Page 10 of Sinful Need
“Enough bitching. This is important because I fucking said it is.” Chainz grows more agitated. “Stop your damn whining and listen.”
“Sorry, Prez.” Tank concedes.
“Yeah man, Let’s hear it.” Cobra caves.
“It’s not about the lighter. It’s about what’s engraved on it.” I pick it up and turn the insignia outward, showing them all the Viper’s Den logo. “When Jules and Dia were being held captive by Ben Cross, Jules pocketed this.”
“That kid is aKleptomaniac.” Crusher laughs and we all join in, temporarily lifting the weight hanging over us much like Jules does. Jules has been through a lot in her fifteen years on this earth but is always upbeat. She doesn’t talk about her family but Hound dug up enough dirt to shine the light on why. She doesn’t want to go back and we’re not going to make her. She’s better off with us as her family than with those deadbeats. Her parents didn’t even file a missing person’s report when she ran away at thirteen. She was living on the street, getting by any way she could when she fell victim to the trafficking ring. They saw an easy target and while she suffered at their hands she refused to be a victim. She’s so strong for her age, it amazes me. She took matters in her own hand, executing Tank's father, who turns out was dealing in trafficking women for decades. If it wasn’t for her Tank may have never gotten Dia back. She’s one of us now.
“Let’s stay on track so we can get back out there to our women.” Chainz warns.
“As I was saying, I don’t know what this means but the Viper’s Den is bad news. There’s only one reason this lighter would be at that warehouse and that’s if they were here. One of those girls was from California, right?”
“Yeah, Andrea. Dia bonded with her.” Tank comments.
“I think they are kidnapping these women and selling them off to the black-market.” I add. “And this time they did it right here under our noses.”
“Anything’s possible but what I want to know is how do you know about this Diaper’s Pen? I’ve never heard of them.” Cobra asks.
“Because I’ve seen this lighter before. It belongs to Hawk, the Viper’s Den President.” I emphasize the club's name.
“Diapers Pen, Viper’s Den, whatever. They sound like punks.” Cobra scoffs.
I swallow the lump in my throat. I’ve never spoken about my days prospecting with the Viper’s Den to anyone.Old scars are best left alone. The events that unfolded my last night in California scarred me to my core but are also what led me here to the Krymson Destroyers. “They’re far from punks. I prospected for them for a short time and I can tell you they're a bunch of psychopaths.”
“Is this personal?” Reaper weighs in. “Cause I’m down for settling scores, we haven’t done enough of that lately.”
“Yes.” I answer honestly, although I can’t hide the smirk threatening to break free. Reaper is always looking for an excuse to fight. That’s what is so great about this club. We have each other's backs no matter what. We’re a brotherhood and settling scores is our specialty. “I heard rumors about their involvement in this kind of thing back in the day and now that it hits so close to home, I don’t know how to ignore it.”
“I’m not suggesting we ignore it, but what are we supposed to do about it? The only thing we have connecting them to thetrafficking ring are rumors and a lighter.” Tank picks up the lighter, studying the logo.
“I can see what I can dig up on them.” Hound finally chimes in to the conversation.
“Hound you’re the best at what you do, but they’ve been at this for seven years. You’re not going to find a paper trail.”
“How about a road trip? We have allies in California. I can contact the Royal Bastards, LA Chapter.” Crusher chimes in.
“We’re not involving another club unless we have to. I want to know who we’re dealing with first.” Chainz speaks up. “Fuel, do you still have any contacts out there?”
I shake my head. I cut ties with the only two people I trusted the night I left town. Even if I knew how to contact Rayne, she belongs to Hawk. Contacting her or Storm would put them in danger if Hawk found out Storm faked my death. I had hoped he got his revenge and got the hell out of there but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Chainz rubs his finger and thumb along his goatee as he thinks about our next move. “Hound, see what you can find out about the Viper’s Den and this Hawk. I’ll reach out to Carracci and see if he can arrange a flight, if that’s what we decide to do. I’m not riding my girl twenty five hundred miles both ways on a wild goose chase.” Chainz slams the gavel on the table, “Enjoy the rest of the night boys, we’ll continue this in the morning.”
The knot in my stomach tightens as I make my way back to the bar. I order a shot of Jack from Elle, one of our club girls tending bar, and slam it back. I’m not one to dwell on the past but this shit is dragging up some old memories I’d rather drown out. I order another, the burn in the back of my throat masks the pain tugging at me. I buried thoughts of my brother and my feelings for Rayne down deep a long time ago and that’s where I need them to stay. I down a third and stalk my moping ass outback. There’s a bonfire burning and several club members are sitting around shooting the shit.
Cobra has picked up where he left off with his hands up Skyler's friend's skirt while Skyler and Crusher stand off to the side bickering about something. His usual standoffish attitude has her all worked up. I can’t blame her, by the time he grows a pair of balls and is ready to make her his, she’ll be fed up with his bullshit.
The voices in my head are too loud to compete with the chatter. My thoughts wander to Rayne and Storm and the six months we spent together. After losing my brother, I had no one but them. They became my friends, my confidants. We bonded over our hatred for Hawk and Digger. Storm saved my life that night and rolling back in town, the one place I should never return could put them both at risk but this is something I can’t let slide. I have to stand for something and sex trafficking women is something I won’t tolerate.
I turn the corner deciding I don’t have a fuck to give right now about Crusher’s girl problems. Settling down at the picnic table, I draw a smoke from the pack in my pocket and strike the lighter that set this whole thing in motion. Before I’m even able to light it, one of the regular club whores leans over my shoulder with an unlit cigarette pressed between her pouty lips. She catches the flame to light it. “What’s got you in a sour mood?”
My eyes snap up. “I’m always in a sour mood.”
“True, but tonight you’re brooding more than usual.” I strike the lighter again and light up my own cigarette. She drags her long red fingernails up my arms. Goosebumps erupt on my skin. “I can help take your mind off it.”
Pressing my eyes closed, I inhale a deep drag off the cigarette pinched between my fingers. I can’t deny her touch feels good but I’ve grown tired of sharing club pussy and tonight I’m not sure even that would be enough to hold back theemotions surfacing. She continues to caress my biceps drawing my sleeve up and I contemplate taking her upstairs anyways.
“I love your ink.” Her fingers trace tiny circles along the tattoo on my upper bicep. “Am I as pretty as her?”
