“He did that.” Drummer confirms my memory is correct. “Found out he’s in the same pen as Hawk.”
Knowing there has to be a reason for this history lesson, I wait for what’s to come.
“Got a visit arranged to see him. You want to come along?”
“What you thinking, Prez? Think Stub could get to Hawk?”
Drum’s eyes narrow. “I’m thinking he might be able to get us some information so we know what we’re dealing with.” Prez sits back in his chair, his hands steepled under his chin. “Things don’t sit right with me. We’ve got a pastor with a violent streak who’s capable of nearly killing a man. A pastor who has links with an outlaw MC to the extent they were happy keeping Becca locked down while he was inside. Now, I might not have much time for religion, but that doesn’t sound like your normal man of the church to me.”
Nor to me. “And that possible basement under the church which no one knows about?”
“No one?” Drum’s eyebrow rises. “The good church goers possibly not. If it does exist, I’m fuckin’ curious about what might be hidden there. And exactly who knows about it.”
“I’d like to know too.” Wraith’s been quiet until now. “Might be nothing, Becca could be right, the plans were changed for some reason. But if she’s wrong and we can find the entrance, might be very interestin’.” He pauses, tapping his finger against his lips. “Rock, I know you don’t want Becca anywhere near that place, but she’s spent darn near half her life there. Might be useful to have her along.”
“Wraith, I don’t think…”
“VP’s got a point, Rock. Bring her with us. Nothing’s gonna happen to her with us there.”
I don’t like it. Don’t like it at all. Girl’s been through too much as it is. Don’t want to distress her again, or fuck it, take her into a situation where someone might see her and recognise her. But her knowledge could be useful. On the other hand, I don’t want to expose her to any risk. “I’m sorry, Prez, I don’t like the idea.”
Prez and the VP share a knowing look, which I don’t understand, then Drummer says firmly, “Know you care for her, Rock. But you can’t deny it will be easier if she comes along. She’ll know the layout for one thing. We go tonight. You, obviously, Wraith, and myself.”
“Might need more, Prez. Don’t know what we’re walkin’ into.” Wraith waves his hand toward me. “If it was Sophie I’d want to know we had enough men to keep her safe. Whatever we find there.”
Prez nods. “Good point, VP. I’ll see if Joker and Lady are up for it. Maybe Marvel too. Slick could be useful as well. We’ll go in the trucks. Want to go in quiet.”
I frown. “Any suspicions of what we might find, Prez?”
“Not a fuckin’ clue, Brother. Just got the feel in my gut that something’s not right.”
I’m completely with him there.
While my gut tells me it’s wrong to take Becca, I can understand why Drummer wants her along. Now I’ve just got to tell her.
She might have been kept sheltered from the world, but Becca’s got an innate bravery. To my surprise, she hadn’t made any protest when I contradicted myself and told her she was coming with us to Hawk’s prior church after all. If she had appeared concerned I’d have gone back to the prez again. But it seems Becca can’t do enough to help the club which has given her sanctuary, however she personally feels about it.
After dinner we leave. Becca is quiet on the drive up to Phoenix. When I put my arm around her she tenses, but then leans into me after a few moments, relaxing. It’s then I realise she’s had one hell of a day. The vile accusations I’d thrown at her, then our argument when I hoped she’d forgiven me. That kiss. And now this.
“Becca. Does the new pastor live near the church?” Drum calls from the front passenger seat.
“No, there’s no houses near. It’s quite isolated.”
I catch Wraith’s eyes in the rearview mirror. That only give’s our suspicions more substance.
“And he’s not the new pastor, only the temporary one until Hawk comes out.”
“Fuckin’ what?” I exclaim.
Becca shifts under my arm, then says, “He’s been forgiven and promised his job back by the elders. They put it down to a temporary aberration. I don’t know what he told them, but he even went up in the estimation of some of the men. He’ll be returning as the pastor.”
