Satan's Devils MC Colorado Boxset 1 Books 1 - 3

by Manda Mellett

  Moira slaps at her, and growls, “He’s mine, hands off.” Her evil stare has me giggling.

  We talk about this and that. I help them with lunch, then we’re sitting back down. I’m a bit bored. In Tucson, the kids would have kept me busy. At last, out of the corner of my eye I see Pal walking by, but as Moira’s talking to me, I can’t be rude and leave her to go to him. A little while later, he’s walking past me again, this time, acknowledging me, but clearly indicating, he’s off to yet another meeting.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Hellfire

  “My list was quite short in comparison.” Demon stretches out his legs and sits with his arms folded. There’s a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

  “Twenty? In the last six months?” Unlike me, who married young and who’s remained faithful to his old lady, my son is still very much single at thirty-five. Still sowing his wild oats too. I’m beginning to doubt there’s a woman out there for him.

  An unrepentant shrug. “What can I say? I like variety. Those are only the ones where I asked their names.”

  “Are you ever going to settle down?” The corners of my mouth turn down. He doesn’t answer. I didn’t expect him to. Instead, I ask what worries me most. “Was it anything we did, Demon? Me and Moira?”

  I’m worried when his head dips up and down. “Sure is. All your fault.” Just as I’m opening my mouth to ask what we’ve done to cast such aspersions on the institution of matrimony and monogamy, he continues, “You and Mom? You set a very high bar, Hell. Sure, this past year or so you seem to have drifted apart, but what you’ve found with each other? I’ve always doubted I’d ever come across that.”

  “I knew Mo was for me, the first time I saw her,” I admit.

  “That’s what I’m looking for too,” he says, seriously. “I’m always hoping I’m going to find her. Not got anything against committing to the right woman, just running out of hope I’ll ever come across anyone who’ll make me feel what you did.”

  I pull a very long list toward me. “In the meantime…”

  “In the meantime I’m getting the practice in.” He chuckles. “Can’t deny I’m enjoyin’ it too.”

  Looking at the list which seems to go on forever, it’s my turn to shake my head. “Why the fuck do we keep club girls when brothers go elsewhere? I didn’t know there were this many single women in Pueblo.”

  “There’s not,” Demon leans forward, tapping on the paper. “Lot of the names there are duplicates. Once a bitch gets a taste of biker cock, she goes back for more. Least a couple seem to have gone through all the brothers.” He sits back again. “Bit of a surprise Bomber’s name’s there. Thought him and Jeannie were solid.”

  He’s my VP. Anything happens to me, it’s likely he’ll take over. Wouldn’t tell this to anyone else, but he’s got the right to know. “Shocked me too, Brother. But he’s not being unfaithful to Jeannie, or not in the way you’re thinkin’. They’re swingers.”

  A loud snort is startled from Demon’s mouth. Both his hands sweep back his hair, then he shakes his head. “Well I’ll be fucked.”

  “Accordin’ to this list, you have been,” I can’t resist putting in, drily.

  “Very funny. But Bomber and Jeannie? Would never have believed it.”

  Surprisingly I would. It’s hard to keep spice in a marriage that you’ve been in for thirty plus years. They’re just coping with it in a different way.

  “Mom know?”

  “No,” I reply fast. “And she mustn’t. Um, Bomber, well, he made an offer…”

  He catches on quickly. “A foursome with you and Mom? Fuck, Dad. If you ever take them up on it, that’s one thing I don’t want to know.” He looks horrified, then chuckles incredulously again. “Yeah, Dad. Best to keep that from Mom.”

  “You’ve got no worries there, Son.” I try not to show how hearing him call me Dad again has affected me.

  “So.” The pursing of his lips, the lines on his brow are indications he’s returned to the matter in hand. “Cad had any luck with the list?”

  “Cutting out duplicates we’re down to about a hundred and thirty. Mostly girls picked up in clubs, banged around the back, then let go. Many have no names to go on. Brothers insist they made no promises.”

