Satan’s Fury MC - Memphis

by Wilder, L.

  When I started for the barn, my father shouted, “Where are you going?”

  I removed my sunglasses and turned towards him. “I’m taking Anna Belle for a ride. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “Are you going alone?”

  “Yep.” I continued forward, and when I strolled by the biker, I gave him a disapproving scowl. “It was a real pleasure.”

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he just stood there silently as I walked away. I was close to the barn when my father called out to me. “Riley, be careful. You know the river’s up. You’ll need to go down to the east bank if you want to cross over,” he warned.

  I just held up my hand and waved as I entered the barn. I found it ironic that he seemed more worried about that damn river than he was of the ominous bikers he’d brought to our home. I glanced back over my shoulder and my heart stopped when I noticed the hot biker’s gaze was still fixed on me. Good or bad, it seemed I’d made an impression on the handsome stranger, but it didn’t matter. I knew a man like him was trouble, and I had no intention of seeing him again.

  But like it’s been said before—“the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Murphy

  As soon as the trial was over, Gus called the brothers into church. Since our concerns about Reece’s safety were behind us, and Riggs was on his way home, he was eager for the club to move forward. It was time for us to start making plans for the next pipeline run, which meant meeting up with the new supplier—Daniel Nichols. He supposedly had a large shipment of Intratec DC-9s, and Gus wanted us to check them out before another buyer got their hands on them. I knew he was hoping this Nichols guy was going to be the real deal, but after looking over the small amount of intel Riggs had been able to find on him, I was feeling skeptical. Nichols was a horse breeder who’d done pretty damn well for himself. He had an unbelievable place with a ranch-style house sitting on three hundred and twenty acres of land. He’d just built new stables and had new training grounds in the works. It was clear that he was doing well, but that hadn’t always been the case. After going over his bank statements, Riggs discovered that Nichols had started selling almost three years ago, right after his wife had gotten sick with cancer. Money had been tight, so he was looking for a way to bring in more funds. The fact that he’d started supplying out of desperation didn’t sit well with me, and my feelings towards Nichols didn’t improve when I rode out to his farm with Shadow, Gunner, and Blaze to meet him.

  When we pulled up to the house, Shadow was the first one off his bike. He took a quick glance around before he asked, “Are you sure this is the right place?”

  “Yeah.” I got off my Harley and removed my helmet. “This is it.”

  “I know you said the guy bred horses and all that, but damn,” Gunner was obliviously impressed as he added, “this place is incredible.”

  Blaze walked towards us and asked, “Where the hell is everybody?”

  “Got no idea.” I took a moment to scan the property, and I was surprised to find that there wasn’t a single guard on watch, only a couple of farmhands out in the stables. “It’s the perfect location. It’s miles away from everything, but from the looks of it, he actually lives here. At the very least, you’d think he’d have more security than this.”

  Gunner shrugged. “Maybe the guy’s a badass and people know not to fuck with him.”

  “Nobody is that big of a badass.” Shadow looked over to me and asked, “Is Gus sure about this guy?”

  “No. That’s why we’re here. He wants us to check him out.”

  I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth when a man stepped out onto the front porch. He was wearing dark denim jeans with a cowboy hat and boots, and as he started towards us, he reminded me of John Wayne when he was younger. I assumed he was Nichols when he walked up to us and asked, “Which one of you fellas is Murphy?”

  “That would be me, and these are my brothers, Shadow, Gunner, and Blaze. You must be Mr. Nichols.”

  “The one and only. Glad you boys could make it out.”

  “You’ve got yourself a nice place. From the looks of it, I’d say you’ve been doing pretty well for yourself.”

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” He shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “But I haven’t done all this on my own. This farm has been in my family for as long as I can remember.”

  “Your family always breed horses?”

  “No. My father raised cattle and made a good living out of it, but when the market changed, I decided it was time for me to try my hand at breeding. It served me well for many years, but then my wife got sick …” He shook his head and mumbled something under his breath, and then he said, “You know how it is. Circumstances change, and you have no choice but to deal with it the best you can.”

  “Are those changes in circumstances the reason why you decided to branch out into the weapons trade?” I asked, trying my best to put a positive connotation to it.

  “The opportunity arose, and I took it.”

  “Until then, had you ever had any experience with it?”

  “No, not exactly.”

  “Have you always done your business from here at the farm?”

  “I figured it was the safest place for me to do it. We’re miles away from town, so it’s not like I have to worry about anyone being suspicious or anything like that.”

  He was doing business from his home and that was a huge issue for me, not to mention the fact that they had so little security. It was like he had no idea that he was putting his family and his farm in danger by bringing his buyers to his home. Hoping I was wrong, I asked, “What kind of security do you have in place?”

  “Security?” he asked, then chuckled. “You looking to rob me or something.”

  “No, sir,” I flatly answered. “Just need to know what kind of situation we’re dealing with.”

  “I have a security system for the house, which has all the basics, and cameras out at the barns and the front gate. I keep all the weapons locked away in a safe. No one can get to them without the combination, and I’m the only one who has it.”