“Christ.” It’s probably an inappropriate term to use, but these upstanding citizens go down in my opinion. Just because they liked the way that he interpreted the Bible they’d forgive him anything.
Becca’s speaking again. “I think this is a wild goose chase. If there really was a basement, everyone would know about it. I’ve all but lived in that church. From when I was a teenager, and even more while I was married to Hawk. Every Sunday, most days during the week too. There are no hidden doorways, nothing to find, I assure you.”
“It’s still worth checking out,” Wraith calls over his shoulder before putting his eyes back on the road.
Not much more is said, and Becca is quiet as we drive up the I10 then arrive at the suburbs of Phoenix. Wraith’s programmed the GPS so has no need for directions. Becca’s hand goes to her face, and in the light from the streetlamps I see her chewing on her nails. Curling my fingers around her, I pull her hand down and squeeze it.
“You’ll be fine,” I murmur into her ear. “I’m not leaving your side for a second. Trust me, Becca.”
“It brings back bad memories,” she whispers back.
It’s just a church. A modern building. But as I watch it loom in front of us I find I’m seeing it through Becca’s eyes. If it wasn’t for the beliefs of the people who worship here, she wouldn’t have been tied to a man like Hawk with their blessing. Or be so cowed she doesn’t know how to think for herself. Every Sunday she’d be here, listening to the man she hated spouting his sermon, knowing even her parents didn’t support her. Fuck, the men with old ladies call their women property, but we worship at their feet. These churchgoers think a man holds dominion over his wife. Property in its basest sense. The patriarchal view that a man makes all the decisions, his wife existing only to serve him. Under my arm, Becca seems to shrink.
“Do you still believe in God?” I wonder aloud.
She glances at me, then at the building ahead and shudders. “God, I think, yes. The church, no.”
I squeeze her tight, only letting her go when the truck rolls to a stop a hundred yards away from the structure we’ve come to explore, wondering whether it will really give up any secrets tonight.
Or whether we’re on a fool’s errand.
Chapter 23
Becca
I hate coming back. I hadn’t realised how much it was going to affect me. While the church will be empty at this time of night, my mind conjures up all the sanctimonious people who would attend every Sunday. Who really knew what they got up to behind closed doors Monday to Saturday, only to receive absolution once a week? Since I married Hawk and got a taste of what could go on out of sight of his parishioners, the building had ceased to hold any comfort for me.
Rock holds my hand as I get out of the back seat, keeping it tight in his as the other truck parks behind us.
“You were right, Becca. It’s quite isolated here.” Drummer’s staring around. I know he’s seeing the large, and at this time of night, empty parking lot surrounded by parkland.
I start trembling, but as Rock squeezes my hand I try to make myself think. “There are motion sensors that trigger lights to come on.”
“Can we approach without setting them off?”
“Yes, if we go around the back,” I explain to Drum. “There’s no cash kept on site, no reason to think the church would be robbed. They’re there for convenience, not security.”
“Explain the alarm system to me,” Slick requests.
“It’s on the doors and windows. We’ll walk around the side once I’ve got the key. I can disarm it…”
“They might have changed
the code, Becca,” Wraith says patiently. “What Slick’s asking is who it’s connected to.”
“The pastor’s house. But it’s never gone off all the time I’ve been here. Hawk didn’t want the police to attend before he did.”
It’s dark, but I can hear shuffling of feet as though my words had triggered a reaction. As I rerun what I’d just said through my mind it dawns on me I’d never thought that was suspicious before.
“What you thinking, Slick?”
“Disable the electric. You know where the fuse box is, sweetheart?”
Although Slick’s married to Ella, I’m still wary of the bald-headed man, not having had much to do with him. But Rock’s arm that’s drawn me into his body gives me confidence. “Yes. I can show you.”
I lead them in the direction that I know won’t trigger the lights, and at the back of the church come to a junction box. I point to it. “That’s where the electric comes into the building. The fuse box is on the other side of the door.”