  “Let’s talk this through. A dead body left where it would likely bring us to the attention of the cops. Want my suggestion on that?” The jerk of my chin conveys I do, indeed, want to know his thoughts. “A homeless person found dead isn’t unusual. Could have been opportune rather than premeditated. Someone stumbles across him, someone who already wants to do us harm. Plants him to cause mischief.”

  That makes more sense than killing a random guy or combing the streets looking for someone who’s recently died. Another chin raise shows my agreement.

  “Then we’ve got the theft at the auto-shop,” Demon resumes. “Now that, I think, could have been targeted. They were after something in particular.”

  “You think?” I frown, because following that train of thought has implications.

  My VP leans forward, placing his hands on my desk. “We both know the problems with that. If they wanted those particular parts, they needed to have inside knowledge they’d just been delivered.”

  There’s the rub. That points to either a member of the club having a loose mouth, or one of our employees. “Pyro’s questioned everyone. Short of trying to torture the truth out of them, no one’s fessed up.”

  “They wouldn’t. But I’d be tempted to keep my eye on everyone who had knowledge. Which brothers knew, Prez?”

  We’re definitely in focused-work mode when we both use our titles. “Pyro, Sparky and Mace. They’re the other two who put time in at the shop.”

  Demon’s brow furrows. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Those three are brothers I put one hundred percent trust in.”

  “Look at it the other way around. Which wouldn’t you?”

  “The prospects. They’re the only ones who haven’t proven themselves yet.”

  “Any contact with the shop?”

  “Runt was there when the delivery was made.”

  So fingers would point in his direction, but, “Runt was the one who got shot.”

  “Leave that for a moment,” Demon suggests. “Let’s talk about the drive-by. One car, one gun. Okay, a semi, but one pass wasn’t going to do much harm unless we were all congregated out front.”

  “Lucky we were at the barbeque.”

  “Indeed it was.” He rubs at his temples. “Either someone knew and wanted to cause fear, not fatalities, or they were unlucky not to take down more.”

  I hadn’t looked at it that way. “Runt…?”

  “Could have set himself up.”

  It’s my turn to frown. “Hell of a risk, VP. An automatic fired from a car? Those bullets could have hit anywhere. Runt could have been killed.”

  “Or he shot himself.”

  Is that any more fanciful than anything else we discussed? I’m not going to dismiss it out of hand. “Did anyone check his wound? See what calibre bullet caused it?”

  Demon’s head moves left and right. “I’ll ask Rusty, but I doubt he’d have looked. He just wanted to close it up to stop the bleeding.”

  “The bullet. Can we search outside? See if we can find it. It went straight through.”

  His mouth twitches, “If Runt was involved. If he did shoot himself, he’ll have picked up the evidence.”

  I stand and start to pace. “Fuck, I don’t like this VP. We all know it’s why we make men prospect. So we can see what they’re made of. Sniff out a plant. Runt’s been here, what, nine, ten months? He’s close to getting his patch. Surely something would have shown up in the time he’s been with us. I’ve never had suspicions about him before.”

  “Me neither. But the brothers? We’ve not had anyone patch in recently. Ink was the last, and that was two years ago. Smithy didn’t make the grade.”

  As he refers to a prospect we parted company with, my head tilts. “S
mithy?” His name has come up before. “Cad check him out? Are we sure he didn’t leave sour?”

  Demon scoffs, “I’m certain, Prez. He was more relieved than upset. Thought he was going to ride his bike all the time and not turn his hands to work. When he realised he’d have to actually work for his cut, he didn’t think what we did was so glamourous. Anyway, yeah, Cad’s confirmed he’s gone.”

  “And?”

  Demon chuckles. “Headed off to LA last I heard. Think he was going to try to get in with the Wretched Soulz. A club, as he put it, with more guts.”

  Well, if he failed with us, he’s unlikely to make it with the dominant club in California, and most of the Southwest come to that. It’s not the first time someone’s been enticed into the brotherhood after watching too much Sons of Anarchy.

  “Fuckin’ hell.” I shake my head, then Demon and I exchange glances. Smithy fucks up with the Wretched Soulz he won’t be leaving with a polite handshake. Still, seems my VP’s right. Smithy has to be ruled out.