  “So, no guards?”

  “Nah. Got no need for ’em.” Fuck. My gut was right. This guy was in way over his head. Even though Nichols seemed like a decent guy, I saw more red flags than I could count. I was debating on walking away from the deal when Nichols said, “Gus mentioned that you were interested in checking out some of my merchandise.”

  I nodded. “We are.”

  “Good deal. I just got a new shipment in if you’d like to have a look at it.”

  “We would.”

  “Just give me a minute, and I’ll go …” He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a car coming down the driveway, then shook his head and mumbled, “Damn.”

  Blaze glanced over at the car as he asked, “Is there a problem?”

  “No … Well, not exactly.”

  The car pulled to the house, and we all watched in silence as his daughter got out. It was difficult to get a good look at her with that damn baseball cap, but it was clear from the way that she spoke to her father that she wasn’t happy we were there. If I had to guess, I’d say she didn’t like the fact that he’d branched out into this new line of sales, especially when it brought men like us to her home. While I didn’t blame her for being pissed, this wasn’t the time for her to make her feelings known, so I decided to intervene, hoping I could put an end to her little display. As soon as I stepped forward, I knew I’d made a mistake. With the brim of her hat pulled down low, I couldn’t see her face, but her body language told me everything I needed to know. “Miss Goodie Two-Shoes” was into me, but sadly, her interest vanished the second I opened my mouth. She didn’t take my suggestion lightly that she should go inside, but she didn’t lash out, either. Instead, she simply walked away but not until she’d removed her ballcap and sunglasses, giving me my first good look at her. It was at that moment when I realized she was the woman from the bar. From t
he minute I’d spotted her staring at me, I couldn’t take my eyes off her, but I knew right then that she was out of my league.

  I’d seen my fair share of gorgeous women but never anyone as beautiful as her. From her long, wavy brown hair to her round, full lips, she was all kinds of perfect. And those eyes—damn, I’d never seen eyes like hers. They were black as coal and shined like diamonds, and every time she looked at me, it felt like she could see right through to my soul. I was enamored by her—not just for her beauty, but for her fiery spirit. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so drawn to a woman, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one fucking bit. Knowing I had no business having such thoughts, I tried to shake it off, but then she winked at me and I was done. Fuck. It was all I could do to keep myself from reaching for her and throwing her over my shoulder like a fucking caveman.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Nichols mumbled, pulling me out of my head. “I didn’t know she was going to be here.”

  “No offense, Mr. Nichols, but that’s why you don’t shit where you eat.”

  I knew I had no right to call him out. If I didn’t like how he was running things, I could’ve just walked away and cut our losses, but not before I warned him. Obviously offended by my remark, Nichols crossed his arms and gave me a smug look. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “You seriously have no idea how bad you’ve fucked up, do you?” I shook my head in aggravation. I had to make him see what he’s been doing was wrong. “It’s one thing to get involved in this line of business, Mr. Nichols, but it’s another to do it right from your home without a major security detail. If something goes wrong … if someone isn’t happy with the product or demands more than you have to offer, what are you going to do about it? You’ve left yourself completely exposed.”

  “I’m not exactly new to the gun trade business, Murphy, and besides that, I’ve been in sales for longer than you’ve been alive.” His voice was low and strained as he continued, “I understand your concerns about my security, but you’ve got to remember, my main focus has been and always will be this farm and selling my horses. We have people come out to these stables every day. They want to see the horses. Touch them. Dream about having one of their own. They have always felt comfortable coming out here because they know they can trust me. I start putting armed guards out here, then all that changes.”

  “If something goes wrong, you’re putting them and yourself in danger.”

  “No, I only work with people who I’ve looked into first. That’s right. I looked into you boys … the same way you looked into me. I knew all about Satan’s Fury. I knew who you were and what you represented long before I allowed my guy to contact Gus.” He gave me a stern look as he told me, “I know what I’m doing, Murphy. I’m careful. Hunter, my son, has helped me out a few times, but I never do business when Riley is here.”

  “She was here today,” Shadow barked.

  “That was a mistake,” he argued. “I never wanted her to know that I was even doing any of this. I’ve always done business when she was at class or in the city with her cousin.”

  Shadow was quick to reply. “Clearly, she knows.”

  “Yeah.” He let out a deep breath. “She witnessed a deal going down a few weeks ago.”

  “If you’re planning to keep this thing up, you’re going to have to make some changes, Mr. Nichols. If you don’t, it’s going to bite you in the ass,” I warned.

  It was clear that he was done listening when he snapped, “Look, I appreciate your concern, but I have things I need to tend to. Do you want to see the goods or not?”

  I looked over to Shadow and Blaze, and they each gave their nod of approval. “Yeah. We want to see them.”

  “Then, let’s get this thing done, so you boys can be on your way.”

  When he started towards his storage shed, Gunner nudged me and said, “Look, I know you’re pissed about how this guy is running things and all, but did you check out his daughter? Damn, she was smoking hot.”

