Dealing with the Devil

by Black, Marina

  Julia bobbed her head. “It could work!”

  “I also have a contact in Reno who could be helpful.” Lucy reached into her pocket and pulled Steve’s card from her pocket. “This guy knows how things are here and is willing to take a risk. If Sofía realizes you’re gone, the first place she’s going to go is to your clubs. She won’t be expecting you to have a contact on the outside. Steve can be an asset.”

  Cecelia grabbed the crinkled card and frowned. “You think some pansy lawyer is the answer?” She shook her head. “For all we know, he could be a spy for Sofía.”

  Lucy supposed that could be true, but her instincts told her Steve could be trusted. “So, we make sure our bases are covered. Errol is a couple hours drive from here. Get into town and my husband will help you.” She could tell Cecelia wasn’t convinced. “Archie is the President of the Devil’s Own. He’s got the power to put any plan you want into action. If you’re worried, Danny’s my brother. He can be a bit of a prick sometimes but he’s one of the good guys.” She reached out, grasping Cece’s shoulder. “He will do anything in his power to get me back.” Just saying his name made Lucy’s soul ache. “Split up. Candy and Julia can go to Steve. Cece, Bea, and Adela will go to Errol. That way, if something goes wrong, the other group can still get help for the rest of us…”

  “How sure are you that this will work?” Julia didn’t look convinced.

  Four sets of eyes stared Lucy down. In turn, she shifted her position. “Going in opposite directions will confuse Sofía’s security detail. This is your best shot.”

  “Julia should go with Bea. Adela, Candy, and I will go to Errol,” Cecelia suggested. Julia was a sweet spirited girl and Cecelia didn’t getting caught in the crossfire if things went south in Errol. Candy could hold her own and nobody would hurt Adela while Cecelia was around. It was the best option for everyone.

  “I’m in.” Bea grinned.

  Adela nodded her consent swiftly.

  “Me too,” Candy replied for both her and Julia.

  “Then it’s settled.” Cecelia turned to the assembled group. “Candy, I need you to sneak into the guard booth. Grab the keys to a couple of the vans. Bea, we’ll need the medical stock you’ve been able to collect. Julia, bring your stash back here too. We’ll divvy it up.” Her jaw was grimly set. “Meet back here in twenty minutes.” The group hurried out, rushing to perform their duties. Lucy and Cecelia were momentarily left alone. “Are you sure about this?”

  Lucy forced a smile. “I would only slow you down, Cece.” She paused, collecting her thoughts before she spoke again. “You remember that note I gave you for Danny? I want you to give it to him when you get to town. Archie is the rational one. Danny is a bit of a hothead. He’ll want proof that I’m alive before he hears a single word you’re going to say.”

  Cecelia was throwing items into her bag. She mulled over Lucy’s request. “I’ll give him the message but I don’t want you to think for a second we ain’t coming back. We don’t leave our own behind.” Moving toward Lucy, Cece grabbed her shoulder. “You hang in there. Take care of that baby and don’t worry about anything else.”

  Lucy hugged Cecelia tightly. “I will.” Although Cecelia and the rest of the group would be breaking out, it was Lucy who had the hardest job of all. She had to cover for them. The longer she was able to keep up appearances, the better chance the girls had of escaping without notice. “Be safe.”

  “I promise.” Cecelia pulled away from Lucy just as the other girls began to filter back into the room. Julia arrived first with a bunch of items from the commissary. Although it wasn’t much, each girl was issued a Swiss army knife and several candy bars, matches, and a flashlight. Bea made up packets with sterile gauze, saline, alcohol swabs, surgical scissors, tape, and some bandages. Meanwhile, Adela had drawn everyone maps of the layout and Candy scribbled in the guard shifts and which doors it would be easiest to sneak out of. With very little effort, Candy had also obtained the keys to a couple of transport vans.

  It took all of Lucy’s strength to ignore the nausea that churned in her veins as she said her goodbyes to each of the girls. “Keep your head down. It’ll all be over soon,” She urged. Lucy said a silent prayer this would work. One way or another she was going to get out of here; she just hoped for the baby’s sake, it wasn’t in a body bag.

