He rears back, “Vi…”
“Fair’s fair,” I challenge.
“Fuck!” He slams his hand against the wall, then rests his forehead against it. The clock on the wall loudly ticks over a few seconds before he comes to a decision. “Go ahead, Liz. I’ll have the fuckin’ tattoo over my heart.”
Liz grins widely, then tells me to lie down and relax. There’s a whirring sound, then he starts working. The only way to describe the sensation is that it feels as though I’m constantly being scratched, like… like Bitch’s claws.
“Sorry,” Lizard tells me when he’s working on the middle bit over my spine. “Over the bone is never nice.”
“You’re doing great, Vi.” Demon’s crouched down at my head, his hand brushing my hair back from my face. The constant sting of the needle indeed becomes hypnotic. When Liz has finished, it takes a moment for me to realise the tattoo gun has been switched off. I’m marked as Demon’s property.
I’m told not to move as he finishes up, then offers me a mirror. My lower back looks red and raw, yet the pattern can be seen clearly. It’s not overly large, about five inches by three, the wording needing someone to get close up to read it. When I’ve admired, if that’s the right word, the permanent evidence of Demon’s claim on me, Lizard covers my new tattoo.
When it’s Demon’s turn, I look on with interest, watching Lizard’s every move, admiring his steady hand and concentration. I ask questions, he answers. After he’s explained everything he’s doing, I’m surprised when he looks up and enquires, “You sound interested, doll. This something you think you’d like to do?”
Looking on eagerly, I nod.
“Prez, you know I was thinking of taking on more staff. How about an apprentice?”
“You talking Vi?” Demon’s eyes widen and he looks at me thoughtfully. When he sees my face brighten with interest, he shakes his head. “Vi, this isn’t for you. Can’t see Nathan liking…”
“Don’t you dare!” I hiss, ignoring our audience. “I’m not going to live my life with reference to my brother. Even had he lived, I wouldn’t have allowed him to influence me. I’m my own freaking person, D. You’d do well to remember that.”
Liz’s eyes are flicking from me to his prez. His eyes sharpen. “Why the fuck not? She’s a fuckin’ natural. I saw the promise in her designs. Want to do it, darlin’?”
“You don’t have to work, babe,” Demon reassures me fast. “I can support you.”
Why should I lean on him for everything? What I’ve seen here today has intrigued me. A chance to be an artist rather than use the business part of my degree? Hell, yes.
“I’d love to Lizard. If I can sort out childcare.”
“Vi, not so fast. Don’t forget the little problem of Angel.”
Lizard looks at me with sympathetic eyes. “We have time, hon. Got to get the new place set up first. Maybe by the time that’s in hand, we’ll have sorted out Angel for you.”
Demon, though, looks like it’s not going to be as easy as that. But he’s wise enough to wait for a better time and place for our argument.
Strangely, now we’re both adjusting to the thought that we have tats of each other’s names on our skin, it makes the next part, getting the marriage license, just a formality. The soreness of my back is a reminder of what I’ve gone through today. But I’m excited, too. I have the prospect of employment in the future, doing something I’d never considered, but something I think I could get into. Jayden’s so good with children, perhaps she could be my nanny? There’s just the little problem that I’d be earning just to pay someone to take care of my child; I doubt apprentices make much of a living. Deep down, though, I know I’ll make a better mother if I have something else to do than being a fulltime mom.
I’m still thinking it all through as we arrive back at the clubhouse. It takes me a moment to realise there are more bikes here than there were when we left. Demon notices the additions with a nod of appreciation.
The clubhouse is full. Dan and Wills seem run off their feet trying to keep hands filled with bottles of beer. The room is loud, and I look anxiously around for Theo.
“Jay’s taken him upstairs,” Jeannie informs me, correctly reading my look of concern.
As I turn to go find him, Demon’s hand takes hold of mine. “Vi, I want you to meet some people. Theo will be fine for a few minutes longer.” He leads me to the bar and exchanges backslaps and manly hugs with three men, followed by a round of those strange handshakes where they grab forearms, then finally he introduces me.
