Listening to the debate, I’m overwhelmed that Drum’s going out on a limb, and it’s for my benefit. I hadn’t thought what would happen if Tyler started saying he wanted to prospect for the club. Could even be in just a year or so knowing that kid. I didn’t fancy being the one to say he couldn’t just because of the colour of his skin.
“So,” Drum begins, looking around the table, “I’m proposin’ we remove the bylaw that restricts membership by colour. And I’m puttin’ it to the vote. Anyone putting up objections better be ready to explain themselves.”
I get a few sideways glances coming my way and know what they’re thinking and can’t deny it. By claiming Alex I’m forcing this vote. I pull the decision book towards me, expecting to be disappointed. But one by one the votes go around the table, and while some brothers think on it more than the rest, eventually it’s a complete round of ayes.
“So recorded.” Drum bangs the gavel on the table. “Welcome to the twenty-first century, brothers.” He’s rewarded by a laugh.
Red’s nodding and beaming. “Fuckin’ good move, Brother.” He gives a chin lift to Drum.
Thor puts up his hand. “When I served my sergeant was a woman…”
Now there’s shouts of derision and exclamations of disbelief.
Beef is the first to put it into words. “Ain’t having any fuckin’ bitches as members.” And his comment is echoed by everyone, albeit in slightly different ways.
“We’ll leave that to the twenty-second,” Drum says drily. And we laugh once again.
“Had me a bit nervous for a while there, Drum.” It’s Snatcher who starts us all off again.
It’s a release of tension, but Drum hasn’t finished the meeting. He points towards Mouse. “Brother, you had something you wanted to say?”
“Yeah.” He lifts his chin toward me. “Alex, and her ex. We know Thompson took out a life insurance policy, but not just on her, on himself too, to allay any suspicion. He dies, as they’re not divorced, she benefits and gets a clear half a million.”
“He’s dead anyway.” The sooner that man stops breathing, the sooner I’ll have my old lady by my side. “Much as I’d like to tear him apart with my bare hands, we need to be clever about it.” I nod toward Drum, and then at Mouse. It kills me I can’t get up close and personal, but his death has got to be arranged so nothing comes back on the club.
“Another good reason for you going to San D,” Drum states. “And once he stops taking in air, that money is sure gonna come in useful.”
Mouse continues, “Probably not enough, so we’ll have to help raise the rest.”
Hellfire doesn’t know any of this and looks mystified. “What the fuck you talkin’ about?”
Now Drum takes over. “That kid, Tyler? We can thank him for what he did, but there’s somethin’ he needs more than words. He’s got a fuckin’ death sentence hangin’ over his head. Fuckin’ sickle cell disease. He needs expensive treatment, which could be a cure and save his life.” He pauses for a moment to let that sink in. “Tucson club is gonna be doin’ a poker run to raise money.”
Now I know Snatcher’s got no kids of his own, or none he’s owned up to that is, but he looks thoughtful as he brushes his hand over his face. “Sickle cell? That’s the thing black people get?”
“And Asians and Hispanics. But in the US, you’re right. It’s mainly blacks. And they’re born with it.” Alex had educated me on the subject. I give him more info. “Fuckin’ bastard of her ex played the odds. Didn’t tell her he was a carrier. If she’d known, she’d never have taken the risk.” I don’t go into the rest of the details. I’ve given him enough.
Others go to speak, the Colorado prez holds up his hand. “Christ. Your woman and kid have been through some shit. And a poker run to help? We’ll be up for takin’ part. There’s some hobby clubs our way who’d be all over that too. Make a big splash, get people to make donations. Yeah, my club will be there.”
Demon jerks his chin towards his prez. “Haven’t done somethin’ like that for a while.”
“Well it gives us somethin’ fuckin’ positive to focus on for once, rather than watchin’ our Tucson brothers’ backs.” This is from Snatcher.
Ignoring the snide remark, Drum nods his head. “Thank you, brothers. And time’s of the essence. These things usually take ages to plan and we’ve got to work fast.”
There’s a few offers of help for that too.
Prez gives one of his rare smiles, and I know what he’s thinking. This is the real Satan’s Devils right here. One for all and all for one, just like the musketeers I was named for. It helps remove some of the bad taste left by Snake and his crew.
