“There’s no excuse to justify murder.” Lizard throws in, looking disgusted.
“In his head, there was,” Mace contradicts. “He might have kept quiet about where Pal’s girl was hidden, but wanted to boast about everything else. Seems he had his eye on an officer role. Saw himself as Enforcer. Just had to clear a space at the table to make that job his, or so he thought. He was beyond angry I was voted in in his place.”
“He hid it fuckin’ well.”
Pyro’s frowning. “He did say you wouldn’t be in the role long, that he didn’t have faith in your abilities. That the club will soon see you weren’t up to the job.” He shrugs apologetically. “His words, Mace, not mine.”
Mace nods to show he realises that.
“Listen up,” Hellfire takes back the floor. “Whatever he thought of Mace’s abilities, any weakness he hoped might eventually be exposed, wasn’t coming fast enough for him. His next plan was to create trouble for the club. Thought it would test Mace, reveal a weakness.”
“Mace ain’t weak,” Rusty objects.
Hellfire raises his chin. “He’s not. He’s a fuckin’ good enforcer. But in Taser’s head, he wasn’t good enough. It was pure accident Paladin got in his sights. He thwarted Taser’s plans to have a murder pinned at our door. He wanted us to think there was a gang involved, which is why he got his cousin to cause other disturbances that night.”
“For which his cousin got paid in auto parts. Three hundred dollars’ worth for aiding and abetting a murder.”
Hell shakes his head, “Abetting, covering it up, yes. But Taser swears blind his cousin didn’t know why he needed to dispose of the vehicle.”
“Is this cousin thick?” Buzzard’s eyes go wide. “You don’t dump a car for no reason.”
“Not the sharpest tool in the box, it would appear,” Hellfire confirms, then pauses, and looks straight at me. “Cousin’s name is Drayton. Pal’s already got proof of his involvement. Seen the stolen parts already on his bike. But let’s continue. Taser got part of what he wanted, the club on lockdown. Brothers getting frustrated, chasing our tails trying to find an external enemy. He was laughin’ that no one was looking within. But of course, we didn’t find anything. That’s when he decided to escalate matters. Not just, in his mind, exposing Mace’s incompetence, but to set Mace up.”
“I made that fuckin’ stupid comment about Jayden,” Mace groans.
“Fuck, no one took it seriously,” Sparky’s lookin’ perplexed. “Tempers were getting frayed, no one likes being cooped up.”
This time it’s Rusty who gets out the cigarettes. Smoke hangs over the table as half-a-dozen men light up. “What did you say, Mace?”
That’s what I want to know too. Tilting my head, I watch the enforcer, interested.
“That if it was the Herreras on our backs, our problems would be solved if we got rid of her.” His eyes find mine. “I meant send her away to see if that ended our problems. I didn’t mean it any other way, Pal, my nerves were on edge so I worded it badly. Was going to ask Hell if you could take her to Vegas for a bit, see if that quieted things down.”
“But you said it. And in Taser’s hearin’.”
“Yeah, Rusty. That’s about the gist of it.”
Hellfire glares, silencing everyone. “Taser took Mace’s car. He’d got rid of Runt on some pretext, so no one knew he’d driven it out of the gates. With so much comin’s and goin’s as brothers were doing shifts protecting our businesses, no one bothered checkin’ the recordings.”
“Because we were lookin’ outwards for something comin’ in, not going out,” Cad clarifies with a frown. “I was focused on watching what was outside the gates.” He glances at me. I nod. Interpreting there’s more security we’ll be tightening up in the future. He’s already said he values my opinion, someone with fresh eyes. I get a warm glow inside me when I realise my contributions are starting to be valued here.
A glow which disappears immediately with Hellfire’s next words. “Taser got Jayden off the compound.”
I jump in. “He tortured her from that point. The story he told her was that I was dying or already dead. Jay was distraught. She’d have done anything to get to me, had no reason not to distrust him. When she was left in that car, she had to think he could have been telling the truth. Her physical suffering was obvious, but the mental anguish on top? He’s one cruel motherfucker.”
“And that was the man I called friend. Brother.” Pyro’s looking disgusted with himself.
