Snatcher looks at me, then moves his eyes to Pip. “Seems we’re at an impasse. Road can’t stay, and he can’t go.”
Pip grimaces, then a sad expression comes over his face. “Why the hell did you have to come here, Road? Why the fuck didn’t you head a different way?”
Silence sounds loud after those final words, the ramifications hanging in the air. I’m no fool. If they want to keep what they’re doing secret, then I’m a liability they can’t afford to leave alive.
Is this it? I’m unarmed, and even if I were, it’s two against one. Is this the point where Pip takes out his gun and shoots me?
Do I plead? Beg for my life? Tell them I’ll stay then go behind their backs and speak to Drummer? But I won’t be reduced to falling onto my knees and pleading with them to keep me alive. And I won’t live a lie. While inside there’s a myriad of questions going through my brain, Will it hurt, will Pip choose my head or my heart, and will that first shot take me out? I force myself to remain outwardly calm. Challenging the man with my eyes. If you’re going to do it, do it now.
Instead, I’m offered a reprieve. “Would more time help you change your mind?”
I could say yes. At least have a chance to say a proper goodbye to Swift. If I’m honest, she’s the one piece of unfinished business I’m going to regret most. Though I doubt I’d have gotten anywhere with her, I was never able to give it a try. I could say it would, but… “I can’t change my mind, Pip. Whether I transfer or return to Tucson, I need to speak to Drummer, and I won’t be part of a lie.”
He sighs heavily, exchanges a glance with Snatcher, then his hand moves toward his cut. I try to brace myself, but how does a man prepare for his imminent death?
He’s not going to string this out. I’m about to meet my maker. But then, why prolong the torture any longer than necessary? It would be crueller to make me wait.
I take a deep breath, wondering if it’s the last I’ll ever take, or whether I’ll have time to fill my lungs again. In slow motion, Pip’s hand disappears, then reappears and I fight to keep my eyes open.
It’s a battle I win, thankfully. It’s not a gun Pip’s taken out, not even a knife. It’s my phone.
I try not to collapse back into my seat as relief floods through me, then I grow tense again when I realise this could simply be a stay of execution and not an acquittal. When Pip slides the phone closer to me, I view it like a snake.
The corners of Pip’s mouth turn up fractionally. He dips his chin toward the device. “Call Drummer.”
“And say what?” That instruction, I didn’t expect.
“The VP and I have been talking. Your coming here has set things in motion, and we’ve got to see how this plays out. Thing is Road, we really do want you here. Your answers today have showed you’re a man of integrity, and you’re a man we’d be proud to have on our team. If you want to return to Tucson, I won’t stand in your way, but I’m not going to have you tattling to Drummer. If he’s going to find out, I want it to be my way.”
My gaze is going between him and the phone. I shake my head. “I’m not certain what you want me to say.”
“At some point, he’s going to need to come here. I want him to see our operation, and to understand what we do, and why. I want to face him man-to-man, prez-to-prez. Up to you whether that time has come.”
“And if things don’t play out how you want them to?”
Pip looks at Snatcher. “Then we’ll rebrand ourselves. Every man and woman in this club, Road, is fully committed to what we do. Sure, not being Devils will hurt, but it will hurt the Devils too.”
“We ride to support the other chapters,” Snatcher reminds me. “Losing Thumper in Colorado was fuckin’ hard, but that’s the commitment we made. We keep our ears to the ground for anything which affects our brothers in other states. We knew Alder was alive and likely to give our brother’s brother-in-law, Connor, a hard time were he to find he was alive. So we were watching out for signs he knew where he’d gone. Of course, as it turned out, the target was wrong, but if Stormy hadn’t been watching out for them, Beth’s mother could well be dead, and Connor put in a grave where it was sure he’d stay this time.”
“We’ve given pointers to Mouse a couple of times, untraceable of course,” Pip interjects.
