by Nicole Snow
There. Done.
I'd bought myself a world of pain, but I'd bought myself some time too. There was practically no chance anyone was going to come out of this unscathed.
As long as I had that chance, however miniscule, I was going to take it. The club had treated me well. Whatever the government thought, they weren't just violent outlaws and killers. The Devils were the only thing between this town and far worse demons.
I'd give the man his damned evidence. Just not the kind that would lead him anywhere besides chasing his own tail.
A couple days later, I was called to the clubhouse. Mark met me as I got off my shift at the hospital and helped wire listening devices. One went under my belt, and another was in the purse, tiny black things that were supposed to send their recordings straight to his server.
I barely said anything. Wasn't sure what was worse: the horrible deception I was about to lay on the club, or having his filthy hands all over me.
When he was done, I drove in.
Saffron sat at her bar, an old rag wrapped tight around her hand. Blaze was next to her. Mixed anger and relief flashed in his eyes as I approached.
“Here she is!” he said, taking a few steps to meet me. “Christ, woman. What the fuck took you so long? She's hurt!”
“Sorry. Lead nurse held me over a few minutes too long.” I stepped past him, in no mood for his attitude. “Come on, Saffron. Let's get you into the infirmary.”
Her face was tight with pain. At first, I figured it wasn't going to be anything major. When I sat her down on the stainless steel table and unwrapped her hand, blood gushed down her palm, seeping out of a nasty cut straight across her whole hand.
“Holy shit! What happened?”
“Late fucking night. The boys were having fun and drinks. Guess I had one too many last night too. When I got in, the place was a mess. Some asshole left his pint glass higher than I could reach on the storage shelves. I tried to get up there and grab it with an empty box. The damned thing broke. I slipped, hit the shelf underneath it, and now I've got glass splinters embedded in the hand with my ring!” She looked down, wiggling her fingers slowly.
When Saffron saw the blood smeared on her gold engagement ring, her face wrinkled. “Shit! That's a bad omen if I've ever seen one!”
“Calm down.” I pulled up the stool next to her, antiseptic and gauze in hand. “We'll clean you up. The ring should be fine. There's no need to get superstitious here. You know Blaze isn't going anywhere.”
“Easy for you to say, miss smarty-pants! Things've been too quiet around here lately. I've got a really bad feeling about the boys going off and patching over the other club. Blaze says it'll be okay, but the danger is all in what he's not saying. I've been here long enough to read between the lines. Yeah, yeah, club business. I know. I – ouuuch!”
She doubled over dramatically as I splashed the wound and rubbed alcohol around it. The pain savaged her before she could say anything incriminating to the stupid bugs hooked to me.
If anything would distract her, it was this.
Took my full attention to hold her hand open, watching the clean wound. She was a borderline case for stitches. I chewed my lip.
“Holy fucking shit, girl! Why couldn't you warn me first? Brings back bad memories of that night with the Grizzlies. I don't think the cigar burns hurt half as much as having you pour that crap on this cut.”
“No?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep her focused on benign things. “Hands have some of the most sensitive skin on the body. Fortunately for you, this'll be over quick.”
I decided against stitches. Instead, I carefully finished wiping the cut and shook her wrist until she relaxed, allowing me to wind clean gauze around it.
Saffron held up her newly bandaged hand and wrinkled her nose. “Still hurts like hell. Don't I get any cool drugs out of the deal?”
“You sure do.” I walked over to the bin where we kept the medicine stockpile.
Picking up a bottle, I tossed it to her. Saffron fumbled, cursing as the bottle stopped rolling around in her lap. The bum hand made it a lot more challenging than it sounds.
She looked at me, brow furrowed. “You know, Em, your bedside manner's in the toilet lately. What's up? Is it whatever the hell's going on with you and Tank?”
I shook my head. No way was I getting into this here and now. Not when I needed to capture something mundane on tape to keep my dickhead cousin off my neck for another day.
“Just busy. That's all.” I kept my words short and sweet. “Overtired and overstressed between this place and work.”
