“Well, Saffie, if you’ve had enough to eat, I’ll show you your room,” she says as she gets out of her chair.
It’s almost comical how fast Saffie’s on her feet and picking up her plate. “I’m ready,” she says overly brightly.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Niran
“Cyn!” I call out, rushing to catch up with my sister who had quickly stopped eating and hurried away when she’d finally noticed the black mood I’m in once Saffie had left the table.
She stops mid-clubroom, and swings on her heel. “What?” she tries in an innocent tone.
“Saffie’s a guest here and you fuckin’ disrespected her.”
Her hands go to her hips and she challenges, “So am I.”
Guest? I see her more as an intruder. At least Saffie was invited to stay. Moving closer, I grasp her chin with my fingers, and raise her head so she’s forced to meet my eyes.
“Get this straight. Saffie’s fuckin’ important to me, and you make sure you’re polite to her.”
“But Niran…” she whines.
I realise for the last few weeks she’s had it all her own way, and my—except for club business—undivided attention.
“You play nice, Cyn, or you’ll be out of here so fast your head will be spinning.”
Her mouth opens and shuts, stubborn lines appear on her face, but showing for once she’s not stupid, she recognises the determination in my expression. In a pure Cyn way, she shrugs. “Whatever.”
“Niran?” Lost’s voice barks.
Begrudgingly lowering my hand, I turn away from my sister, not totally satisfied with the way our discussion had ended.
“Toke’s got something to share.” Lost, with Dart standing beside him, jerks his head toward his office.
Moments later, I’m seated opposite his desk and handing a tablet back to Token with a scowl on my face, and a burning in my gut. Raising my eyes to Lost’s, I shake my head. “I can’t believe Saffie even fuckin’ entered the clubhouse.”
What I’ve just read makes me feel sick. It’s a report from Utah that has given us a rundown of the Crazy Wolves MC and all they were up to—the headlines being, prostitution, extortion, trafficking, gun running and drugs. Whatever crime they could commit, they appear to be into. Bile rises into my stomach as I realise I don’t know the half of what Saffie had suffered.
“Girl’s got spirit,” Dart offers, stretching out his long legs. “She wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“Girl’s got no fuckin’ choice,” Token observes. “Patsy told her their VP knew her fake ID. What options did that leave her?”
He’s right. I don’t like it. The four of us take a moment to digest the information Stormy’s just fed us. I stare at the Satan’s Devils flag hanging behind Lost’s desk. Memories come back to me. I’d once pledged my soul to the stars and stripes, after prospecting, I’d had no reservations swearing allegiance to the band of brothers I now ride with.
Like Saffie, at first, I’d been cautious, and like her, I was unwilling to take things at face value. That first meeting at the party down at the beach, I’d been encouraged by the camaraderie I’d witnessed, but I’d held back, caution in the back of my mind repeating a warning, MCs are gangs who choose motorcycles as a mode of transportation.
Alone and adrift, again, not unlike Saffie, they’d been the first people who’d tempted me in. When they invited me to prospect, I’d gone along with it, a chance to discover what they were about, and for them to see whether I’d fit in. We’d clicked. There was no other word for it.
If I’d had one sniff they were into anything like what the Crazy Wolves were known for, I’d have run a mile. Who would throw in their lot with an MC like that?
“Any idea how Saffie got mixed up with them in the first place?” Lost questions, wiping a weary hand over his head. “How the fuck did she get mixed up with Duke, let alone married to the motherfucker?”
Token nods. “Yeah, some. Stormy gave me details on that. Saffie comes from an ultra-rich family and is their only child. Seems her dad crossed Duke somehow, and he stole her away from them. He couldn’t tell whether or not she went willingly, but that he put a ring on her finger suggests she didn’t protest.”
She can’t have known what she was getting into. “The parents never tried to get her back?” I sit up straight. Loaded might mean enough money to buy a personal fucking army, and the question is, why they did not?
