She relaxes and I think she’s sleeping when she speaks once again, “I don’t care about me, D. But I need to know no one’s coming for Theo. Maybe I’m more like my father than I thought, but I want to know Angel’s dead.”
“Hush. Go to sleep.” Right now I don’t think it’s the time to tell her I do as well, or that I hope there’s still something of him left as I want to be the one to dispatch him.
Theo wakes us nice and early. Vi tries to soothe him but the tooth that’s trying to come through has literally got him all hot and bothered and even walking him around the living room doesn’t seem to quiet him. Titsy and Bella emerge from one of the spare rooms rubbing bleary eyes. They might have thought me changing him and feeding him cute yesterday, but his antics this morning seems to have opened their eyes.
“Nope,” Bella says, shaking her head firmly, pointing a finger Theo’s way. “You can keep that. Not for me.”
“Me neither.” Titsy looks disgusted. “Hey, Prez. Any chance we can go back to the compound?”
Mo, also having been woken, tries to push past to get into the kitchen. She looks at the girls with critical eyes. “You causing trouble?”
Titsy holds up her hands. “Nah, Mo. Just want to get home.”
Home. That’s what the compound is to most of us. A bunch of misfits with nowhere else to go. As I watch my wife with a struggling Theo in her arms, I wonder whether it’s appropriate to expect her to stay there. Now there’s no danger, there’s no reason we can’t look for a house.
Is this really me? A man with a wife, and ready-made family, and who’s now looking at home ownership? I place both my palms on the counter and lean forward, briefly closing my eyes. In the past few months it seems like I’ve become a stranger. A man who’s found his father is his brother, his real father a rapist, then moved from VP to president. Who has responsibilities I didn’t think I’d ever take on.
Mo catches my eye, and mouths something I translate as, You okay?
Suddenly I realise I am. So many things sent to try me, yet I’ve emerged unscathed the other side. I know my own background is what makes it so easy for me to accept Theo as my son. Maybe everything does happen for a reason. I wouldn’t want to be anyone or anywhere else. I grin widely and nod at Mo, returning a Sure am.
I go over to my wife who’s holding a now more settled Theo after a dose of some child painkiller. First, I kiss the top of his head, then I draw her into me and devour her mouth. When I pull away she’s breathless and slightly dazed.
“Got to get to the compound.”
“Yeah, you go do your stuff.”
“Want company?” Hell emerges from his and Mo’s room, already ready to roll.
“Sure.” As we exit through the front door, I’m already in business mode. “We’ll get everyone together for church. Send the prospects here to watch over the old ladies and club girls. Just until we’re sure what’s happening.” I want to know Angel has taken his last breath and be assured we’re facing no blowback from the surviving Silvestri before ceasing my vigilance.
Even early the compound is a hive of activity. Hammers are banging, drills are whirring, men whistling as they go about their work. The pile of stuff that’s been dragged out seems to have been sorted. Scrap metal in one heap, the wood has disappeared. I stand looking at it for a moment.
“Hey, we moved the grills out of the furnace. Thought we could burn all the flammable shit in there.”
I slap Pyro’s back, noticing he’s grinning broadly. Yeah, he’d like that. “Good idea.” As he goes to move away, I pull him back. “Church in five,” I tell him. “Spread the word.” I’ll never be able to make myself heard over the building work.
The kitchen at the back has luckily been untouched. Sparky, true to his word, has done his magic with the electrical and thank fuck the coffee machine is working. I take a cup and nod to Drummer.
The sounds start to fade as I go back into the clubroom. One by one the tools are turned off and or put down. Soon I have a group of nearly thirty men standing around me.
“Okay,” I hop up onto the bar and get ready to start this impromptu church. “First time we’ve got together since, fuck, was it just the day before yesterday that all the shit went down?” It seems crazy, seems much longer. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you all. Brothers from Tucson, Vegas and Utah included in that. I know you hadn’t planned on staying…”
“Wouldn’t have missed it.”
“Wanted some excitement.”
