examined it. “Umm…”

  “Hey, careful!” Shea pushed the barrel away. “Ya gotta pay attention to where your gun’s pointed.”

  “Sorry! How do I tell if the safety is off?”

  “It’s a trick question, actually. Glock’s don’t have a safety except on the trigger itself. That’s why you keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you’re on target and ready to shoot. Now look down the barrel and line up your sights.”

  “Okay, got it.”

  “Slip your finger onto the trigger and slowly squeeze. Don’t pull!”