“Would that stand up in court?” It seems flimsy at best.
Demon catches my eye. “They left her alive but impressed on her she had to stay silent. One hit her around her face, his ring left bruising. Another grabbed her in her struggle to get free, she felt his hand, it had one finger missing.”
“They weren’t wearing gloves?” Buzzard asks incredulously, shaking his head, as though he’s an expert bank robber.
“Yes, but only thin latex ones. That too, she said.”
“Her info? That’s enough to get a conviction?” I ask.
Demon nods. “She’s convincing as hell. Feds think yes.”
I could easily see how she could convince them. Sure she couldn’t see the bank robbers in the same way as I could, but those details she remembered using her other senses were presumably just as reliable.
“No other witness?” I’m grasping at straws. “Anyone outside see the getaway vehicle? The driver?”
A shadow falls over the prez’s face. “No one. Anyone inside was dead. They’d used silencers and picked a quiet time. If anyone did see anything, they haven’t come forward as a witness.”
Probably wouldn’t. The Warped Jokers are not a crew you’d want to get on the wrong side of. And if anyone had, they’d be suffering the same fate as Stevie—moved away from everything they’d ever known.
“What are we going to do, Prez?” Rusty asks the direct question I wanted to. My eyes shoot to Demon to see how he’s going to handle it.
Demon’s head is moving side to side. “Fuck knows,” he responds after a moment. “Here’s the situation. The dominant, our dominant, wants the feds’ attention off MC clubs in LA and beyond.”
“Fat fuckin’ chance,” I scoff. “They’re always looking to bring us down.”
“I agree. But the heat has intensified with the Jokers’ recent caper.”
“They’re fuckin’ criminals,” Hellfire says scornfully. “They might call themselves an MC and ride bikes, but they’re way out the other end of the spectrum to us. Satan’s Devils, even the Wretched Soulz, would never be so crass as to rob banks and certainly wouldn’t gun down innocent citizens if there was any way to avoid it.”
“But,” Demon plays devil’s advocate, “they are an MC. Do we want a reputation of turning rat on our biker brothers?”
I want to vomit at the thought of calling any man who wants Stevie dead my brother, but technically, that’s what they are. My fingers tap on the table, my head spinning. “As long as clubs have existed,” I start, “we’ve been fighting each other.”
“Sure have,” Rusty agrees. He nudges Ink who gets out his cigarettes and passes him one. “Big clubs fought it out in Denver back in the day.”
Demon’s eyes have narrowed. “You’re suggesting we go head-to-head with the Warped Jokers?”
“With half of them inside that wouldn’t be hard.” Bomber’s got a gleam in his eyes as Pyro nudges him appreciatively.
“You’re forgetting something,” Thunder observes. “They’re in LA.”
I hold up my hand. “Not suggesting we get physical, just that we help bring them down by keeping Stevie out of their way. Let her turn up in court and see where the cards fall.”
In a move reminiscent of Drummer, for a second making me homesick, knowing there’d be a different vibe if we were talking around the table in Tucson, Demon runs his hand over his short beard. “So let’s start there. We refuse the request of the Wretched Soulz, pitting us against the dominant club.”
“We’re not here to do their bidding, Prez,” Sparky interjects.
“You’re right,” Demon says calmly, “but we’ve always co-existed with the dominant. Couldn’t be here without their approval to set up the club.”
That’s spot on. Any club wanting to establish themselves in the dominant’s territory has got to jump through a number of hoops. Technically we don’t need approval, but if we hadn’t allowed them to review our charter and regs, then, well, ride with a patch not recognised by the Wretched Soulz? Any biker who does that is facing a severe beatdown, or even death. Satan’s Devils have done it right. Have given our support to the Wretched Soulz a time or two as well, and sometimes, they’ve helped us out. What none of us want is an out-and-out war. We’d have no chance of winning.
“Beef’s a nomad. Yet he’s brought this bitch to our door and landed us in this shit. Why don’t we just leave it to him to sort out? We can wash our hands of him.”
