Paladin's Hell

by Manda Mellett

  “You’re alive.”

  “No thanks to you.” Faced with my abductor, my voice shakes. The last time I’d seen him he was pushing me into the trunk of Mace’s car. The flashback takes me back there again.

  “You don’t have to do this, Jay.” Paladin’s arm comes around me. I shrug it off and take a step forward.

  “Why?” I ask. “Why do you hate me so much?”

  “I don’t give a fuck about you either way. You were a means to an end,” he wheezes.

  That’s even worse in a way. That I mean so little.

  Hell passes something to Pal, who places it into my hand, wrapping my fingers around it. “Aim it at him,” he instructs. “Keep your finger on this button. Thirty seconds is recommended.”

  “Is it turned up high?”

  “As far as it will go.”

  Taser’s eyes have widened, then he laughs. “Like that will hurt me.”

  Oh, I’m determined it will make him hurt. Like I hurt and ache. All I want to do is lie down and rest, but first I need to see him lose his dignity just like I had lost mine. Without delaying any further, I aim, fire, and when those barbs land in his chest, keep my finger pressed down hard on the button, so much pressure my fingertips are white. He goes rigid, then his legs give out, he’s hanging by his wrists, his body jerking, his mouth open wide but no sound coming out. I keep the power on.

  I don’t know how long it is before Pal pries my fingers away. “That’s enough,” he says gently.

  I let him take the taser out of my hand, then I turn, burying my face in his chest. “Kill him,” I plead toward Hellfire. “I want to know he’s gone so I don’t have to worry about him.”

  I’ll always be haunted by the thought the Herreras are still coming for me. I don’t need another threat around.

  Chapter 40

  Paladin

  Needing to take Jay away I sweep her up into my arms. She’s shaking so much; I worry how what she’s just done might have affected her. I know why she wanted to hurt him, could understand it completely.

  “Pal?”

  “Yeah, Doll?” I’m crossing the clubroom and pausing with my foot on the first step.

  “Did he piss himself?”

  My face scrunches as I tell her. “Sure did, sweetheart.”

  She gives a strange, twisted grin. It’s the type of expression I hope never to see again on her face. “Good.”

  As she turns her head into my shoulder, I continue up the stairs and along to my room where Moira and Jeannie are waiting. Somehow they’ve got rid of Bitch, and there’s hot soup ready for her on the bedside table. I stay for a while, watching her eat, watching her do something normal to prove to me she’s still in the land of the living. When Pyro comes up and knocks on the door, letting me know everyone’s in church, I’m assured by Moira that Jay will be fine with her and Jeannie.

  Glancing toward my girl, she raises her chin and looks at me bravely, reassuring me for herself.

  It’s a sombre meeting room that I enter. Pyro and I are the last to take our seats. Shooter’s been given a chair alongside me.

  Hellfire half-heartedly bangs the gavel.

  “Today is one of the worst days there’s been for the club in thirty-six years.” He pauses as though to let the seriousness of what he’s about to say sink in. “One of our own has turned traitor.”

  Lizard brings out his cigarettes, takes one, then passes his pack around. Today there are a number of takers. He lights up, inhales, blows smoke out, then asks, “Care to enlighten us, Prez? Most of us only know half the story.”

  Hellfire takes a cigarette when the pack reaches him. It’s the last one, he raises his eyebrow at Lizard who shrugs. Prez takes it as permission, then scrunches the empty packet in his hand. “Okay, some of you already know some of this shit, others don’t. So I’ll go through from the top. Let’s start with Ingot.”

  As he mentions the deceased enforcer’s name, fists thump over hearts. I do the same as a mark of respect though I can’t recall ever meeting the man. All I need to know is that he was a brother.

  “Ingot was involved in a hit and run, as you already know. The driver left the scene. Neither us, nor the cops, ever found anything to point a finger at the culprit.”

  “It was Taser?” Ink asks, his voice full of emotion. Sadness and anger combined.

  “Yeah.” Hellfire says the word that makes the table erupt.

  When at last single voices can be distinguished, Bomber snarls, “He still breathin’?”

  “Just,” Hell confirms. “Club vote is needed to take him out. For those who like closure, the vehicle used was driven to Blue Mesa Reservoir and dumped in one of the deepest parts. That’s why it never turned up.”

