Satan’s Devils MC -Colorado Box Set: Books 4-6

by Mellett, Manda

  Now that’s a step forward. I can’t wait to start asking Beth’s brother questions in any one of my preferred ways. Men tend to talk while their fingernails are being pulled out.

  “Where is it, Cad?”

  “Prez, it’s a warehouse on the very outskirts of Denver.”

  Beef looks concerned. “Warehouse? We’re talking large quantities of drugs. Could be a base for their operations. Could be a fuckload of manpower there. Don’t like the thought of us going in blind.”

  Yeah. Beef’s observation makes sense. You don’t have your hands on that amount of shit without being able to protect it. Then there are the workers packaging it up. We’ve no idea of how it’s brought in, or how many might be needed to process it—

  “We’ll use the new drone.”

  As his voice breaks into my thoughts, my eyes snap to Pal who, I notice, looks smug.

  “Yeah,” Pal continues, exchanging a smirk with Cad. “Cad and I were trying it out last week. We don’t need to get too close to send it in. It means we can see what’s going on, or at least, how many vehicles there are and whether people are going in and out. If there’s a convenient window, we might even be able to see inside.”

  Well that’s a great fucking idea. Hands bang the table in appreciation.

  “Good plan, Brother,” Demon says.

  “I’ve also got a home address for the dad, Phil Foster,” Cad states. “Beth seems clear Connor lives with the man. Might be worth checking out to see if Connor’s gone home.”

  “This Phil, anything to connect him to drugs?”

  “Not that I’ve found, but then he’d hardly have it on his resume. Extortion, money laundering… those are the charges the cops have brought but have never been able to make stick.”

  Sounds like this Foster’s some crafty fucker to me.

  “Could be that Connor’s branching out on his own,” Beef puts in.

  Demon’s fist bumps the top of the desk. “That’s why we need to find him.” He closes his eyes for a second, then reopens them. “I say we go to the warehouse first, that’s where Connor was last night and might still be there. Mace, Thunder. You head out with… Liz, yeah. You okay to go Ro? Right. Pyro, Judge and Wills, and of course Pal to operate the drone. You take the warehouse. I want to get inside and tear that place apart. If you need more manpower, we’ll be right behind you and rolling. Beef, Hellfire…” he pauses.

  “You want us to check out Phil Foster’s place?” Hell asks.

  Demon thinks for a moment. “We don’t know how or whether he’s involved, or if he is, how deeply. It could be him who’s behind it. Going straight to his lair tips our hand. See what we find at the warehouse first. That will determine any future conversation with Phil.”

  “Makes sense, Prez,” says his VP. “Hell and I can be ready to roll once we know what kind of words we’ll need to exchange with Foster Sr.”

  In case they’ll be telling him, his son is dead, I presume he means. Doubt it. If anyone asked me, I’d say my money was on Phil Foster being up to his fucking neck in this shit, along with his son and Beth. Fuckin’ family affair. Patsy? Maybe not her, it’s hard to feint that degree of shock when she found she’d been storing heroin in her home, but who the fuck knows? Green talks. Loudly.

  “You want us to leave now?” I offer, getting ready to stand. I’m eager to be doing something, anything.

  Prez glares at me. “Rushing off half-cocked could get us killed. We need to have a plan. If Connor’s dead, there’s no rush, and if he’s alive, he’ll have no idea we’re coming for him. There’re other things at play here, and I want to be as prepared as we can.”

  I’m just itching to get my hands on Connor. He and his father can confirm if Beth was in on it the whole time, or whether they set her up. If they did, they’ll be the ones largely responsible for Ink going down. Only half listening to the meeting, I remember last night and her offer to go to the cops herself. Had that been genuine? I couldn’t be sure at the time, my anger perhaps clouding my judgement. Ink had made the decision though, he preferred to be taken than her. What does he know that I don’t?

  If she really is as innocent and unworldly as Ink must think, she could have been the victim of expert criminals and the very people who were supposed to have her best interests at heart. Christ, she’d be gutted if that turns out to be the truth. I realise the edge of my anger toward her has been taken off at that thought.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mace

  My embryonic sympathy prompts me to ask, “What are you going to do about Beth and her mom, Prez?”