Snatcher acknowledges the observation with a raise of his chin. “Mouse is clever, so’s Cad and Token. So in their cases, it’s leaving a trail for them to join the dots themselves rather than dropping outright clues in their laps.”
“That’s the other thing I don’t understand,” I tell them. “Your chapter is a joke in that no one here knows how to turn a computer on.”
“I don’t.” Snatcher laughs at himself. “Well, barely. But can’t you see that keeps us safe? Our operation is watertight when everyone thinks we live in the stone age.”
Pip grinds his teeth and nods at my phone again. “Which is all now going to change. Go on, Road.” He pushes it closer to me.
Is this some sort of reverse psychology? I place my hand over the device which isn’t normally far from me, and which I’ve been lost without over the past couple of days. But I don’t pick it up immediately. There’s no doubt they do good work here. I, myself, have seen that. But should that be kept hidden from Drummer? Drummer isn’t just my prez, he’s the prez of the mother chapter. What if I keep quiet, and something else blows their deception wide open? What if I transfer and someone else from Tucson comes visiting?
Christ. Why has this been put on me? I’m just a grunt, what do I know about anything? A flash from yesterday goes through my mind—the girl, those bastards who had her and what they intended to do with her. I was part of rescuing her from the fate they had planned.
I used to think winning a race was the pinnacle of my achievement, but Pip had given me something to top that. The exhilaration of the rescue topping any trophy I could bring home, even though it wouldn’t lead to fame and fortune or even recognition.
But I respect Drummer. How can I lie to a man who’s given me so much?
Under the watchful eyes of Pip and Snatcher, I pick up the phone and call up the first number on speed dial.
It’s anti-climactic. The ring tone sounds and sounds, then it cuts out and voicemail answers. I end the call without leaving a message and put the phone back down. I cock an eyebrow toward Pip and start pushing the phone his way again. I doubt he’ll want me to make the call in private, he’ll want to be forewarned of what I’ve told Drum.
But before he can take it, the phone vibrates. The action so unexpected, I think all three of us jump, then look sheepishly toward each other.
The phone clearly shows it’s a call from Prez. Looking again resigned, Pip nods. I answer.
“Road.”
“Got a missed call from you. I was riding, just pulled over to call you back. What d’ya need, Brother? Kind of getting a bit worried about you being out of touch.”
“I texted you.” I apparently had.
He snorts, but I can’t quite work out why until he adds, “Man of few words, aren’t you? ‘I’m here.’ ‘All OK.’ What the hell was I going to make of that?”
Pip must have read my other texts. With my large fingers I don’t write much. “Well, I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?”
“So what have you found, Road?”
I take a deep breath. “It’s a completely different chapter.” And ain’t that the truth? “I’m still getting my head around it. Feeling my way with the brothers here.”
“Anything I should worry about?”
“Worry?” I think I can honestly answer that. “Not that I’ve seen. Tell you the truth, Prez, the change of scenery is doing me some good. Getting me out of my head for a while.” That’s no lie. I haven’t felt the need to strike out or even snap at anyone since I’ve arrived. My anger replaced by a sense of bemusement.
I hear his chuckle. “Something needed to. Been less walking on eggshells since you’ve been gone. You intend staying on for a bit?”
<
br /> “If that’s okay with you, Prez.”
“Yeah. Take your time, Road. But keep in touch, yeah?”
Prez ends the call which is like him. Why waste time saying goodbyes when they can be taken for granted.
I bow my head as I replace my phone on the table.
I’ve never lied to my Prez before, and it feels like I’ve gone against the patch on my back. He trusted me, and I’ve betrayed him. I had my chance, and I’ve blown it. Whatever happens from here on out, Prez will know I misled him.
I go to slide my phone back to Pip who shakes his head. “Keep it.” He wipes a hand over his relieved looking face. “Drummer’s not found out for ten years, Road. And hell, Brother, I’m grateful for you keeping us a secret.”
“You’re using this club as a cover,” I remind him.