“All agreed then? We raise funds for Tyler’s treatment and get his life insurance for Dart’s ol’ lady.”
I grin. We’re voting on Thompson’s death. It’s another round of ayes, and I record it. Fuck, this book’s getting near filled up today.
Raising my hand, I draw attention to myself. “Just one thing, I don’t want Alex to know about the insurance money. Want her to have a genuine reaction to anything that happens.”
Nods around the table, they all know what I’m getting at.
Drummer looks pleased, and so he should be. He’s prez of the mother chapter for a reason, and everything’s gone his way today. He picks up the gavel. “Now, if there’s nothing else?” When we all shake our heads, he brings it down. “Meeting fuckin’ over. Now, Hellfire, Snatcher, Lost, and you, Dart, we’ve got business up in the storage shed. Blade, Peg, you come with too. And anyone else who wants in on this.”
There’s no doubt in any of our minds that Snake’s remaining hours are numbered. But Drum’s doin’ this right. Until we take his patch, Snake remains the president of one of our chapters, and all chapters present need to take joint responsibility for his demise. We don’t want the mother club getting a reputation for taking another prez and officer out on a whim. But the way Drum’s handled it, Hellfire, Snatcher, and Red are already convinced, the way they voted confirmed it. Now they just want to see the guilty men with their own eyes.
There’s not one of the Tucson Chapter who’s not come along. It ends up a bit of a squash as we take our places in the shed, watching the two men who, by their expressions, show they know they’ve got no hope at all.
But it doesn’t stop Snake from trying. “Look, runnin’ drugs will bring good money into the club. I’ve got connections with the cartel. I can get good shit.”
As Hellfire raises his chin toward him, Drummer nods back and lets him have his say. “I don’t want that shit in my club.”
Red spits on the ground. “Seen what drugs can do. Don’t want me a part of any of that.”
Snatcher agrees. “That shit’s for assholes. Not for this club. Bring the law down on us fast. Don’t know what you were thinkin’, Brother.” He snarls out the last word as though it’s left a bad taste in his mouth.
“But the money…”
Drum looks incensed. “Run yer fuckin’ club properly and you can bring in good money legit. You just have to fuckin’ work at it.”
Peg steps up to Poke, his counterpart in the SoCal club. “Always shied away from honest work, didn’t you, Poke?”
“Honest fuckin’ work? We’re a one-percenter club.” Snake can’t understand the other prezs’ views.
Drum’s face twists. “Yeah, we’re a one percenter club. So you know what’s comin’, don’t yer?”
“Are you puttin’ us out bad?” Snake sounds hopeful.
“Gone too far for that. You had your eyes on the mother chapter. If things had gone down differently, you’d have started takin’ us out. How ya expect this to end, Snake?” Without giving him a chance to tell us the answer, which must be written on all our faces, Drum turns around. “Peg, Blade. Get him down.”
As our sergeant-at-arms and the enforcer do what he says, the rest of us form a circle. Yeah, he’d aimed to take down the Tucson club, so this is personal, and we all want a part of what’s going on.
Red, Hellfire, and Snatcher, along with their VPs, also find themselves some space.
Snake’s a president, he knows what he’s got coming, but he stands in the centre bravely with his shoulders pulled back.
“Strip him of his patch, Peg. We’ll burn the cuts later.”
The first real emotion I’ve seen from Snake is sadness as his worn leather cut is taken off his back. To make a point, Blade takes out his knife and one by one strips all the patches off, the one saying his name, the one denoting him as president, and the San Diego chapter patch on the back. Finally, he removes the centre patch bearing the Satan’s Devils’ logo.
As his colours are destroyed, the defeated man visibly slumps, he no longer looks like a man in charge.
Peg gets the full-strength brandy we keep on hand here, and Blade gets the blow torch to light. I turn away, swallowing to keep the bile down as the smell of flesh burning thickens the air. I have to give it to Snake, he makes no sound as his large Satan’s Devils tattoo is burned off his back, taking with it some of his long hair. The pain must be unbearable, but he’s got more to come.