“This is Snatcher, he’s the Prez of the Utah Chapter. With him is his VP, Thor, and Piston. And this is Violet, my wife-to-be.”
“I’m the road captain, sweetie,” Piston says as he shakes my hand. “Had to come along to make sure they rode in the right direction.”
His prez slaps him playfully around the head, then nods at Demon. “Thumper and Rascal are around somewhere too.”
“Thanks for coming along.”
He’s interrupted by a roar of bikes from outside and turns expectantly as the sound cuts off. Shortly after the door opens, in walk five more strangers. Seeing Demon, they head straight to join us.
“Drummer, welcome, Brother.” Then to me. “Drummer is the president of the mother chapter in Tucson.” He does that back-slap man hug thing again with Drummer, then to the men with him. “Thanks for coming, Wraith. Hey, Beef, Rock and Joker.”
“Beef. Heard you were dead. Fuckin’ corpse walking,” Snatcher says, with a grin taking the sting out of his words.
Drummer’s hand lands on the big man’s back with a force that sends him reeling a step forward before balancing himself with his hand on the bar. Beef just gives his prez a smirk. “Nah, Beef here is a fuckin’ medical miracle. Thought we lost him last year, can’t keep a good man fuckin’ down.”
“Satan probably sent him right back,” the man introduced as Thor observes, causing a burst of laughter. Beef joins in as though he agrees.
Snatcher’s mouth changes, the corners curving downward. “Heard you’re a man down, Drum. Any news on your firefighter?”
Drummer shakes his head; he too has lost all mirth. “Still hanging on, Brother. Looks out of the woods now but refuses to see anyone. His firefighting buddies or us. Seems like Truck will recover, but how bent or broken, we don’t know yet.”
“Bad fuckin’ business.”
There are a few murmurs of assent at Demon’s words, then the subject of men I know nothing about is dropped. The topic of conversation changes. I notice Joker and Piston bumping fists. “Got here okay?” They walk off discussing journeys, times and problems along the way.
Drummer leans into Demon. “Lost and Dart wanted to come, but that journey, man. Too far, I’m afraid.”
“Be all done and dusted by the time they’d get here,” Demon agrees. “They’re the San Diego crew, Vi,” he addresses me.
Quickly his attention shifts as the door bursts open again, revealing yet five more strangers. He shouts, “Red!” enthusiastically, waving the new group of men over.
As I’m wondering how many more people are coming, I’m introduced to the Vegas president, his VP Crash, and men called Indian, Twister and Shadow.
To be honest, all the names seem to blur into one.
Having been polite, I tug Demon’s arm. “I’m going to see Theo.”
He excuses himself from the crew around the bar. “You okay, Vi?”
“Why are all these men here?” I hiss.
“I’m the prez, Vi. When I get married, it’s expected that representatives from other chapters will attend to pay their respects. There’ll be a big party tonight.”
“You expect me to be here? I’m slightly outnumbered, Demon, in case you haven’t noticed. Why are there no women with them?”
“I’ll take this, Demon.”
I start a little, not having realised I’d been overheard. Drummer is imposing as I suppose a national president should be. When he focuses his steely blue ey
es on mine, I find I’ve automatically reversed a step, my back against Demon’s chest. Demon steadies me by placing his hands on my shoulders.
“Demon’s filled us in, Vi. Not going into the rights and wrongs of it, or what I think. He’s made a decision, so our chapters will support him. We’re here as a show of strength to make sure nothing goes wrong tomorrow. We’ll all be protecting you and your kid. I have an old lady, two kids at home. Most of my men have. Yeah, it’s a wedding, they’re women, they’d love to be here, but under the circumstances, it felt right to leave them behind.”
I’m not stupid. I can read between the lines. The women aren’t here because their men won’t put them in danger.
“You think Angel’s going to try to take Theo?”
Drummer’s gaze moves over my head. It’s Demon who replies.
“There’s a chance he’ll try. That’s why we’re taking precautions. Not putting you or Theo at risk, Vi. Doing what I have to do to keep you safe.”
