“Leaving aside for the moment Violet and her problems, we would have respected the boundaries drawn up between us and the Mafia in Furnace’s days, unless they bring trouble to our door. Looks like us and the cops might be on the same side wanting to halt the increase in flow.”
There’s an audible gasp around the table. “Team up with the cops?” Bomber half laughs and half scoffs. “And that would help your girl, how?”
A reasonable question. “If it can be proven that Angel is not a fit father, he’ll have any parental rights taken away. And doing shit legally would mean Satan’s Devils weren’t going up against the Silvestri alone.”
A general mistrust of the citizen world means my suggestion isn’t jumped upon. But neither is it dismissed out of hand. They’re right to be cautious. Talking to the cops could lead to them getting into our business, places we don’t want them to go. It wouldn’t normally be my go-to position, as I decide to explain.
“To help Violet out of her situation, we have to take Angel Silvestri out of the equation. Yeah, my preference is to send him to meet Satan. But I might have to wait for that satisfaction. The alternative is proving his criminal activity.”
“Both brings risks to the club, Demon.”
Thunder’s right. They do. “That’s why I said at the beginning, this is personal. A debt I need to stand up to and repay. My proposal is I take this on without club involvement.”
“You’re the prez, Demon. Don’t see how you can do that. No one would believe you weren’t speaking for the Devils.”
“So, I step back down. Temporarily.”
A strangled laugh from my left. “You don’t have a permanent VP. I ain’t going to be fillin’ in for you.”
My eyes automatically go to Hell. He shrugs and shakes his head. “Getting pretty comfortable sitting down this end of the table, Brother. Don’t look at me.”
Thunder’s moving quickly. “Motion proposed that we’re behind Demon. He ain’t going to be doing anything alone.”
“Seconded, Brother.” Mace is quick on his toes. “We help Demon sort out this mess. And he ain’t stepping away from anything.”
All hands are suddenly raised in the air and one word is shouted and repeated “Aye”.
A warm glow wars inside me with the cold of concern, a fear about what I might be leading them into. But slowly a smile glides onto my face. “Lemmings,” I tell them, “fuckin’ lemmings.”
“Hopefully we won’t reach the edge of that cliff,” Thunder grins.
“Can I ask a question, Prez?” Cad looks thoughtful.
“Sure.”
“We’re talking about the fuckin’ Angel of Death. How the fuck did he get off the rapist charge, and furthermore, prove himself such an upstanding citizen he was awarded parental rights? You proposed trying to do things legal. Seems the girl’s already tried that and failed. Why do you think that route might work? How can we succeed when she didn’t?”
I sigh. “She failed because everything was against her. It was a fucking date rape. Violet was drugged, only realised after. She was ashamed. She tried to put it out of her head until she found she was pregnant. It was only when he started making a play for the kid that she tried to fight it through the courts. Not reporting it at the time didn’t work in her favour. Then Angel dug into her history, made the most of what he’d found. She’s a normal red-blooded woman, had a couple of one-night stands.” I frown, not liking that thought, but realise I’m being ridiculous. I never spend more than one night with any woman, but as I’m male, it doesn’t count against my character.
“Why the fuck did she tell him it was his kid?”
“After money, I suspect,” Buzz answers Pyro.
My hand hits the table. “You’re wrong, she didn’t. Wouldn’t have taken his dirty money. She didn’t say anything. He saw her pregnant and fuckin’ guessed.” And that’s something else to worry about. Why he knew it was possible. Fucker didn’t use a condom. “Made the assumption. To date, she’s refused to have a DNA test done, but there’s no doubt he’s his. She hasn’t been with anyone else. Bastard knows that even though she’s told him different.”
“Why don’t you step up, Demon? Claim her and the kid.”
Chapter Nine
Demon
Hell’s suggestion seems to ring in the air after he said the words. The immediate response that comes to my lips is to tell him not to be so fucking stupid, that I’ve never heard anything so inane in all my life. Luckily, I snap my mouth closed before I can voice it. After all, isn’t that what he did? He stepped up when Moira had been raped and became pregnant. Okay, so our father had been responsible, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t have mattered. The big difference, though, was that Moira was already his though he hadn’t yet officially claimed her.
