Wolf
Church was getting crowded. I looked around the room and realized I wasn’t the only one who’d brought my woman along. Because of the type of threat we were dealing with, the club officers had decided it was best if the women knew what was going on. Glory sat on my lap. Farrah stood behind Demon with her hand on his shoulder. Slash’s woman, Shella, sat on a chair next to him. Badger’s woman, Adalia, Dagger and Guardian’s woman, Zoe, and Outlaw’s woman, Elena, had opted to stay in the main part of the clubhouse with the kids. The other Fury ladies were propped against the wall near the door, each looking fierce and ready to tackle whatever evil dared to encroach on their territory.
And then there was our guest. Alora Danvers.
Badger eyed her before scanning the room. “You’re probably wondering who this young woman is. Her name is Alora and she’s Twister’s niece.”
I heard a gasp and my gaze landed on Meredith, Grizzly’s adopted daughter. And Twister’s daughter by blood. Apparently, no one had told her she had living family.
“We’re cousins?” Meredith asked. “How is this possible?”
Doolittle stood and went to her, taking her hand. “Not right now, Merry. You’ll get a chance to talk to her a little later, and I promise we’ll explain everything.”
Meredith nodded and gave him a slight smile.
“I have no idea who Twister is,” Alora said. “Only family I ever had was my mother, and she died shortly after I turned eighteen.”
“You don’t look older than that now,” Stitches said.
“I’m twenty.” Alora folded her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up. “I also have a thriving business, own my house and car outright, and have no idea why you’ve dragged me here or what the hell is going on.”
Slash coughed to cover a laugh. “Yeah, she’ll fit right in.”
“Business?” Frost asked.
“I’m a writer. A damn good one, too.”
“Your business is writing?” Smuggler asked, as if it were a foreign concept. Since I’d never seen him with a book, that might not be far off.
“I write romances.” Her cheeks flushed a little. “And before you make any snide remarks, you should know I’ve hit the bestseller lists multiple times and my net worth is somewhere around half a million dollars. So yeah, it’s a business.”
Bandit whistled. “Damn. Maybe I need to start writing.”
I snorted. “Write what? I’m not sure the world is ready for the crap that goes through your mind.”
Badger slammed his fist onto the table. “Enough! Alora is here because I wanted her under our protection. Her uncle, Saul Sanders, is not only part of the Sons of Vassago, but he seems to be the leader for this particular area. All the hackers have been working non-stop on this issue. What they’ve discovered is unsettling to say the least. The Sons of Vassago have been under our noses for years. Most of the unsolved murders within fifty miles can be contributed to their savagery.”
Alora paled and looked like she might crumple at any moment. Doolittle was the closest and led her to a chair next to her cousin. He stood by the two, keeping an eye on them. The look he gave them wasn’t of a romantic nature, so I believed him when he said he and Meredith were just friends. Although, now that she was of legal age, I wasn’t so sure she’d let things remain on a friends-only footing for long.
“We need to drive them out of this area,” Slash said. “I haven’t figured out yet how we’re going to do it, but if we take out Saul, it’s only going to put our families at greater risk. They already want Glory. How long before they put a target on all our women and our daughters?”
“If he’s my family, maybe I could reason with him?” Alora asked.
“Don’t think that’s a good idea,” Steel said. “I’m not sure Saul would care if you were blood or not. If he didn’t sacrifice you the way he’s done so many other young women, he might very well try to marry you off to one of the members of his cult.”
“So we’re definitely calling it a cult now?” I asked.
Steel shrugged. “Can you think of a better word for it?”
No, not really. I saw the frustration on Badger’s face and knew he wanted us to focus. He looked like he was seconds from erupting, and none of us wanted that to happen. He’d gotten his name for good reason. Ever met a badger? Those bastards were mean as fuck and would tear you up.
“They need a good reason to move out of this territory,” Badger said. “The tricky part is making sure we aren’t pawning them off on another club. Any ideas on where we could lead them?”