Chapter Eighteen
Demon
I watch Vi make her way through the room, which is heaving with bodies, until she reaches the stairs and disappears from sight. The number of men presents a problem I hadn’t considered before. Just where the fuck were we going to put everyone tonight? We’re pushed for space as it is.
“Drummer’s crew have booked into a hotel. Prospects gonna sleep out here, and the rest of the boys are doubling up.” Thunder appears at my side.
He’s read my mind and solved the problem before I had a chance to mention it. “You sure you don’t want that VP spot?”
In response there’s a chuckle. “Nice try, Prez. Happy to lend my organisational skills, but not to be second-in-command. Too much fuckin’ responsibility for me.”
You can’t blame a man for trying.
Turning back to have a word with Drummer, I see Pal’s already there, catching up with his Tucson brothers. The lad’s settled in here well, though.
“How’s the new patch working out?” Wraith, having grabbed himself a fresh drink, asks in my ear.
“Skull? Yeah, he’s doing okay. He and Pal are about the same age and have hit it off. Doesn’t seem to bear any bad feelings for what went down.”
“You trust him?”
I can see why Wraith might be suspicious. “With my life, Wraith. Boy won’t fuck this up. He has no other family. Had a long chat with him when he returned. Spun it how we were protecting the club. Think he’s looking at it as an extreme right of initiation.”
“Word of advice?” At my nod, he continues, “Keep your eye on him. Now,” he changes the subject, “what’s going on with this woman and kid you’re taking on?”
I knew someone would ask me. Crash wanders over; Thor, too. The four of us had been VPs together for a very long time. I am still not totally comfortable with my recent change in rank, and to be truthful, am more comfortable with an inquisition by them than by Drummer, Red and Snatcher. I indicate a table in the corner of the room, jerk my head to the men seated there, who get up and move, then we take the places they vacated.
“How much trouble are the Silvestri?” Thor leans back in his chair, the front two legs coming off the ground.
“Bad news,” I sum it up. “They’re big. Control the drug scene in town. We jog along with them well enough, they know not to step on our turf. But they’re growing, and we’re not. It was only a matter of time before we butted heads.”
“Like the Herreras?” Wraith asks, referencing the crime family back home. I know of them, have been down to Arizona when the Tucson chapter had had to take them on.
“Similar. Though their links are to the cartel, the Silvestri are a branch of the Mafia. Don Lucio is the boss, the underboss is his son, Angelino, Angel. There are at least ten capos that we know of, maybe more. That means at least a hundred soldatos, and then there are associates.”
“Associates?”
“Men not of Italian descent. You can’t rise in the ranks unless both your parents are Italian.”
Wraith nods at my explanation. “Ever thought about taking out both Lucio and Angel? Would it crumble?”
“There’d be some disarray, but someone has to run the product through town. The capos would just elect someone new to take their place.” Not that I like the idea of drugs and personally steer well clear of them, but where there’s a demand, someone’s going to step in and supply. “Don’t like Angel for more than one reason. But Lucio’s always played it straight, down the line. Cut him out, maybe the next boss won’t be someone so easy to deal with.”
“Your long-term plan must be to take out this Angel,” observes Crash.
“But you want to avoid war.” Drummer and the other presidents have drawn up chairs to join us. For a moment there’s a bit of shifting around to make space. “Understand your problem, Brother.” He would. His crew have had issues with the Herreras in Tucson for decades. It’s the reason why Jayden had to come to Colorado. For a moment I wonder whether sending Violet away would have been a better idea than going through with this plan to marry her. She has my ink on her now. Fuck, who am I kidding? She belonged to me long before that. That knowledge, though, I’ll need to keep to myself.
“Does it end with one man, Brother?” Red asks, his eyes lighting briefly on Titsy who’s on her knees in front of Twister, his enforcer. From what I remember of the Vegas prez, he’ll be itching to go and join in. I hide my grin as he holds up a finger to Twister. An unspoken message passes between them.
I answer his question, “That’s the only one we have issues with. Lucio is old-school, reasonable.”
“He has just one son?”