  “Fuckin’ long way to go. That’s a four-hour drive,” inputs Sparky. Being Road Captain he seems to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of where places are and how long it takes to get to them.

  “Yeah. His accomplice, his cousin, followed him and drove him back here. Taser wanted that truck to disappear completely. Wanted to make sure it could never be linked back to him.”

  Thunder’s tapping his mouth. “I recall he was one brother who wasn’t around the day Ingot was killed. But then, we weren’t expectin’ one of our brothers to be murdered, so there was no reason for any of us to stay close, and we weren’t suspicious of any absentees.” He sounds like he’s choked up as he adds, “Never looked inward. Didn’t see the fuckin’ need.”

  “I was at a Comic-con that weekend,” Cad puts in. “Taser wasn’t the only one missing.”

  “Well we never fuckin’ suspected a brother.” Pyro’s got tears in his eyes. “I’d never have believed it of Taser. Still can’t get my fuckin’ head around it now. Prez, do we need to go any further? I vote we dispatch the fucker to meet Satan. Don’t like breathin’ the same fuckin’ air.” The murmuring suggests others feel much the same.

  “I hear you, Brother,” Hellfire replies sounding tired. “But I want everyone to know what’s been going on. More importantly, why.”

  “There’s no excuse to justify murder.” Lizard throws in, looking disgusted.

  “In his head, there was,” Mace contradicts. “He might have kept quiet about where Pal’s girl was hidden, but wanted to boast about everything else. Seems he had his eye on an officer role. Saw himself as Enforcer. Just had to clear a space at the table to make that job his, or so he thought. He was beyond angry I was voted in in his place.”

  “He hid it fuckin’ well.”

  Pyro’s frowning. “He did say you wouldn’t be in the role long, that he didn’t have faith in your abilities. That the club will soon see you weren’t up to the job.” He shrugs apologetically. “His words, Mace, not mine.”

  Mace nods to show he realises that.

  “Listen up,” Hellfire takes back the floor. “Whatever he thought of Mace’s abilities, any weakness he hoped might eventually be exposed, wasn’t coming fast enough for him. His next plan was to create trouble for the club. Thought it would test Mace, reveal a weakness.”

  “Mace ain’t weak,” Rusty objects.

  Hellfire raises his chin. “He’s not. He’s a fuckin’ good enforcer. But in Taser’s head, he wasn’t good enough. It was pure accident Paladin got in his sights. He thwarted Taser’s plans to have a murder pinned at our door. He wanted us to think there was a gang involved, which is why he got his cousin to cause other disturbances that night.”

  “For which his cousin got paid in auto parts. Three hundred dollars’ worth for aiding and abetting a murder.”

  Hell shakes his head, “Abetting, covering it up, yes. But Taser swears blind his cousin didn’t know why he needed to dispose of the vehicle.”

  “Is this cousin thick?” Buzzard’s eyes go wide. “You don’t dump a car for no reason.”

  “Not the sharpest tool in the box, it would appear,” Hellfire confirms, then pauses, and looks straight at me. “Cousin’s name is Drayton. Pal’s already got proof of his involvement. Seen the
stolen parts already on his bike. But let’s continue. Taser got part of what he wanted, the club on lockdown. Brothers getting frustrated, chasing our tails trying to find an external enemy. He was laughin’ that no one was looking within. But of course, we didn’t find anything. That’s when he decided to escalate matters. Not just, in his mind, exposing Mace’s incompetence, but to set Mace up.”

  “I made that fuckin’ stupid comment about Jayden,” Mace groans.

  “Fuck, no one took it seriously,” Sparky’s lookin’ perplexed. “Tempers were getting frayed, no one likes being cooped up.”

  This time it’s Rusty who gets out the cigarettes. Smoke hangs over the table as half-a-dozen men light up. “What did you say, Mace?”

  That’s what I want to know too. Tilting my head, I watch the enforcer, interested.

  “That if it was the Herreras on our backs, our problems would be solved if we got rid of her.” His eyes find mine. “I meant send her away to see if that ended our problems. I didn’t mean it any other way, Pal, my nerves were on edge so I worded it badly. Was going to ask Hell if you could take her to Vegas for a bit, see if that quieted things down.”