There’s quiet as Mace lays out the cold facts. He’s completely right. Trouble is, if Stevie’s and my presence is bringing trouble to this club, it would follow to any other chapter who took us in. I’m not going to leave her unprotected, whatever they decide. I’d be out on my own with a blind woman to protect. Hate thinking of her as disabled, but I have to face facts. There are things a fully sighted woman can do which she can’t. The main one being, she can’t see trouble coming.
I hold my breath, waiting for the answer. “I vote to dismiss that,” Skull, unusually pipes up. “That’s signing both her death warrant and our brother’s. I know he’s not of this chapter, but he’s a Satan’s Devil all the same.”
“Drummer would never agree to it,” Ink observes.
It’s Demon’s reaction I’m interested in, inwardly squirming during the moment he takes to voice his opinion. “While Beef’s here, he’s one of ours.” His tone is final.
Grateful for that, I’m still aware my actions are bringing down heat on a chapter I don’t even belong to. Now Demon’s given me support, I can’t suggest I take the problem back to Tucson and Drummer, as that would be disrespecting my new prez, however temporary that situation is. But there is another solution.
“I go it alone,” I find myself suggesting. “Sure, I’m staying at the cabin owned by the club, but you needn’t know who I’ve got with me. Could be I just needed time to decompress. I’ll get more out of Stevie now that I can tell her I know most of it anyway. Cad?”
Cad glances up from his tablet.
“If I find out who she’s dealing with, her handler and stuff, can you dig up the info? Now we know the facts, there’s no need for her to keep things quiet.” When he nods, I continue, “We try to find out where the leak came from, then locate someone who isn’t going to rat on her. When Max is back on his feet, we pass her back to the marshals and they can take over her protection. At that point, the club’s clean.”
“In the meantime, I lie to the Wretched Soulz.” Demon’s brow furrows.
“Plan’s a good one, Prez,” Thunder observes. “And it’s not lying, just concealing the truth. You just need to be inventive. They don’t know we’ve got the girl. Sure, they know we had contact, but we could let them assume we washed our hands of her.”
Slowly Demon grins. “I can make that work. I just omit some of what’s pertinent.” He picks up the gavel, turning it over in his hands. “We continue to help Beef in his sojourn at the cabin. That’s the motion on the table. If he’s got a bitch there, well, it’s none of our business.”
The ayes around the table are resounding, More than one brother glances at his neighbour and nods. It saves us from an outright war with either the Jokers or the Wretched Soulz. Of course, it also means we’re helping the feds with their business. But in this instance, if it means Stevie stays breathing, they’re the lesser evil.
“Motion carried. But I think we all know we’ll be revisiting this again.”
Demon’s right. At least we’re not as much in the dark as we were, we know who’s after her and why. Just not who betrayed and outed her.
“Prez?” Hellfire raises his hand. “All this talk about possible outcomes, is it time to consider strengthening our ranks? It was going to come up soon anyway; how about bringing Wills and Dan to the table and giving Beaver and Karl their prospect patches?”
With his lips curved sarcastically, Demon responds, “Is this the right time to bring new blood around the table?”
What he means is the more people in the know, the more risk of so
mething slipping. I have a contrary view, one which supports Hell’s desire to have a larger pool of men. “Wills and Dan done their time?”
“And then some.” Demon’s eyes stare at me, and he raises his chin.
He knows I’m going somewhere, just not where yet. “Then you trust them to know where the bodies are buried.” A round of low laughter and smirks. Of course they do, wouldn’t be near getting a patch if they didn’t. “Beaver and Karl. Investigated enough to bring them on board as prospects?”
Cad perks up. “I have. Nothing in their backgrounds looked off.”
“Where you going with this, Beef?”
“Wills and Dan. If there’s nothing else in their way, bring them to the table. Can’t trust them with the life of a brother, then we shouldn’t even be discussing giving them their patch. And they already know Stevie’s staying with me.” Nods of agreement from everyone. “Beaver and Karl, though, they stay in the dark. Get them to bring shit up to the cabin, but warn me, for fuck’s sake. I’ll get it looking like a bachelor pad, find somewhere to stash Stevie while they’re visiting. If they’re on the up and up they won’t spout shit in any event, if not, they won’t see anything to talk about.”