“Yeah, now. Lost his other son years back.”
Red raises his chin and continues, “So who does he groom to take over when Angel’s taken out?”
With a shrug I respond, “Way I understand it, it’s not his decision. Sure, his son’s the underboss, but that’s just the way it happened. It’s not a succession.”
Wraith’s head is tilted to one side. “Your woman Italian?”
“No,” I say, shortly.
“Lucio must be pleased his son’s risen high. Presumably on his own merits. Angel got a kid to do likewise?”
“Married, no kids.” I have a feeling I know where the Tucson VP is heading.
“Hmm,” Wraith pauses. “But your woman’s kid. He isn’t pure Italian.”
“He’s not,” I confirm. My eyes meet Wraith’s gaze, then that of each of the men at the table. I don’t need to spell it out. The worry that’s been in my head. The question I’m constantly asking. What the fuck does Angel want with Theo?
“You got plans, Demon?”
“Yeah, Drum. Need to get eyes off us first. Get him to drop his play for the kid. Then, when we apparently have no reason, kill him.”
“He raped your old lady, Demon.”
Returning Drummer’s stare with one of my own which, while not as well-practiced, is just as deadly, I say coldly, “I assure you, of that I’m only too well aware.” I tap the table in front of me. Dan runs over with a fresh beer, eyes up the state of the other bottles, assessing, then quickly returns to the bar and comes back with another half-dozen bottles. I wait until he’s left once more, then inform them, “Angel’s word is that it wasn’t rape. That she made up a story to cover her guilt for giving in to her urges.”
“You’re not buying that?”
“Of course not,” I snarl at Crash. “But I let him think that I am. We have meets set up to deal with our drug problem. I want him to think business is the number one priority and my focus. Make him believe I don’t care what happened prior. I ended up with the girl and my kid.”
“What’s happening about the DNA test? You lawyered-up yet?”
“Alex is sorting out a good family lawyer, one who knows his shit better than the crap guy who lost the rape case and access hearings for her. Soon as the wedding’s behind us, we’ll see where we stand legally.” Alex is the VP from San Diego, Dart’s old lady, and
the club lawyer. She’s specialised in the criminal side but has good contacts in family law. I’ve no doubt she’ll find us a good local person to deal with.
We thrash ideas backward and forward but apart from assurances of support, which are welcomed, we come up with no other plans. Eventually, with a wink, I remind them it’s my wedding day tomorrow, and that I need to get a good night’s sleep. But they know where I stand, that I’m doing a favour for my dead friend’s sister, so there’s none of the usual leering and leg pulling. Drummer and Wraith gather the Tucson boys and leave for the motel around the same time.
As I make my way to the stairs, pushing through a party that’s getting rowdier, Thunder stops me. “Girls are working well tonight.” I follow his stare. The Tucson lot all have old ladies; I’d even heard someone mentioning Beef had found a woman, but don’t know whether to believe it. Apart from them, the other visitors are single. All the sweet butts seem to be enjoying riding different cocks tonight and seem to have no worries that the lack of accommodation means they’re performing their roles out in the open. I nod, glad that the men who’ve ridden here to support me are getting the best of our hospitality. And I was right; Red has wasted no time joining in with Twister and Titsy.
“Don’t forget Snatcher has your room tonight.”
My chin rises and falls and I take a step forward, then, just as fast, a step back. What the fuck? “What did you say, Thunder?”
“I told you earlier, apart from the prezes, we’re all doubling up. God help me, but I’m in with Mace and he snores like a fuckin’ bear.”
“Where am I fuckin’ sleepin’? I’m the fuckin’ Prez.” I had expected to go to my own bed.
“Planned on you sleepin’ in Hell’s room.”
“Violet’s in there,” I hiss.
“So? You say she’s just like a sister. Thought you wouldn’t care.”
I shouldn’t, but I can’t trust my cock around her. Can’t tell him that, though. “I’ll sleep in my office.”
“Nah, Thumper and Piston are in there.”
Satan's Devils MC Colorado Boxset 1 Books 1 - 3 Page 56
