“Plausible.” Demon nods.
“Flimsy, but it’s up to the cops to prove otherwise.”
“I’ll make sure Sparky knows what Ink’s putting forward.”
“Is Ink allowed visitors? Can I at least call him?” I want to tell him how sorry I am, that however long it takes, I’ll be waiting for him. If he ends up in prison, whatever sentence he’ll be serving, I’ll do that time too.
Demon exchanges glances with Sykes, and it’s the MC prez who tells me, “Ink doesn’t want to see you, Beth. He doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“But…”
“Beth. Whatever relationship you had with Ink, well, consider it over.”
“He blames me?” Of everything I’d been thinking, even when I was paralysed by my guilt, I hadn’t imagined he’d cut all ties with me. Why put himself in this position if he didn’t care for me at all? I bite my lip. Seems like he’s regretting his actions, and that in saving me, he’s looking at years inside. Unless his story holds up. I’d suspected I wouldn’t be his favourite person but hoped he’d at least have heard me out. Now it seems I won’t have a chance to give my side of the story. “Demon—”
“Beth, no. It’s over between you. Best you forget you ever knew Ink.”
My anguished eyes meet his firm ones, and oh God, while I’d thought I’d prepared myself, I hadn’t. A tear rolls down my cheek, and I wipe it away
The lawyer clears his throat, then stands. “Well, I’ll leave you now. You’ll keep me updated, Demon, with anything you find out?”
“I will and thank you.”
“You’ll get my bill.”
With that Sykes opens the door and leaves. I swallow hard to keep back the tears that threaten to follow the first one that had fallen. Believing the meeting must be over, I start to get to my feet.
“Sit, Beth.”
I obey, my brow furrowed.
Demon drums his fingers on the table. “Look, Beth, I’ll be honest. Brothers aren’t happy with you right now. They believe you’re responsible for putting Ink into the position he’s in. You know yourself this situation is fucked up, how much of it was your own making or your brother’s we don’t know yet. Our focus is Ink, and well, if there’s blowback on you, maybe you deserve it in their eyes.”
I stay dumb. I could protest my innocence again, but it wouldn’t do me any good. While I think Demon believes me, I could understand why Ink’s club brothers don’t. And even if they did think I’d been telling the truth, because I tried to save my brother on my own, I brought trouble on a member of the club.
“Can’t put this plainer, Beth. Ink’s cut you loose, for more than one reason.” I just stare at him dumbly while he lists them off. “First, he’s angry as he’s entitled to be. He doesn’t know yet why you had two kilos of H on you last night, but he’s not in a place where he’s willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“But when he knows…”
Demon moves his head side to side. “It’s over, Beth. As I said, for more than one reason. The other being, he’s managed to find a way to keep you out of it. Think of your mom if not yourself. Ink and the club have attracted the interest of the cops. They’ll investigate anyone connected to him and to us. Ink gave up his freedom so you could walk free. You owe it to him to keep out of trouble, and that means keeping well clear. You have to deny there was ever anything going on between you and Ink.”
“A lot of people know I had a relationship with him…”
“Not a relationship, Beth. Ink fucks. Nothing more to it.”
I lower my head, letting it rest in my cupped palms. Ink obviously hates me, even if he were to get out, there’s no me and him and won’t ever be. All because I fucked up. Now the club is washing their hands of me and I can’t deny I deserve it.
“What about Connor? Are you still going to try to find him?”
Demon’s eyes harden. “Yes, Beth. We won’t stop tracking him down.”
“If you find him, will you tell us?”
I don’t like the expression on his face, it’s so cold it makes me shiver. Well, there’s no point them telling me he’s alive if they’re only going to kill him shortly after.
All Demon gives me is, “I’ll tell you what I can.”
“It’s no good me begging for his life, is it?”
Demon stays quiet.
“Mom and I will go home.” I frown, thinking we’ll just have to put our heads together and decide what to do. The drugs have been removed, of course, but what if someone comes calling for them? I try to shelve that worry, there’s no point mentioning my worries to Demon. His focus is trying to get Ink out of jail, not looking out for the woman who put him there.