“And how are you going to ‘lead’ those men anywhere?” Guardian asked. “No offense, Pres, but we don’t have anything to offer that they’d want other than Glory, and obviously we aren’t handing her over.”
Alora raised her hand and cleared her throat. I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh at how fucking cute she was.
Badger sighed and leaned back in his chair. “This isn’t a classroom, Miss Danvers. You have something to say?”
She nodded and stood. “Not to state the obvious, but like I said, I’m a writer. If you need a creative way to get my… uncle to move out the area, why not give me some time to come up with something? Preferably a non-violent way where all of us stay alive and breathing?”
Badger opened and shut his mouth, clearly speechless. I was right there with him. My woman? Not so much. She leaned forward, excitement flashing in her eyes.
“You think you can write a scenario where your uncle would leave?” Glory asked.
Alora scratched her nose. “Well, in theory, yes. I mean, I write erotic romances mostly, but I’ve been known to throw in some danger. I don’t see why I couldn’t at least try. Unless someone already has a plan?”
The room was so quiet I could hear the clock on the wall ticking. Yeah, none of us had a damn idea as to what to do. We’d never been faced with anything quite like the Sons of Vassago. Even back when Slash’s dad and his club had been raising hell in the southern part of the US, it hadn’t been this level of horrifying. Not to mention, Abraxas and his brothers were only based in our country. The Sons of Vassago were worldwide.
“Right.” Alora cleared her throat. “I just need my laptop or a pad and pen. A quiet place to think and write. Might take me a few hours.”
“Find out which of the rooms aren’t being used, make sure it’s clean, and let her use the space,” Demon said. “Assign a Prospect to make sure she has everything she needs, and make sure the fucker knows to keep his hands to himself.”
Doolittle stepped closer to Alora. “I’ll help her get set up. I need to go let the dogs out anyway.”
Alora blinked at him stupidly. Then she snickered before doubling over and laughing until she cried. “Oh, God! Sorry! It’s just… Who Let the Dogs Out?”
“I don’t get it,” I mumbled to Glory, whose shoulders had started shaking with silent laughter.
She pulled out her phone, tapped on the screen to pull up YouTube, and soon a song filled the room. The moment we heard the lyrics, everyone roared with laughter, and poor Doolittle just rolled his eyes.
“It wasn’t that funny,” he said. “And I really do need to let the dogs out if I don’t want to clean up puddles.”
“I think we needed that,” Glory said after Alora followed Doolittle from the room. “Anyone else feel better? Cleansed?”
Most of the men at the table nodded, and the women too.
“Are we really letting a romance writer figure out how to get rid of a killer?” Dagger asked.
Outlaw leaned back and put his hands behind his head, stretching in his chair. “Anyone want to place a bet that her browser history includes multiple ways of killing a man or getting rid of a body? I wouldn’t discount her just yet. We can at least hear what she comes up with -- unless someone here wants to give us some ideas.”
We all looked at one another, none of us having a plan. If we could take Saul out of the picture, it would be easier. In this instance, killing him would only make more problems. He had too many men behind him, ones who would want revenge. None of us wanted to start a war, especially with such a large organization.
“What if she can’t come up with anything?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we still work on a plan?”
“We will,” Badger said. “All right, ladies. Why don’t you head to the main room? Not everyone saw the video from before, and it’s not something you want to see.”
Glory stood, bent to kiss my cheek, then followed the others from the room. I wished like hell I didn’t have to watch the video again. Either of them. Outlaw played them for the entire club to see, and we spent the next several hours trying to find a way to get rid of the Sons of Vassago. It wasn’t until Badger’s phone rang that we had any hope at all.
“It’s Wire,” he said, as he answered the call. He placed it on speaker so we could all hear. “What have you got for us?”
“The Sons of Vassago have two enemies, and only two that I can find so far,” Wire said. “Don’t get me wrong. Lots of people hate these fuckers, but none are powerful enough to take them down or send them running for the hills.”
“But there’s someone who can? Or several someones?” Slash asked.
