Satan’s Devils MC -Colorado Box Set: Books 4-6

by Mellett, Manda

  If he’s not answering her calls, it suggests he’s taken off to clear his head after the argument she’d thought he’d recovered from. But that doesn’t sound like the Skull I know or fit with the way I’ve witnessed him treating his woman. My gut feel is that there’s something wrong.

  “Hey, Steph,” Beef calls to his woman who’s emerged from the office she shares with Cad. She changes course heading for his voice. Beef takes a second to get the harness on Max, then places the handle in her hands. “Will you keep Mel company for a few? She’s lost track of her man.”

  “Of course, I will.”

  “You want to come?” Beef jerks his head toward Demon’s office door.

  I might as well. I’ve got nothing better to do.

  “I’d sure as fuck like to know what’s going on,” I agree, keeping my voice low so Melissa doesn’t hear.

  Chapter Ten

  Melissa

  Max leads Steph into the kitchen, I follow along.

  “You okay, Mel?”

  I shake my head, then realise she can’t see me. “No, I’m not, Steph. I don’t know what to do.”

  She places her hand on a chair, pulls it out, and sits down. “Want to tell me about it?”

  I take a seat opposite her and pull my thoughts together. I thought I’d turn up, find out at least when he’d be back, then return home and get on with my day. Now it seems it’s not going to be that simple. “Skull and I have been getting on really well. We’re together most of the time if I’m not at work, or he’s not doing something for the club. It came as a bit of a surprise on Sunday morning when he said he had club business, and could be away for the night.”

  “Okay. That’s something I could see Beef doing. Would hate him to be gone, but sometimes they go to other chapters to do stuff. That’s how Beef ended up here.”

  Yes, I can see that. “But if Beef was gone, don’t you think he’d contact you? Or answer the phone if you called?”

  She shrugs. “I suppose so. But if he is doing something where he doesn’t want to be distracted, maybe he can’t spare the time to talk to you.” She pauses and thinks. “Though that sounds pretty lame, doesn’t it? What did Beef say?”

  “That’s the point. I need to contact Skull, so I came here to see if they had a way of getting a message through, or, at least, tell me when he’d be back. But,” my voice sinks lower, “Beef didn’t seem to know anything about it. He’s gone in to check with Demon in case he sent Skull off on some business that Beef doesn’t know about.”

  She’s quiet. I try to read her face.

  “I’m clutching at straws thinking that’s the answer, aren’t I?”

  “Beef and his prez are pretty tight,” she agrees. “If you’d asked another member, maybe that could be the case, but Demon? Can’t think what he would want to keep from Beef.”

  “Could, could he have had an accident?” I breathe out. I’d had no thought in my head other than anger at the club taking Skull away from me, I hadn’t dreamed for a moment that no one here knew he was missing. I hadn’t considered he went out on his bike and never came back.

  But he’d told me he’d be gone a day or two.

  Where else would he have gone, except on club business?

  Why hasn’t he come home?

  “Oh Steph, what’s happened to him?” My mind pictures him dead or dying by the side of the road. Tears prick at the corner of my eyes, and I wipe them away. Focus, Mel. I won’t help my man if I can’t stay strong, at least until I know whether I’m right to worry or not.

  I realise the time. I’d only skipped out on my lunch break with every intention of going back, now it’s early afternoon. At least I have the presence of mind to text Beth and ask her to say I’m ill and to make my excuses. Returning to the office right now is not what I want to do.

  I’ve just finished my reply reassuring my friend that everything’s fine, glad I texted and hadn’t placed a call, easier to prevent her guessing I’m lying, when I hear bikes in the distance. Maybe it’s Skull? I get to my feet to go check, when Pyro appears in the doorway.

  “Could you come see Prez, Mel?”

  I wave in the direction of the front of the club. “That could be him arriving back now.”