The computer guru’s eyes meet mine, and the lines on his forehead suggest I won’t like what he’s going to tell me. “It looks like the Crazy Wolves may have had some hold over the father. He never raised hell or fuck, Niran, he never even reported her missing. They fuckin’ disowned her for running off with a man of whom they didn’t approve. She apparently brought disgrace on the family.”
“Did she try to go back?” Dart asks.
“I’d say it was more likely she never had a chance. She was kept a fuckin’ prisoner,” Token snarls. “I’ve also seen medical notes of the injuries that put her in the hospital. Brother, they all but killed her. And from scars and evidence of previously healed bones, that wasn’t the first time.”
I take a shuddering breath in an effort to stop myself from smashing something. Each statement I’m hearing makes Saffie’s ordeal worse. It’s a second or two before I’m composed enough to ask a rational question. “You said they may have had something to hold over the family?” I can’t believe her parents could have turned their backs on such a lovely woman.
Token shrugs. “Rich doesn’t mean folks that toe the straight and narrow. It’s possible, Duke forced their hand.”
“She must know,” Lost states. “She clearly doesn’t trust them. If they’ve got money, they could buy protection for her. Yet it wasn’t to them she ran.”
So Saffie didn’t believe the people who should love her would raise a finger to help her. Placing my head in my hands, I rub my temples.
“Stormy also suggests,” Token picks up the thread once more, “that losing Saffie might have lost Duke any power he had over her father. That could be why he’s so determined to get her back now.”
Fuck. But that makes sense. Sure, losing property is a low blow to a biker, but losing money could better explain why he hasn’t given up searching for her after all these months. It could also mean that she’s important not just to him, but to the whole club. Noticing Dart’s set face, and Lost’s eyes glazing as though he’s deep in thought, makes me suspect I’m not the only one leaping to such conclusions.
Dart all but confirms it when he asks, “How big is the fuckin’ club?”
“Good question, VP.” Lost raises his chin to Dart. “Whatcha know, Toke?”
“Twenty at their base in Nevada. They also have support clubs. Stormy reckons they can muster about fifty altogether.”
“Whatcha thinking, Brother?” Lost queries the VP again.
Dart shrugs. “If they find out we’re sheltering her, there might be trouble heading for us.”
Prez grimaces. “That could be a problem for us.”
“Not with the other chapters,” I state. Their numbers are nothing to our manpower if we pulled in other brothers.
“And why would they ride to us? For a woman who’s not club?” Lost moves his head side to side. “At least Nevada’s a fuckin’ long way from San Diego. We should get warning if they start riding toward us, especially in numbers.”
Head-on, prepared and on our own doorstep, I’ve no doubt we could take them. Though there could well be damage to us.
“It’s just for a few days,” Lost reminds us. “Utah only wants us to keep her under guard until they’ve got a new place sorted for her.”
Dart brings his legs back under his chair and sits forward. “Hopefully, it won’t be longer than that, and not long enough for them to get organised.” I frown, the VP’s desires are at odds with my own. If I had my way, Saffie would be here forever. But Dart sends me a glance and carries on, “We’ve got more worries than just
Saffie. We now know they don’t give a shit about hurting women, that they’re into trafficking proves that. I’ve got a wife and two kids. Grumbler’s woman is pregnant. Hell, even the club girls I wouldn’t want to see hurt. There’s a fuckin’ risk keeping her here.”
Token nods and takes over. “They must have a fuckin’ ace computer expert somewhere as they found out her identity. I’ve checked Utah’s shit, and that club knows it’s stuff. Right now, I wouldn’t put anything past them. The moment they link her to us, every one of us is a target.”
“You suggesting we turn her out?” The words leave my mouth on a snarl. “And how the fuck would they link her to us?”
Token widens his eyes and starts a lecture. “You wanna know how I would do it? That nurse who was tortured and killed knew she was pregnant. Pregnant women make hospital visits. With her identity, it would be fuckin’ easy to find which clinic she’s attending, then I’d hack into the security footage at the hospital to prove it was her. Were you ever with her, Niran?”
He makes it sound too damn easy. I shrug. “Only in the parking lot.”
