Destiny rode down the main road until she found Saint Francis, where the funeral showing and burial service was to be held for Leto. There were no bikes in the lot. Just the women were present, unloading food and supplies for the meal they would prepare. The Bastards’ women knew how to set a funeral feast to feed the masses.
Ray N.’s old lady had been with him for more than ten years. A good piece of her life had been spent here but most of those years were calm, happy years. She hadn’t set a funeral table the way Kristy and Stella had. She looked at her aunts, directing the unloading of Kristy’s Mountaineer. They had raised her and her brothers. Took them in without a thought to it. Spent their own hours, money, and tears once Brianna, then ultimately Wes, were lost. Hell, when she was younger she had called Kristy “Mom,” she was so little she hadn’t understood.
Destiny hadn’t known Brianna, had only the pictures and feelings and stories, but no real memories. But if she strained her eyes and heart hard enough, she could almost see her mother there at the side of her two best friends, doing what they did best. Caring for their men even if it had been the men’s own stupidity that had led them to such pain and need.
But Brianna was just almost. And much more a mirage than memory.
Destiny dismounted and walked up to the rear of the Mountaineer and picked up a heavy box of potatoes. Kristy just gave her a curt nod but asked no questions. It had been nearing a decade since Destiny had stood on this side of the line.
21
Destiny avoided all the members the best she could the rest of the day, returning to the clubhouse only to change into the clothes that Kristy had provided and to wipe down her patch and bike. No one approached her. The vibe she sent off must have, for once, been respected.
Once they arrived back at Saint Francis, she sought out her aunts. She would visit Leto as a family, as they always did. And then Alec would bring in Sweetwater. Houston the Nomads, and she would follow Ray N. lastly to pay final respects for the evening. The next morning the Fort Worth chapter would carry him to his final resting place in the church graveyard.
That’s the way things had always been done. Destiny found Kristy and Stella, standing proud next to their husbands, ready to comfort, divert crisis, and protect. Houston and Fabio stood just behind them. Destiny held her head high and blinked back the sting of tears that already pushed through, and took her place next to Houston.
“I’ve been looking for you today,” Houston said in a low voice so as not to draw attention.
“I spent my time helping set up the dinner. I suspect you were coming to tell me goodbye.” Destiny was harsh. Houston never stayed long and while she should have spent every moment she had with him instead of sulking the last two days, well… never mind.
“I’m not leaving right away. I will be returning with Sweetwater after the funeral. I came to request that you vacate the apartment while I am there. The bathroom is out of the empty one.”
“And where will I stay?”
“Fabio’s,” Houston replied and Fabio muttered something of disgust that informed her that he was just now privy to Houston’s scheme. Destiny sent him a glare.
“And why would I do that?” Destiny asked.
“Because I am in town to help put this thing to bed. Since you have appointed yourself leader, I thought you could use some help. I can best do what I need to from the clubhouse. Besides, I’m a grown ass man, I’m not moving home to the aunts. You two seemed to be getting along relatively well, besides your patch brothers and family.”
“Forget it. I’m keeping my apartment. You couldn’t pay me to stay with Fabio.”
“You couldn’t pay me to let her live with me either,” Fabio butted in.
Stella turned around and gave them all her best mom look. “Stop your arguing, we’re going in.”
Alec and Kristy led the way, Eric and Stella next, followed by the three of them. They each touched the casket and prayed, Stella gripping a rosary in her right hand and close to her chest. She remained the strongest Catholic in the family, even compared to Kristy.
Alec had reach Leto’s family by the time Destiny and the boys had reached his remains. It was an open casket, the mortician that Eric and Rocky had taken him to had done an excellent job considering the crash. He was without his patch as his mother wanted him dressed nicely to meet his Lord for his judgment, not wearing the cut of an outlaw. So it was dark slacks, and a button-up dark burgundy shirt, long sleeves to cover the ink that he donned. No trace of the Bastard was visible to a stranger looking in at his lifeless body. Just an unfortunate accident.