Demon raps his knuckles on the desk, getting my attention. “You can’t stay here, Beth. One thing’s for certain, police love to raid us, and Ink has given them just the excuse they need to get a warrant for searching the compound. I don’t want them to find you here, it would be impossible to deny a connection if they did.”
“You didn’t bring the drugs here?” I say fast, worried that I’ve brought more trouble to the club.
His raised eyebrow speaks volumes. Of course, they didn’t.
“You need to go home, go to work. Keep up appearances. But we won’t be leaving you unprotected, Beth. I’ll arrange someone to be at the house with you, just in case, until we know whoever owns the drugs won’t be coming looking for them.”
For a moment I’m stunned, replaying his words to make sure I understood them correctly. That was the last thing I’d expected. “You don’t need to do that, Demon.”
“Not doing it for you, Beth. I’ve got a man inside and I want to look out for his sanity. He might not want you, but what he did was for you. Makes his actions a bit of a waste if you end up dead after all.”
“Will you tell me what happens with Ink? I know he doesn’t want to see me, and I’ll stay away. But it’s my sanity at risk here, too. Please, Demon, whatever happens, let me know how he’s doing.”
Demon’s eyes flare as they focus on me. “I’ll tell you what I can, Beth.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Mace
I’m the enforcer for the Colorado chapter of the Satan’s Devils, a role I’d stepped into a couple of years back, and one I feel I was made for. Of course, I’d rather not have had the vacancy arise in the way that it had, when Ingot, the previous enforcer, had been killed. One of my first jobs had been to deal with the man who we belatedly discovered had murdered him. As it turned out, he’d been killed by one of our own. Taser had died screaming. I’d made sure of that.
I’d been voted into the position as I’m not afraid of doing what has to be done. It was partly Taser who’d spurred me on to be the best fucking enforcer the MC ever had. Having cast doubts on my abilities, I’d set out to prove him wrong.
The natural leanings inside me which make me good in my role are also probably the reason I’m not coping well right now without a target to vent my frustration on, or someone to question in ways that would ease this beast inside.
I’m seething with rage, way beyond angry. My brother’s been locked up and in no way does he deserve it. My hands curl into fists, and I hit them against each other, wishing I could use them on someone’s head. There’s a particular someone I have in mind.
That bitch Ink hooked up with, whose fault it is my brother is where he is, deserves my anger. Fuck, I wish Demon had let me loose on her. Firstly, because my methods would have left us in no doubt whether what was coming out of her mouth was the truth, and secondly, it would have made me feel better.
For more than one reason, I wish it had been me she’d targeted at Pyro’s wedding instead of Ink. Selfishly, I wouldn’t have minded those long legs which go on for miles wrapped around me, and second, I’m not so much of an idiot about women as Ink has turned out to be. If I’d been the one seeing her walking into a trap, I would have stood by and happily watched her put her head in the noose. No bitch is worth doing time for,
particularly when she’d been the one committing the crime. He should have left her to get what she deserved.
This story about her brother and her not knowing she was storing drugs? Who the fuck can believe that? Not this man, that’s for certain.
Disbelief is the primary emotion for most of us this morning. A morning when I didn’t wake from my bed—no, I’ve not even lain in it since the night before last—a morning which has seen me having to fist my hands to stop torturing a woman I’m sure knows more than she was telling, and then to top it off, a morning which saw me collecting said bitch’s mom from her house and delivering her back to the compound.
Thank fuck Rusty had been with me. I’d gone in, all guns blazing, well, hypothetically that is, but the old man had kept calm. It was his arm that had supported Patsy when she had what seemed a very genuine reaction to finding she was still storing eight kilos of heroin in one of her bedrooms.
I’d left her with Rusty when we’d returned, making sure Beaver had instructions to take the drugs immediately up to the cabin that isn’t registered in our name. Now I’m back at the clubhouse, an energy to burn off, and no target I can touch.
“This is the fuckin’ pits, Brother.” Thunder comes up by my side. “I’d kick that bitch down to the cops myself if I had a choice.”