  “But you said it. And in Taser’s hearin’.”

  “Yeah, Rusty. That’s about the gist of it.”

  Hellfire glares, silencing everyone. “Taser took Mace’s car. He’d got rid of Runt on some pretext, so no one knew he’d driven it out of the gates. With so much comin’s and goin’s as brothers were doing shifts protecting our businesses, no one bothered checkin’ the recordings.”

  “Because we were lookin’ outwards for something comin’ in, not going out,” Cad clarifies with a frown. “I was focused on watching what was outside the gates.” He glances at me. I nod. Interpreting there’s more security we’ll be tightening up in the future. He’s already said he values my opinion, someone with fresh eyes. I get a warm glow inside me when I realise my contributions are starting to be valued here.

  A glow which disappears immediately with Hellfire’s next words. “Taser got Jayden off the compound.”

  I jump in. “He tortured her from that point. The story he told her was that I was dying or already dead. Jay was distraught. She’d have done anything to get to me, had no reason not to distrust him. When she was left in that car, she had to think he could have been telling the truth. Her physical suffering was obvious, but the mental anguish on top? He’s one cruel motherfucker.”

  “And that was the man I called friend. Brother.” Pyro’s looking disgusted with himself.

  “Wasn’t just you, Brother,” Demon, quiet up to now, puts in. “He’s a narcissistic conman who only thought of himself. Bastards like that can hide in plain sight. All along he thought he was better than us, that we were a bunch of idiots he could fool. And he’s still trying to do that.”

  With all eyes upon him, the VP continues, “He’s downstairs trying to justify himself. Telling us of his loyalty to the club, that everything he did was for our benefit. That if we couldn’t see how bad Mace was doing, he’d show us how much better he could do when we promoted him to enforcer.” He pauses, his head moves side to side. “Doubt it would have stopped there. He said some pretty bad things about my weakness as VP, and Hellfire as the prez.”

  “Thank fuck the asshole’s so stupid,” Bomber says. “If he was smarter he’d have gone through all the officers. Would have found a way to get rid of them all until he was seated in the top spot.”

  Everyone’s quiet for a moment as that sinks in.

  “Anyone got anything else to add, or shall we get to the vote?”

  “Who was he working with, Prez?” I ask. “Anyone other than his cousin?” If there’s someone else I want any fucker who helped him to feel our kind of retribution.

  Hellfire nods, acknowledging my question and why I’d asked it. “Only Drayton. Very much a follower, just acting under instruction.”

  “You satisfied with that, Prez?”

  Hell glances at Demon who gives a quick nod. “Yeah. Taser didn’t have much time for the fucker. Thick as shit, he said. Just did what he told him without asking questions. Lives for that fuckin’ bike. Would do anything to get a new part for it.”

  Pyro grunts. “So that’s where the missing shit was going to. Reckon the club probably owns most of that Dyna Glide.”

  I reckon he could well be right.

  Hell bangs the gavel, his face set. “No more fuckin’ around. Let’s move this on.”

  “I vote aye,” Lizard says immediately. “Haven’t changed my mind.”

  “I haven’t announced what we’re voting on, yet, Liz. Give me a fuckin’ chance,” Hell inputs drily. A ripple of chuckles goes around the table; he waits for it to die down. “Brothers, despite all the evidence against him, this is a serious situation facing us now. Haven’t had a vote like this for thirty-six years, never needed to. Never been a traitor to the club since Black Plate, Blackie. Whatever your immediate reaction has been, think on your answer. We’re discussing killing a patched member.” Again he pauses, and looks around, looking as presidential as I’ve ever seen him. All eyes watch, a pin dropping would sound loud. “One motion on the table. Do we dispatch Taser to meet Satan?”

  Demon starts off with an ‘aye’, others quickly follow. I say it fast when it gets to my turn. Shooter gives a nod, but he knows his vote won’t be counted, he’s not part of this chapter. Aye’s ring out. Thunder’s is the next-to-last voice, then Hellfire doesn’t hesitate. He bangs the gavel and turns to Buzzard.

  “So voted. Taser meets Satan. Record that, Buzz.”

  The treasurer holds the record book up to show it’s already done.