He’d raised me as his son for thirty-five years. It’s only in the last few months I’d discovered the remarkable truth. My reaction had been to replace that pedestal he’d always occupied by reason of being my father with one even higher. To step up like he did requires a very special type of man, setting the bar too impossibly high for anyone else to reach.
It’s why I’d not given voice to my immediate response. He’s proposing I follow in his footsteps. Because of his actions, I can’t follow my first impulse and dismiss his suggestion out of hand, or not without giving it some thought. There’s no similarity between the circumstances. I might be attracted to Violet, what man with a working dick wouldn’t? Though my cock wouldn’t turn any offer down, I know me, and all I could offer is a one-night stand. Anyway, she looks on me as a brother; she’d be horrified to know what’s on my mind.
Violet isn’t the woman I’d earmarked to be my partner in life—I haven’t yet met the woman who’d fill that spot—whereas Hell had already been in love with Mo. I owe nothing to Vi but a promise I’d made to her brother. I, at least, carried the same blood as Hell. He might have raised me as his son, yet I’m his true sibling. Hell also carried guilt that it was his and Moira’s connection that had made her a target for Blackie, whereas I played no part in Violet’s abuse. Except, if I’d been looking out for her, maybe I could have stopped her making that mistake. A big if, and one I don’t feel I should be standing up and taking responsibility for.
Nah, the circumstances couldn’t be more different.
Becoming confident that by rejecting his suggestion, I’m not negating anything that he’d done, I finally allow words to come out, “I hear what you say, Hell. But it wouldn’t be right.”
“Don’t dismiss it so fast,” Bomber interrupts. “You say you don’t want a war, and maybe you’re right. This could be one way to avoid it.”
I’d grown up with these men. Most had joined along the way, but Rusty and Bomber had been like uncles to me, there from the time of my birth. I’d always respected their views.
“Angel needs to pay for what he did,” I respond through gritted teeth.
“Yeah,” Bomber continues, “I agree with that. But there are ways and means, and sometimes revenge is best served cold when it’s least expected. If he really wants the kid, you stepping up and claimin’ it would at least throw put a dent in his plans.”
“Kid has dark brown eyes, just like yours,” Rusty puts in.
“That’s because he’s half-Italian,” I respond. “Could be he’ll grow up to look like his sperm donor.” But he’ll have Violet’s and Nathan’s inherited features too. Could be that he’ll remind me of my friend who left this earth far too soon. Can’t deny I’d be claiming a part of Nathan, his nephew the only thing he’d left behind.
I feel like slapping myself around the head. Fuck, this whole idea is ridiculous, even if you leave out the part where I’ve no desire to be a husband or a dad, and probably wouldn’t be good as either.
“It’s a crazy suggestion. For a start, we all know it’s a lie.”
“But a lie for all the right reasons,” Lizard speaks up. “Angel wants the kid. At least Violet has it right that he’s the last man
suitable to be a father. What I don’t understand is why he’s going after her so hard. Do we know why he wants full custody? Could we get him to back down to visitation rights?” He breaks off and frowns. “And why Violet, and why the kid? If he did it to her, man like that’s probably done it before. Why’s it her he’s messing with?”
From what Violet said, I doubt if Angel could be persuaded to reverse his claims. Anyway, even co-parenting would be bad enough with a motherfucker like that. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. There seems no reason he’d want the kid. Unless he could profit from him.
“Why Violet, and why he wants Theo so badly, I’ve no idea, Liz. You’re right to ask, but my first concern is his bid for custody’s right around the corner, and that’s what I’m focused on dealing with.”
“As far as I can recall, Angel’s married, but with no offspring.” Hell’s rubbing his brow. “I’m sure Lucio said as much during one of our meets.”
“From choice or circumstance? And what’s he doing raping a girl with a woman waiting for him at home?” Bomber’s been faithful to Jeannie since the day they wed, well, so I’d been told. They’d gotten together before I was born.