“Oh, yeah. And men we all know. Some of us more so than others,” Wire said.
“Will you spit it the fuck out?” Badger asked, a growl to his voice belying his frustration.
“Casper VanHorne and the assassin we all know as Specter,” Wire said.
The bomb he’d dropped made the room go silent. What. The. Fuck. Seriously? Why the hell had none of us thought to reach out to Casper before this? The man might be retired, but it didn’t make him any less a badass.
“Did Torch already speak to Casper?” Badger asked.
“Just so happens, Casper is here visiting. He was going to head to Tennessee to see his granddaughter over at the Reckless Kings after he left here, but he said he can make a stop in Georgia. He’s heading out within the hour,” Wire said.
“And Specter?” I asked. “Anyone know how to reach him?”
“Casper does,” Wire said. “He’s already on it. Both men will be in your area later tonight. If they need any backup, do you have men who can help?”
“Yeah, but we don’t exactly have a connection to Casper or Specter. Not sure us being there will do much of anything,” Badger said. “Farrah might be with Demon, but she’s Venom’s daughter. Not Torch’s. Which means she’s not related to Casper. My club being present might escalate things instead of sending these fuckers running, not to mention they may decide to come back once Casper and Specter are gone.”
Wire cleared his throat. “I have an idea about that, actually, but you may not like it.”
“Hit me with it,” Badger said. “At this point, I’m not afraid to say we’re desperate. We’re a bit out of our depth with these assholes.”
“Mariah. Venom’s youngest is… Well, she’s got a crush on a cop and Venom caught her trying to elope with the guy. He’s furious to say the least and has her on lockdown.”
Badger scratched his beard. “I’m not sure what the hell that has to do with us. Besides, we already have Farrah. Isn’t one of Venom’s kids enough?”
“Venom wants to negotiate. Casper will guarantee your problem goes away -- permanently -- if one of your men will claim Mariah. I know it’s not a connection to Casper himself, but it’s more of a you do us a favor we do you one sort of deal. In this case, our favor is that Casper comes to help you out.”
Badger’s gaze shot over to Demon, who was shaking his head. “Wire, I’m sensing a trap. How old is Mariah?”
“Seventeen.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Badger demanded. “She’s still a kid! How the fuck was she going to elope anyway?”
“Age of consent in Georgia is sixteen. She’s finished with high school, and you’ll be taking her with Venom’s blessing. Well, not you but one of your brothers. As to the other, we found a somewhat decent fake ID in her possession. Guess she thought she could get away with it if they went somewhere else, like Vegas or south of the border.”
“Beau,” Dingo said.
“Did you say Beau?” Wire asked. “Isn’t he just a Prospect?”
“We’re voting him in. Already promised him a patch. We were waiting until all this crap was over with, but to hell with it.” Badger eyed all of us. “All in favor of Beau being patched in raise your hand.”
Every hand around the table went up.
“Then it’s official. Beau is now a member of the Devil’s Fury. Now he just needs a road name, but we can deal with that after the Sons of Vassago are out of here,” Badger said.
“I’ll talk to Torch and Venom. They may want proof Beau can protect Mariah. Isn’t he rather young?” Wire asked.
“Twenty-two,” Dingo said. “He may be young, chronologically speaking, but the kid lived a hellish life and grew up fast. I’d trust him with any woman in this club.”
Since Beau was the reason Dingo’s woman had been repeatedly raped and abused, for him to say such a thing was really fucking huge. If Beau had told us about Meiling sooner, we could have saved her from the foster parents who’d pimped her out.
“I still need to clear it with Torch and Venom. Any other potential victims?” Wire asked.
The room was quiet. Long enough it started to feel awkward. I scanned the table, wondering if anyone would speak up. And if not, how long exactly were we going to wait? Because if Beau was agreeable, I didn’t see the issue.
“I’ll take her,” Savage said.
