“It’s Eli,” I tell him, knowing he won’t recognise the number. “I’ve spoken to the motherfucker.”
“And?”
“He’s taken Liv for revenge as we’d expected. I had to think fast, Wizard. I’ve come up with something. I don’t know if it will work…”
“Eli, I know you’ve been doubting yourself for some fuckin’ time, but you’re the one on the ground. You’ve spoken to the motherfucker. Give me your thoughts.”
Yes. I’m the one with the direct contact. I want, need, my wife back. And, it appears, I’m her best hope of that. If Archangel buys what I’m selling.
“I’ve told him the club beat me up and threw me out. That all ties have been cut. I’ve explained Liv and I are on our own, and…”
As my voice trails off, he prompts, “And?”
“And you won’t give a damn whatever happens to Liv.”
“What else, Eli?” he growls, sounding like he dislikes hearing me say it even if it is what was agreed.
I take a deep breath. “I’ve told him I know everything about the club, that I know where to hit you to make it hurt. That I’ll help him destroy the Satan’s Devils.”
He’s quiet. The silence stretches out. Have I gone too far?
Suddenly he gives a short laugh. “Fuck, Eli. This is why I wanted you at my side. Because you think outside the fuckin’ box. It’s fuckin’ brilliant. If Archangel buys into your bullshit, we can set him up. Lead him into a fuckin’ trap. Love it, Brother.”
“If Archangel falls for it,” I warn.
“Yeah.” Again, he goes quiet. “Assuming he does, what are you thinking, Brother?”
“How do you want to play this, Pr… Wizard? I mean, do we deliver him to the feds so they can put him back inside?”
“We end his miserable life,” he snarls. “If they couldn’t hold onto him once, he could get free again. I want this ended once and for all.”
“I’m so fuckin’ happy you said that.” Despite the constant fear for my wife and baby churning in my gut, I grin. I want Archangel six feet under where he can never be a threat to me and mine ever again. “So here’s what I’m thinking.” I’d come up with the plan fast, with no idea whether Wizard will think it’s feasible. “I encourage him to launch an attack on the compound.” I tap the fingers of my hand not holding the phone on the tabletop while I pull some more threads of my thoughts together. “He thinks we’re soft about the women, and we all know he’s not averse to hurting females. I can let him know our, your security is focused on the gate and main entrance, and that the entry via the forest is unguarded. I lead him in that way with the carrot he can hit you where it hurts, by harming the people you hold precious. But instead of unguarded old ladies, he’ll find brothers waiting instead.”
Wizard takes a moment, then speaks, “I like that idea. Like it very much. It’s hard to get to and you can let him think we’re overconfident, or blind to that as an entry point. I’ll get Mouse to take the CCTV cameras down and the alarm on the gate so there will be nothing visible to warn him. Archangel will think it’s totally unguarded.”
“You think this will work?” Suddenly I doubt myself. I’d have preferred Wizard to have shot me down and come up with another idea himself.
“I haven’t thought of anything better. Know this, Eli, I’d offer myself in exchange for Olivia if I thought that would help.”
“He wants revenge. He took the bait when I offered to help him destroy the club. Wizard…”
“What is it?”
“Do you trust me?” I say the words fast. “You don’t think I…”
“Really want revenge for yourself? Fuck it, Eli. I know you better than that. You’re still the man who prospected and earned our trust. It wasn’t you, our brother, that left, it was the man with a fuckin’ disease in his head.”
“Which I’m still battling,” I admit.
“Which you’re now fighting and getting the help that you need.”
My palm hits the table. “What if I freeze, Wizard? What if I can’t do this? What if I give something away? What if I fuck up and Liv… and Liv…”
“Nothing’s going to happen to Olivia. Brother, you speaking to me like you did just now? You planning, thinking things through? That’s the old you, the real you that’s been hidden inside.”
He’s right that I’m fighting, struggling to keep back the demons that tell me I’ll fail this time right when Liv and my unborn child need me.