  Pyro shakes his head sadly. “Prez is rallying the troops, Mel. That’s unlikely to be him. But I’ll make sure. Prospect?” He turns and yells the last word. When Beaver appears at a run, he addresses him, “Check whether Skull’s come back. If you see him at all, come to Prez’s office immediately, okay?” Then he turns back to me. “Come, Mel.”

  The last time I’d been in Demon’s office was the first day I’d come to the club and Skull had introduced me. This time, I’m just as nervous, albeit for different reasons.

  Demon looks up from his desk and doesn’t even bother with a smile. “Come in and sit, Melissa.”

  I do so, noticing Beef is in the other chair. Pyro stays too, standing, leaning his back against the wall.

  “First, I’m sorry, but Skull wasn’t doing anything for the club.”

  I suppose if that’s so, it’s best I hear it straight away. But the alternative is that my man had lied to me. What a stupid woman I’d been. All he had to say was ‘club business’, and I’d known I couldn’t pry.

  But is there a chance Demon’s got it wrong? “Could he have been doing something for you on his own? Found a new business lead to follow?”

  “Possible,” Demon confirms, “but unlikely.” He leans forward, placing his elbows on the desk, and resting his chin on his clasped hands. His dark eyes focus on me. “Tell me everything, Melissa, what he said, the exact words he used, what happened between the two of you before he left, and the mood he was in. Anything and everything could be significant.”

  I wring my hands together, biting my lip and wondering where to start.

  Beef prompts me. “Start with the argument you had after my patching over party. What started that?”

  I look to my side. I really don’t know what to say. “It’s private,” I settle for, at last.

  Demon pinches the bridge of his nose. “We’ve got a brother missin’, Melissa. I understand you want to keep some shit between you and your old man, but anything that gives us a bearing on where he might have been headed, or why, could help us find him. What I want to assess is whether something between you upset him enough that he’s gone somewhere to cool his heels.”

  “I can see your point, but when he left, he was upbeat. Kissed me as normal. Didn’t give me any clue that he was upset, or that he hadn’t come to terms with our situation.”

  “Situation?” Demon’s quick to catch on. “What situation?”

  “Do you want your man back, darlin’?” Pyro’s voice rumbles from behind me. “’Cause we can only help if we know what we’re dealing with.”

  “No judgement,” says Beef. “If you stepped out on him, another man looked at you twice, then we won’t say a thing.”

  “It’s nothing like that,” I gasp, indignantly, then realise the truth may be less embarrassing than any conclusion they might dream up themselves. “That night, after Beef’s party, he forgot to use a condom again.”

  “Again?” Once more, it’s Pyro’s voice, and he doesn’t seem happy.

  “It happened once before. But we got away with it then.”

  “This time?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know,” I say quietly. “But it was two weeks ago, and I want to take the test. I just wanted him with me when I did it.”

  “What was his reaction?” Demon doesn’t look pleased.

  I sigh deeply. “The first time, he tried to get me to take the morning-after pill. I can’t really explain why, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to leave it to fate, and I wasn’t unhappy either way. We had words, I told him I thought his reaction showed he wasn’t serious about our relationship and that pulled him up and made him think. We worked it out. He assured me he was all in with me, wanted a forever and eventually, he wanted kids. He’d just wanted to w
ait for a while until we started a family. Like I said, we got away with it that time.”

  Beef sits forward, his hands clasped between his legs. “Let me get this straight. Skull knows nothing more than he’s fucked up again, and you may or may not be pregnant. Neither he nor you actually know.”

  I nod. That’s right.

  “Don’t see this has anything to do with Skull going, Prez,” Pyro states. “If he’d known, maybe, but he doesn’t. Surely he’d have hung around to find out?”

  “It was worse this time though. His reaction, I mean.” I might as well tell them everything now. “He asked me again to take the morning-after pill and again said it wasn’t the right time. It sounded like it was even less so than the time before.”

  Demon’s eyes sharpen. “He tell you why?”