  Demon purses his lips. “I sent them home.” I know that. I saw them leave.

  “Drugs are gone, Prez,” Beef reminds him. “What if someone goes calling expecting them to be right where they were left?”

  Demon frowns at Beef. “You think I haven’t fuckin’ considered that? Two defenceless women against fuck knows who? Ink’s claimed her which brings her under our protection. But he also wants to deny his relationship with her to the citizen world and keep her out of the clutches of the cops. And,” he pauses and looks at each of us, “as far as Beth knows, Ink’s finished with her for good. There is no relationship, and if anyone points the cops her way, she’ll confirm all they did was fuck a couple of times.”

  Ouch. That must have been a slap in the face for her. No wonder she looked down when she left. Perhaps I’m getting some of the payback I was hoping for.

  “All that falls apart if they stay here on the compound,” Prez finishes up.

  “Would they be safer in a safe house?” Pal asks.

  Pyro is frowning. “Beth’s kept no secret of seeing a biker from her friends. Anyone who was at the wedding saw them go off together, and that includes her work colleagues. It’s possible when the cops start digging, they’ll want to know how closely she was involved with him, and what she knows about where Ink was last night and why. It will be mighty suspicious if she’s not at home.”

  “Or what if the cops manage to trace the drugs back to Connor? What if somehow it becomes known they were hidden in that house…”

  “Oh, so, he left a return address in the packaging…” says the sergeant-at-arms sarcastically.

  Beef is fast on his feet and around the other side of the table, his fist, quite rightly, gets Thunder in the gut. Then he returns to his seat calmly and continues his train of thought. “There are always signs, fingerprints perhaps. We’re talking about someone who left a million dollars’ worth of smack in boxes casually stored with his mom,” he reminds us. “So yeah, Thunder, he may have left a calling card.”

  “Beth picked up the packages,” I remind them. “If her fingerprints are in the system, they will know she has to be involved.”

  “Why would her fingerprints be in AFIS?” Pal asks. “Doubt that girl’s ever been arrested in her life.”

  “She works for the government,” Pyro observes. “Same as Mel. Think it’s standard practice to take them when they’re first employed.”

  “Do they automatically pass them on?”

  Cad’s nodding his head. “Yup. Since 2015, the FBI stores fingerprints taken by employers and anyone else, together with personal info in their criminal database. If she’s been working there longer than that, then she’s probably okay. But it’s a risk they already have them.”

  “Hey,” Pyro stares at Cad, “I had my fingerprints taken when I applied for a motor vehicle dealer license. Does that mean mine are now in the system?”

  “Since 2015?” Cad queries.

  “Yup.”

  Cad’s nod back gives Pyro all the confirmation he needs. “Fuck.” But he follows it up with a chin lift of his own. “Good to know, brother.”

  “Alright, alright. Anyone worried speak to Cad later. Mace, you’ve got something?”

  My lips press together. Ink wants us to protect her. The only way we can do that is if we know all the cards the cops hold. If Beth’s fingerprints turn up on the packages of H, we need to know t
hey can’t be traced back to her. If they can, we could be facing another whole level of problems. “Yeah, Prez, I think we need to ask her whether her fingerprints have been taken recently.” Christ, I hope they’re not. Ink’s sacrifice could be for nothing if the cops pick her up after all.

  Demon’s fingers drum the top of the desk again. “I agree. We might end up having to hide her from the cops.” He rakes his hands back through his hair. “Jeez. Ink’s given up his freedom and put her under our protection. If we don’t keep her out of jail, we’re failing him. We’ll be a brother down, and his woman will suffer as well.”

  It seems incredible that Ink has claimed a woman. For a second, I wonder whether Demon’s heard wrong. But why he did it is obvious, it was to force our hand, so we’ll look after her. Serious step to be taking though. No one claims a woman lightly, and never just temporarily even if that’s what I think is in Ink’s head. Whatever his thought process, we’ve got to proceed as if it’s permanent. Or at least until there’s proof that she’s lying, then all bets are off.