But the Utah group are quieter, and I have to remember they are returning home with one less than the number that came. “Let’s take a minute to think on our brother Thumper.” Men around me bow their heads and clasp their hands.
Then after a moment, Drummer starts, “Ride, Satan’s Devils.”
And is answered by, “Satan’s Devils ride together.”
“Thumper will be remembered. Never forgotten. He’ll ride on, just not by our side.” I turn to Snatcher. “You’ll let me know if he has family…?”
Snatcher shakes his head. “He was a loner.”
That’s something I suppose. But he’ll be missed by his brothers. It’s a sombre moment, but time to move on. “Status report.”
A man standing next to Drummer holds up his hand. I nod to Viper. “Checked out the building. Basically, it’s sound. There’s just one part of the wall I wasn’t happy with, but we’ve put in an extra support beam so it should be fine. You have a few men handy at brickwork, they’re moving along good now. Most of the rest is just window frames, new glass and then the cosmetic shit. Your old lady might want to get involved there, Demon.”
She might indeed. I recall seeing the changes in Tucson, how the furniture was no longer mismatched and broken once they left it to the women to decorate.
“Jay already has some ideas,” Pal shouts out.
“Okay, so men build and women furnish. Pyro, bikes?”
“We prioritised the bikes from the other chapters, Prez, so they can get home. Most of them just dropped so the scratches to the paintwork can be done anytime. Two were totalled, but they are both ours.” He sends a glance of apology toward Mace and Ink.
I glance at them myself. “Order what you want and the club will pay for it.”
Buzz wipes his hand over his face and cringes, but doesn’t say a word.
I turn to the treasurer. “I’m gonna ask Lucio to cough up. His fuckin’ son caused all this shit.”
“What about my bike and Snatcher’s?” Crash calls out.
“Already finished,” Pyro replies fast. “Roadworthy as of this morning.”
Bikes conversation over, Red changes topic, “What are you going to do with the men in the basement?”
Yesterday there was a moment I could have easily killed them with my bare hands. Killing when guns are firing and bombs exploding is one thing, taking a life execution-style is not my way. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I answer him, loudly so everyone can hear, “Told Lucio he can have them. They’re soldiers. They’ve knowingly or otherwise disrespected their don. They’re his problem, not ours.”
“Prez!”
A sudden shout gets me turning. The gate has not yet been repaired so it hasn’t stopped a man who’s walking across the now-cleared parking lot with a purposeful stride, his hands held out at his sides. Speak of the fucking devil. It’s Lucio himself. Close behind him is Roberto and one other man.
It’s like the Red Sea parting as they walk in. A low growled murmur greets Lucio, and hands visibly rest on guns. Snatcher looks particularly uncomfortable, but Red places a warning hand on his shoulder.
“Don Lucio. I’d say welcome, but…” I wave my hand to show the damage that’s been done.
He nods as he steps in front of me, Roberto and the other man standing either side, then Lucio turns around, facing the crews I’d been talking to. “I wish you to know the actions of my son were not authorised by il famiglia Silvestri. The damage that has been done was not of the family’s doing, n
or was it condoned. The relationship between us will continue as it was.” He waves a man forward. “As a more concrete gesture of my apology, I’d like you to accept this.” He breaks off, takes an envelope held out to him, then passes it to me. I pocket what I suspect is a check, without glancing at the contents. Lucio turns back to the assembled men. “My son has admitted that he was trying to expand our territory, dealing drugs where it was agreed we would not go. I am here today to confirm that the old agreements are still in place and you have my word they will continue. After today, our paths should not cross again.”
“And the Angel of Death?” Drummer asks a second before I do.
A flicker of pain crosses the old man’s eyes. “Is still breathing. As you requested.” He turns to face me. “I have men ready to take the deceased. But there were more soldati you captured. You have them? Or have you dealt with them yourself?”
“They are alive and are your men, Don Lucio. You are welcome to take them. I don’t care what happens after that, as long as there is no further retaliation.”
When I’d been in his mansion he’d showed compassion for the men who’d failed so miserably to protect him. Now his face shows no such emotion as he follows Thunder down to the basement. Roberto and the unknown man go down too. Out of curiosity, I also tag along after them.