“We are Satan’s Devils,” Pip throws back.
“Think we ought to show Road that.” A grin comes over Snatcher’s face. “Give him another incentive to join us.”
Pip’s mouth starts to curve up as he turns to his VP. “You could have a good idea there.”
18
Swift…
“You alright?” I rest my hand on Cowboy’s back as we walk out of church.
“No,” he replies honestly. “I know it’s ancient history now, Gianetta’s been gone twelve years now.” His eyes glaze slightly. “Annie would have been fifteen. It kills me to think about that, how she never had a chance to grow.” Glancing down at me, he shakes his head. “I’ve no choice but to go on, but hell, Swift, sometimes it’s so fuckin’ hard. Losing Gianetta was bad enough, but why the fuck did they have to rob a little girl of her life? That’s what will haunt me forever.”
He knows why, as do I. It was to throw up a smokescreen. Instead of taking out one target, it had been made to look like the panicked action of amateur kidnappers. The truth, Pip had said, wasn’t hard to find. Annie’s death had been for nothing.
“I think about them every day.” Cowboy’s eyes are still staring into the distance. “Sometimes I can focus on the joy they brought to my life. Other times, well, I know Pip’s telling Road my story now. It brings it all back up as if it happened yesterday.”
There’s nothing I can say. Cowboy had had all his hopes and dreams wrenched away from him. I knew joining the MC, helping to build the business we’re in now, has given him a new lease of life, while he can stop others having to suffer the same grief as he had. He’s got a reason to keep breathing.
“Well, I better start getting the food prepared for tonight.” Cowboy flicks his imaginary hat, and strides off leaving me staring after him. I suspect we’re in for a culinary treat later. ‘Boy can lose himself in his trade, using it to focus his mind and push his darkest thoughts down. Though we know that grief is the reason he cooks and sadly, when a gourmet meal appears, it’s because he’s feeling particularly blue.
I wonder whether he’ll ever find happiness again—a new woman to help ease the hurt of losing his wife. Then I want to slap myself for my feminine thought. Why should a relationship be the answer to someone’s woes? Man probably just needs a good fuck with none of the messy commitments.
As I make my way to the comms room, I can’t help but think about Road. I know Pip’s going to persuade him to stay. I, and the team with me, had been taken by surprise when Road had impressed us with his quick thinking in California. Sure, we’ve all got skills. Me, I tend to look at a problem in tactical ways, working out the logistics of getting in and getting back out. Stormy’s a sniper known for his long-distance shots. Rascal is our money man. Thor and Piston are mechanics, geniuses at fixing or modifying anything. Honor and Duty are tech experts—though we all keep our hands in to help them out. Bolt, well, he’s bilingual, able to speak Spanish fluently.
But there’s a place for someone like Road, a man who looks at a problem from a different angle, without being fixated on a particular approach.
Opening the door to our technical hub, I nod at Duty who looks up and catches my eye. He’s got his headphones on, so I don’t speak. I rest my hand on Honor’s shoulder in passing.
“Anything interesting?”
“Nah. Chatter’s quiet.”
“Are you still following up on anything about Alder? Any noise about him being taken out?” I pull up a chair and sit down.
“Border patrol closed the tunnel down.” So far, Honor’s only telling me what I already know. “It seems that Alder kept all his cards to himself. His mafia contacts are more interested in finding new ways to get their drugs into the States, and the rest of his operation seems in disarray, more concerned with lying low and keeping out of the way of the law. There’s zero mention of retaliation for the death of their boss. I’ll keep an ear out, but I think Lost’s woman is safe. It could be that what he wanted with her was personal, something to do with her ex, perhaps.”
That’s what we’d hoped, but there was always a chance he had a second-in-command who’d step in and fill the void, and that Patsy was still in danger.
“There’ll be someone else,” Honor says, shaking his head. “Someone who’s trading in human flesh, views money as more important than life.”