“You can do this,” Wizard says firmly into my ear. “If there was some way I could step up and do it for you, I would. Not because I have any doubts in you, but I know your illness makes you doubt yourself.”
“I’ll be alright,” I reply, knowing I’ve no other option. Not if I’m going to see Liv, and then our child when it’s time for him to come into the world. “If he’s hurt her…”
Wizard growls. “He’s not going to get that chance. We’re relying on you, Brother. Try and get him to buy into your plan. Tell him you’ll only help if you get proof of life.”
I almost drop the phone at the suggestion my wife might already be dead.
“Eli,” Wiz snaps as though he can see me. “Don’t slip back now. Olivia needs you. We fuckin’ need you. Now listen up. Are you hearing me, Eli?”
I grunt to show, yes, I’m listening. I’d wavered, had a wobble, but now I’m back.
“If I were him, Eli, I’d take your phone and keep you secured so I couldn’t warn anyone of a place or time. He won’t trust you. I doubt he’ll give you a chance to contact me again.”
“You’re right.”
“We’ve got this, Eli. We’ll be prepared. I’ll move all the old ladies, the families and Tommy down to the clubhouse. They’ll have to stay there until we hear further from you. Come at us anytime, we’ll be ready.”
I hear the sound of a vehicle stopping outside. “Gotta go. Got company.”
There are no goodbyes exchanged as I waste no time ending the call and slipping the burner phone down the side of the couch. Amateur place to hide it, but hopefully no one will look. I’m only just in time as straightening, hidden by the side of the window, I see Archangel step out of a truck, accompanied by four of his goons.
Just the sight of them gives me chills.
Clubs like the Satan’s Devils attract men who’ve served in the armed forces, a substitute for the camaraderie and also the regime during the time they were deployed. Other organisations attract the same sort of men, men who like discipline and a routine, but who have a disdain for citizen rules. A line of command which turns a blind eye to the worst excesses of men which wouldn’t go down well in society at all. The four who accompany Archangel aren’t deadbeats looking for cheap thrills, these men are white supremacists who’ve probably also served. It’s clear to see by the way they immediately surround him, their eyes scanning for danger in every direction.
If this is a sample of the army Archangel commands, taking him down won’t be easy.
But the Devils will be protecting their home. Nothing is more worth fighting for. And, it’s my hope, Archangel won’t command such loyalty in his men as that they’ll stay and fight for him. Once he goes down, they won’t sacrifice themselves for a corpse. It’s the cause they’re fighting for, not the man, too self-seeking to give their lives for each other.
Or, so I hope. I could be wrong.
My fists tighten at my sides. I’ve got to believe I’m right. The course of action I’ll be proposing to Archangel not only means Liv’s in danger, but our families and the members of the club who I still think of as brothers.
I go to open the door before Archangel knocks on it.
Two of his men barge their way in. When it appears they’re going to search me, I stand with my arms held out straight, thanking fuck I wasn’t still carrying the burner phone. They take my knife, my gun, Liv’s phone and finally my wallet.
“Careful,” I growl as a straying hand gets too close to my junk.
Ignoring me, they thoro
ughly investigate every place I could be carrying, then lift my t-shirt presumably to make sure I’m not wearing a wire. I’m asked to kick off my boots so they can check for tracers.
Finally, when they’re satisfied I’ve nothing left on me that could possibly be a threat, Archangel jerks his head and they place all my possessions down on the table. Clearly they’re not taking the risk of me having anything with me that could enable me to be tracked. Archangel clearly doesn’t trust me. Well, that goes both ways.
“Come with us,” he instructs.
“Is Olivia okay?” I question, not prepared to go anywhere unless I’m assured my wife is unharmed.
“For now,” he replies, ominously. “Whether she stays that way is up to you, and whether you’ve been telling the truth.”