“Like that idea, Prez.” Hellfire’s regarding me carefully.
Prez raises and dips his chin. A silent communication goes between him and his father. Then he picks up the gavel again. “Next church we patch them in. Think we’re all talked out tonight, Brothers. I, for one, want a drink and to fuck my ol’ lady.”
The gavel starts to descend. “Prez, before you finish up, can I say something?”
Skull’s spoken for only the second time this meeting. There are sighs that their gratification in whatever way they prefer is going to be delayed for a moment, but Skull gets the nod to continue.
He shifts awkwardly in his seat. “I, er, I, well. There’s a woman.”
“You want some advice?” I ask, my lips curving. “You know your dick, well…”
“I know what to do with my dick, thank you, Brother.” But his lips quirk as he continues, “I’m pretty serious about her. Would like to bring her to the club.”
“You talkin’ claimin’ an ol’ lady?” Demon’s eyes are wide. So are everyone else’s. “She a civilian?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’d like her to come around. See if she’ll be a good fit.”
“Give me her name, Skull. I’ll look into her.”
“If she passes Cad’s investigation, sure, Skull. Be interested to see what’s got your motor revving.”
There’s laughter, but also shock. Unlike in Tucson where brothers are dropping like flies falling into the old lady trap, here in Pueblo, most are single. Looks like another one’s going down soon though. I eye Skull thoughtfully. Whoever this woman is, he seems pretty smitten.
“She comes here? She’s mine.” Showing more determination than I’ve noticed before, Skull goes on the offensive.
“We’ll behave,” Ink reassures him.
“Gotta test her out though.” As Skull starts to stand, Pyro continues fast, “Not gonna fuck her, man. Whether her pussy is tight is your business. Nah, just gotta make sure she understands club business ain’t hers. Ain’t gonna put up with a bitch whining she’s not being told shit.”
This time the gavel does hit the table. “Church fuckin’ over.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I could have hung around to have a beer, but I’ve got enough back at the cabin. I could have fucked a sweet butt, but I’ve got… Damn it. I’ve no idea what I’ve got waiting for me on my return. As I pass the brothers stopping only to exchange a few necessary pleasantries, I try to make as direct a line as possible to my bike. Once outside in the fresh air, I’m suddenly not so impatient, and my mind starts whirring.
Will Stevie be waiting to continue what was interrupted this afternoon?
Part of me is hoping she’ll be waiting for me in my bed, wearing some sort of negligee, half of me is hoping she’s not. It’s the latter that my head is hoping for, my cock, needless to say, the former. But my brain has to win out.
I’ve had my share of casual hook-ups, but only those where I, or they, don’t hang around until morning. If I thought Stevie would fuck then be happy being kicked out of my bed, I’d be over that like a rash. Problem is, we’re living together for the foreseeable future. I enjoy being around her, life’s easy and comfortable. I fuck her, it could upset what we have. Relief for my cock in exchange for what? Awkwardness, and one of us getting more involved than we should.
I could do her once and walk away without a look back. Not sure I could say the same for Stevie.
She’s got needs too. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to take care of them? I laugh to myself, confident that I wouldn’t leave her wanting. Except, perhaps, for more.
What if it was me who wanted a repeat performance? Nah, once has satisfied me before, can’t think of a woman who I’d become addicted to. Except for the one I never had.
“Hey, Beef. You got a minute?” a voice hollers. I turn to see Prez standing just outside the door, and mentally berate myself for not escaping when I had the chance.
A prez is a prez. When one queries your availability the only thing to do is make time and look cheerful doing it. “Yeah. Your office?”
His nod is all the invitation I need. Suppressing a sigh, I make my way back across the parking lot, retrace my steps through the clubroom, and enter his domain.
Demon is standing with his back toward me, seemingly studying the Satan’s Devils’ flag hanging behind his desk. If I squint and look at nothing but the image of Lucifer and the three little demons, I could be back in Tucson. The same flag hangs in all our chapters.