Buzzard leans forward. “Why don’t you step up, Demon? You could claim the kid, then divorce or whatever after Angel backs down. Violet would be safe…”
Cad barks a laugh. “Yeah, he could. But paternity can be challenged for eighteen years in Colorado. Unless Angel is taken out of the picture, Prez would have to carry the lie until the kid reaches maturity. He’d be close to his sixties before he was free.”
I raise my eyebrow at him. “You seem pretty handy with that info, Cad. Something about you we don’t know?”
He shrugs and turns away from my inquisitive stare.
“You got a secret kid somewhere, Cad?” Pyro asks gleefully. I’d be surprised. Man’s pale as the cadaver for which he’s named, as he barely comes out of his computing cave.
“A virtual one, maybe,” jokes Sparky, on the same wavelength as myself.
Cad’s glaring. “Had to look into some shit for my sister, alright?” He satisfies our curiosity but isn’t comfortable doing it.
It was useful him knowing what he did. If I step up as Hell suggested, it wouldn’t be a short-time affair. Which brings me back around to eliminating the threat to Theo.
“I didn’t suggest we wouldn’t off Angel eventually,” Bomber smirks, showing he’s on the same page. “But we wait until he least expects it. We go head-to-head with him about the kid, he’ll be watching out for us comin’. Get that shit sorted, Prez and Vi playing happy family, then we off him. Prez can step away then.”
I find myself nodding. Yeah, a few months. A year. I could do that. A platonic relationship just for show? Hell, no. My fist slams down on the table. “No way, Brothers. We find another way around this. I am not getting hitched. There’s no way Violet would agree to it.” Christ, sure she’s a pretty girl, nice pair of tits I wouldn’t normally turn down, good rounded ass that a man could hang onto. But she’d see it like incest, and that’s how I should look at it, too. She’s Nathan’s sister, for fuck’s sake, not some hangaround looking for a good time.
If she wasn’t, would I be considering it? Of course I wouldn’t. Yeah, my dick’s more than interested, but one fuck, maybe two, is as far as I’d go, I’ve never had a yearning to be saddled with a wife and kid.
“What alternative are you proposing, Prez?”
I swear my father gets a thrill each time he calls me that. It’s not just pride his son has risen through the ranks, it’s relief he’s no longer in the hot seat. Narrowing my eyes, I think fast. “I’ll try and get a meeting with Don Lucio. See if he can bring pressure on Angel.”
“Prez, I love ya,” Thunder starts, “but that’s just going to raise a red flag. You know what these families are like. You doing that admits the kid is Angel’s and isn’t going to help Violet’s case. The only way to get them to back off is for it to be claimed by someone else.”
I’m starting to hate that they refer to Theo as ‘it’. But I’m not crazy enough to admit it. But my temp VP has a point. “I need to meet anyway about the product floating around. That gives me an in. Ask them politely whether the increase in product is down to them, and if so, will they please stop dealing in or around our premises. Or words to that effect.” I smirk.
“You’d face that head-on? They’ll just deny it, Prez.”
“Yeah, they will, Bomber. But it seems a good way of getting them to show their hand. Could be new dealers not aware of our old agreements. At least let them know we’re aware of what’s going on.”
“They’re deliberately stepping on our toes,” Mace observes, seeming adamant the Silvestri are to blame. “Flexing their muscles, testing our strength.”
Hell is nodding at the end of the table. “I agree with Prez, and what the rest of you have said too. Don Lucio’s not the best poker player, and his reaction would be interesting, to say the least. If they are deliberately coming into our territory, then they’re the ones declaring war. Want me at the meet, Demon?”
Seeing the meeting is a go, I decide fast. “Hellfire and Thunder,” I propose, seeing as my dad’s offered and his relationship with the don goes back years. “Thunder, set up the meet, and the three of us will go. Yeah, Buzz?”
“You’re assuming Angel will be present?”
I nod. “It’s likely. He’s not only the underboss, but if the rumours are correct, the son being groomed to take over.”