A life stolen from a beautiful man, a beautiful soul. Lying there on a bed of black satin, asleep with a small upturned smile on his lips and a rosary in his hands, no one would know this was an outlaw, a biker, a man who lived much rougher than he looked. This man looked respectable.
Destiny, in her spruced up cut and hair flowing down her back, leaned over the Cherrywood box and placed a kiss on the cold forehead of her lost brother and she felt the sob escape her. Had she stayed in Fort Worth, she would have been here, been here with him… she could have changed the outcome but instead she had to run off to Sweetwater. She should have stayed in her place.
Destiny felt a hand grip her shoulder. “It’s ok, D.” Fabio’s voice was grave and shaken as well and he pulled her back from Leto and led her away.
The woman next to the casket sat perched on a nice black and cream colored chair. Her face was withered far more than Destiny had expected. Her long hair streaked with gray, no longer a brilliant silk black that Destiny could imagine it once was. Almost thirty years ago, she was an immigrant, bringing with her six babies. Leto always said how proud she was that they went about it legally. So no one could take away his Mama’s American dream.
But they had. Leto had said two of his brothers were gone. One to drugs and one to gangs. Now him to the Bastard life. His mother had outlived three of her children. Maybe that’s why at just over sixty she looked as weary as she did. Heartache changes everything about a person.
Destiny fumbled with a cigarette in the parking lot across from the church as she watched mourners parade in and out. Try as she might, she couldn’t make her lighter stay lit long enough to catch fire to the end of the paper and tobacco.
A steady hand reached out with their own lighter and flame. She met her cigarette to the fire and breathed in. Pushing her own useless lighter back into the pocket of her cut, she looked up at Fabio. His hair was brushed and sleeked back but unbound. Still, tamer than it had been in years. His jeans were dark and new. Looks like Stella had thought to pick up his good boots on her way up, and they were polished and neat. His beard trimmed to the perfection of his jaw. If he took off the cut, he would look like a model or a bad boy business man.
This was Stephan Ames. A man worthy of a decent name, not some joke like Fabio. This wasn’t the boy she grew up with and looked to like family until she was sixteen. Not the boy she called a best friend. No, this wasn’t Fabio before her. This was Stephan. A man.
“Alec is ready for Sweetwater before too long. Houston already took his few Nomads through. Ray will be looking for you, I can imagine.”
“Rocky wants justice, Fabio, how do I do that? I promised him justice and I feel like I failed today.”
“You diverted a war today. You made sure that Leto didn’t die in vain. You kept the Apache from getting more Bastards killed and then we will do what we do best. We hunt whoever is giving the information to the police. If he’s an insider of any club or rival, we take care of it. This family is good at taking care of traitors. We will finish it, Destiny. Just not tonight. Leto deserves some peace.”
She heard Bryant’s shrill whistle from the other end of the parking lot. Sweetwater was being paged. Fabio gave her a nod and turned to join his chapter.
****
Destiny let herself out back of the church basement where the evening meal had been served. She took her place with the women once more tonig
ht, feeling a hint of pride as she watched the mourners feast. Food was good for a heart broke soul, Stella had said, and it appeared she was right.
There was a familiar figure leaning in the shadows against a bike next to hers. “You must have had some big business to contend with yesterday. You never showed back up.”
“Nathan, I’m sorry, I should have had the bike I borrowed returned,” Destiny started.
“I got the bike picked up. Wasn’t really worried about it. It’s like you to run off but not like you to not return to finish what you started.”
“I have just been dealing with a lot with Leto and being in-between Sweetwater and Fort Worth.”
“Is it Sweetwater and Fort Worth you’re between, or Fabio and the cop, and I’m just the detour?” Nathan asked.
“That’s bullshit, Nathan, I don’t have anything going on with anyone. Trent and I have been over for years. You and I were just having fun, and Fabio…” she trailed off. “Fabio is family.”