  Demon jerks his chin. “Which makes everything come back to Runt. What do you want to do about him?”

  That’s a very good question. Man’s worked hard. He’s determined to get his patch. But then, he would if he’s got an ulterior motive and wants to infiltrate the club. But some things don’t add up. “If Runt was a plant by the cops, he wouldn’t be so stupid as to fuck with us in the ways we’ve been fucked. It’s almost childish retaliation.”

  “Childish? Shooting up the club?”

  I wave my hand. “You know what I mean. Runt could be a plant for personal revenge. This is what this feels like.” I’m the prez. I need to make decisions, sometimes ones I don’t like. “Get Cad looking into his background. Yeah, I know he’ll already have done a check, but see if he can dig deeper. Ask Rusty about the wound, could it have been caused by a handgun?”

  “We pull him off duty?”

  “Leave him for now. Watch him. Once we get more from Cad and Rusty, then we’ll question him.” If the man’s innocent, he’ll have nothing to tell. But I’m not naïve. To make sure he’s telling the truth, we’ll probably have to hurt him. Only when a man’s at his limits will we believe him. If he’s not against the club already, our treatment could turn him.

  My VP knows the implications. “We could lose a good man, Prez.”

  “Or we could find out the truth and be able to get the club off lockdown. My gut feel, VP, is that we haven’t seen the last of this. Whoever is behind it, isn’t going to stop. I want just you, me, Thunder and Mace in on this. Keep our suspicions about the prospect to officers only for now. Give us a chance to get to the bottom of what Runt has to offer before everyone knows which direction we’re looking in.” I grimace. “Brothers would be unable to hide their distrust.”

  Leaning forward, Demon places his clasped hands between his knees. “Which might be completely unwarranted. Yeah. Don’t want to rush this, Prez. Keep Cad going through the list of names. And let’s just watch Runt for a while.”

  “Time we wait we could have something else heading for us.”

  “So, we keep Runt locked down. He’s injured. We can excuse him from duties. Make sure one of us is always close to him. Get Cad to monitor his phone calls.”

  “Whoever it is isn’t working alone,” I remind him. “Much as we can keep an eye on Runt, can’t rule out something else is already set in motion.”

  “A few days at most,” Demon’s eyes stare at mine. “That’s all I’m asking. If he’s innocent, what we do to him might turn him on the club if he hasn’t gone against it already. Even as a prospect he knows too much. We could be signing his death warrant, even if he’s not guilty. Don’t want to go down that route if we don’t have to take it.” His tone is pleading.

  Lowering my head into my hands, I know he’s right. If we take Runt to the basement, guilty or not, there’s a very good chance he won’t be walking out. We could lose a good man for nothing. End up killing an innocent man because he’s been wrongly accused.

  “Look at it this way, Hell. If Runt was behind it, he made sure the drive-by happened at a time no one else would be injured. That suggests he’s not looking to kill or hurt anyone else.”

  “And if it’s not? We’ve got people gunning for us who didn’t give a damn if there were women or brothers outside at the time. As most times there would have been, were we not having a barbeque that day.”

  Demon raises his chin. “So, we’re at more risk if we’re barking up the wrong tree. If it’s not Runt, and we divert our attention away from the real culprits, something could blindside us. Something serious leaving some of us dead.”

  It’s times like this I hate being the prez. Having to make decisions and hope that they’re right. If we accuse Runt, could be I’m responsible for killing an innocent man. I’m sitting here, discussing that, feeling no remorse. Am I more like Blackie than I thought?

  My son and I are close. Closer maybe through the bonds we share. He was born my brother, but I’ve raised him as my child. Through both nature and nurture we’ve got strong links. Is it any wonder at times it’s as though he can read my mind?

  He’s staring at me intently, giving me a moment to pull my thoughts together, before saying, “We’ve both got a bit of Blackie in us. Sometimes we might need to call on it, Prez. Can’t run a one-percenter club without breaking a few heads.”

  Barking a laugh, I set him straight. “If Blackie was here, he’d already have Runt in the basement. He’d be a dead man walking by now.”