“Wasn’t just you, Brother,” Demon, quiet up to now, puts in. “He’s a narcissistic conman who only thought of himself. Bastards like that can hide in plain sight. All along he thought he was better than us, that we were a bunch of idiots he could fool. And he’s still trying to do that.”
With all eyes upon him, the VP continues, “He’s downstairs trying to justify himself. Telling us of his loyalty to the club, that everything he did was for our benefit. That if we couldn’t see how bad Mace was doing, he’d show us how much better he could do when we promoted him to enforcer.” He pauses, his head moves side to side. “Doubt it would have stopped there. He said some pretty bad things about my weakness as VP, and Hellfire as the prez.”
“Thank fuck the asshole’s so stupid,” Bomber says. “If he was smarter he’d have gone through all the officers. Would have found a way to get rid of them all until he was seated in the top spot.”
Everyone’s quiet for a moment as that sinks in.
“Anyone got anything else to add, or shall we get to the vote?”
“Who was he working with, Prez?” I ask. “Anyone other than his cousin?” If there’s someone else I want any fucker who helped him to feel our kind of retribution.
Hellfire nods, acknowledging my question and why I’d asked it. “Only Drayton. Very much a follower, just acting under instruction.”
“You satisfied with that, Prez?”
Hell glances at Demon who gives a quick nod. “Yeah. Taser didn’t have much time for the fucker. Thick as shit, he said. Just did what he told him without asking questions. Lives for that fuckin’ bike. Would do anything to get a new part for it.”
Pyro grunts. “So that’s where the missing shit was going to. Reckon the club probably owns most of that Dyna Glide.”
I reckon he could well be right.
Hell bangs the gavel, his face set. “No more fuckin’ around. Let’s move this on.”
“I vote aye,” Lizard says immediately. “Haven’t changed my mind.”
“I haven’t announced what we’re voting on, yet, Liz. Give me a fuckin’ chance,” Hell inputs drily. A ripple of chuckles goes around the table; he waits for it to die down. “Brothers, despite all the evidence against him, this is a serious situation facing us now. Haven’t had a vote like this for thirty-six years, never needed to. Never been a traitor to the club since Black Plate, Blackie. Whatever your immediate reaction has been, think on your answer. We’re discussing killing a patched member.” Again he pauses, and looks around, looking as presidential as I’ve ever seen him. All eyes watch, a pin dropping would sound loud. “One motion on the table. Do we dispatch Taser to meet Satan?”
Demon starts off with an ‘aye’, others quickly follow. I say it fast when it gets to my turn. Shooter gives a nod, but he knows his vote won’t be counted, he’s not part of this chapter. Aye’s ring out. Thunder’s is the next-to-last voice, then Hellfire doesn’t hesitate. He bangs the gavel and turns to Buzzard.
“So voted. Taser meets Satan. Record that, Buzz.”
The treasurer holds the record book up to show it’s already done.
When Hellfire raises the gavel, Bomber clears his throat. “Prez, I’d like to make a suggestion.” A head dip in his direction gives him permission. Bomber leans forward, looking down the table at me. “Pal, here. Well, I don’t feel we gave him enough of a welcome. Didn’t know how to treat him. A member, young, yet to prove himself to us. Nothing like taking on a new prospect, in Pal’s case we were expe
cted to accept him immediately. Taser fed into our mistrust of him, his first days weren’t made easy.”
Embarrassed I feel my cheeks burning, I shrug to suggest it wasn’t a thing that concerned me, and exchange a quick look with Shooter. His commiserating glance in return shows he understands how I’ve had it hard.
Bomber resumes. “We’re all hurt by Taser’s actions. Ingot was a fuckin’ good brother. I’m angry Taser was responsible, and while his admission does bring closure, I came to terms with losing my brother after the funeral.”
There are shakes of heads, perplexing looks as brothers wonder where he’s going with this.
“Paladin here, he had the most injury. His ol’ lady, already recovering from a traumatic past, was kidnapped and left to die. It was fuckin’ luck we found her in time. It could so easily have been today we were mournin’ her death. I propose Paladin is the one to dispatch Taser.”