I may not have been able to shoot an unarmed man, but Lucio has no such repulsion. Roberto barks an order for them all to kneel. Six men, quivering, do so. One looks up with pleading eyes and shakes his head, tears flowing down his cheeks. The don approaches one man, then walks around to his back. The sound of the gun firing in the underground space is almost deafening. Two bullets to the back of his head.
When my ears have stopped ringing, Don Lucio addresses the rest of the men. “You have one chance and one chance only. If any one of you ever betrays the family again, there will be nowhere you can hide.”
Thunder leans in, asking quietly, “An example, or was that the ringleader?”
Roberto overhears, and answers, a twisted smile on his face. “An example, chosen at random. Don Lucio won’t even know his name.”
Christ. It makes me feel cold. And glad I’m in an MC and not the Mafia. I stand aside as one by one, cowed men exit the basement, two bringing their dead companion. Even those not burdened by the body’s weight move slowly. Unlike my men, these hadn’t escaped unscathed.
“Our business is almost over,” Lucio tells me. “I’ve brought what’s left of Angel to you. My men will drop him outside.”
I remember what Violet had told me. “Vitalia was part of it.”
“Already gone.” His tone is business-like. “She was killed in front of him.”
I sigh with relief. “Then that’s the end of it.”
“Yes.” He holds out his hand and I shake it. A strong grasp, neither of us back off. Then he continues up the stairs and starts making his way through the clubroom. Just before he exits the door, he turns back. “Take care of my grandson.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Demon
No, no, no and no. I freeze. Violet’s not going to have this threat hanging over her head for the rest of her life. But I don’t know what to do about it.
Drummer’s there by my side as I suddenly realise I’m going to kill Lucio. Kill the whole fucking Pueblo branch of the Mafia. There is no way they are laying claim to my son. I make a move forward; the mother chapter president holds me back.
“There’s more to this,” he hisses. “I have a feeling in my gut and more times than not that feeling means I am right. Bring Angel in and see if he’s up to talking.”
I have no idea what Drummer is thinking, but I jerk my head toward Lizard and Rusty standing closest to the door, then wait to see what condition Angel is in.
Moments later it’s plain to see Lucio hasn’t left much for me. Certainly not someone capable of talking. Angel’s jaw has been shattered. His chest is barely moving, the pupils in his eyes are dilated. A bullet now would do nothing but put him out of his misery, that’s if he’s capable of feeling any pain. A mercy killing.
I’m not feeling merciful. “Leave him to die.” There’s no point doctoring him just so I get the satisfaction of ending him.
My shoulders slump as I turn to Drummer, my hands open as I shrug. Drummer presses his lips together, then looks around the room, finally spotting the man he was seeking and beckons him over.
“Cad. Your computers okay?”
Cad’s face dark with anger shows that they’re not.
It doesn’t bother Drummer none. “Well, get on to Mouse. He’ll look shit up for you.”
“What shit, Drummer?”
Drummer takes him off, I just stare at the man at my feet, so far gone he’s incapable of groaning, wondering whether I’m watching Theo’s dad die. Knowing in that moment how Hell could have killed his, my father. And, from the club records I’d read, not without a fuckload of pain.
“What doesn’t add up is this mystery man who supposedly raped Violet without Angel knowing,” Drummer says, returning to my side once more.
I shrug. A soldato taking the opportunity of raping the unconscious woman he was supposed to be guarding.
“Why guard her at all? She was unconscious.” Drummer’s insistent.
“She could have woken up.” Does it really matter?
Drummer gives me a scathing look. “They’re drug dealers, Demon. They’d know what they were doing. They trade in women, I’d bet they’d know exactly how much to give for a woman of her size to keep her comatose for as long as they want. And handcuffs are just as good for making sure someone stays put. Angel wasn’t stupid, but he was cunning.”
We’re already talking about him in the past tense. Looking down to the body at my feet I realise we’ll be right before long.