“We’ll never stop it,” I sympathise. “But at least we can throw a spanner in the works from time to time.”
“Wrench,” Honor corrects automatically, to which I roll my eyes.
I spin my chair on its wheels and roll over to a free workstation, then log on using the complicated authentication routine that Duty insists we use. Then I pull up the list of names I need to research.
I’m following a trail leading me deeper and deeper into the dark web when the door opens and Road walks in. I can’t read the expression on his face.
“Anything wrong?” My eyes narrow as he approaches.
“I’m feeling like shit right now,” he admits, and then explains, “I called my prez and lied.”
A feeling of elation goes through me, which I suppress immediately. It shouldn’t matter a damn to me whether he stays or goes. But still I’m driven to ask, “Are you patching over?”
Road grimaces, then picks at his fingernails before he replies, “Pip’s just asked me to stay on for a while, so officially, no, the decision’s not made as yet. In the end, though, I might not have any choice. Drummer’s not a man whose back you go behind. When the truth comes out, he’ll never trust me again, Swift. That fuckin’ hurts.” After giving a sad shake of his head, he continues, “I always thought I was known for my integrity, but I’ve not so much set fire to my boats, I’ve blown them out of the water.”
“Patching over, joining us, wouldn’t be so hard, would it?”
His eyes meet mine. “I lied to my prez in front of Pip and Snatcher. Pip will always be watching me, he’ll never completely trust me. If I turned my back on Drummer, I could turn it on him too.”
I suppose he’s got a point, but Pip wouldn’t have invited him to join us if he didn’t have faith in him. “Thing is, Road, you could have betrayed our trust, yet you didn’t. It took guts to hide things from Drummer, and Prez and the VP would have appreciated that.”
Road doesn’t seem cheered up.
“Look, why don’t I show you what I’m working on?”
He raises his chin. “Can’t say I’m good with computers and shit. I have got questions though.”
“You don’t need to have those skills.” I click a few keys, closing down what I was working on. “Go ahead, ask what you want to know.”
“How did Mona’s parents know how to contact you?”
“That’s a good question, Road.” I call up another program. “This is an algorithm we use. We look into a number of factors of how likely it is someone is going to be a kidnapping target.”
“What factors?” He looks brighter now, as though I’ve caught his interest.
“Wealth being one, no one is going to kidnap anyone when the payout isn’t worth it, or the perceived payout as in Mona’s case. Sometimes what looks like money is just on paper, b
ut still, opportunist kidnappers may not factor that in. We also look into whether they have children or other family they wouldn’t want to lose. Then we look at existing security. If someone’s already got protection arranged, we leave that alone. We end up with a database of targets on the basis of probability, then, Prez starts working through the most-likely candidates.”
“What do you mean?”
“Pip is an MC prez, but as you know, Snatcher’s the outward face of the MC. One reason being, it allows Pip to stay in the background. He’s a master at blending in, probably from his CIA days. We get him into embassy functions and exclusive parties—Duty works his magic, and hey, Pip’s on the invitation list. He gets talking to people we suspect could be targeted and gives them a number to call should the worse happen to them.”
Road looks perplexed. “He tells them what he does?”
“No. He doesn’t admit that it’s him. He’ll approach them with something like a story of a friend whose daughter was kidnapped, and as concerned parents with kids of their own to protect, they’ll want to know the details. Pip knows his trade. He usually ends up being asked for a contact they can have ‘just in case’.”
“He tells them not to go to the cops?”
“No. That’s up to them. If they call in the feds, sometimes we just work in the background and make sure they’re heading the right way. We can feed information into their databases for them to find.”
“So that’s how you get your business?”
I shake my head. “Not all the time, no. We also watch out for human traffickers. Duty and Honor spend a lot of time on the web. Right now, we’re keeping a check on names which have come to our attention, people like Alder for example.”
Road Tripped: Satan's Devils MC Utah #1 Page 18