Hadn’t seen that one coming. I eyed Savage and wondered why he’d offer himself up on a platter like that. Far as I knew, he’d never met Mariah. What if he couldn’t stand her? Hell, the fact she was being bartered away to another club meant she’d probably arrive here ready to lash out at everyone and run at the first opportunity.
“And who is I?” Wire asked.
“Savage,” Badger answered. “Our Treasurer. He’s more than a decade older than Mariah. That a problem?”
“No, and since he’s an officer, the terms are acceptable. I’ll let everyone know, and once your area is safe, Mariah will be hand delivered to her new home,” Wire said. “And good luck. You’ll need it.”
Savage snorted, but he smiled faintly. “Think I can handle her. For the record, I’m not touching her until she’s at least eighteen. And agreeable to being touched. She can have a separate room until then.”
“Not my concern,” Wire said. “She’s yours now. You can handle her how you see fit. Just be warned. She’ll try to escape and get back to the asshole cop she’s crushing on. Venom’s about to blow a gasket.”
I didn’t blame him. I’d heard the VP over at the Reckless Kings ended up claiming a cop’s daughter, but since they lived in a different state, it wasn’t a huge issue. Although, the dad had shown up to cause some trouble. Venom’s kid shacking up with a cop in the same town? Yeah, that wouldn’t fly. Even if the Dixie Reapers ran a much cleaner ship these days, I knew their hands were still a bit dirty. None of ours were clean.
“Casper and Specter will need a place to crash. I don’t imagine they’ll stay longer than one night,” Wire said.
“We’ll have something for them,” Badger said. “And tell them thanks.”
He ended the call and leaned back in his chair, looking like he’d just aged ten years. I didn’t envy him his position right now. Being the President of a club facing something like an entire group of murderers and rapists? Yeah, not something I’d want to deal with.
“Think that’s all we can do for now,” Badger said. “Someone get two of the small apartments cleaned up and stocked for our guests. Everyone else, go be with your families, or blow off some steam in some other way. No club whores inside the compound until this is finished, and I don’t want anyone outside the gates unless it’s a life-or-death reason. If you’re single and need to fuck, I suggest you get reacquainted with your hand. Now get the fuck out!”
I stood and made my way to the main area, looking for Glory. I hoped someone informed Alora we didn’t need her services after all. With some luck, this would all be over soon, and she’d be safely back in her home. If nothing else, maybe this would give her something new to write about.
Or it could just give her nightmares.
I knew I’d have them for a while, to add to the ones already plaguing me some nights. I had to admit, since Glory had moved in, I hadn’t had any episodes. No PTSD flare-ups, no nightmares about what happened over there. I’d slept peacefully, except for the times I’d woken in a cold sweat the past two nights -- since I’d discovered Saul had put a target on her.
“Already done?” Glory asked.
“Yeah. Wire came up with a solution, but we can’t implement it just yet. Badger ordered everyone back to their homes. You and Sienna ready?” I looked for our daughter and found her in Doolittle’s arms. Considering he had a monkey on his shoulder, I could see why she seemed so happy. Our little girl stared at the monkey with wide eyes while she sucked on her fist. Not once did she reach for the creature, but it was clear she adored the little furry thing. It kept leaning down to inspect her, making noises that had Sienna squealing in delight.
“No,” I said, eyeing Glory. “We aren’t getting a monkey.”
She snorted. “I wasn’t going to ask for one. They throw poop.”
I stifled a laugh as I watched the monkey and our daughter for another minute. If she liked animals, maybe Doolittle had something more domestic we could adopt. Like a cat or dog. I didn’t think we were up for anything exotic.
Glory retrieved Sienna, who put up a fuss over leaving her new furry friend, and we headed out to my truck. I didn’t know if I’d be called to back up Casper and Specter later, so I wanted to enjoy what time I had with my girls this afternoon. No one had said whether Casper and Specter would want to strike tonight or wait until morning. Either way, I was thankful we had backup coming our way.
