Page 7 of Devil's Betrayal

“At what cost?” I demand getting tired of his little tantrum.

“There’s other ways to earn money and keep the club going. We’ve gotten more enemies in the last year than we’ve had in the last twenty or so years.”

“Why the fuck do you care all of sudden?”

“Because, son, it’s just not worth the cost any longer and I’m not about to let my club sink because you don’t want to do the work. Zeke learned his lesson the hard way and because of him we could’ve been killed while helping the Rebels rescue Harper. That’s what being a leader means. It was the right thing to do and that’s part of your problem… you don’t want to do the right thing. You get off on the fear of others and I can’t have that.”

“I am my father’s son and I don’t know how you expect me to be someone I’m not. I’m not some do gooder who sees rainbowsand shit. You taught me to strike before I’m stricken, kill or be killed, all of that and for what? Now that it’s my turn to lead us, you don’t think I can do the job. Or is the club being about loyalty and brotherhood bullshit?”

“Nothing about loyalty and brotherhood in the Devils is bullshit but you have gone too far Ezra. How many times have I said that we aren’t taking any more women and how many times have you gone behind my back and done the exact opposite? Loyalty is doing what your Prez says to do not going off and doing shit behind my back. You have no respect for this club and you definitely don’t have any respect for me as your father. If you keep going down this path, I have no choice but to consider Hammer for my position.”

“Who the fuck are you? What happened to the Prez that put the fear of the devil in people, took whatever he wanted, and did whatever he wanted without a fucking care in the world?”

“Let’s just say those things don’t matter to me any longer. Just because we’re an MC doesn’t mean we have to be assholes. We can exist without turning people’s lives upside down and that’s what trafficking does. Taking a female to sell her is wrong and like I said, we ain’t doing that shit any more. Get in line and don’t challenge me on this. You’re my son but I will strip you if you force me.” As hard as it was to say those words, I will do whatever I need to do to protect my club.

“Yeah, whatever you say, Prez!” He mocks in disgust as he slams his beer on the table and walks out. I let him leave because if he had pushed further this would’ve turned into an all-out fight. Ezra knows not to push me too far because he wouldn’t like the consequences. I’ll give him some time to cool off and then have another talk with him. It’s always been my dream that he would take over the Devils but if he’s not willing to sacrifice his own ego, this isn’t going to work. At the rate he’s going, the Devils would be dissolved within a couple of years and I can’thave that. Son or not, if he pushes me too far, I’ll have him wishing he had never crossed me.

6

Micah

The Fuzzy Peach is not too busy tonight which is actually a good thing. The boys and I decided to come out tonight to celebrate Zeke’s recovery from being shot. He spent months in the hospital and at first it didn’t look like he would walk again. The bullet was lodged near his spine and the doctors didn’t think they would be able to remove it. The surgery was risky but they were able to get the bullet without paralyzing him. After three months in rehab, Zeke was finally home and good as new. We still have to discuss his involvement with what happened to Torch’s old lady and daughter but that can wait.

He's been eye fucking one of the strippers all night and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was dancing only for him. When she comes off the stage and straddles him, it’s obvious that she wants to ride more than that fucker’s bike. My cellphone vibrates in my pocket and when I look at the screen it’s a message from Hammer telling me that three vehicles just pulled up behind the club as he was doing his rounds. Hammer is headof security for the club and even when we come here to relax he does a sweep of the place to make sure things are good. Gus, the owner is a sleazy mother fucker with half ass morals and doesn’t care about the safety of the girls or the club but because this is where we make our money, I wanted one of my men to be in charge of security. The cops rarely shake this place down but if they knew we were gambling they would call the feds in to bust us and shut it down.

Gesturing to Hawk and Knuckles, we head toward the side of the stage and walk through the curtain to the back. I’m not sure what we’re walking in on and I didn’t expect to be confronting them tonight but might as well get this over with while we’re here. I need to know why the Russians are here in my town and it had better not be to start trouble. Reaching for the handle, I open the door that leads to the basement level and hustle down the stairs. To anyone else this is the storage area where liquor and anything else needed upstairs is kept but one of the standing shelves is actually a door that leads to another room where high rollers come to gamble. Why would high rollers come to a small town to gamble? The same reason anyone would that wanted to play high stakes poker, be safe, and keep their addiction a secret.