A second’s hesitation in case I’m laying it on too thick, then I decide to go for it. “I’ve no reason to love the Satan’s Devils. They threw me out of the club. Took me six fuckin’ weeks to recover and my bones to heal.” I pause for effect. “Sure, my dad’s in the club, that’s the only reason they didn’t kill me.” For the past couple of months, I’ve so often wished that they had. Now I’m glad they didn’t. I’m here and have a chance to save Liv. “But that was the extent of his fatherly concern.” I shrug. “Only reason I haven’t done anything myself is that I’m one man on his own. I’ll happily help you to hit them where it hurts. But if anything has happened to Olivia, I’m not giving you shit.”
Archangel seems to issue a lot of non-verbal instructions. Before I have the chance to interpret the slight gesture of his hand, a fist belonging to one of his thugs hits so hard in my stomach, I double up, gasping for breath. My eyes water as I’d had no chance to prepare for the unexpected blow.
“That’s the least you’ll get if I find out you’re lying to me.” Archangel grabs a handful of my hair, forcing my head up to face him. “You’ll get a beatdown that will make your last seem like a picnic. I’ll keep you alive for days, and you’ll beg me for death. Especially when I rip that baby out of your wife’s belly while she’s still breathing. Hopefully it will be viable, as I can always find a buyer for a kid. Your wife will bleed out with the knowledge of what I did.”
I don’t doubt that Archangel would make good on his threat. For a moment, fear floods through me, but I’ve started this. I can’t fail, there’s too much at stake. I don’t care what he does to me, but I can’t allow him to hurt Liv, or our unborn baby.
I force myself to breathe as normally as a man who’s taken a hard blow to the stomach can and stare at him steadily. “My desire for revenge is equal to yours. They took your life and fucked up mine.”
He walks behind me and lifts my t-shirt a second time. “You’ve still got their mark on your back.”
I huff. “For six weeks I was laid up. I just haven’t had a chance to get it done.”
As he comes back around in front of me, I notice he looks undecided.
“What have you got if you don’t work with me?” I dangle more carrots in front of him. “You don’t know how to access the compound, or have detailed information about the club. You can kill me, and Olivia, but Wizard won’t give a damn.” I inject a bite of anger into my voice. “They set you up, Archangel. They don’t care about anyone except their precious club.”
“You were VP. You played a part in me going down.”
I shake my head and scoff. “Five years ago I’d not long patched in. I was nothing but a lowly member. Drummer was prez, Wraith was VP. I only got the VP spot as Drummer begged Wizard to give it to me. He fuckin’ set me up when I couldn’t handle what went down.” I let a sneaky expression cover my face. “But as VP, I do know everything.”
“I know who’s to blame,” he insists, dismissing my embellishment. “Your father and Olivia’s. Hence why I should just take you out. Whatever you say, it will hurt your families if no one else.”
“You’re wrong,” I tell him, mentally apologising to the prez of the club. “They just acted on the information Wizard found. If Wizard hadn’t been the driving force who kept digging, they’d never have found out about your wife. It’s Wizard who’s to blame. It’s he who decided I didn’t have what it took to ride at his side. Wizard’s the man we both should take down.”
“And now Wizard’s the prez.” He seems to think my answer is plausible. His face darkens, then he slaps me hard on the back. “Seems we’ve both got reasons to take everything he values away.”
I give a half-grin, half-sneer. “I’ve got a good plan for that.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Eli…
I ride in the back of the truck, sandwiched between his men. Men who are stoic and not open to conversation. Not that I bother to start one, but just notice they don’t talk amongst themselves.
The demon who seems to be constantly on my shoulder, whispering my inadequacies into my ear, tells me I’m out of my depth. That Liv’s depending on me to save her, but my plan won’t work. All I’ll succeed in doing is dying alongside her. Well, so be it. If I can’t save her, I neither want nor deserve to live.
My palms feel sweaty, and my heart starts to race. I focus on controlling my breathing, swearing at the demon to get lost. Telling myself I can, and will, do this. That there’s too much else at stake. Trying to draw on my memory that while I have no faith in myself, despite what I’d told Archangel, my brothers saw something in me that made them vote me in as vice prez.
I didn’t get that spot out of any nepotism. As a prospect I was tested more than the rest. I earned a reputation for thinking before leaping, directing the club to do what was best. Have I ever failed at anything?