“Demon seems to think it wouldn’t get Ink off.” I feel crease lines appear on my brow. “Could be he’s right. Cops might work it to say they’re in it together. You know what it’s like when they get one of us behind bars.”
“Hard as fuck to get out,” Thunder reluctantly agrees. “Still her fuckin’ fault. Even if she was telling the truth, she should have left her waste-of-space brother to wallow in his own muck.”
I answer with a chin lift. That’s my view as well.
I have a beer, and then another. I turn down a third, then looking around, nudge the sergeant-at-arms. “Hey, looks like our visitors are leaving.”
“’Bout fuckin’ time.” He, too, turns and views Patsy and Beth’s backs as they head out the door. Beth’s head is down, her chin almost to her chest. “Wonder what Prez said to them?”
Get lost and stay lost, I hope. Seeing her face just reminds me Ink’s not here.
“Mace? Get your ass in church. Thunder?” As Demon’s eyes go around the room, he only has to name a few people before everyone stops what they’re doing and heads his way.
Cad’s the last into our meeting room, and when he enters, I notice every seat bar one is filled. Not surprising, everyone’s staying close, eager to offer whatever they can to help, even if it’s no more than giving each other support. My rage rises again as I stare down the table at the empty space where Ink should be sitting.
“Don’t need to tell you why we’re here,” Demon starts. I notice, like most of us, he looks drawn, running on adrenaline and too little sleep. His eyes, like mine, survey the occupants of the seats around the table before he continues, “Only one topic on the agenda today. But before we get to discussing his situation, I’ve something to kick off with. I know how you’re going to react to this, so no point delaying the inevitable. Ink’s gotten word to me via Sykes.” He pauses, clears his throat, making me suspect it’s something I don’t want to hear.
Is Ink going to plead guilty? Surely not.
When Demon finally opens his mouth to enlighten us, what comes out is quite possibly worse.
“Okay, let me get this out in the open. Ink wants to claim Beth.”
Loud exclamations and snorts of derision go around the table with a loud ‘Fuck no’ from me. The commotion is such, Demon has to bang the gavel and call two or three times for silence. When we’ve calmed sufficiently, he points toward Hellfire who’s indicating there’s something he wants to get off his chest.
“Ink and Beth weren’t heading that way,” Hell observes. “Least not from what I saw. What the fuck’s changed?”
I look down at my hands, wanting to keep my mouth shut, yet in fairness to my brother know I have to speak up. “There was more to them than just fuckin’. Ink told me I’d better get used to seeing her in the mornings,” I admit. “Before… Well, he didn’t mention anything about claiming as such. And why the fuck now? After what she’s done to him?”
Demon shrugs. “Obvious, isn’t it? Do I need to remind anyone claimin’ an ol’ lady puts them under our protection? By claimin’ Beth as his old lady, he’s making her part of the club. Bringing her into it as we abide by our rules and regulations. One of which is, I need to stress, if a brother goes inside, we look after his ol’ lady.”
“You suggestin’ prison rights?” Liz perks up. “Don’t mind taking over.”
If Thunder hadn’t reached over and clouted him hard around the head, I would have done it myself and used more force. As it is, Liz reels and puts a hand to his skull, ruefully rubbing it. But his cocky grin has been replaced by a look of regret.
“Too fuckin’ soon, Bro,” Judge tells him.
I turn my attention back to the prez. “No. Just… No. That shit ain’t happening, Prez. She’s already got one of us locked up. We’re now in possession of eight kilos of H which we shouldn’t have. We don’t know who the rightful owners are, but knowing we have it, Beth now holds information that could bring down this fuckin’ club. I’d prefer her six feet under where she can’t talk. No way in hell is she getting my vote.”
I get murmurs of agreement from quite a few directions, coupled with growls of ‘I’m not fuckin’ voting her in.’
“Sparky,” Demon says, tiredly, as I notice the road captain trying to get Prez’s attention.
Unusual for the normally mild-mannered man, when he’s given permission to speak, Sparky’s hand slams down on the table causing all eyes to go to him.