  “I didn’t notice,” I lied.

  “Wonder if I could talk her into taking me for a ride,” he joked, but his smile quickly vanished when he noticed my expression. “I meant on one of their horses.”

  Before I had a chance to respond, Nichols returned with a large wooden crate. As he opened it, he said, “Here are five of the Intratec DC-9s with a barrel extension and a 32-round magazine. I’ve got twenty more just like them in the safe.”

  “How much?”

  “I’ll be discussing that with your president.”

  “No,” I growled. “You will discuss it with me.”

  He paused for a moment, considering his next move, but eventually responded, “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll take twenty-five grand for the whole lot.”

  “Twenty-five? You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I complained.

  “That’s a fair deal, Murphy. We both know you can sell them for twice that.”

  “I’m not looking for a fair deal, Mr. Nichols. I’m looking for the deal, so either get right with the price or we’re walking.”

  He ran his hand over his chin and sighed. “The best I can do is twenty. Take it or leave it.”

  I looked over at the crate of guns and studied them just long enough to make Nichols squirm. When I saw that he was becoming flustered, I answered, “We’ll accept the offer.”

  “Good. Glad to hear that.”

  “We’ll be back in the morning to pick them up.”

  “Before you go, I’ve some Colt AR-15 rifles and some Ruger 10/22 rifles, too, if you’re interested.”

  “I’ll need to see them.”

  He turned and headed back into the shed. When he returned, he was towing a second large crate with a dolly. After he opened it, he turned to me and said, “These are some of the best on the market.”

  As I checked them over, I asked, “How many?”

  “Thirty of each. I’ll give you a good deal on ’em, too.”

  “I’ll let Gus know.” I shook his hand, then we started towards our bikes. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

  He nodded and watched as we took off down his driveway. Heading back home, I found myself thinking about Nichols. He was a good, decent man who’d found himself in a bad spot. I just couldn’t understand why a man like him would’ve chosen to get into gun trafficking—one of the most dangerous industries on the planet. There had to be someone out there who’d persuaded him to give this thing a go and provided him with goods he’d need to make a quick turnaround. Too bad they didn’t take the time to tell him to use some common fucking sense when it came to being safe. If Nichols continued down the path he was on, he was destined for trouble—the kind of trouble that could cost him his life or worse, his kids.

  Once we got back to the clubhouse, we headed to the bar to meet up with Gus. When we walked in, he was sitting at the counter talking to Riggs. It was good to have my brother back. He’d had us all worried, and it was a relief to see that he was doing better by the minute. As we sat down next to them, Gus looked over to me and asked, “Well?”

  “We made the deal, but I have my concerns.”

  “Oh, really? What concerns?” I took a few minutes to share our experience at the farm, and once I was done, I gave him some time to reflect on everything I’d told him. After several moments, he ran his hand over his goatee and sighed. “So, how did you leave things?”

  “I gotta admit. His Intratecs were top of the line, and his AR-15s and Rugers were pretty fucking good too. Since the price was right, I told him we’d be back in the morning. I figured we’d clean him out while we were there.”

  “You think we should do business with him again, or is this a one-time deal?”

  “He’s a good enough guy, and I think we can trust him. It’s his other buyers I’m not sure about. Either way, I’m just relaying my concerns. The final say is up to you, Prez.”

  Gus turned his attention to Riggs as he asked, “You think you can find out who Nichols is doing busi
ness with?”

  “I already tried, but at the time, I wasn’t at the top of my game. I’ll do some more digging and see what I can find out.”

  “Good.” Gus patted him on the shoulder. “Sure is good to have you back, brother. I don’t know what we would’ve done without ya.”

  “Glad you don’t have to find out.” Riggs winced as he started to stand. “Guess I’ll get to it. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Hold up, Riggs. It’s late. This thing with Nichols can wait until tomorrow. Get home to Reece and that boy of yours,” Gus urged. Like me, he knew how concerned she’d been. Those nights when he was hanging in the balance did a number on her, and it would take her some time to get over it.

  “You sure? I don’t want to hold you up.”

  “Positive. You’re still on the mend, and I don’t want you pushing it.” He chuckled. “Besides, Reece would raise all kinds of hell if she thought we were working you too hard.”

  “I’m good, Prez. You don’t have to worry about me. It’d take a lot more than a few bullets to put me down.” As he started for the door, he told us, “I’ll be back first thing in the morning. I should have something by the time you get back from the Nichols’ place.”

  “Sounds good, brother.”

  When he was about to pass by me, he stopped and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for all you’ve done for Reece and Tate. I know it was a group effort and all the brothers had their part in looking after them, but Reece told me how you went out of your way to make sure she was keeping it together while I was laid up. I really appreciate you doing that.”

  “No need to thank me, brother.”

  “No. It needs to be said. You went above and beyond, Murphy. You always do.”

  “You would’ve done the same for me.”

  “No doubt.” He patted me on the back as he continued forward. “I’ll see you in the morning.”