“Maybe even his consigliere, Lucio’s counsellor, will be there, or one of his trusted capos.” Hellfire shakes his head as Mace shows him his pack of smokes.
Buzz hasn’t finished; he waits for Hell to stop speaking, then says impatiently, “So you have Angel as a captive audience. Of course, he won’t know we have Violet and the kid. Are you going to bring it up? Come right out and tell him to back off?”
My hastily constructed plan hasn’t gotten as far as that. I speak my thoughts aloud, “I’ve met Angel before. He’s not someone I care particularly about one way or another. We all know the type of shit the Mafia’s involved in. Don Lucio comes across as more of a gentleman; Angel loves nothing better than getting his hands dirty. Earned his nickname from the up-close-and-personal wet-work he likes.” While the don would order a hit from afar, Angel would carry it out himself. Or would in the past before he was promoted. “What worries me most is their other side-line.”
It’s Mace who puts it into words. “Trafficking.” His eyes meet mine. “Hate we turn a blind eye to that shit.”
“Couldn’t stop it, Brother.” Thunder’s brow furrows. “Too many of them, too few of us. Could, and have, thrown the odd monkey wrench in the works when we heard of somewhere women and kids were being held, but on a large scale? Nah. And if it wasn’t the Silvestri, it would be someone else.”
Thunder’s right. Cad’s managed to discreetly pass on info a couple of times to the cops. Feds have come in and the Mafia’s lost one of their houses. But while none of us like it, there’s too much money to be earned for people like us to step in and stop it for good.
“If that’s what he has in mind for the kid…” Liz breaks off. His hand smacks down on the table.
“He wouldn’t do that to his own blood?” Skull speaks for the first time, his eyes opening wide.
“Not sure how that would work. He gets custody, kid can’t just disappear.” I’m grasping at straws. There was a reason for Violet having taken such desperate measures, and I wonder if she suspects what Angel’s capable of. But then, even just knowing he’s a drug dealer, a pimp and a people trafficker would be enough to know he’s not the man to raise her kid. I raise my eyes. “Look, my intention is to get the measure of the man at the moment. I’ve avoided getting close in the past, but now the more we know, the easier it will be to take him down. This meeting is going to be about club business, not going to mention more than that.”
But Buzz is looking thoughtful, there’s s
omething on his mind.
So I press, “What? You’re seriously suggesting we tell them outright Violet’s here? Show our hand?”
“Fuck, no. That would be war.” Rusty’s looking aghast. “Don’t want to give them a reason to fuck with us.”
I jerk my chin to acknowledge Rusty’s comment, but my eyes are still on Buzzard. He shrugs. “Could just get friendly-like, talk about families, and your woman and kid.”
It takes a moment for the penny to drop. When it does, I snarl, “I am not laying claim to Theo.”
Buzz’s sharp eyes meet mine. “Could lay the groundwork, that’s all. Put doubts in his head that he’s the dad.”
For fuck’s sake! My eyes go wide. My fingers pinch my nasal bones and I bow my head for a moment. A burst of anger has risen as I realise he’s not letting Hellfire’s suggestion drop. Nope. Not doing that. No way. Never. Trying to tamp my sudden rage back down, I snarl, “Moving on to other business, or back to where we started, when are we signing the contract for the tattoo parlour, Treasurer?”
My voice, which, when I want it to, can be every bit as scary as Hell’s, gets Buzz to focus. It’s not long before we agree on some dates. Devil’s Ink is going to be moving premises soon.
The decisions we’ve made, a meet with the Silvestri and progress on Liz’s new business venture, are recorded, then I can bang the gavel and bring this uncomfortable meeting to a close. At fucking last.
Why am I not surprised when the others file out, Hellfire stays in his seat at the end of the table?
“You got something to say?” I’d be surprised if he hadn’t. Not that I expect him to interfere with the way I run the club. He’d made it clear from the moment he stepped down it was mine now. I’d prefer his comments to be about club business, but I doubt they will be.
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