Page 86 of Devil's Due

“Sure, Prez. Give me five? Just let me take Max back upstairs.”

“Beef! Hold up. Stevie mentioned she needed this. Pal went and got it. Hope it’s right.”

I swing around and then start beaming at what Jay’s holding out. A telescopic white stick, just like the kind Stevie had to abandon when we escaped her burning house.

“She’ll be so grateful, Jay. Thank you.”

She shrugs. Always noticed that about Jay. She’d help out with any of the kids, seeing what needed doing and doing it, but awkward when it comes to accepting thanks.

I take the stick, and Max, back upstairs. Stevie’s sitting on the bed, her head in her hands. Max runs straight across to her and places his head in her lap. Idly she strokes him.

“Jay got you this.” I place the stick in her hands.

She smiles broadly and extends it. “It’s perfect. I feel so much better having this now.”

“Demon wants a word with me. You going to be okay on your own?”

Some of her tension disappears as my absence will give a reprieve on us continuing the difficult conversation we were having. “I’ll be fine. Just leave me to get acquainted with my new surroundings. With this,” she holds up the stick, “I’m confident enough to go down and find the others.”

I’m not letting her off the hook entirely. Going across to her I lean over and cup my hand around the back of her head. Without warning I place the fingers of my other hand under her chin and raise her face up, then my lips come down. Taken unawares she opens her mouth, not wasting the opportunity I sweep my tongue inside.

Christ, her taste. She’s so perfect.How could I have ever thought I could walk away? I was a damn fool.

Her arms come up, but not to push me away. She holds me lightly to steady herself, then with a moan, she gives in, starting to kiss me back, her tongue mating with mine. It’s as though our mouths are using the words we can’t say out loud. Me telling her I never want to leave her side, her perhaps, even now, summoning up ways of telling me a final goodbye.

Eventually, knowing I’m keeping the prez waiting, I reluctantly pull back.

“Beef?” she begins, questioningly.

“Just giving you something to think about,” I reply. “See you later, okay?”

Leaving her looking stunned, I shut the door firmly enough so she knows I’ve gone, and go back down to see what Demon wants me for now. On the way down the stairs I adjust myself in my jeans, her taste having had the predictable effect. That part of my body I’ve decided to bring into play later in a further attempt to show her how well the two of us work. Yeah, I might have a few ideas in my head which means I’m still dealing with a rock-hard dick as I enter the office of my president.

If Demon notices at least he’s gentleman enough to ignore it.

“I’ve heard back from Drummer,” he starts, getting to the point immediately. “Things have been going on behind the scenes.”

“And?” I prompt. My ass hitting the seat fast, leaning forward and giving all my attention to the man in front of me.

“The issues are that no one wants the feds to drag an MC into court, nor have it disbanded under a RICO indictment.”

My head starts to move back and forth, but before I can get a word out, he continues, “If the Warped Jokers had stuck to their normal trade, handled it under the radar, then they’d have had more support. But they got greedy, acted like fuckin’ criminals.”

I think for a moment the ‘normal trade’ of drug, gun running, and trafficking women could also be considered a crime, but let that slip for now. Plenty of MCs earn their money that way, Satan’s Devils have got clear of it.

“Drummer spoke to Chaz as he said, who had talks with Stinger, the prez covering the LA Wretched Soulz area. Think they had a conference call with RIP in Colorado. Well, RIP was the one who’s been in touch. Wretched Soulz will stand back and let this one play out. They don’t want or need to be associated with any injury coming to a federal witness.”

Good on Drummer. He would have explained the risk of possible blowback were it to be shown the Soulz had played an active part. Not that Demon isn’t a good prez, but he, like me, is too close to the situation. Drummer, reviewing it from afar, had come up with a suggestion.

“So all we need to do is protect her from the Warped Jokers.” And from whatever bastard is too close to her trail.

“Not so fast, Beef.” I’d expected Demon to be pleased, but he looks anything but. “The dominant had a request in exchange for them to step back.”

“Which is?”

“Except under circumstances where an MC sets up without permission or where there’s a dispute over territory or direct involvement in another club’s business, MCs don’t turn on their own. The Wretched Soulz don’t want to be anywhere close to the intimidation of a witness, but neither do they want to be seen as supporting the feds over the MCs whose charters they’ve agreed to.”

My brow creases as I try to work through what he’s just said. There’s a cold feeling in my gut, and I hope I’m reading things wrong. I put one interpretation on it that’s not as bad as the next. “They’re stepping back and leaving us to fight it out with what remains of the Warped Jokers?” A club with its officers and half its members in jail. No leadership, just foot soldiers. No problem to take them on though I’d have preferred to avoid more bloodshed.

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