“Yeah. Where the cameras were probably filming. All they’d have to do is run facial recognition and… voilà.”
For the first time, my lips curve. “I’m Black, Toke. Not so easy for cameras to make me.” It’s probably the first time my skin has acted in my favour.
“You want to bank on it?” Lost asks. “You want to risk the safety of the club? Were you wearing your cut?” I grimace. That last time I was. He pauses, then continues without waiting for an answer. “It’s a long shot they’d connect you to her, and hence to us. But for the reasons Dart’s just listed, it’s a risk I’m not willing to take. The sooner Saffie’s moved on, the better.”
“You too?” I’m incensed. “They found her once, what’s to stop them finding her again? You risk literally throwing her to the fuckin’ Wolves. You seriously suggesting that?”
“Not for a fuckin’ moment.” Dart’s angry eyes meet mine. “But we’ve got to be careful as fuck. The longer she stays, the greater the risk. Some of us have a lot to lose, Brother.”
“I’ll get Stormy to hurry up on getting new paperwork for her. He was talking about setting up a few false trails in case the Crazy Wolves IT skills are more than we expect.” Token opens his laptop.
“How long does he need?” Lost asks.
Token shrugs. “A few days. A week perhaps? Then she’ll be out of here.”
“So, we wait it out,” Dart states, and rubs at his brow. “I can live with that.”
Lost is tapping his fingers against the table. “I wish it were that easy, VP.”
I slant my eyes as I look at the prez. “The fuck you mean?”
Lost’s jaw tightens. “As Dart said, we’ve three ol’ ladies in this club, one pregnant and one with two kids. We’ve got club girls who are ours to protect. There’s also your sister, Niran, not to mention brothers who’ve earned the right to sleep soundly in their beds.” My eyes widen as he continues, “I agreed to bring her in, but we’ve not had a club vote on it. As a favour to Utah, we’ve got her out of her apartment, but I thought from here she’d immediately move on, not be here for a fuckin’ week when we don’t know what the Wolves are doing. I had my concerns even before we thought of a motive. She means more to the club then we previously thought.”
“They’ve been searching for her for months,” I almost yell at him. “I can’t see there’s much risk them closing in now.”
“No?” Lost raises an eyebrow. “For months she kept under the radar, no one knew where she had gone. Then they caught Token’s chatter, and who knows what they were able to pull from that. You really think they’ll sit on their asses and wait for her to come back to them? Nah, if it were me, I’d immediately start pulling out all the stops. My view? She’s not got much time.”
I brace and open my mouth, but he waves me down. “Not suggesting we cut her loose on her own, brother. While we’re waiting for a watertight ID, maybe we can secrete her somewhere she’d be safe, and so would the club. It might be an idea to send her to Utah.”
No fucking way. Not on my watch. “I don’t like that.” I don’t like it at all. “I don’t fuckin’ trust Utah. And what about how she gets there? Without our eyes on her, she could be picked up at any time.” Putting my head in my hands, I examine the thought that comes into my mind. It’s the only option. I add, “But if that’s the solution, I’ll go with her.”
“No can do, Niran,” Dart says reasonably, jerking his head toward Token. “If they’ve got your identity, it will be the two of you they’ll be looking for.”
“Or she could stay, until her new ID gets sorted out,” Token offers, sensibly. “A few days, a week. What would that hurt?”
Lost turns to him. “My reading is that if the Crazy Wolves find out we’re helping, or fuck it, even helped her, they’ll come straight for us without giving us time to get organised. If they caught sight of Niran’s patch, d’you think the Crazy Wolves would leave us alone? If nothing else, they’ll think we’ve got information. With the women and kids, we can’t risk it.”
I slam down my fist. “Moving her on without her safety net in place just leaves her as easy pickings.”
“She’s not one of ours, Niran,” Prez reminds me in his sharp don’t mess with me voice. “I can’t ask the brothers to go into a war they’re not part of. And we’re not throwing her to the Wolves. Where we put her will be as safe as we can make it.”
“Utah asked us to take her in,” I say stubbornly. “That makes her club.”