  When Hellfire raises the gavel, Bomber clears his throat. “Prez, I’d like to make a suggestion.” A head dip in his direction gives him permission. Bomber leans forward, looking down the table at me. “Pal, here. Well, I don’t feel we gave him enough of a welcome. Didn’t know how to treat him. A member, young, yet to prove himself to us. Nothing like taking on a new prospect, in Pal’s case we were expected to accept him immediately. Taser fed into our mistrust of him, his first days weren’t made easy.”

  Embarrassed I feel my cheeks burning, I shrug to suggest it wasn’t a thing that concerned me, and exchange a quick look with Shooter. His commiserating glance in return shows he understands how I’ve had it hard.

  Bomber resumes. “We’re all hurt by Taser’s actions. Ingot was a fuckin’ good brother. I’m angry Taser was responsible, and while his admission does bring closure, I came to terms with losing my brother after the funeral.”

  There are shakes of heads, perplexing looks as brothers wonder where he’s going with this.

  “Paladin here, he had the most injury. His ol’ lady, already recovering from a traumatic past, was kidnapped and left to die. It was fuckin’ luck we found her in time. It could so easily have been today we were mournin’ her death. I propose Paladin is the one to dispatch Taser.”

  It’s hard to tell how many others agree. Me? Yeah, I’d like to have that responsibility, but I’m just a lowly member, a newcomer at that.

  “Seconded,” Demon calls out.

  “Agreed,” calls Pyro.

  “Pal’s proven himself. I’m proud to call him Brother.” That from Cad.

  As other comments go around the table, that glow inside me returns. There’s no dissenting voices before Hellfire raises the gavel. “Paladin deals the fatal blow,” he announces. “Now meetin’ fuckin’ over.”

  As the brothers leave the room, Shooter holds me back. “You okay with this?”

  I can’t even believe he’s asking. “It was my fuckin’ girl,” I hiss. “What the fuck do you think?”

  Bomber taps me on the shoulder, pointing me in the direction of the back of the club. We walk through the old and decaying buildings of the steel works until we reach the desert behind. There are targets set up here, for shooting practice.

  I wait, alongside my brothers, until at last Taser appears. How he’s managing to come for
ward on his own two feet is a miracle considering his blood loss and the way he’s been worked over.

  Demon and Mace drag him to a target and tie him against the post. Hellfire nods at me. I take my gun from my cut and approach.

  Taser raises his head and spits on the ground. “Fuckin’ pussy. You’ll never amount to anything. You haven’t got the guts to shoot an unarmed man.”

  He’s wrong. I have. “This is for Jayden, and for the club.” I say forcefully, stepping forward. “On behalf of my brothers, I’m sending you to Satan.” I pull the trigger and the bullet goes straight into his brain.

  We leave it until the next day before mopping up the rest of the mess, brothers needing the night to come to terms with the betrayal. His work done here, able to leave knowing my new brothers were now at my back, Shooter could have returned to Tucson. But when Prez came up with a suggestion Shooter had grinned, and quickly accepted.

  The whole club wanted to go. So, early in the morning, fourteen bikes rumbled out through the gates, and off on their fifty-mile journey. When we approached the housing development, Shooter zoomed past and took lead spot, and it was only he who parked on the driveway.

  This time, proudly wearing his Satan’s Devils cut, he approaches the front door.

  It’s opened fast. Fourteen bikes and a truck have probably woken up half the neighbourhood.

  “You!” Drayton, Taser’s cousin and accomplice, steps out. “You were the one who was here the other day, asking about my bike.” His eyes flick nervously to where the rest of us are parked in a semi-circle around his house.

  “Me,” Shooter agrees. “I particularly admired the parts you stole from the Satan’s Devils.”

  Drayton’s eyes widen. “I didn’t. I never. I bought them. I said… They were from Boulder.”

  “Prove it,” Shooter snaps. He sounds so much like Drummer I almost laugh.

  “I don’t keep receipts.” Drayton puffs himself up as though proud he’s thought of the answer. “No point.”

  “Dray? Who is it?” His wife’s face appears around the door. “Oh my God. Who are these people?”

  Hellfire clearly wants to move this along. He steps down from his bike and goes to stand beside Shooter. “We’re here for the bike,” he informs man and wife. “We’re taking it in payment for the stolen parts.”