Slick gets out a flashlight and fiddles around for a moment. Soon he stands up. “I’ve shorted it. Will fix it again before we leave.”
“Where’s the key, Becca?”
Answering Drummer with an action I go to a vent on the wall and use my fingernails to pry off the cover. There inside is a full set of keys. Still thinking they’re wasting their time, I select the one to the back door, put it into the lock and open it. The alarm stays silent.
“Right,” says Drummer. “Let’s fan out. We’re searching for anything that might indicate there’s a basement.”
As the men fade off into the darkness with only their flashlights to guide them, I again lean into Rock. “There’s nothing to find. I know this place like the back of my hand.”
Rock gets out his own flashlight. “Come on, Becca. Let’s go looking. Before you weren’t looking for an entrance. Now you are, you might see something different.”
Alongside him I walk around, answering all his questions. He points at a doorway. “Kitchen,” I tell him, and then go inside with him. He opens cupboards, even looks under the sink, but as I’d said, there’s nothing. I start hoping they’ll soon give up. This place brings back nothing but bad memories. Hawk shouting at me when the sandwiches I’d cut weren’t absolutely even.
I’m standing, staring at the counter, trembling as my mind dredges up the expectation of past punishments, when there’s a muffled shout from the main church room. Rock quickly grabs my hand and leads me back out. The flashlights play on the altar which, to my surprise, isn’t in its usual place. As I watch, Lady and Joker push it over further, seemingly with ease.
“Well, lookie here. What have we fuckin’ got?”
I find myself waiting for the bolt of lightning that will strike down the man who’s dared swear in church, but none comes. Maybe God’s forsaken this building. A thought confirmed when Drummer triumphantly lifts the handle which opens a trap door. The hand which isn’t being held tightly by Rock goes to my mouth. How did I not know that was here?
Rock and I are the last to descend the wooden stairs into a cavernous space that seems to mimic the size of the church above. In between the numerous support pillars are boxes upon boxes. The area is chock full of stuff. Wide-eyed, I watch as Slick and Wraith start opening them.
Guns. More guns than I have ever seen in my life, or even imagined I would. Evil looking assault rifles, handguns. Oh my, are those grenades?
“Hawk didn’t even own a handgun,” I find myself saying incredulously. “He can’t have known these were here.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I think Hawk was very much in the know.” Rock moves me forward and starts examining the contents himself. “Lot of AK15s here. Bump stocks too.”
Drummer’s eyeing everything carefully. “Reckon we’ve found out why Herrera needs a new mule. His pipeline dried up when Hawk was committed.”
“The timing fits.” Wraith seems to agree, while I haven’t a clue what they’re talking about.
Slick’s looking around. “Something doesn’t add up. Why would the stock still be here? Surely Hawk had people working for him? Why wouldn’t they carry on the business?”
“I don’t like this, Prez.” Rock’s voice rumbles against my head. “This isn’t necessarily old stock. Hawk’s men might still be working for him. You might be wrong about the Herreras.”
“Um,” I don’t like to interrupt, but I’ve got a feeling they’ll want to hear this information. “I think you might have killed them all.” Hawk may have made me into someone who acted like a puppet, but he hadn’t been able to stop me thinking. As all eyes turn to me, I continue. “The Riders came from Phoenix. Most of the chapter moved to Tucson, the rest stayed here. If Hawk knew them well enough for them to keep me prisoner, maybe they were who he was using.”
Rock picks up when I break off. “She’s on the right track, Drummer. The extra men he brought in to take us down were from Phoenix. We wiped them all out. It also explains why the Herreras were so keen to give an unknown MC their trade. They were either already dealing with them, or knew they were in the business.”
“Slick, catalogue exactly what’s here, will you?” Having given his instruction, Drummer looks sharply at me. “You forget you’ve seen this, you hear me?”
I quickly nod. I can do that. I don’t want anything to do with it. Just seeing all the guns around me is making me nervous.
