Page 50 of Devil to Pay: Cutter

My phone rings and I have to pull off to the shoulder of the interstate to answer it, but Rough’s name popped up on my screen and he’s on his way to Aja, which means I can’t just let it go to voicemail like I want to do, like I’d normally do.

“Talk to me,” I say into the line.

“Cutter?” That sure as fuck isn’t Rough’s voice.

“Who’s this?”

“Effie, from the Waffle House in Lima.”

“Why the hell do you have Rough’s phone?” I ask—well, more likebarkat the poor woman, not because I’m mad at her, but because now my hackles are rising.

“Well… um… he was in here with your girlfriend. When they left, they were ambushed in the parking lot by other bikers.”

“Ambushed?”

“Yeah. I’m with him, he’s unconscious. I’m waiting for the ambulance to get here. I, uh… used his facial recognition to get into his phone to call you.”

I force myself to calm down. “You did a good job. What about my woman? Is she okay?”Please, God, let her be okay.

“They took her,” she whispers, as if choking on tears.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“This is very important. Were the other bikers wearing cuts?”

“Yes. I don’t remember the picture, but the words were large in blue. Satan’s Apostles. I’ll never forget it. I… It happened so fast. I called the police as soon as I saw them, but I didn’t see soon enough.”

“You did fine, Effie. Stay with Rough. I gotta go, gotta call the brothers.”

Goddammit!

As I bring my phone to call Vlad, his name appears on my phone. “Just about to call you,” I say.

“Wanna tell me why I just got a call from Crunch, president of Satan’s Apostles Missouri chapter, saying that I have an hour to come up with a quarter of a million dollars or he’s handing Ajabackto the Death Bringers? When was she with the Death Bringers? What the fuck is going on?”

Shit.“The night we met, she was on the run from the Death Bringers. She’d been staying at their clubhouse and—”

“You brought Death Bringer pussy into our clubhouse? The fuck is wrong with you?”

“She wasn’t one of their pussies. She was brought there by one of their pussies because she didn’t have anywhere else to go. But she cracked one of ’em upside the head with a full bottle of Jack and stole a bike to escape them.”

“Fuck! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this. What the fuck were you thinking?Oh—I know what you were thinking. Cutter, always thinking about your dick. You put women and children in danger.”

“No. I didn’t. She wasn’t one of them. Are we mobilizing? How do we get her back?”

“Get her back? She’s Death Bringer pussy. They can have her.”

“They’ll fucking kill her. She’s my old lady. I claimed her with the club.” Something happens to Aja I will show him the true meaning of pain. That’s a promise.

“You’re willing to put the entire club into danger for someone who’d fuck a Death Bringer? What’s wrong with you?”

“Yes. I’d burn the world down for her, but it’s more complicated than that. She’s carrying my kid.”

“A kid you don’t want–yeah, I heard. A kid you were sending her up to Michigan to get rid of.”

“I just freaked out. It wasn’t in the plans, but the more I’ve thought on it… I don’t know.” I wipe at my eyes then clear my throat. “You helping or am I going alone? They jumped Rough. Effie from the Waffle House called me. She had to call an ambulance, man.”

---