When Blade steps away, Drum makes the first punch, straight to his face, Snake reels back and spits teeth onto the ground. Deferring to the presidents, Red’s next, and a blow to his chest is accompanied by a cracking sound. By the time the higher-ranking officers have taken their shots, Snake’s no longer standing. When I get my kick in, I don’t know or much care whether he’s still breathing or not
When everyone’s taken their turn, Drum gets out his gun and finishes him off with a possibly unnecessary shot to the head.
Poke’s been watching. His eyes rolling wildly in his head. When Peg and Blade step up to take him down, he shouts out, “Just shoot me, please. For God’s sake. Shoot me!” The last words are a scream as he’s pushed into the middle of the circle.
How this man ever made sergeant-at-arms, I’ll never know. Instead of accepting his punishment stoically, he’s crying like a bitch, begging for mercy as his colours are shredded. He screams as the blow torch is lit. But no one feels any mercy as the reek of burning skin once again fills the air. Like his now dead prez, this was the man who would have condoned Alex’s rape by Fang and Gator, and if their plan had worked, Slick, Mouse, and I wouldn’t be breathing, and other members of the club sent to find us dispatched to their maker as well.
Prez takes the first punch, and one by one my brothers step up. When it’s Slick’s turn he steps back, and aims a kick right into his balls. I suppress a smile when Slick winks at me. It takes time as we all lay into the traitor, and when it comes around to me, Poke is no longer able even to twitch.
When we’re done, Drum raises his gun one final time. The bullet fires and it's done.
As we start to disperse, leaving the clean-up and burial to the prospects under the watchful eye of Peg, the events and outcomes of the meeting hit me with the force of one of the blows the two dead men had received. I’ve claimed Alex as my old lady, now I’ve got to convince her I’ve done the right thing. And in addition, that we’ll have to delay starting our relationship, as I’ll be leaving Tucson tomorrow.
As my brothers saunter away from the club, going off to drink, fuck, or both—individual coping mechanisms of their choice for what we’ve just witnessed, the brutality which brings primitive urges to the fore—I don’t follow them. I’m feeling it just like they are, but it’s not alcohol or a whore that’s on my mind. I peel off, and rather than going down to the clubhouse, go to spend the limited time that I have left with my old lady.
We’ve spent most of the day in church and dealing with the aftermath. Evening’s falling as I enter the bloc and see Alex getting Tyler ready for bed. I stand in the doorway, leaning against the frame for a moment, seeing with fresh eyes what I’ve just claimed as my new family. I’m going to be proud as fuck to be a dad to that special kid. Whatever his colour, I’m going to step up and be a better father than that bastard Thompson ever was, and do what I can to ensure he gets the treatment he needs to live a normal life.
Neither of them notice me as Alex tucks him in, then takes out a book and starts to read. I’m staying quiet, just listening to her sexy voice and enjoying the sight before me. But I give myself away by chuckling as she starts to mimic the animals in the book she’s reading from. Giving me a quick grin, she shoos me away with a wave of her hand and nods at her son. Tyler’s noticed me too, and now appears wide awake.
“Sorry,” I mouth, and then go back into my room. The quicker she gets him to sleep, the sooner we can talk.
I’m sitting on my bed with my legs comfortably splayed, my chin resting on my hands when she eventually comes in. I’ve spent the time thinking through the implications of having an old lady, knowing I’ll have to organise getting her a patch. It makes me rock hard to think of fucking her wearing just my cut saying ‘Property of Dart’ on the back. I never expected to see those words, but now that I’ve committed in front of my brothers there’s no turning back.
Holding out my hand, I invite her to come across to me. “How are you feeling?”
“A little bit sore, but I’m healing at last.”
Thank fuck for that. I thought we’d have more time, but tonight’s got to be a goodbye.
Twisting my body, I take her face in my hands, look into her beautiful eyes, then lower my head. As my mouth touches hers she opens for me, and I sweep my tongue inside. I take control, kissing her harder than I had the night before. It’s almost like she doesn’t know what to do. Placing my hand on the back of her head, I hold her to me and take time getting to know her taste. When at last I release her, her lips are swollen.
Leaving my hand where it is, I wrap my fingers into her hair. “Alex,” I start, not knowing quite how to proceed.
“Dart,” she replies, a little smile on her face as she mocks me.