Sam, the man that keeps shit in order down here looks up as we walk in and just nods his head in acknowledgement as we exit through the back entrance. They’re just shutting their doors when we stand in front of the entrance and block their path. I’ve always known that the Russian mob rolls deep, but these men were packing some heat that I’ve never seen. The fuckers were large too and we were outnumbered. Did that stop me from marking my territory? Hell no! I want to know why they’re here in Grants Pass meddling in my business.

“What can I do for you fellas?” I question as I place my gun at my side ready to shoot the first asshole that jumps.

“Zerrre’s niet need to be hostile Snake. Ve’rrre just herrre to play little poker,” he says with such a thick accent that I could barely understand him but I understood him enough. I’m not surprised he knows my name. Being the head of a Bratva I’m sure he knows what type of toilet paper I use to wipe my ass.

“There’s no way you’re here just to play poker in a small-town Mr. Torshin,” I countered to show him I knew my shit too. His eyebrows go up in surprise as his goons raise their guns as if this would intimidate us. Getting shot doesn’t scare me seeing as I’ve been shot a few times before. Holding his hands up, he directs them to lower their weapons and I relax my grip a little.

“Maybe ve should have prrrivate konverrrsation about why I’m herrre,” he says in all seriousness and that piques my interest because he sounds less menacing.

“Follow me,” I suggest as I start walking back into the club so we could talk in private. His men insisted on coming with us but he gave them the order to stand down and I told my guys to do the same. This makes me even more curious because the head of a Bratva is never without his guards so whatever he has to tell me must be something big. Loud booms echo through the floor as we make our way to the office. Once inside, I shut the door and gesture for him to have a seat. Grabbing two tumblers, it seems appropriate to choose vodka from my private stash since that’s the drink of choice for most Russians. Pouring a generous amount into each glass, I hand Torshin one and we toast. The clear liquid burns as it hits the back of my throat and I pour another. Before throwing it back, I ask,

“Now, tell me why you’re here in my town?”

“A man zat gets rrright to the point. I like zat.”

“No need for pleasantries. We don’t need any more trouble here and you being here smells like more trouble than I care to entertain.”

“My men and I needed place to lay low and one of my kontacts told me about yourrr little setup herrre. Being on Interrrpol's vatchlist has put dent in my business plans so wherrre better to hide out zan small town?”

That sounds plausible but I’m not stupid, so I dig a little deeper.

“What type of business are we talking? I mean, if I didn’t know any better I would think that you were trying to take over my underground gambling gig.”

He laughs at my words as I stare at him but I don’t see the humor in what I said. We’ve had enough trouble to last a lifetime and I’m trying to move the Devils forward. Sergei Torshin is notorious for taking over small operations to expand into a territory. He’s been in the United States for several years and delves into anything from gambling to human trafficking. If he’s coming to just play in private and lay low, then I’ll allow it. It would be crazy for me to turn down the type of money that Sergei and his men will spend here. I’ll even keep the local law off his ass if he kicks in some extra cash.

“Don't prrretend you don't know what I do, Mikah. Let's just say girrrls in yourrr town arrre safe forrr now,” he insinuates with a bit of sarcasm that I don’t appreciate. At the same time I don’t want to carry on this conversation too long. I’m good as long as we come to an understanding and he doesn’t cause any trouble. His “for now” comment didn’t go unnoticed and I’ll make sure that we keep a watch on the women upstairs as an added precaution. Rising from my chair, I extend my hand and look him dead in his eyes.

“Don’t make me regret allowing you to stay here, Sergei. Make no mistake if you cause trouble in my town, Interpol will be the least of your worries,” I warn as he firmly shakes my hand smirking as if he’s not taking me seriously. Sizing me up as if to say he will take me down. What he doesn’t know is I will takehis ass out before I let him ruin what I’ve got planned. A small-town MC may look weak to the head of a Bratva but when you have a ruthless mother fucker like me running things there’s no boundary I wouldn’t cross making him and his goons pay if he stirs up trouble.

Exiting the office, I call Ezra to tell him to let Sergei’s men in and to meet me back upstairs. Sergei walks back through the door and takes one last look at me. He knows that I’ll be watching his every move so, if the fucker sneezes wrong, I’ll be there to show him what I’m capable of. Without another word I turn and head up the stairs to meet Hawk and Knuckles. For tonight, I’ll relax and enjoy the rest of the evening celebrating Zeke’s recovery but tomorrow we’ll put a plan in place to keep these girls safe and make sure Sergei keeps his word.

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