It’s hard to tell how many others agree. Me? Yeah, I’d like to have that responsibility, but I’m just a lowly member, a newcomer at that.
“Seconded,” Demon calls out.
“Agreed,” calls Pyro.
“Pal’s proven himself. I’m proud to call him Brother.” That from Cad.
As other comments go around the table, that glow inside me returns. There’s no dissenting voices before Hellfire raises the gavel. “Paladin deals the fatal blow,” he announces. “Now meetin’ fuckin’ over.”
As the brothers leave the room, Shooter holds me back. “You okay with this?”
I can’t even believe he’s asking. “It was my fuckin’ girl,” I hiss. “What the fuck do you think?”
Bomber taps me on the shoulder, pointing me in the direction of the back of the club. We walk through the old and decaying buildings of the steel works until we reach the desert behind. There are targets set up here, for shooting practice.
I wait, alongside my brothers, until at last Taser appears. How he’s managing to come forward on his own two feet is a miracle considering his blood loss and the way he’s been worked over.
Demon and Mace drag him to a target and tie him against the post. Hellfire nods at me. I take my gun from my cut and approach.
Taser raises his head and spits on the ground. “Fuckin’ pussy. You’ll never amount to anything. You haven’t got the guts to shoot an unarmed man.”
He’s wrong. I have. “This is for Jayden, and for the club.” I say forcefully, stepping forward. “On behalf of my brothers, I’m sending you to Satan.” I pull the trigger and the bullet goes straight into his brain.
We leave it until the next day before mopping up the rest of the mess, brothers needing the night to come to terms with the betrayal. His work done here, able to leave knowing my new brothers were now at my back, Shooter could have returned to Tucson. But when Prez came up with a suggestion Shooter had grinned, and quickly accepted.
The whole club wanted to go. So, early in the morning, fourteen bikes rumbled out through the gates, and off on their fifty-mile journey. When we approached the housing development, Shooter zoomed past and took lead spot, and it was only he who parked on the driveway.
This time, proudly wearing his Satan’s Devils cut, he approaches the front door.
It’s opened fast. Fourteen bikes and a truck have probably woken up half the neighbourhood.
“You!” Drayton, Taser’s cousin and accomplice, steps out. “You were the one who was here the other day, asking about my bike.” His eyes flick nervously to where the rest of us are parked in a semi-circle around his house.
“Me,” Shooter agrees. “I particularly admired the parts you stole from the Satan’s Devils.”
Drayton’s eyes widen. “I didn’t. I never. I bought them. I said… They were from Boulder.”
“Prove it,” Shooter snaps. He sounds so much like Drummer I almost laugh.
“I don’t keep receipts.” Drayton puffs himself up as though proud he’s thought of the answer. “No point.”
“Dray? Who is it?” His wife’s face appears around the door. “Oh my God. Who are these people?”
Hellfire clearly wants to move this along. He steps down from his bike and goes to stand beside Shooter. “We’re here for the bike,” he informs man and wife. “We’re taking it in payment for the stolen parts.”
“Hey, man. Those parts were only a couple of hundred dollars.” Drayton’s quickly changed his tune, seems to realise there’s no point in denying it anymore. “Here, let me pay you…” He starts getting his wallet out.
“You can’t take his bike. That’s his everything,” Sylvie protests in a screech. “He’s been working on it for years. Restored it.”
“You know who we are?” Hell asks lazily. “You any fuckin’ idea of what it means to cross the Satan’s Devils?”
The way I can see Drayton gulping from here shows he certainly does. His hands now held up in submission.
“Bike keys. Or,” Hell looks optimistic, “you could come with us. Yeah. You or the bike. Or your wife…”
“No!” Sylvie squeals. “Give him your bike, Dray.”
“Taser…”
“Taser’s gone.” Hell replies ominously.
“Where?”
A shrug from the prez. “Out of state. He won’t be showing his face around here again.”
No, he certainly won’t. Not that there was much left of it after I’d shot him.
At Hellfire’s signal, we all start to dismount. Drayton’s gone white. Sylvie grabs hold of his arm. “Shall I call the cops?”