“Can I fuckin’ remind you that our brother is currently sitting in a jail cell looking at thirty years or more behind bars? I say the very least we should be doing is making his mind easier. And if to do that means taking his woman under our wing, maybe we shouldn’t dismiss it.”
“But Sparks, we don’t know how the bitch is tied up in this. Bring her inside the club, who knows what she could infect us with.”
“You trust Ink?” Now Sparky’s got the floor, he’s not giving it up. “Think he doesn’t know when something’s right or not? He’s sacrificed his freedom because of her, which shows how much she means to him, and how important to him it is that she’s taken care of by the club.”
“Sparky’s got a good point,” Demon says sharply after banging the gavel to get us to quiet down once again. “Never expected Ink would claim anyone, but his actions last night showed this woman clearly means one fuckin’ lot to him.” He pauses. “I agree, if she’s up to her neck in drugs coming into Pueblo, we can’t vote her in. Yet I, for one, am inclined to believe what she’s saying is the truth. But we’re not bringing her into the club. As far as she knows, Ink’s cut all ties with her. He doesn’t want any contact with her.”
“Let me get this right. He’s claimin’ a woman and not telling her shit?”
Demon grimaces, but just raises his chin in reply.
Guess it makes it easier that I’ll not have to watch her living it up while her man, which Ink now is, is inside. “You say you believe her, Prez? Why?” I don’t.
“She was too fuckin’ gullible if she believed her brother,” Bomber sneers.
“Not gullible, Bomber,” Beef refutes, “too innocent. We look for a hidden motive behind everything ‘cause we’re suspicious bastards and we have to be. Wouldn’t survive otherwise. But Ink’s girl has lived a sheltered life.”
“With that father?” Thunder sounds incredulous.
“She doesn’t have anything to do with her father. Hasn’t seen him since he walked out when she was what, nine?” Pyro rolls his eyes.
“Got a suggestion.” Hellfire’s voice booms from the end of the table. “We give her the protection that Ink wants, but we don’t vote her in until we’ve caught up with Connor and hear what he has to say. If he’s
still breathing that is.”
“And if he’s dead?” Bomber asks.
Hell shrugs. “Sort of confirms she’s telling the truth.”
Demon gives his father a quick nod. “I’m inclined to agree with Hellfire. We respect Ink but hedge our bets. All in favour?”
I think we can all live with that. I, for one, expect to find Connor Foster very much alive, kicking back and enjoying his freedom while my brother is suffering in hell. I give my agreement with a caveat. “If Beth’s played Ink, is playing us, I want her taken out.” And I’ll be the one to fucking do it.
Demon raises an eyebrow, but it seems in the case which I believe most likely, I’m not the only one who’d want her dispatched to meet Satan. Would balance the scales if Ink loses the best years of his life.
Buzzard hastily records our decision. Prez gives him time to do it. When his pen stops scratching, it’s Thunder who asks, “What else did Sykes get from Ink?”
Demon enlightens us. “The story Ink’s told the cops might be full of holes, but with any luck it should hold enough water to stay afloat. Look, I know we all hate that he’s inside, but he is, and we’ve got to rely on Sykes that he can spin it the right way. In the meantime, with Sykes working the legal angle, we’ll keep digging to see if there’s anything we can find that might help.”
Demon jerks his chin at Cad. “The man who was arrested, the man who pulled a gun on Ink and was obviously expecting the delivery of H was called Fender Childs. I want you to dig up all you can on him.”
“On it.” The tech guy makes a note on the tablet he’d brought in. “Black? White?”
Demon shakes his head but makes a note on the pad. “No idea. I’ll ask Sykes. Did you see anything, Sparky?”
“Not Black. White, or maybe Hispanic. It was dark, remember, and I was too intent on getting Beth away to take much notice.”
Cad’s tablet pings. He fist bumps the air and sits forward, not waiting for permission to interrupt. “I’ve come up with a location for Connor Foster. Or at least, where his phone call originated from.”
Satan’s Devils MC -Colorado Box Set: Books 4-6 Page 59