  * * *

  Steve paced the length of his office, one hand wrapped around a mug of coffee and the other resting against the gun strapped to his hip. The muscle in his jaw ticked in aggravation as he replayed the series of events that led him here. It had been seven long years since his drinking ended the most meaningful relationship in his life. Anita Raleigh had such a vibrant spark; he couldn’t help but fall for her. She left a tiny town in Nevada and travelled three thousand miles to study pre-law in Boston. Although she knew no one and felt terribly out of place in a bustling city, she braved it like a champion. Watching Anita flourish under pressure was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. How could he not fall in love with her?

  Sophomore year, they moved in together and Steve couldn’t imagine spending their lives apart. Even though it was reckless and stupid, they eloped before law school. Steve and Anita bought a little apartment on the wrong side of the tracks. Money was tight and that’s when the fighting began…instead of turning to his partner for support, Steve hit the bottle. The drunker he was, the less he cared about his actions and the meaner he got. Anita stayed far longer than he deserved, begging him to get help every step of the way. Steve was stubborn and unyielding…and eventually Anita gave up.

  Somehow he’d tricked himself into believing she would never leave. When she finally did, the consequences were devastating. Steve spent a few days wallowing but then made the decision that his wife was more important than the booze. It took him several months to get sober. He planned on making the trek to Nevada and winning Anita back…when suddenly this case dropped into his lap.

  Taking down the Black Jacks was Steve’s shot at making something of himself. But the assignment was dangerous and living undercover was no place for the woman he loved. It would be cruel to ask her to give up everything she’d worked for, especially for a husband who had squandered their love and treated her so poorly. So, Steve made a choice…and now that the end was in sight, he was starting to realize how much he regretted it.

  Brushing away thoughts of the past, Steve stepped away from the window and padded back to his desk. Seven years of photos, eyewitness statements, and encounters with the Black Jacks. His background in law made Steve the perfect candidate for this assignment. He was organized, thorough, and driven to prove that Sofía Salma was the worst kind of criminal. Her dirty fingers were stuck in dozens of different pies: embezzlement, fraud, trafficking of drugs, and she had a cache of military grade weapons in her arsenal large enough to get her charged with treason. Steve also couldn’t discount the kidnapping, assault, and extortion allegations either.

  “Heads up, boss, there are two unidentified parties entering through the Eastern door,” A voice broke through Steve’s churning thoughts.

  Tugging his suit jacket on, Steve shoved his badge into his pocket. “Nobody moves except on my command. You hear me, Reynolds?” He shoved the file into the desk and it locked automatically. Heading through the front door, there was a moment of silence before Bea and Julia burst through the glass doors. He drew his gun, holding it steady. “Were you followed?”

  Bea pushed Julia behind her instantly, gritting her teeth as she stared him down. Her accent seemed to grow thicker when she was angry. “No, now drop the gun…” Her hand slipped down to the army knife that Julia had collected from the commissary, ready to draw if necessary. Bea’s surprise was palpable when the man removed his hand from the gun and grinned at her.

  “You’re Lucy’s people?” Steve felt a fluttering of hope in his chest once more; he was so close to cracking this case wide open he could practically taste it. Seven years of work. Seven years of pain and heartache and failu
re…seven years of putting his life on hold. “Reynolds, Flanagan,” Steve barked, “Secure the perimeter. Anything on the monitor, Dennis?”

  “No sir, we’re all clear,” Dennis replied from the opposite side of the room.

  “Alright,” Steve took a step toward Bea and Julia. “I’m sorry about that.” Opening up the door to his office, he motioned to two chairs. “Where are the rest of the girls? Where’s Lucy?”

  Julia moved to sit but Bea grabbed her to keep her from getting too comfortable. Bea was not yet convinced they were safe. “I’ve never met a lawyer with this much security.” Peeking around the doorjamb, Bea never released her grip on the knife. “What’s your deal?”

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” Steve softened his gaze. “I just need to take precautions. You know how Sofía is. I’m not taking any chances.”