  “Club business,” I snarl the word. The excuse that works for these men every time. “He let me believe it was something to do with the club. That was all I could understand, that something external was putting pressure on him. I thought we were in a good place. He’d claimed me, we’re in a stable relationship. We both agreed we wanted kids. Okay, so maybe it’s still early for us, but at least on my part, I’m all in.”

  Beef nods, I catch the movement out of the side of my eye. “I’d have said that too. He seems to care a lot for you, Mel.”

  “After… it… happened that night, he’d walked out. Took a phone, presumably to make a call. Stayed out until the morning. But that was two weeks ago. Since then we’ve been fine. I’m sure that’s got nothing to do with this.” Could he have left because he was scared I was pregnant? I really don’t believe so. Maybe if we knew for certain, but even then, the man I know and love would have stayed.

  “He took a phone.” Demon’s brow creases. “Right. I can get Cad to look at his phone records and see who he spoke to then. Might be a friend we don’t know about who he’s reconnected with.”

  “Someone he stayed with when he left for that month?” Pyro suggests.

  “Could be, Ro. Could be.”

  Their comments mystify me. I hadn’t known he’d left the club at all, must have been well before I met him. “Why are you talking about a call he may or may not have made two weeks ago? That’s got nothing to do with his disappearance now.”

  Demon stares at me for a second, then sighs. “Mel, look, we don’t know what’s relevant or what’s not. There’s a man who isn’t where he should be, so we’ve got to figure out where he may have gone. You might not have expected the man you know to walk out on you, pretty damn sure I speak for everyone here to say they’d feel the same. Sure, we may be grasping at straws, but let’s think this through. Maybe he went to stay with someone. Maybe he bumped into an old friend and has gone on a bender. You ever meet with or hear him mention being close to anyone outside the club?”

  Shaking my head, I tell him, “No. If I did, I’d be contacting them myself. He said he had no family at all.”

  There’s a knock at the door. Demon calls out, and Cad steps in. For a second, I wonder whether he’s summoned him by some kind of power of thought, but it seems Demon’s already got him on the case.

  “I’ve checked police reports and hospitals in the area. No mention of him or his bike. Not saying he didn’t have an accident, but if he did, it was out of town. I can widen the search but would be useful to know where I’m looking.”

  “Cad, Skull called someone. Early hours of the fourteenth. Can you check who? It’s possible it could be his go-to for advice.”

  “Will do, Prez.”

  Cad steps back out, closing the door behind him.

  “That’s the place to start,” Beef comments. “Friend you call in the dead of the night is probably someone you make a beeline for when you want to get your head on straight.”

  “Melissa, you’re looking concerned.”

  I am. Nothing makes sense. “I’d say you were right, Demon, if he’d been upset when he left. But he wasn’t. It was just like he was setting off for a normal day at work. There was nothing unusual in either what he did or said.”

  Pyro chuckles behind me. “Men are strange beasts, Mel. Sometimes we don’t let the wounds show in case they’re seen as a sign of weakness. We just retreat and lick ‘em in private.”

  Could it be as easy as that?

  The door opens again, and once more Cad pokes his head around it. “Skull made or received no calls at all between six pm on the thirteenth and noon on the fourteenth.”

  “Sorry,” I admit, having led them on a wild goose chase. The fact that he left with a phone didn’t mean he’d used it. Just took it in case.

  “Okay, Melissa,” starts Demon, “I’ve brought church forward by a few hours so I can get the boys together. We’ll thrash things out and take it from there. You’re welcome to stay here at the club or go home. If you want company, I’m sure Vi will be happy to stay with you until we’ve got word.”

  If something’s happened to Skull, something bad, the time I’ll need support is when we know. For now, I’d rather be at home where he’ll expect to find me if he comes back.

  “I’ll go to my place, Demon. I’ll be fine. I might have worried you for nothing, and he’ll turn up tonight.”

  “Tell him to get his ass here if he does,” Demon, no, the president, snarls. “No member walks off and disappears without explanation.”

  Oh no. Because I’ve opened my mouth, Skull could very well get into trouble. But what else could I do? My man’s missing and has been for four days.