  I turn away. Am I showing my weakness by not being able to make a decision? All my life I’ve tried to be the opposite of my father. Am I taking it to extremes, and leaving the club exposed as a result?

  Demon stands to leave, pausing to pat my shoulder. “A few days, Prez. If there are no other leads and fingers still point toward Runt, then he’s visiting the basement.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Paladin

  This evening has been like old times. Jayden and I playing pool. Already the brothers here seem wary of taking her on, but I don’t mind being beaten by a woman. Teaching her pool had been my way of getting her out of her room, back when she first arrived at the Tucson club, giving her something to focus on rather than feeling everyone was looking at her, wondering how she was doing. It had also been a way of me being able to keep close to her, without attracting criticism. I’m proud as fuck when she beats me.

  “Yay!” She’s jumping up and down. “Ready to concede, Pal? That’s three times in a row.”

  I lean down, speaking into her ear, “You just got lucky tonight. Ouch.” I jump back as the minx bats at my arm, pretending to rub a sore spot that doesn’t hurt at all.

  “Lucky? You have to admit I’m the better player.”

  That she might be. But wild horses wouldn’t pull that fact from me. “Nah, that’s me, Doll.”

  During the evening Jay’s talked to a lot of my new brothers. Pyro vowing he’ll never play against her again, making me laugh. I got a few slaps on my back for being brave enough to take her on, and was cheered when I did beat her—before her final winning streak. She seems comfortable here, more animated and like her old self, than she’d been at Moira and Hell’s, it’s almost as if being on lockdown gives her a sense of security. Watching her talking to Runt who’s sitting on the sofa, checking he’s comfortable, I frown. I haven’t considered it before, but maybe her independence and freedom will be more of a challenge for her. For more than two years she’s lived with the fear of being taken again. Something I’ll need to work on. After the lockdown is lifted I’ll need to buy her that car, teach her to drive, and help her get to the place where she can enjoy her new freedom.

  Fact remains, though it’s a strange club to her, she’s relaxed here. She’d make a great old lady.

  Slow, Pal, slow.

  She’s sitting beside Runt now, laughing at something he’s said. A kernel of jealously starts to burn inside me. I’ve always said if she ends up not wanting me, I’ll
accept it. I lied. Seeing her with another brother? Nah, couldn’t take it. Perhaps it’s time to stop pussying around. Step up and show her what I’ve got to offer. This morning had certainly been a start in the right direction.

  When I’d first seen her, when she’d put her trust in me, I knew she was going to be mine. My feelings have only become stronger as she’s grown into a woman. She’s it for me. If I’m not the one for her, I need to know.

  Fuck it. Runt’s got his hand on her knee as he leans forward to whisper into her ear. Throwing the cue stick on the table, I march over. “Ready for bed, Jay?” If there’s a double entendre in my words, it’s meant to be there. A strong message for the prospect.

  Runt catches my eye. Grinning, he leaves his hand exactly where it is. His eyes find mine in challenge. “We were talking.” A definite message that I was interrupting.

  I eye the prospect. Runt was obviously named as he’s a scrawny kid, probably around my age. He’s tall, but built more like a runner than a fighter. Though I’ve not got much more when it comes to muscles, I still think I could take him on, even if he weren’t injured. In Tucson, it would have been easy. He’s a prospect, I’m a fully patched member. But here, for some reason, prospects are allowed to claim women.

  He’s not claiming mine.

  Jay’s looking between us. I’m sure she’s totally innocent, and unaware of the undertones between Runt and myself. She’s only showing concern for somebody injured. While his interest is clearly deeper.

  “Jay.” I hold out my hand.

  “If you want to talk to Runt, you stay where you are, Jay.” I swing around, glaring at Moira who’s come up behind me.

  Jay’s starting to look confused.

  Runt smirks and pats her fucking leg again with the hand he’s about to lose. “That’s right. You stay where you are, Jay.” Then to me, “You haven’t claimed her.”

  He’s right. I haven’t. But everyone knows that she’s off limits. Don’t they? Just in case, I make it clear to him. “She’s mine, Runt.”