  “That was a serious amount of shit hidden in Patsy’s house. Where did the dough come from?” I wonder aloud. “Someone will have paid out for that. I can’t believe it was Beth’s brother.”

  “Phil Foster seems the obvious candidate.”

  Cad dips and raises his head, then backs up the prez. “His lifestyle might suggest he could put his hands on that amount of cash.”

  “He was an accountant.” Buzzard’s obviously up to speed. “I certainly wouldn’t discount him.”

  Buzz has got a point. Mind you, he’s a money man, which is why he’s our treasurer.

  “The drugs could have been stolen.”

  “In which case,” I reply to Prez, “we won’t be the only ones looking for Connor.” This is the reason Demon held me back from being a hothead and rushing off. Looking at a problem from all angles may use up time, but it helps to be prepared. I exchange a look with Thunder. We’ll need eyes at our six. Best man to have with us would be Ink, he was a Marine. But if he was here and not locked up, I wouldn’t be facing a ride out to Denver. “We need more men,” I suggest.

  Hellfire’s quick. “Beef and I will ride with you. Then we’re in town to go see the old man should Connor not be at the warehouse.”

  Demon raises his chin. Seems he agrees. Then he turns to me. “Mace, can you check with Beth about her fingerprints? Want to decide what we do with her and her mom. I want to be prepared when the cops come calling as they invariably will.”

  Prez is right. They’re probably getting a warrant as we speak. If Beth’s name’s going to come up, we’ll need to have thought how to manage it.

  Half an hour ago, talking to Beth in a reasonable tone would have been the last thing I wanted to do. While she’s not exonerated in my eyes, I have come around to the view that by claiming her, Ink’s shown she means something to him. If keeping her safe brings him some peace, when there’s little else I can do to help, I’ll do it. I nod, and without delay, get out of my seat to go do the task I’ve been given.

  Outside the meeting room, I stand for a second with my forehead resting against the wall. I’m tired, there’s a throbbing ache behind my eyes, but the day is far from over. Lighting a cigarette, I breathe in smoke, then exhale as I collect my phone from the box we leave such devices in while in church, then tap on the number Cad had already texted me.

  I know I’ve got to handle this carefully. It’s not a stupid woman I’m dealing with, even though she may be ignorant of the darker side of life.

  “Hi, Beth. It’s Mace. Need to ask you something. Were you fingerprinted when you got your job?”

  “Yes. Years ago, when I first started there.”

  “Before 2015?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  The magic date. Seems like she could be in the clear. I ask another question to make sure. “Have you ever been arrested and fingerprinted?”

  “No,” she replies quickly, “I have not. Why the questions, Mace?”

  “Thank—” I start to say, but she’s speaking again. Now she sounds timid and scared as the implications sink in.

  “I haven’t been arrested but have had my fingerprints taken. A couple of years back we were burgled. They took both Mom’s and mine for the purpose of elimination.” She gives a squeak. “But surely they won’t have kept them?”

  Well, fuck. From what Cad says, nowadays once they have them, they go onto AFIS.

  Now she’s continuing, she sounds thoughtful as though she’s thinking back, “I wore gloves, Mace. My fingerprints aren’t on the packages. I made sure of that.” Her voice lightens as she remembers.

  “The bag. Where did that come from?” I want to cover all bases.

  “Oh, shit. The rucksack was mine. I’ve had it for years.”

  I think fast. “What was it made of?”

  “Canvas. With a plastic handle and strap.”

  Jeez. They can lift fingerprints from that. She might as well have placed a flashing neon sign over her head.

  “Will they be able to tell it’s mine?”

  Yes. “Look, Beth. Try not to worry. If they examine the bag, all they can tell is that you touched it, but not the drugs, okay? Let me take this back to Demon.”

  “Try not to worry?” Beth huffs, her incredulity coming down the line.

  “I, or someone, will call you back.”

  Returning to the meeting, I don’t waste time, knowing Beth and probably by now her mom, will be worrying themselves silly now they realise there’s something that links Beth to the crime.