“Vixen.” I grin, and then grow serious. “I’m done fuckin’ whores. Won’t be goin’ there again. Ever.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep… When we’re finished.”
“I’m keepin’ this one and we ain’t never gonna be finished. Don’t want no other woman but you, Alex.”
She’s shaking her head. “You can’t say that. You don’t know… We haven’t…”
“Don’t matter. And I’ve had a taste. You’ve already spoiled me for anyone else.” As she widens her eyes, I tell her the rest. “I’ve claimed you. Told my brothers I want you as my ol’ lady.”
She rears back in surprise. “What? Dart, you said you couldn’t make a commitment.”
“Been doing some thinkin’. Decided I’m not runnin’ from this. Want us to be real, doll. Want my patch on your back, and you in my life.”
She obviously doesn’t know what to say. “Tyler…”
“Tyler will be my son, babe. Our boy. And I promise I’ll be the best dad he’ll ever know. Hey, I might make mistakes, but I’ll never hurt him, or you. This sickle cell thing? I’ll be right there beside you, fightin’ for his life.”
“Dart!” Her hand covers her mouth as she hears the totally unexpected words. “It’s too fast, too much. Too soon. You said …”
“I know what I said, and I was an idiot. Not gonna chance losin’ the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Hey, we’ve been friends for a while, haven’t we? Can’t think of a better fuckin’ basis to take this to the next level.” Lifting her hand, I place it to my denim covered but clearly rock-hard dick. “You do this to me. No one else since I met you.”
She frowns again. “Eva.”
I close my eyes briefly. “That was the biggest fuckin’ mistake I ever made. Told you already, doll, the only way I could do her was imaginin’ it was you instead.”
“I still don’t understand how you could do that.”
I roll my head on my shoulders. “Truth, doll? Didn’t like that you’d taken residence in my head. Thought I could shake these feelin’s I have for ya. Didn’t fuckin’ work, babe. You caught me well and good.”
&nbs
p; Raising my hand to her face, I stroke her cheek gently, pleased when she leans into my touch. Although I’ve released her, she hasn’t moved her hand from where I left it on my cock. Her fingers start exploring, testing my length. I grit my teeth.
“Gonna come babe if you keep that up.”
Her mouth twists cheekily, and fuck me if she doesn’t sink to her knees, her hands going to the button of my jeans. As I look on in amazement, she glances up as though looking for permission. “Feel free, doll. Do what you want.”
Biting her lip, she undoes the button and then takes down the zip. Lifting my hips, I allow her to move my jeans down. Needing no further incentive, my cock bobs out. I hear air whistling in through her teeth, then, fuck me. She’s wrapping those gorgeous kiss-swollen lips around the head.
Gently I place my hand on her hair as she starts sucking and licking, knowing she’s got to be tasting the pre-cum that’s leaking out. She tries to take me down further, gags, and pulls her head up.
“You don’t have blow me.”
“I’m no good at it.” When I turn her face up toward me, her eyes are watering. “I’ve only done it once before, and I know I’m not like other girls.”
Unintentionally my fingers tighten in her hair. “The fuck you mean?”
“I wanted to please you. Like you did for me last night. But I can’t do it.”
“You don’t have to, doll. Not everyone likes givin’ head.”
“Ron told me I, well, suck at it.”
That makes me see red. “Ron’s not here, babe. It’s just you and me. And we do what we want. For the record, what you just did felt fuckin’ fantastic.” That’s it. However Thompson meets his demise, I’m going to make sure it hurts.
She glances up quickly, her eyes wide in disbelief. “You liked it?”
“Yeah.” And that’s a fucking understatement. And the thought of her lips around me has me leaking again.
Encouraged, she lowers her head and takes me in once more. And fuck, seeing her dark hair bobbing over my dick has me almost ready to blow. “Steady babe, that feels too good, sweetheart.” Realising she needs to know how she’s making me feel, I keep talking. “Yeah, right there. That’s it, that’s the sensitive spot. Oh hell, sweetheart, you keep doing that…” She’s nowhere near deep throating me, but her hands come up and circle the length she can’t take in.
Targeting Dart (Satan's Devils MC #4) Page 27
