Page 63 of Devil's Due

“We’rebikers, Stevie. Like them.”

Her mouth opens in an O, and her breathing seems to stop.

“We know it all, Stevie. What you’re running from and why.”

Her unseeing eyes shutter and close. “I didn’t have any choice but to accept your help. I knew you were different, I know not all MCs were alike. I knew you were good people, Beef, you saved Max and you saved me. I just couldn’t tell you, just in case…”

The reasons for her reticence drop into place. “I’m from an MC, and you thought we might be involved.”

“Not you, Beef,” she says fast. “You could never condone what they did. But your club? I don’t know what affiliations you have.” Swinging her legs off the couch, she sits up. “Will this change anything?” As her head tilts accurately in my direction, I see her brow is creased and her teeth are worrying her lip.

“No.” I go over and sit beside her. It seems natural to take her hand in mine. “You’ve heard of the Wretched Soulz?”

“Of course,” she scoffs. “I wasn’t born under a rock. They’re that huge club, everyone knows of them.” She shudders, the gesture gives away what she thinks of them.

She turns her hand in mine, and her fingers press mine gently. “You know it all?”

“The Warped Jokers robbing a bank, yeah. That you’re the star witness? That too.”

Her head rises, she stares in the direction of the dying fire. “I try not to think about it, else I’ll hear it all the time, Beef. Those muffled shots, those screams. The begging, pleading for mercy. The cries of fear and pain. They were firing again and again, gradually the sound getting louder. I smell the cordite, I breathe the odour of the man who held me and threatened me. I could feel their evil.”

She pauses, then adds, “I was powerless to do anything then, all I can do is help put those men away.” She pauses, her lips press together. “I feel guilty that they left me alive. How crazy is that? They thought I was a nothing, not even a person good enough to kill. I should have been one of those bodies, instead I wasn’t worth a bullet.”

“Fuckin’ glad they underestimated you.” It seems natural to pull her toward me, to wrap my arms around her and hold her close. This near, I can feel her shaking. It’s me who’s feeling at fault right now. I hadn’t considered how terrifying her ordeal had been, nor its lasting effect on her.

“Do I scare you?” I ask suddenly.

“You? No, why?”

“Because I smell like them. Oil and leather.”

Her head shakes against me. “You’re different. They smelled bad, your leather smells of some sort of polish.”

It smells of the conditioner I use to keep it supple. Care of my cut comes second only to the care of my bike.

“Why did you mention the Wretched Soulz?”

“You know they are a big club.” I explain as best I can. “They cover a lot of the states, other countries too. They’re what’s known as the dominant club, at least in this area. Any club that sets up in their territory has to get their permission. We live alongside them, know the boundaries, and don’t step out of line.”

“They’ve got a bad reputation.”

“All MCs have, darlin’. It’s par for the course. People don’t understand us. But one club is not like the next. We keep to the right side of the line most of the time, but family is most important. Someone crosses us, and we handle it in ways which citizens don’t approve. Our justice is swift.”

There’s a tremor in her voice as she asks, “Have I crossed your club by not coming clean from the start?”

“Nah.” I hug her tighter and kiss the top of her head, breathing in the flowery scent of the shampoo she must have used again. “But you’ve given us a problem. We need to stay on the right side of the Wretched Soulz. They’re too big for us to anger. The issue is, the Warped Jokers are also set up with permission of the dominant.”

“They support them?” she asks, incredulously.

“Support would be taking it too far, I suspect. I wasn’t party to the discussions, but even the Wretched Soulz don’t go around shooting up banks. The Warped Jokers were out of line.”

“Out of line?” she squeaks. “People were killed.”

“I know, darlin’, I know.” I hope my tone is soothing. “Leaving aside their crime, they’ve brought the attention of the feds down on all MCs. Motorcycle clubs like ours are classified as gangs by the feds, and when something like this happens, an easy target to take down. If the Warped Jokers get convicted, their club will be destroyed. Problem is, the feds won’t stop there. In their eyes it proves what MCs will do and that they’re right to go after us. We’re all tarred with the same brush, whether we like it or not.”

“I’m going to testify.”

I smile at her firm words. “Not asking you not to, babe. But the Wretched Soulz have a different take on things. They find you? They might try to persuade you not to take that stand.”

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