“Wouldn’t do that,” Hell drawls. “Got proof your husband’s a thief, ma’am.”
I start to wonder how many other parts from the club auto-shop had found their way onto Drayton’s bike over the years, as he looks panicked. “Taser said it would be fine.”
“Taser lied.”
We all stiffen when Dray puts his hand into his back pocket, then relax as it comes out holding keys. Hellfire goes to take them, Drayton snatches them back. “Please, man. That’s my life’s work you’re taking.”
Hellfire leans in, I can’t hear what he’s saying, but as even more blood drains from Taser’s cousin’s face, I take it it’s to the effect it’s his bike or him.
When he finally gets the keys, it’s Shooter who opens the garage door, and starts to wheel the bike out. The shining metal catches the morning sun and sparkles. Cad punches my arm and chuckles. My eyes are still on Drayton. He looks like his life’s been destroyed.
“Be careful,” he calls out, covering his face as Mace and Pyro step forward to help Dan load it onto the crash truck.
Once secured, we don’t hang around. Shooter and Hellfire return to their bikes, Mace and Pyro quickly after. Then the loud exhausts echo off the buildings as we peel off in formation back to the clubhouse.
“Look at this shit.” Demon eyes the monstrosity when Drayton’s bike is unloaded. “Who’d want to ride something as pimped out as this?”
“Not someone who wants to stay under the radar, that’s for sure,” Pyro answers, walking around it.
“You see his face, man? Think he’d have preferred us to take his wife.”
Yeah. That’s what I’d thought. Part of me thinks he got away lightly, but knowing how attached a man can get to his ride, I think he got a just punishment. Taser had been the ringleader after all, and it would have been too risky offing his cousin as well.
“That hurt him, Brother.” Shooter pats me on his back. “Glad I was there to see his face.”
I turn away from the bike, putting my arm around my old friend’s shoulders. “You heading back to Tucson?”
“Yeah. Don’t think you need me now. But stay in touch, you here?”
It’s little enough, but sufficient. We hug briefly, then exchange chin lifts. Then I wave my hand in farewell as Shooter hits the road.
As I watch until his taillight disappears in the distance, it dawns on me, while I’m sad to see him go, I don’t wish I was going with him. Here I’ve got everything I want. I’
ve got Jayden and our future.
Chapter Forty-One
Jayden
Seven weeks later…
I sit in the clubroom waiting for Pal to join me. I’m at ease, sitting here alone. It seems most of my life has been spent amongst bikers, they don’t worry me.
Watching life going on around me, men laughing and joking with each other, I think back over the past couple of months. Yes. Moira had made me question my feelings, make me wonder whether I’d been leaning on Pal because he was safe? That I knew he wouldn’t hurt me? A child’s crush which I couldn’t shake off.
I had considered her words seriously. In Tucson the brothers had treated me like a niece or a sister, an almost familial relationship with a line I didn’t even think to cross. The obstacles put in the way of Pal and I being together almost doing the opposite, forcing us to fight for a future we knew was ours. I smile at the memory of our disastrous date at the Wheel Inn, an example of how overprotective they were, and how they wouldn’t leave us alone.
Here in Colorado, there are several handsome men in the clubhouse, and they certainly don’t regard me as family. I think there’s even a couple that if, before Pal and I got together, I’d shown any interest in, would have reciprocated. Runt definitely, for one. But I hadn’t felt an attraction toward anyone other than Paladin, my eyes and heart have only ever been for him.
Runt. Of course, what happened to him is club business. I don’t know the reason, but something had made him take off for almost a month. Four weeks ago, he’d returned. I’d been in the clubroom when he’d come in. It had been strange. When he’d entered, the room had gone silent, no one, it appeared, knew how to react. The brothers had stared wide-eyed at him. It had been Pal who’d stood up and approached him, holding out his hand first, then pulling him in for a man hug. They’d spoken quietly together for a few moments, while everyone else looked on. Then Pal had turned, his arm around the prospect’s shoulder, and had led him into Hellfire’s office.
A short while later, Runt had reappeared all smiles. The next thing I knew, he was being patched in.
Satan's Devils MC Colorado Boxset 1 Books 1 - 3 Page 35