  After I deliver the bad news, the prez and VP seem to have a conversation without words. Incongruously, it strikes me how well they’ve adjusted to working as a team, almost as smoothly as Hellfire and Demon used to. Thunder, while a great sergeant-at-arms never wore the VP hat so comfortably, whereas Beef seems a natural.

  At last Demon speaks, his forefinger touching his nose. “We could hide Beth and her mom which would scream their guilt, or they could stay home, and Beth could continue to go about her daily routine. She already knows she’s got to deny she had a relationship with Ink.”

  “How good an actor is she?” Hellfire asks. “If she can act normally, she could get away with it. There’s nothing for the cops to find if they search the house. And nothing to link her or Patsy to any wrongdoing.”

  “Except for the rucksack that would take them there in the first place,” I point out.

  “They threw it out? Good enough story, nothing to disprove? Or lost it?” Sparky suggests.

  Beef nods. “Yeah. Weak, but might throw them off the scent. I can’t see how they can charge a civilian with no record, no obvious need of money, nor signs of a habit with being in possession of heroin.”

  “She could say she gave the rucksack to Connor. Drop her brother in it?” Cad suggests.

  I purse my lips and shake my head. “If she’s telling the truth, she got into this as she thought her brother was in trouble. Doubt she’d want to offer him up, unless she has proof he set her up.”

  “We’ll deal with Connor,” Demon says tersely. “Don’t like any man, family or not, setting up females. Doesn’t matter if he had an excuse.”

  “Which leaves us with the problem of what happens when Connor finds the rest of his drugs are missing,” I observe. “Or whoever else is looking. Just how are we going to provide protection for Beth and her mom when the cops may turn up any moment, and we’re trying to deny there’s any relationship between them and the club?”

  Demon again does that characteristic thing where he’s thinking, then suddenly raises his chin. “I told them we’d send them protection, but I don’t like using any of us. Cops find a Devil in the house, it links her straight back.”

  “You’ve already got something cooking, haven’t you, Prez.” Beef leans back on his chair and waits.

  “Yeah. The new hangarounds.”

  “Dirt and Nails?” The VP waits for Demon’s nod. “Hmm. Early days, Prez. But Cad’s
looked into them, seem pretty legit. Very intent on joining, even after Karl told them what they could expect. He laid it on pretty thick as well. I like your thinking. The benefit is, so far there’s nothing to link them to the club.”

  Thunder gives the Prez an ‘are you mad?’ look. “We haven’t been able to test them.”

  But Hellfire’s looking interested. “Dirt’s actually a plumber. A blocked sink gives him an excuse to be at that house if the cops turn up. All they need to do is be on-site to alert us to anything suspicious, and we’ll muster up support. And Beef’s right. Currently, they’ve nothing at all to do with us.”

  Prez thinks for a moment. “I can’t see anything else for it. Ink’s asked us to protect them, but we can’t give visible support. I want the records correct though. Get Patsy to place a call to Dirt’s business number asking for a plumber. Nails can go as his assistant. I want one of them there around the clock. Cops take their time to come? The excuse is that they’ve just arrived back with a part or something. Let them know, Beef, if they screw this up, there’s no chance of them wearing the Prospect rocker.”

  “Heaven help us if one of them is another Skull.” Thunder shakes his head.

  Cad waggles his hand. “Learned lessons from Skull. Dug deeper. That I couldn’t turn anything up doesn’t mean there was nothing to find, but I’m satisfied I’ve done what I can.”

  “Pyro can go visit with Mel. That wouldn’t look suspicious. Mel and Beth are best friends.”

  “I’m going to Denver,” Ro points out. “Not having Mel go there on her own, not when there could be someone searching for their stash.”

  No, he wouldn’t. Mel’s pregnant and he’s rightfully treating her like she could break. He wouldn’t risk this baby.

  “You’re right, Ro. Point taken.” Demon stands. “Let’s get all our pieces in place. Those of you going to the warehouse, get ready to roll. You’ve got a two-hour ride ahead.”