“You can't BS me, now, nurse.” Saffron laughed. “I'd be an idiot if I hadn't sharpened my ears after all the crap I've been through this last year. Tell me straight. What's wrong? It's got to be him.”
My lips twitched. I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to break down and spill everything: Tank's betrayal, the tension at the hospital, the asshole blackmailing me who just so happened to share my DNA and a direct line to mom, who'd never stop seeing me as less than an angel until the bitter end.
“Here's your Tylenol. Prescription strength. Should take the edge off nicely, Saffron.” I paused. “Oh, you don't want to be drinking with this stuff. But I think you already know that. You had your fill during burn recovery.”
“You don't have to tell me twice. I'm not doing a lot of that anyway with the wedding coming up. My stupid brother put me off benders too.” Her lips twitched bitterly.
She'd barely heard from her vanished sibling since the showdown with the rogue Grizzlies. Saffron was still upset about him taking off and going back to the club that had brought so much carnage to the Devils and many more.
Her good hand jerked out, caught mine, and pulled hard as she stood up. “I can't drink. But you can. Let's go to the bar.”
“But I still have –“
“All kinds of crap you can do perfectly well with something sexy purring in your system. The brothers aren't going on any runs today. I'm pretty sure nobody's going to come home with a scraped knee or a bullet in the leg. Come on. You need something to soothe that bad juju.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking down nervously at the recorder clipped to my belt. I was the only one who knew it was there, but the damned thing was listening, capturing every juicy little detail for Mark's ears later.
I couldn't fight. Saffron sat me down and moved surprisingly quick for a girl who'd just sliced her hand open. I wagged my finger at her as she pushed my favorite tall beer across the counter.
“Go easy on that hand. Blaze should have the prospects covering for you the rest of today.”
“Already done, Em.” She leaned across the counter, a bright, worried sheen in her eyes. “I'm not working right now. I'm talking to a friend.”
I almost choked on my citrus sweet brew. Shit, the woman knew how to pull on the old heartstrings. No joke.
“Tell me what's going on. I've tried to coax the truth out of Tank before but the big dummy keeps his mouth shut way too well. What did he do?”
Crap! I definitely didn't want the recorder to hear this. I scraped my glass loudly on the counter and swiveled my chair, tucking my shirt a little tighter, anything to put an extra layer between my voice and the bug. Probably wouldn't work, but at least it would make me feel better.
“He cheated.” Saffron's eyebrows went up. “He fucked me over when I thought he was finally coming around. Turns out he's just like the others here. I don't know why I thought different. Tank's no different than Stinger, Smokey, Stone, and all the rest, drinking and whoring his life away.”
I shuddered. The pain was really starting to put the squeeze on my heart. Shaking my head, I reached for her good hand when she offered it. Saffron squeezed my fingers tight.
“You gotta be shitting me, girl. Are you sure that's what happened? I'm here all the time and I've never seen Tank drooling over any woman except you.”
Damn. That made it even worse. He'd done it in private, away from
me and the old ladies and even his own brothers.
Despicable bastard, I thought. How could I have ever been so delusional? How could I have thought I loved you?
“He told me so himself. It was right after your mom's funeral, before all the other crap came down.” I was pissed, sick to tears, but I managed to keep my words vague for the mic. “He said he fucked that slutty blonde who's here full time. Marianne.”
Her name tasted like ash on my tongue. God, if I could've just banished her from my head forever, I would've done it. And Tank's filthy ass too. Imagining them together knotted my intestines like nothing else.
“That slut!” Saffron showed her teeth. “She sleeps around a lot, yeah. Kind of her job. I thought she was one of the better ones. Always seemed to keep to herself when the boys aren't coming to her. It took me a long time to stop eyeballing the bitch around Blaze after he claimed me, but I never saw her make a move on him. Not once.”
There's a lot that goes on here even old ladies don't know, I thought.
Her words weren't any consolation. I gulped the beer, pouring it down my throat until the carbonation hurt, desperate to blast away the panic, hate, and shame clawing at my chest.