“I’ve got a rough estimate, Prez. But in case Becca’s wrong about the Riders, don’t want to hang around much longer.”
“Just what I was thinking, Slick. This is one fuck of a haul, and if there’s anyone left breathing who knows about it, they’ll be keeping an eye on it.”
“Expecting trouble, Prez?”
Prez pulls at his beard. “Always expect trouble, Joker. Always. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Again Rock and I are the last to go up the stairs. As soon as we’re out the altar is pushed back into place, Lady getting on his knees and checking with the aid of the flashlights that there’s no tracks left to leave a sign it’s ever been moved, brushing away any marks that were made. Then we hastily exit the building. I lock the door and put the keys back behind the vent while Slick does something to the electric again.
Immediately when he does, the lights go on in the church. Someone must have come in the front door.
“Make a run for it?” Rock’s voice sounds tight.
Drummer points to the light flooding out of the window and illuminating the ground. “They’ll see us if they look out.”
A voice comes from inside. “Can’t see anyone’s here.”
“The alarm definitely went off?”
“I heard it.”
“Fuckin’ alarm must have battery backup.” Slick bangs his hand against his head as though he should have thought about it.
I recognise one of the speakers. It’s the new pastor. Hawk introduced me when he had to step away from the role after being arrested. Quickly I think. “Drummer, get your men round the other side. I’ll handle this.” I pull away even though Rock has me held tightly.
“No…”
“Rock,” I hiss. “Go. Now. I’ll be alright.”
Drummer drags him away as the men fade into the dark shadows of the walls. As the back door opens and light floods out, I’m standing there in full view.
“Becca?”
I meet his eyes for a second, then look down at my feet. “I’m sorry, Pastor Alton. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I thought the alarm was the same code…”
“Never mind that. Why are you here, Becca?” Pastor Alton’s voice sounds full of concern, while the other man stands impassively. His eyes though, they roam. In a way that makes my skin creep.
“I…” I pause, giving myself a moment to think. “I was just missing Hawk so much. I wanted the comfort of his church.”
The two men exchange looks. Looks I don’t like.
“Come inside, Becca. We’ll…pray together.”
“It’s alright, thank
you. I already prayed by myself. I’ll just be on my way…”
But before I can turn, the second man’s hand takes hold of my shoulder. “Please, the pastor is right. You must be missing your husband and need to talk to someone. Come in and let us give you comfort.”
“No. I’m fine.” I shrug off his touch and get prepared to run. “I’ve finished now. I’m so sorry for disturbing you.” Then I add what they must know. “Hawk wouldn’t like me to be talking to men alone. Not even you, Pastor.”
“Hawk wouldn’t like you running around in the middle of the night on your own. Especially when you’re supposed to be dead,” the unknown man observes.
My eyes go wide, and I don’t move fast enough.
Suddenly I’ve got a stranger’s arms on me. He twists my arms behind my back and starts pushing me into the church. I dig in my heels, but he’s too strong.
He doesn’t even wait until I’m completely inside before he snarls a question I didn’t expect. “Who was it that died in that fuckin’ cellar if it wasn’t you, Becca? Who’s been helping you? And if you’re so concerned about Hawk, why did you let him think you were dead?”
“Not so fast.” The sound of a safety being taken off right by his head makes the man stop.
“And you, Pastor.” A second gun comes into view.
As the man’s arms drop away I throw myself at Rock, tears running down my face as I silently sob.
“Take her back to the truck,” Drummer says. “We’ll deal with everything here.”
I let Rock lead me away, waiting for the sound of gunshots which I expect I’ll soon be hearing, expecting them to deal with the two men the same way they dealt with the Chaos Riders. I grimace. They can’t kill a pastor, surely? But I’ve no say in whether they do or don’t.
Something’s playing on my mind. Once I’m in the truck I let go of Rock’s hand and turn to face him. “Why does Hawk think I’m dead, Rock? Tell me. Why would he think I died in the cellar?”
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