“I bet your reunions are a blast then, aren’t they?”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means there isn’t a person attached to that train-wreck club of yours that doesn’t know how tight the Ames, Callaghans, and the Vandergriffens are. They make up your damned royal court or some shit. There also isn’t a person who has seen you and your “Cousin Fabio” together that doesn’t know it’s a little more like Kissing Cousins. I have never seen a charter of damned outlaws accept a former cop as a patch, but of course once the princess got knocked up by one it wasn’t hard to change things.”
“You have no right to go down that road! I don’t know what you think you know!”
“Please. Some of these two-bit tramps have been hanging around the club for years. Begging for attention. Girls jump back and forth between Sweetwater and Forth Worth and when patch doesn’t pay attention, they branch out. They told me you were engaged, the rumors that flew around after Trent left town for college and you were laid up. They told me he came back a cop. They told me everything to try and get my attention. I have a thing for broken, fucked up chicks apparently.”
“It was just sex, Nathan.”
He shook his head. “I got caught playing the role of the patiently-waiting side chick, always wanting more. You might as well grow a damn dick, Dallas. The ass, the tits, the hair is all nice. But I have never known a woman to be as empty inside as you are. After all, you want to live in a man’s world.”
Destiny stood there—it was clearly over between the two of them. But, like she said, it had only been great sex. Nathan got on his bike and roared away. He wouldn’t be lonely long, although Destiny wondered what comfort that would be to her. For the little time she had been a Bastard, she noticed that she grew lonelier every day. But she supposed that was the point. It’s what she chose to sacrifice for what she wanted.
22
Fort Worth clubhouse was empty as Destiny stuffed her few personal belongings into her backpack from the apartment. She rode out the instant the service had ended for Leto, in no mood for goodbyes or lectures, as it appeared everyone had something to say.
Houston had reminded her that morning that he expected his apartment back upon return to town. Destiny didn’t feel like putting up a fight but she was damn sure not going back to Fabio’s, and the aunts would ask too many questions. Hopefully Anastasia and the baby felt up for roommates or else she would be living at the Motel 6 until Houston decided to leave town. Which, being her brother, could mean two days or two months. Houston did what he wanted.
She flung her bag over her back and hopped on her bike and headed to Sweetwater.
It was a quiet Monday, early afternoon. Most everyone was at their jobs pushing the nine-to-five, and with the lunch hour rush gone, she hadn’t expected that many people on the roads. Especially police cars up on Seventh Street, not far from the family shop.
Destiny turned down a back alleyway and pulled around back. There was a small slip between buildings barely big enough to walk fully astride without shoulders rubbing each brick wall. Destiny opted that route, putting her right at the police line. She inched her way closer to see the cops standing off with some Apache at the little café across the street.
Great.
She looked until she saw a uniform she had been familiar with for years. Miller had arrested her twice. Once in high school for underage drinking and once right after her tour for public indecency. Those charges were dropped. Destiny waved Miller down and he saw her and sighed and walked over.
“Are you trying to start a shootout?”
“Wouldn’t know what for. What’s going on? Trouble with Apache?”
“Apparently from what we can gather, they are looking for your crew. Anastasia called us about a half hour ago. They rolled in, sent the big burly guy, Arrow or some code name crap, into the store, asked for Alec, Anastasia said he was out and not expected back till later today, and then the guy said they would wait and be out here.
“Guess it creeped her out a bit. She said you guys were at a funeral and wouldn’t be in for a few hours.”
“I rode out early. What’s with the cop presence, there’s no law against waiting?”
“Ulrey came in first, ask the boys to ride out and they got sassy so he decided to do some running of names and plates. Three outstanding warrants so far and that’s just hitting up the local area. Running them through the national database as well.”
“Great, thanks!” Destiny said as she heard a few more bikes roll in behind the store.