“Like we owe so much to Utah.” Lost rolls his eyes. “You think this club will fight on just Utah’s say so? If they’re so damn concerned, they can come down here and collect her themselves.”
“No way!” I stand so abruptly my chair topples over.
“Sit, Niran!” Lost barks. It takes a lot to rile the prez, but I seem to have done it now.
Fuming, I right my seat, and plonk my ass on it so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break.
“We can’t take on a fight that’s not ours,” Lost offers more mildly. “It’s not fair to the brothers.”
“No?” I sit forward and slam my hand on the table. “And isn’t that what we did for your ol’ lady? We took on a fuckin’ slave trafficker as I remember.”
“Patsy’s my ol’ lady,” Lost says, deceptively calmly. “Saffie has no connection with us.”
“So what was that all about then in the kitchen?” I shout. “You said she was safe here, and that we’d protect her.”
“And she is safe here while she stays. I wanted to reassure her about that. None of our members will touch her. At the time I thought getting a new identity in place would be quicker.”
I thought these men were my brothers. I’d expected them to step up and take pity on the woman just as I’d done. I can’t believe they’re talking about sending her away to sort her problems out by herself. I won’t let them do it.
“I don’t fuckin’ believe this.” I shake my head, letting the sheer disgust and disappointment in them shine through my eyes.
Dart grimaces, looks at Lost, then suggests, “There’s one way out of this. If someone steps up and claims her, that immediately makes her part of the Satan’s Devils MC. She’d be protected by us, and have the backing of all the other chapters.”
If someone claims her? My eyes widen. “What the fuck, VP? That woman was claimed by a man in another MC, and look how that fuckin’ worked for her. You think she’d ever put herself in that position again? Claim her?” I snort. “She’d be exactly what she feared she’d be. Property traded between clubs.”
“I don’t know about that,” Lost says mildly. “It would be up to the man who stepped up to show her the benefits of wearing our patch.”
Token’s looking from one of us to another. He holds up his hands as if to ward something off. “Who the fuck are you thinking of, Prez? And don’t look at me. I don’t want a bitch, particularly one with the ba
ggage that she comes with.”
“Snips is quite harmless,” Dart suggests.
I gaze at him in horror. Fuckin’ Snips? Again, I rise to my feet, but this time my chair remains standing. I start to pace. Claiming her keeps her in the club and under our protection. Claiming her gives her support. Claiming her means the brother doing the claiming might never get his dick wet again due to the horrors she’s experienced and what she’s just been through.
I hear them murmuring behind me, fuck them—they’re going through names. Kink? I snort. Not fuckin’ likely. She’d run away from him fast.
If anyone’s doing any claiming, it will be me.
Creasing my brow and staring down at my hands, I think about it. Sure, from what I’ve seen of Saffie, I like her. I’d hate for harm to come to her. But a lifetime commitment where I’d be tied to someone who, as Token rightly suggested, comes with more baggage than an airport’s baggage claim carousel after a flight’s just landed, I’m not ready for that or qualified to fight her demons.
Perhaps she should leave the club.
That thought doesn’t settle with me either. She’d be alone living with the aftermath of the decision she had make. It hurt me enough over this last month when I couldn’t see her, but at least she had my number and could call on me for help.
I rake my hands over my head, then do it again. I pace to one side of Lost’s office, and then back again. Claiming her makes her my old lady. But only in name. It doesn’t need to be permanent. It’s a ruse to get my brothers to bring her under the full protection of the club, for as long as she remains tied to me. Yeah, that will work.
Before I quite understand what I’m saying, I swing around. “I’ll claim her.”
“Bout fuckin’ time, Brother.” When Lost holds out his hand, Dart slaps a ten dollar note into it.
Closing my eyes, I realise the trap they’d set and that I’d walked right into it. Giving a loud snort, followed by a wry smile, I again sit down. “There’s one condition, and everyone needs to sign up to this.”
Avenging Devil Part 1: Satan’s Devils MC - San Diego Chapter #3 Page 28