  Bea perched on a chair, narrowing her eyes dangerously. “It was Lucy’s idea to split up the group. We were instructed to come here.” Bea wasn’t about to tell Steve where the other girls were going. “For some stupid reason, Lucy thought we could trust you.”

  “You can trust me,” Steve smirked at Bea’s distrust. “Let’s start over, alright? We haven’t even been properly introduced. I’m Steve Ellis, Esquire…and the head of the FBI operation that’s been working to take Sofía Salma and the Black Jacks down for good.”

  “FBI?” Julia echoed and her eyes rolled skyward. “I should’ve known you were a cop!” She folded her arms over her chest, more defensive than she’d been since they arrived.

  “Do you have something against cops?” Steve raised an eyebrow at her.

  Julia opened her mouth but Bea cut her off swiftly, “We’ve got work to do here. Lucy’s still at the Black Jack compound and we don’t have the time to be dicking around.”?

  “What do you mean Lucy’s still in there?” Steve gritted his teeth. Lucy was the reason he was back in touch with Anita; she was the reason he was this close to cracking this case. Not to mention, Lucy was pregnant. It was all the more reason to get her out of there as soon as possible. “Where is the other half of your group?”

  A silent correspondence volleyed back and forth between the two women, debating what information should be shared. Bea finally nodded but Julia was the one who spoke up, “The rest of the group headed for Errol. Lucy’s husband heads up the Devil’s Own out there. Adela and Cecelia believe they can get Los Santos and the Nightriders to join forces. Candy is going to get in touch with Marco and see if the Redhawks would be open to an alliance.”

  “He doesn’t need to know all that,” Bea pressed.

  Steve began furiously taking notes. “The more I know, the better I’ll be able to help.” He paused and glanced at Julia. “I can tell there’s a reason you don’t trust law enforcement. Believe me, I used to be just like you…” He licked his lips, “But I’m here for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to put Sofía Salma behind bars.”

  The conviction with which Steve spoke seemed to calm Julia down because she exhaled sharply. “I still have the map Adela made of the compound and Cecelia’s entry and exit points. Plus, Bea knows the medical wing better than anyone.” Glancing around the room, Jules noticed several boxes stacked against the wall that she assumed were relevant to the case. “May I?”

  “Help yourself.” Steve pointed her in the right direction and the two of them delved right in. It didn’t take long before they became lost in strategizing and coming up with creative ways to break into the compound. Bea smiled knowingly as she slipped from the room in search of coffee. Steve and Julia were lost in their own little world. All previous hesitations seemed to fly out the window.

  * * *

  Cecelia jammed on the brakes as she pulled off onto the only road into Errol. “Hey, wake up,” Cece snapped, startling Candy out of a very peaceful sleep. Adela had copiloted the entire way, which gave the other girl a chance to finally rest. Now that they’d reached the border, uneasiness crept into Cecelia’s chest. Up ahead there was a barricade set up and a several scouts meandering around. Reaching into her pocket, Cece grabbed her knife and held it tightly as a blonde boy with a crew cut stomped toward the window.

  Kyle’s fingertips wrapped around the gun strapped to his waist as he knocked on the van’s window. With four different motorcycle clubs and every MC leader who was worth their salt being in town, it was unanimously decided that the borders needed to be locked down tight. Errol was a small town. Everybody knew everybody else and that meant strangers stuck out like a sore thumb. Whoever was in this van, they definitely weren’t one of the locals. “If you’re looking for a shortcut, you need to go around. Borders are closed.”

  Adela shifted uncomfortably, tucking her legs beneath her and wrapping her arms around her chest. Candy rested a comforting hand on her shoulder to soothe her. “Cece, you need to keep your cool. They’re probably just afraid of Black Jack retaliation. Keep it calm.”

  “I’m always calm.” Cecelia snarled and rolled down the window. “We’re here to see Archie.” She might as well have told him she wanted to see the Wizard of Oz; the boy’s expression was cold and blank. “Now,” Cece added, for good measure.

  “Step out of the car.” Kyle’s hand wrapped tighter around his gun. This woman was very abrasive and when the streetlight hit her face, he could see she was deeply scarred along the left side of her face. Something seemed off with her and he wasn’t taking any chances. “Now.” He parroted.

