Page 78 of Devil's Due

I kneel quickly. Bitch slapped him in the face, but he’s only got a slight scratch. “Max is fine. I think Bitch just put him in his place.”

“Come here, Max,” Jeannie coaxes. “Oh you poor boy, beaten up by a cat. You’re never going to live it down.”

Bitch, seeming to have successfully conveyed that the clubhouse is hers, and Max only here on her sufferance, sits down and starts washing herself. Max inches closer to Jeannie, lapping up any sympathy he can get while keeping one careful eye on the cat.

“I’ll be fine,” Stevie answers belatedly. “You go and do your manly stuff. Just one thing, Beef. If it’s about me and my safety, please don’t keep me in the dark.”

A reasonable request, and one I can agree to. Won’t be able to share club business, or perhaps how we get to know what we do, but if it’s information she needs, I’ll happily share it with her.

Leaving the kitchen, it doesn’t surprise me to see money is already changing hands. Rusty’s grasping a fistful of dollars as Bitch’s antics had clearly been observed.

“Cat knows who’s boss,” Rusty’s saying sagely to a disgusted looking Ink.

“Dog’s hobbled,” Ink grumbles. “He’s only got three working legs. Dynamics might change when he’s back to form and can chase her.”

“It was who’d win today we bet on,” Rusty insists.

I catch the eye of the marshal who’s got a mug of coffee in his hand, seeming unamused by the antics. The bikers are holding beer bottles. Guess he wants to remain sober while on duty.

“Beef! Prez wants you.”

“Sure thing.” I wave my hand toward Thunder, then go to see Demon.

He nods me to the seat opposite and wastes no time on pleasantries. “Lennox is chomping at the bit to get started. He wants to know what we know, and what we’re going to do about it.”

I shrug. I’m not surprised. I am shocked he’s giving us time to get our stories straight and isn’t busting the door down. But then he is here on sufferance and must know that.

“Demon, if you hadn’t come today… How the fuck did you know to warn me?”

“You can thank Cad. He’s been checking the camera feeds from the CCTV over town. Caught a whiff of the Jokers yesterday. Had Ink tailing them. Soon as he saw the direction they were heading, he called me. I called you.” He breaks off and shrugs. I’m just fucking thankful they did.

I nod as I digest that, then ask, “What are we going to do with our Jokers?”

“Leave them in the basement for now. They’re not going anywhere. I think we’ll question themafterthe marshal leaves.” As I grin in full agreement, Demon continues, “Told Lennox he’s going to have to kick his heels for a few. Thunder’s keeping a close eye on him. Need to do something first and want you sitting in.” He takes out his phone, presses a couple of keys and puts it halfway across the desk.

It’s answered almost immediately. “Drummer.”

“Need your advice.” Demon doesn’t introduce himself. “Got Beef with me.”

“Yo, Beef.”

“How you doing, Prez?” Fuck, it feels good to give the right man that name.

“Drum. Got a problem. Need direction on how you want to play it.” Demon quickly summarises what’s gone down today, the Warped Jokers, the Wretched Soulz, and how our paths have crossed.

There’s silence on the other end of the line, then, “What’s the bitch like, Beef?”

“Good woman, Prez. Deals well with her disability. Not someone who deserves to be caught up in something like this.”

“Okay, let’s talk this through. The Warped Jokers have earned a reputation that the Devils try to steer away from. Last I heard they were running drugs, guns and women. Got a brothel or two set up in LA where the girls aren’t all willing. We may not walk the right side of the line, but we don’t go so far in that direction.”

Demon shudders. “That shit only brings down trouble.”

“I couldn’t call them, brothers, Drum.”

“I hear you Beef. Our problem is, where do the Wretched Soulz stand? I can see their point, let the feds take an MC on a RICO ticket, might get them casting their net wider. On the other hand, throw the feds a bone, let them take a dirty club down, and maybe they’ll have satisfied their quota. At least for now.”

“Be bad publicity for any MC.”

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