I try to think back. The only wrong decision I made was to walk away from the club and not to share what was going on in my head. But I was someone who men looked up to, how could I admit to feeling lost? How could I tell them the effort it took every fuckin’ day just to raise my head off the pillow, let alone get out of bed? How could I speak to them when I hadn’t the words to describe my own thoughts?
Wizard referred to what I’m going through as an illness, a disease. The therapist told me there were ways I could regain my life and live normally again. Hound and Throttle accepted how I’d broken down in the street. Hell, they seemed relieved there was an explanation for behaviour they couldn’t otherwise explain.
I might not have the flu or a cold I can easily shake, but I am sick, even though that’s just bad connections in my head. My synapses aren’t firing in unison, the neuro-transmitters failing to do their work. I’ve just got to fight this as I would a viral infection.
I can do this. If I fail, I lose my wife. Not to another man, but worse, she’ll be dead. And my son? Well, I’d never have a chance to meet him.
Slowly my palms dry. My heart starts to beat strongly, but evenly in my chest. My slow breathing becomes natural and not forced as I prepare for the battle of my life. I clear my head of all and every insecurity as my determination grows. With the help of the Devils I will save Liv. I’ll play my part to lead Archangel into a trap.
The truck makes a sharp turn and starts bumping down a track. We arrive at a fairly nondescript mid-sized house set back from the main road. It’s not ostentatious, but then, Archangel wouldn’t want to draw attention to himself. There are also no close neighbours.
When we come to a halt, the men surrounding me get out, and I follow the first two, knowing the others are behind me. My eyes rapidly look around, cataloguing the environment. I notice an ancient saguaro riddled with bullet holes. The sight pains me, realising they must use it for target practice. Born and bred in Arizona, it’s a slight to my culture. The cacti are protected by law, even dead ones have to be left where they fall. The disrespect shown is just another black mark on Archangel’s stained soul. Soon, I comfort myself, he’ll be another fallen angel, explaining himself to Satan instead.
As I follow Archangel into the house, I see a guard standing outside a locked door. My heart beats faster, but with anticipation, not fear.
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“I want to see my wife,” I demand.
Archangel halts his forward momentum and turns to face me, one eyebrow raised.
“I want to see for myself she’s unharmed. I’m not saying one word until I speak to her.”
He considers for a moment. I jut out my lower jaw and purse my lips.
Blowing out a breath, he turns to the guard and raises his chin. Another non-verbal communication which has me wondering whether I’ll need to learn sign language if I’m going to work with him.
A bolt is thrown, the door opened, then shut and locked again after I step in.
Liv stands disbelieving as she tries to process the apparition that’s appeared. Then she’s moving, flying at me as fast as a waddling heavily pregnant woman can, almost unbalancing me as she throws herself into my arms.
I hold her, breathing in that perfume which is so familiar, feeling that long silky hair brushing against my hands. I love this woman with everything that I am and always have. How could I ever have thought I could survive without her? I’ve been a fool. She’s as necessary to my life as oxygen.
Gently I push her away, just an inch so I can look down into her face, examining her features, looking for bruising or any sign she’s been hurt. Luckily I find no evidence else I’d not be able to keep my temper in check.
Liv and I grew up together. I can read every expression on her face. I know and understand every gesture. We communicated long before we learned to use words.
“I love you,” I say out loud, then give a little shake of my head, a raise of my eyebrow to get her attention on my face, then I flick my eyes toward the door, while lifting a hand to my ear.
She looks confused for a moment, then nods her head. “Eli, what’s going on? Has he caught you too? I’ve been so scared.” Her face grows genuinely worried. “What’s going to happen to us?”
“I’m going to get you out of here, soon,” I promise, then give a shake of my head and close my eyes briefly before opening them again. This time she gets the full force of the steely stare I inherited from my father. “First, I’ve got to help Archangel take out the Satan’s Devils. Seems we both want the same thing. Revenge on the club who’ve wronged us both.”
Hawk's Cry : Satan's Devils MC Second Generation #2 Page 21