“Hasn't he talked to you?” Saffron straightened up, wincing as she put pressure on her bandaged hand. “I mean, he's here at the bar a lot, drinking all alone. Fucking sad sack. He's been like that ever since the fight at the –“
“Let's not talk about that.” I wasn't sure which was harder: blinking back tears or being constantly paranoid one of us would slip up and give Mark what he needed.
Saffron blinked. “You're right. It's ancient history now. What I want to know is what you plan to do about this.”
“Do?” My turn to blink like a fool.
What could I possibly do about him, or any of this? I wasn't going to say it, but I wanted to.
If only I could've ripped off the mic and told Saffron how fucked I really was. Not to mention how damned stupid. Any sane woman would've thrown a cheating man to the wolves, and her wounded heart with him.
Not me. Tank's dagger hurt, and it was still there too, far more than the dangerous family betrayal Mark sprang on me.
“Yeah. Aren't you going to talk to him? Give him a big damned piece of your mind?”
My heart sank. I remembered our last conversation earlier that week, right after he caught me following the fight with Mark. I'd told him exactly where to go.
“I already did. The idiot came to my house a few days ago. Don't know why he followed me home in the first place. It was a really bad time...family stuff I don't want to talk about. I laid into him and told him to stay the hell away. I let him know I wanted nothing to do with him ever again.”
I clanked my glass. God, I needed a refill.
Saffron pursed her lips. “Hm. Something doesn't add up. All Tank ever talked about was keeping you safe. He told me so while I was getting my last tat for Blaze, and that was after he supposedly did the dirty deed with the slut.”
“I don't know.” I shrugged.
“No, neither do I. I'm not going to let this go, Em. Don't get it myself. I'm going to find out exactly what the hell's going on around here...”
Saffron turned, exited the bar, and took off down the hall.
“Wait! Where are you going?” I called after her, but she wasn't stopping.
Shit. I hadn't even gotten that refill before she started to move.
I stared glumly around the bar, wondering why the place was so damned empty today. The door to the garages was wide open, as it usually was. I got up and walked over slowly, leaving the bar's low classic rock thumping in the background.
When I was closer, I heard voices. Unmistakably male.
Carefully, I peeked outside. Several guys stood in a small group around their bikes, a big crate in the middle. Blaze, Tank, Moose, and Roller were all there, along with a man I didn't recognize.
“Well, let's see it, Bolt,” Blaze said. “I'd really like to know why Throttle's telling us to be so fucking careful with this shipment.”
The skinny stranger who had to be Bolt kneeled, crowbar in hand, grunting as he pried open the lid. I gasped when I saw what was inside. So did everybody else – and it took a lot to surprise men in this club.
Shaking, my hand tore at my belt, desperate to switch the damned thing off. Mark told me to leave it on at all times, but I could make excuses later. I had to if I didn't want to rat everybody else out.
The pile of bazookas was so incriminating it would've gotten every Devil rounded up coast to coast.
“Fucking-A! Christ!” Blaze circled the arsenal, prowling around it like a wolf.
Tank looked on coldly. Moose laughed and shook his head. Roller ran a tense hand through his spiky crew cut, eyes ready to pop out of his strong young head, plucking at his lip ring.
“Un-be-fucking-lievable!” Blaze sputtered again. “What the fuck's going on in Dakota? I was cool running autos and ammunition and all the usual stuff...didn't think we were getting into the business of transporting shit to shoot down fighter jets!”
“It's for armored columns, boss.” Tank looked up. “That's the official function, anyway. Anti-tank units souped up after the Cold War. Uncle Sam's got way too many of these in stockpile and nobody to dance with, unless the Russians or Chinese lose their damned minds. It's not real useful in the brush fire wars. Terrorists don't have tanks.”
“Real shitty timing too, Prez. We've got that thing with the Rams tomorrow.” Moose shifted, heavy on his feet. I could practically feel the stress building hot acid in his gut.
“Tell me about it! I don't need any reminders, asshole.” Blaze circled tighter, angrier, beaming hatred at the weapons piled on the ground.
