Page 103 of Demon's Angel

Demon

No, no, no and no.I freeze. Violet’s not going to have this threat hanging over her head for the rest of her life. But I don’t know what to do about it.

Drummer’s there by my side as I suddenly realise I’m going to kill Lucio. Kill the whole fucking Pueblo branch of the Mafia. There is no way they are laying claim to my son. I make a move forward; the mother chapter president holds me back.

“There’s more to this,” he hisses. “I have a feeling in my gut and more times than not that feeling means I am right. Bring Angel in and see if he’s up to talking.”

I have no idea what Drummer is thinking, but I jerk my head toward Lizard and Rusty standing closest to the door, then wait to see what condition Angel is in.

Moments later it’s plain to see Lucio hasn’t left much for me. Certainly not someone capable of talking. Angel’s jaw has been shattered. His chest is barely moving, the pupils in his eyes are dilated. A bullet now would do nothing but put him out of his misery, that’s if he’s capable of feeling any pain. A mercy killing.

I’m not feeling merciful. “Leave him to die.” There’s no point doctoring him just so I get the satisfaction of ending him.

My shoulders slump as I turn to Drummer, my hands open as I shrug. Drummer presses his lips together, then looks around the room, finally spotting the man he was seeking and beckons him over.

“Cad. Your computers okay?”

Cad’s face dark with anger shows that they’re not.

It doesn’t bother Drummer none. “Well, get on to Mouse. He’ll look shit up for you.”

“What shit, Drummer?”

Drummer takes him off, I just stare at the man at my feet, so far gone he’s incapable of groaning, wondering whether I’m watching Theo’s dad die. Knowing in that moment how Hell could have killed his, my father. And, from the club records I’d read, not without a fuckload of pain.

“What doesn’t add up is this mystery man who supposedly raped Violet without Angel knowing,” Drummer says, returning to my side once more.

I shrug. Asoldatotaking the opportunity of raping the unconscious woman he was supposed to be guarding.

“Why guard her at all? She was unconscious.” Drummer’s insistent.

“She could have woken up.”Does it really matter?

Drummer gives me a scathing look. “They’re drug dealers, Demon. They’d know what they were doing. They trade in women, I’d bet they’d know exactly how much to give for a woman of her size to keep her comatose for as long as they want. And handcuffs are just as good for making sure someone stays put. Angel wasn’t stupid, but he was cunning.”

We’re already talking about him in the past tense. Looking down to the body at my feet I realise we’ll be right before long.

“And the guard knew it was death if he’d admitted it. Look at all the lengths to which Angel had gone to get hold of his son. Going through the courts, bribing judges, coming over as an upright citizen. Wanting everything signed, sealed and delivered so there was no chance of Violet keeping her son.”

“He wanted to hurt her. Destroy her. Because he couldn’t destroy her father.”

“Demon, you might be too close to this, but think it through. The man only became supposedly loose-mouthed when a DNA test was going to be performed. But when did Angel back off? When did he actually know?”

“What are you talking about, Drummer?”

He ignores me, turning instead to Cad. “Mouse get it for you?”

“Got into Vitalia’s medical records. You were right. She had fertility tests. She wasn’t the problem.”

Drummer grins at me. “The problem was with Angel. Violet had to think she was pregnant by him for the mental torture to work. So yeah, he got another man to rape her.” He closes his eyes, but I complete where he was going.

“Maybe more than one.” At least she was unconscious and didn’t know about it. “But he would have had to have drugged her again this time. But he didn’t drug her yesterday.”Could Drummer be right?

“Just because he was firing blanks didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have some fun.” Drum might be the mother chapter president, but he’s in danger of getting my fist in his face.

“He killed thesoldatowhen he found out.”

“Think man,” Drummer snaps. “Lucio just killed a man in cold blood in front of you. This,” he kicks the near corpse on the floor, “isn’t called the Angel of Death for nothing. It wasn’t because of what the man had done, but because he opened his mouth about it. Take some of his hair, Demon. Before you dispose of his body. Let’s get a test done. I’d bet good money Theo isn’t his son.”

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