He half turns as though to check it is me, and that I’ve closed the door, then studies our insignia again. “You okay with what we agreed?”
Kicking out a chair, I sit. “Fine, Prez.”
“You want anyone up there with you, just in case, now that we know the Wretched Soulz are sniffing around? Boys won’t mind drawing up a rotation.”
I give his suggestion a moment of thought. “Don’t think it’s worth it at present. If something goes wrong and word gets out about where she is, then, yeah, I’d welcome support at that stage.”
“Your call, Beef. If and when you want to make it.”
“Thank you,” I say to his back. It’s becoming habit with Stevie not to rely on chin lifts the whole time.
At last, he turns, propping his hip onto the desk. “What do you make of Skull, Beef?”
I haven’t really had time to get to know him. Again, I take a moment to gather my thoughts. “He’s quiet. Doesn’t contribute, but he takes in everything.”
Demon nods as though I’ve echoed what’s on his mind. “That he does.”
“Still finding his place at the table?” I suggest. “Sometimes it takes time. Particularly after what happened to him.”
“You know about that?” At my nod, he resumes, “We made him hurt. I accepted it when he understood why and said he would have done the same thing were the positions reversed. That nothing is more important than our family. Clues pointed his way, he could see that.”
“He returned,” I state the obvious.
“He did.”
My brow creases. “You think there’s another reason behind it? That he wants vengeance?”
“Wraith warned me to watch him.”
“Bringing this woman on board might steady him.” I hope for Skull’s sake she’s a good fit and they vote to allow him to claim her.
“Took me by surprise, didn’t see it coming. Skull keeps himself to himself.”
“You think he’s got an ulterior motive?” Can’t see it myself. What nefarious purpose could bringing a woman onto the compound serve? “Just get Cad to investigate her thoroughly if you’re concerned.”
“Yeah, that was already my plan. I’m just worried Wraith sees something I’m missing.”
Ah. So that’s what’s behind it. Demon’s still wet
behind the ears in his president’s role. They’ve already had one traitor in the club. Is he doubting his own ability to read people? “How long were you VP, Demon?”
My question takes him by surprise. “Um, er, ten years?”
I nod. “Then you know your club. You know your men. Sure, you didn’t know Taser had a screw loose, but one bad apple doesn’t mean there’s more. What do you think, Demon?”
My reminder about the length of time he sat at his father’s left hand seems to have made him straighten. “Christ, Beef. You’re right. As VP or Prez I’d put money on Skull being exactly what he appears, a fresh patch around a strange table, worried about saying something out of line. Listening to learn how to behave. Have seen it before, will see it again. Wills and Dan will probably be much the same for the first couple of months.” His gaze is now assessing. “Wearing the prez’s hat is harder than I expected. Before I had Hell there to knock me around the head if I started taking a ride on the crazy train.”
“You need a VP,” I tell him abruptly. “Someone to bounce your ideas off. Thunder would help if you let him.”
“Thunder’s too busy telling me I’m not what he needs, to try to become that for me,” he says, drily.
Which brings me to the point of my visit to Pueblo. Maybe I can get this sorted, get Stevie back with the marshals again, and return to my home. Nothing stopping me now. Sally knows where she stands. Home. Fuck, I can almost smell Tucson in the air.
“I’m sure you’re aware of my difficulty,” Demon responds with a sharp look at me. “After all, that’s why you’re here. You’ve got a job to do, and Drummer won’t let you leave until it’s done.”
“You want me gone?”
His head bobs back and forth fast. “Not what I’m saying. But a president like Drummer doesn’t send out one of his most trusted men as an enforcer to another chapter unless there’s something to enforce.”
I lean forward, clasping my hands between my knees. “It’s not anything to do with you, Demon. Drummer’s just concerned you’re not running at full strength.”
His finger and thumb pinch the bridge of his nose. “I’ve been thinking on your suggestion about bringing someone in from the other chapters. Should have brought it up at church, but I’m concerned about the brothers’ reaction.”
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