She gave a small nod to Trent who was staring her down from across the way, talking on his cell phone, and slipped down the alley again.
Fabio, Houston, Charlie, and Vat were removing helmets and climbing off bikes as she appeared from between the brick walls.
“How did you boys get here so fast?” she asked.
“Rolled out not long after you. Anastasia called while we were riding in,” Houston said as he started toward the alley.
Destiny stopped him. “Just came from there. Probably not best we make a presence right now. Better wait for Alec, it’s his conversation to have.”
“Who’s all out there?” Charlie asked.
“VP, two or three high ranking members, the rest are all new patches. And prospects. And there are a dozen of them.”
“That’s a lot of new blood. Patch over?” Charlie questioned.
Houston shook his head. “If there was a patch over, we would have heard about it. They are recruiting heavy for their war.”
“Prospects and fresh patches. Expendable bodies, the fresher they are the less likely it is anyone gives a shit about them, especially Cochise,” Fabio added.
“I’m going to take a stab at it and say that you didn’t get a chance to talk to any of them and that no badge knows what’s up?” Houston said, flipping open his phone, likely to touch base with Alec or Eric.
“Not a word. I would take a guess and say that they found out that we took a re-vote since Leto and decided not to partner.” Destiny looked back down the alley.
“That shit isn’t public knowledge outside of patch members, Mom, and Stella, maybe Maggie.” Fabio leaned against his bike, fists clenched.
“Traitor,” Vat growled.
“We know there is someone working with the police. Wouldn’t be a far cry if they were feeding information to Cochise either. I’ll talk to Trent and get a name.”
“I know what to do with traitors,” Vat added in his sick, perverse voice that Destiny hadn’t heard in years and had tried to forget.
“Here’s your chance to get a name,” Houston said, shutting his phone.
Trent emerged from the alley, determination and confidence in his stride. “I thought we agreed this stays out of town and county borders, Dallas.”
“Wasn’t my doing. We were preparing to simply inform the Apache that we no longer wish to be associated with them and join their members on pleasure rides in light of Leto’s death.”
“Pre
paring to?”
“Vote was taken but we thought best to wait till after Leto’s service. Looks like someone beat us to the chase. And appears they were upset that it came from a third party.”
“Sounds like you have a cut with loose lips.” Trent’s brown lines slowly disappeared. He was putting on his cop face, his poker face. One that took a lot of practice to go completely blank. But he was doing it.
“It’s always a possibility, Ulrey,” Houston said, stretching a hand to Trent.
Trent was hesitant for a moment before accepting the handshake. “Didn’t expect to see you in town, Houston.”
“Hadn’t planned on being here, but here I stand.”
“Should I warn the morgue of an influx in bodies or those all going to tossed in some ditch?” Trent asked, his eyes going between Houston and Destiny.
“We don’t kill people, Trent, we’re just motorcycle enthusiasts.” Destiny narrowed her eyes at him, her voice dry.
“Sure,” Trent replied, knowing that only the second part of her statement was true. The first part he would believe when he grew feathers.
“No one here is feeding information to Apache… or you. I validate Charlie, Vat, and my brothers. No questions asked. But what would be interesting to know is who is talking to the Apache, probably the same person who was tipping you off on Apache’s illegal doings.”
“I told you, Dallas, I’m not a primary on it. I don’t know who the contact is.”
“Make yourself a primary on it then. Put yourself in the case. Hack a file, I don’t give damn! I need to know a damned name!” Destiny’s heart raced and she felt heat rise in her face.
“I don’t have a good enough reason to,” Trent replied with a growl rising in his voice. He was drawing his line in the sand and Destiny was already toeing it.
“Ulrey, report back to police line,” Miller’s voice rang across the radio attached at his hip.
“Find a reason, Trent,” Destiny said as he backed away.
“He going to get a name?” Charlie asked, breaking the silence once Trent was gone.
The Devils Bastards MC: Destiny Dallas Callaghan Page 15