  Cecelia’s jaw tightened in anger. “You either get Archie here or I’m going to fuck you and this barricade up, pendejo.” She could see he was reaching for his gun and she launched herself out of the car, tackling him to the ground. There was a shout of angry voices behind her as she wrestled the gun away from Kyle and stood up, pointing it blindly at anyone who dared come near her. Cece whirled around, looking for an exit point but there were twelve barrels pointing at her. There was no escape…Cecelia was outgunned, outnumbered, and there was only one way she could see this going down. She cursed a blue streak and put her hands up in defeat.

  “Cecelia?”

  The voice sounded so familiar but…how could that be? When she turned, her heart nearly stopped. “Ramón?” Cece cried.

  Candy slammed the van door open. Adela suddenly took off like a shot, tears burning down her face as she leapt into the arms of the tallest man in the group. The massive man in a Nightrider’s cut dwarfed the tiny girl; he hugged Adela tightly as she sobbed unintelligible words into his shoulder.

  “What’s going on here?” Candy slipped out of the van, her eyes wandering over the group and her heart suddenly stopped. She glanced over at the prospect that had addressed them first.

  Spitting blood, Kyle dragged himself from the ground. He glared daggers at Cecelia, wishing that she wasn’t playfully joking with Ramón Diaz—third in command of Los Santos. Any other day, he’d have dished it out as good as she’d given it to him. Instead, Kyle turned his attention to Candy. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? The girls who were taken?”

  Candy’s chest ached with anxiety. Men from every club were milling around, chatting amongst themselves. She exhaled shakily, ignoring Kyle’s question. “Is Marco here?”

  Kyle’s brow furrowed, “Yeah. He’s at the bed and breakfast. Are you—”

  Horror ripped through Candy as she staggered away from him. “I need to get out of here. Call Archie now!” Candy’s only thought was of her son…the son Marco didn’t know they had. “Cece! Adela! Let’s go!”

  “What’s got your panties in a wad?” Cecelia raised an eyebrow. Candy didn’t answer, glaring harder instead. Shrugging it off, Cece took charge again. “Alright boys, there will be time for shooting the shit later. I need Rogelio and the rest of los Presidentes at the Devil’s Headquarters pronto.” She turned back toward Kyle with a lazy smile that was intended as an apology. “Make it happen.”

  Kyle fired off a text to Archie and got an immediate response telling him to bring the girls to the clubhouse. Rog
elio, Narayan, Tim, and Marco were on their way as well. Kyle led Cecelia back toward the van with a quick set of directions. Even though she was clearly not happy with him, she got back into the van without argument and took off down the road.

  Within five minutes the girls were being admitted into the gravel parking lot of the bar. Cece was blown away as she walked past men from every club, wearing their colors with pride. “They’re here…they’re all here…”

  “I never thought I’d see the day…” Candy stayed close to Cecelia. She looked green as she came face to face with Marco. It took every ounce of strength in her body to avoid his steely gaze.

  “Daddy!” Adela launched herself up the stairs and into her father’s warm embrace. There were so many emotions rushing through her at the moment that she could hardly breathe. Bosko Narayan seemed to beam with pride, tears gathering in his warm brown eyes. It was the first time any of them had seen the man do anything more than grimace and frown.

  Archie’s heart twisted up in his chest as he took a step forward. “Where’s Lucy? Where is my wife?” He pressed, stepping closer to Cecelia. The long silence that hung between them made him feel weak in the knees. “Is she—”

  “No.” Cecelia stepped forward, her scarred visage seeming illuminated in the pale light of the bar. She heard a wheezing gasp from beside her and she bit her lip, “I’m fine, hermano,” Cece comforted Rogelio. She turned to face Archie without fear. “Lucy chose to stay behind…” She contemplated telling Archie about the baby and how Lucy sacrificed herself to help them but decided against it. It was not her secret to tell. “She made it possible for us to get out safely.” When she turned, there was a lanky man standing outside the bar, his face was twisted into a scowl. Cece realized right away that there was a slight resemblance between Lucy and him. “Are you Danny?”