“It'll be all right. I just need two of your guys to keep the truck safe. Throttle couldn't spare anybody for escort duty. That's why he's asking for direct escort from our Montana bros for this shipment,” Bolt said, standing up and putting the lid down. “Those are the units. All stacked up in one pretty box, instruction manuals and everything.”
“What about the fireworks?” Tank said.
“We're letting those chill in the truck,” Bolt said. “The less moving missiles around when they don't need to move, the better. We just gotta take it to port in Tacoma like usual. Got a freighter waiting for us from Malaysia. They'll take it from there, and pay up too.”
“Damn. We're turning into a real international business. Didn't see that coming.” Moose smiled and looked up at Tank.
The giant who ripped my heart out just glared, silently shaking his head. If he had any wild opinions about it, he was keeping them to himself.
“Well, fuck,” Blaze growled. “This is something I ought to call Throttle about myself and find out what the hell he's doing, but we don't have time for that. If the Rams get pissy or – hell – the Grizzlies catch wind of what's moving through their territory, all our asses will be in a whole heap of trouble. Truce or no truce.” He turned to Bolt and took several steps forward, looming over him. “I want this shit gone tonight. Drive the graveyard shift if you have to. You asked for two guys? I'll give you three.”
He pointed. “Roller. Go get Smokey and Stone. This is a damned good chance for those boys to earn their patches.”
“Holy shit. Me, Prez?” Roller tapped his cut in disbelief. “You know I don't have any combat experience like our brother here...”
Tank stared glumly. Blaze walked up to Roller and slapped his shoulder. “No, bro, don't pussy out on this. Tank's got more important shit to do with the rest of us tomorrow. Come on, Roller. I'm trusting your ass.”
“Emma!” Saffron tapped me on the shoulder.
I nearly went through the ceiling. Spinning around to face her, I came face-to-face with Marianne, the whore who'd crashed my world apart, everything I'd wanted with Tank. My hands wrestled near my pockets, struggling to flip the recorder back on.
If I was going to throw my asshole cousin a bone, then it was better he got a
bunch of filthy personal shit than anything that might incriminate the club.
Saffron had her good hand on the bitch's arm like she was hauling around a bratty girl. The blonde slut was in her robe, an annoyed look clouding her face. She didn't look half as pretty without her makeup.
“I brought this bitch over so you can hear it from the horse's mouth.” Saffron jerked at her arm. “Go ahead! Tell her what you just told me.”
Snarling, Marianne twisted her hand, tearing away from Saffron's grip. “Fuck you, bitch! I'm not under your damned control and I don't owe anyone anything. First you wake me up and haul my ass out here like I'm some kinda criminal. Now you want me to talk to this stupid nurse?”
Saffron wasn't taking her shit. I jumped out of the way just in time as Blaze's old lady plowed into the slut and pushed her to the wall.
“Fuck! Bitch! I'm gonna fuck you up!” Marianne clawed, trying to get momentum. She thrashed at Saffron's arms and caught her hand.
I watched her overpainted fingernails slide across the bandage. Saffron shrieked, mad rage building in her eyes as she went for the whore's hair with her good hand. She pulled so hard the bitch kicked, and they both went to the ground.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Moose burst through the door. The other guys were right behind him.
When Blaze saw me looking on aghast at the two women rolling and hissing on the ground, he ran. “Fucking shit! Stop, baby. Get off that fucking whore!”
Blaze dragged her back while Moose went for Marianne. Pulling them apart was just as bad as separating two wild animals determined to claw each other to tatters.
Behind them, Tank, Bolt, and Roller watched, ready to step in. Funny, in its own twisted way, to see all these badasses lined up to keep a few crazy girls from bringing the whole clubhouse down.
“This slut started it!” Saffron growled. “Takes a pretty stupid fucking slut to attack an old lady.”
“Bitch!” Marianne spat. I got caught in the mist and wiped my face, wondering how many nasty germs were crawling over me, even with her constant screenings. “You're the one who dragged me out of bed! All over some shit that's none of your goddamned business.”