  “Mel,” Pyro stops me as I’m about to walk out the door. “You take care of you. If you…” he doesn’t have to say it, a glance down at my stomach is enough. “Well, look after yourself.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Pyro

  “Hey, Ro. What’s all this about?”

  Ink heads straight for me as I’m at the bar getting a beer. “I had shit planned before church. Why call us in early?”

  “Skull’s missing.”

  “What?”

  I nod. “Melissa called it in. Well, brought it. Got worried when he hadn’t come home.”

  Ink shrugs, unconcerned. “Well it’s their business. Bet he’ll be in later for church.”

  “Pal’s not seen him, and he’s not been at the shop.” I focus my eyes on him. “He’s not been near the club. No one’s set sight on him since he left his ol’ lady on Sunday morning. I say we’re right to be concerned and hash it out sooner rather than later.”

  He looks around. “Christ.” He sweeps his hands through his hair. “And she’s only started worrying now?”

  I raise my brow. “He told her he was off on club business.” I need say nothing more.

  “Melissa still here?”

  “Nah. Gone home in case he turns up. Way Prez is feeling now though, he’d do better to keep clear.”

  “Demon won’t be happy that a brother’s done a disappearing trick,” Hellfire, having overheard, confirms. “If it was personal shit he could have had time off, but to go without telling anyone? Kid’s gonna have to have a fuckin’ good excuse.”

  We tend to refer to Skull as a kid as he barely looks old enough to shave. He’s supposed to be in his mid-twenties though he doesn’t look it.

  A loud whistle gets our attention. Keeping hold of my bottle of beer, I turn and make my way into the meeting room and take my seat at church. As people are getting themselves settled, I take the opportunity to look around. It’s good to see Thunder back in his rightful place. As sergeant-at-arms he’s seated to Demon’s right and appears more relaxed than I’ve seen him in months. Beef already looks comfortable to Demon’s left. It’s my estimation that the man didn’t know his own strengths until the rest of us pointed them out. Whatever he thought, he is VP material, and a man we all respect.

  The gavel comes down.

  Conversations cease. We don’t often have an emergency church so everyone’s taking this seriously. Some brothers know why they’ve been called in, others who have yet to hear are wearing expres
sions which combine mystification and concern.

  After only taking a second to confirm he’s got all our attention, Demon wastes no time summing up. “Skull’s disappeared. May or may not have to do with a disagreement between him and his old lady. Fact is, there was one, but in her view, they made up before he left. So that could be a red herring.”

  Hell clears his throat. “Let’s say Skull headed out after an argument with his ol’ lady. Heard he hasn’t turned up for work, which is a fuckin’ disrespect on the club, but we can address that. Fact is, it’s Wednesday. In a couple of hours he may well turn up for church, and all this worry will be for nothing.”

  Demon gives a slow nod. “While I hear what you say, Hell, fact is, neither his ol’ lady nor any of us can contact him. I, for one, hope bringing church forward was unnecessary, and Skull will walk in, hopefully with an explanation. If he is indeed missing, I don’t want to waste a moment when we could be searching. First off, if anyone around this table knows anything about why Skull left or where, speak the fuck up now.”

  Brothers look at each other, brows are raised questioningly, heads are shaken, but no one says a word.

  The VP raises his hand slightly. “Could he have been lured off? Someone getting back at the club? What about the mafia family, the Silvestri, that you were up against a few months back?”

  “No,” Demon says firmly. “I doubt it. It’s not their style. If they’ve got Skull, we’d have heard about it before now.”

  “Surely that would be the case with anyone else? They take one of ours, they’d want us to know they’ve got him, and tell us what they want in return,” Hellfire observes.

  “Not if they came across him and killed him. We might never find the body.” Lizard sounds and looks sombre.

  It’s not as if that possibility hadn’t crossed my mind as well. My concern is how Mel would be able to cope if that was the case.

  Demon taps the table. “Melissa says he was going off for a couple of days. His going was planned, as presumably was his coming back.”