“And the guard knew it was death if he’d admitted it. Look at all the lengths to which Angel had gone to get hold of his son. Going through the courts, bribing judges, coming over as an upright citizen. Wanting everything signed, sealed and delivered so there was no chance of Violet keeping her son.”
“He wanted to hurt her. Destroy her. Because he couldn’t destroy her father.”
“Demon, you might be too close to this, but think it through. The man only became supposedly loose-mouthed when a DNA test was going to be performed. But when did Angel back off? When did he actually know?”
“What are you talking about, Drummer?”
He ignores me, turning instead to Cad. “Mouse get it for you?”
“Got into Vitalia’s medical records. You were right. She had fertility tests. She wasn’t the problem.”
Drummer grins at me. “The problem was with Angel. Violet had to think she was pregnant by him for the mental torture to work. So yeah, he got another man to rape her.” He closes his eyes, but I complete where he was going.
“Maybe more than one.” At least she was unconscious and didn’t know about it. “But he would have had to have drugged her again this time. But he didn’t drug her yesterday.” Could Drummer be right?
“Just because he was firing blanks didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have some fun.” Drum might be the mother chapter president, but he’s in danger of getting my fist in his face.
“He killed the soldato when he found out.”
“Think man,” Drummer snaps. “Lucio just killed a man in cold blood in front of you. This,” he kicks the near corpse on the floor, “isn’t called the Angel of Death for nothing. It wasn’t because of what the man had done, but because he opened his mouth about it. Take some of his hair, Demon. Before you dispose of his body. Let’s get a test done. I’d bet good money Theo isn’t his son.”
“But Lucio would never believe it.”
“Then we challenge him. He’ll be able to produce nothing to prove his case. Angel is not, and cannot be, Theo’s father.” Drummer drags his hand over his beard. “What’s worse, Demon? Violet never knowing who fathered that kid, or having Lucio in the background waiting to lay cl
aim to him?”
“Sometimes it’s just something between a couple,” I speak my fears out loud. “There’s no physical reason to stop them becoming pregnant. It just happens.” But there’s enough doubt that Drummer’s placed in my head. I think for a moment. It’s actually a no-brainer. If the results go the wrong way, I don’t need to admit it. On the other hand, if Theo was fathered by some unknown man, then Violet will be free of any future threat. “I need a Ziploc bag.” Having made my decision, I waste no more time. A suitable container is found in the kitchen, and soon I have a bunch of Angel’s hair contained. Man’s so far gone, he didn’t even flinch when I took it. I certainly wasn’t gentle.
Having done that, I realise church hasn’t yet officially ended. With a loud whistle, I get everyone’s attention back. Well it takes a moment, men have wandered away, and more than one reappears from the kitchen with a steaming cup in their hands.
“Now, where were we before we were interrupted?” As I hoped, my light-hearted comment draws a few laughs.
“Thanking us, I think, Brother,” shouts Beef, one of Drummer’s men.
It’s as good a place to start as any.
“Our thanks go without saying, Brothers. And of course, our offer to reciprocate any time needed is always on the table.” My comment receives chin lifts, and a special grin from Drummer. He’s probably remembering all the times we’ve gone to Tucson. “Now I think we’re okay on our own.”
“Be fuckin’ glad to get back to Vegas, Demon.” That’s from Red. “It’s quieter there.”
“You sure you’re out the other side now?”
“Yeah, Snatcher. You heard Lucio. That’s the end of it.” And hopefully for good, if the DNA tests confirm what Drummer suspects.
“You going to deal with… him?” Crash asks. “Need a hand?”
“Nah. It’s all good.” I eye the body that’s inconveniently taking up space in my clubhouse. “We’ll get rid of him in the desert.” Yeah, we might know a few places to use.
With the prospects guarding Hell and Mo’s house, Pyro, Lizard and Skull volunteer to take on disposal duties. Might as well bury him now. He’ll die soon in any event. And after what he put my woman through and was intending for her, if he knows he’s being buried alive, so much the better. My view? He’ll know nothing at all. He’s stubbornly holding onto life by a thread.
Satan's Devils MC Colorado Boxset 1 Books 1 - 3 Page 70