It also made me realize something… our club wasn’t quite as fierce as we’d once been. I knew back in the day when Blades had been young, and Grizzly had been newly patched in, the Devil’s Fury had been far different than we were now. Good changes, from what I’d heard, but we were weaker. Settling down with families had made us softer. Or perhaps it was the fact we were all getting old enough to want to slow down a bit. I knew our fingers weren’t in quite so many pies, as far as the illegal shit went. We had some legit businesses around town, and we’d been discussing opening yet another one.
I couldn’t complain. I enjoyed life with the club, and now I had a family. There wasn’t much else I could ever want or need. Except to guarantee their safety. We needed to bulk up our security, or possibly patch in more ex-military guys. There was a reason I’d been medically discharged. I wasn’t as quick on my feet as I’d once been. I knew men who ran marathons on two prosthetic legs, and I only had one. But kneeling down for long periods, and being stealthy, wasn’t as easy as it had been before.
I slowed as I neared the house, noticing Outlaw’s truck was pulled up out front. He got out and leaned against the front fender while he waited. I parked in the driveway and leaned over to kiss Glory on the cheek.
“Head inside with Sienna? I need to see what Outlaw wants,” I said. In case it was something bad, I didn’t want Glory to hear it. Not until I’d decided the best way to tell her. And that was assuming it was anything to do with her.
After she’d gone inside with our daughter, I walked down to meet Outlaw at the street. “Should I be worried you’re here when I just saw you in Church? And how the fuck did you beat me to my own damn house?”
“You were too busy watching your daughter try to enchant a monkey.” He smiled. Then I noticed the folder in his hand. “Thought you might want this. What you do with it is entirely up to you.”
I opened the file and my heart nearly stopped. “Is this what I think it is?”
He nodded. “Lavender decided to work on this while everyone else focused on the Sons of Vassago. There weren’t two men that night. There were three. Their names and locations are all there, as well as the footage Lavender was able to unbury. The school saw what happened and conveniently lost the video, claiming the cameras weren’t working in that area on the night your woman was attacked. They lied to cover their asses and did a fairly good job of hiding the evidence.”
I eyed the men and realized Sienna had the same shaped eyes as one of them. Parker Waite. That was the fucker who’d created Sienna. Fury rolled through me as I eyed the men in the pictures. Boys, really. Men didn’t rape women. Only sick fucks would do something so horrific.
“Elena saw what I had,” Outlaw said softly. “She got pissed as hell.”
I looked up at him. “Why are you telling me that? Is your woman going to track them down and slit their throats or something?”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “Elena? Not likely. No, but she did ask me to make them suffer at least a little. So I drained all their accounts. Bounced the funds a few dozen times to make it impossible to trace, even went through a few offshore banks, and the money is now all pooled together in one safe place. An account under your name.”
My eyebrows rose. “My name? Why not Glory’s?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t know if you’d want to tell her about the men or not. She’s suffered so much already. She may not want to know the details. There’s an SD card taped to the back of the file. You can insert it into your laptop if you want to see the footage, or you can burn it and throw it away.
“They weren’t rich men, so it’s not a ton of money. Between their checking and savings, the total came to around thirty thousand. I put it into a money market account so it will hopefully increase over the next eighteen years. With some luck, it will double, possibly more than double by the time Sienna is of age. She can use it to do whatever she wants. College. Buy a car. Start her life wherever she wants.”
I folded my arms. “You think I’m letting my little girl go traipsing off far from home? Knowing sick fucks like these three and the Sons of Vassago are out there? Just waiting to get their hands on someone sweet like her? Fuck no!”
Outlaw smiled. “I feel you, brother. I’m not too keen on my daughter running off to start a life either. But it will happen sooner or later.”
“Thanks for this,” I said, lifting the file. “I’ll wait until this other shit is handled and then decide what to do. Glory once said she didn’t think she’d want to know what happened that night. I’ll leave it up to her. Until then, I’ll put this in my safe.”
Outlaw got into his truck and pulled away, leaving me holding a small handful of papers that felt like they weighed a ton. One day at a time. Right now, we had other things to take care of. These fuckers could wait.