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Beast
An hour later Beast and Hawk stood on the veranda watching as Pretorius parked under the trees where the prospect had directed him. They didn’t miss the way their visitors’ eyes took in the compound, bikes and brothers. They were walking towards the veranda when Harmony Pretorius jerked to a stop, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open, her hand virtually beating a tattoo on her man’s chest.
They were all looking at her in confusion. Beast lost his confusion when he glanced in the direction she was staring. Fuck. His old lady stood outside her studio in one of her tiny little dancing outfits, a towel around her neck that she was using to pat at her neck and face. She was lost in her own world looking out towards the back of the property.
“Oh my God, that’s...that’s Victoria Keating. I thought she wasn’t dancing anymore. She’s supposed to be in New York.” She gasped in a low excited voice lifting her phone to take a photo and Beast had to stop that shit in its tracks.
“Stop right there. You use that camera and this meeting ends right the fuck now. You will not take photos, or approach her, or try to talk to her under any circumstances. As far as both of you are concerned you never saw her. She isn’t here. Do you understand?”
Confused eyes met his but at least the assholes nodded. His heart settled into its regular beat when their visitors followed Hawk into the clubhouse. Beast cast one last glance Tori’s way but she was no longer outside, she must have just stepped out for a quick breather before going back into the studio.
The only ones in the common room were Chris and Grietjie behind the bar doing a stock take and they quietly watched him as he stalked through and down to Hawk’s office. He had to get his head back into the game and he breathed deep and cracked his neck from side to side as he walked into the office and took his place on Hawk’s left and slightly behind him. He silently waited for his president to start the ball rolling.
“My name is Hawk and I’m the president of the Iron Dogz MC. You met with my associate, Beast, earlier today. There have been some developments since you spoke. It came to light that Brandi isn’t as innocent as she appeared to be. She wasn’t the one raising Jake, her mother was but she passed recently and Brandi took over. We’ve called in a favour with the paediatrician who takes care of the club’s children to have a look at him. When Beast came back from meeting with you he found the boy strapped into his carseat in a locked car. There were no open windows and the car was parked out in the burning sun. He had the boy taken out of the car but during the process he noticed red and blue marks on his thighs. He was immediately removed from Brandi’s fucked up care and taken to a safe location.”
While Hawk explained Kobus Pretorius first went bright red then white as a sheet, his teeth clenched tightly. Harmony had a hold of his hand and held on with both of hers, her eyes large and filled with tears.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Pretorius asked through clenched teeth.
Hawk nodded. “We have a suspicion that you were being set up to take the fall for the boy’s abduction and disappearance. Brandi has links to a child sex trafficking ring. We think now that her mother’s no longer around to intervene she plans to sell the child to them. But to have him disappear while he’s in her care would put the spotlight on her, so in comes the two of you. We think you seeing her with the kid wasn’t an accident, it was a carefully orchestrated event. Then you confronted and threatened her and played right into her hands. You can bet there is footage of you threatening her with blackmail. The next step is easy, the traffickers come for the kid, they rough her up and she calls the pigs and points the finger at you. They will investigate and find incriminating evidence at your home that will lead them to think you killed the kid. You and Harmony end up in prison, unable to prove your innocence and she walks off not only with the money from the traffickers but with Jake’s inheritance.”
They were frozen in their chairs until Pretorius erupted out of it and it was as if his rage had somehow bulked up his body. “Where the fuck is the bitch? She needs to fucking die.”
“Sit down.” Hawk said sharply. “There’s more.”
Harmony moaned softly. “No, that’s bad enough. How can there be more?”
Beast took over from Hawk after his prez gave him a sideways glance. “The night of your bachelor’s party, was there someone there that had a reason to slip you a roofie?”
Pretorius’s eyes went wide and he gave his wife a quick glance then nodded. “Yes. One of my friends had a couple of dates with Harmony before she ended it with him. We started dating a little while later and he accused me of stealing her from him. I thought we had settled it, obviously we hadn’t. Are you sure he roofied me?”
“What do you remember about your bachelor’s party?” Hawk asked.
“Uhm, I remember we went to dinner and I was pretty drunk when we left. We went to Iron Kisses but I don’t remember much of it. All I have are flashes of women dancing and my boys throwing money at them. That’s the last until I woke up naked and alone at home. I smelt heavy perfume and sex all over myself and my room. I was so fucking ashamed I ripped my bedding off and washed everything. I wanted to tell Harmony.” He shrugged. “But what was I supposed to say? That I couldn’t remember fucking someone but that I could smell it on myself, on my bed and in my room?” He shook his head as he looked at the floor. “And then Stef came to visit and showed me the video of me apparently raping a woman. He said he had the only copy and that he and a few of the boys had paid the woman off. He called her a whore who got what she deserved.” Pretorius’s growl was deep and filled with anger. “He started blackmailing me three months later. I’ve been paying him twenty grand every two months, but he refuses to give me the video, just says if I don’t pay he was going to put it on the internet. Obviously I paid.”
“Oh, babes, you should have told me about this. Stef is creepy and scary, that’s why I refused to go out with him. Now I’m even more scared of him.” Harmony shivered and Pretorius leant over and hugged her.
Hawk tapped a message into his phone and set it to the side. “We’re going to need his full name. We’ll get the original back and deal with him.”
“Stef Van Graan, and what do you mean the original? Do you have a copy of it?” Pretorius asked quietly.
“We do. Brandi had a copy she presented to us as proof that you raped her. But Beast wasn’t happy with the scenario and asked Ziggy, our tech guy, to look into it. According to him the video has been heavily edited and photoshopped. All I’ll say with Harmony here is that most of it wasn’t you. Parts of you were photoshopped onto someone else, someone with a similar body shape.”
“Fuck! Why would he do this? It can’t just be the money, there has to be another reason.”
Beast jumped in. “He wants your woman and he’s planning on having her whether she wants him or not. Think about it, he’s involved with sex traffickers. They lock you up and she’s alone and vulnerable. She’ll be gone within days and everyone will think she ran to avoid the pigs or the media. And he will have her locked up for his entertainment until he kills her.”
Harmony sat hunched over, her face in her hands, sobbing.
“Shh, my liefie (my lovey) please don’t cry.” Kobus Pretorius had his arm around his wife talking softly and soothingly.
“It’s my f...fault, I sh...should never ha...have gone on a da...da...date with him.” She got out between sobs.
“No, it’s not.” Pretorius said as he stroked her over her hair. “He’s a sick fuck and not worth crying about. None of this shit is your fault or even my fault. The only thing I’m concerned about is our boy. We need to get him away from that bitch and disappear with him for a while until we know it’s safe to come back.” He looked up at Hawk with determination on his face. “Can you help us?”
Hawk gave an evil grin. “We are going to do more than help you. She is going to sign the papers she wanted you to sign. And she will do it happily. We had a couple of brothers search her place today and we have Jake’s documents. His birth certificate, with your name on it as his father, his inoculations certificate and a notarised copy of his grandmother’s will. Our lawyers will approach a sympathetic judge to grant you full custody if that’s what you want. We’ll be taking care of Stef Van Graan and Brandi, you won’t have to worry about either of them ever again.”
“Why are you doing this for us?” Harmony asked nervously. “What do you get out of it?”
Hawk sat back in his chair and just looked at them before he answered. “We are at war with an organisation that traffic women and children. Van Graan and Brandi will be able to give us more information and it might get us closer to ending the war. We have lost people in this war and we almost lost my woman and a brother’s son to these people. We can’t allow them to win because if they do it means our women and children will be sold as sex slaves. And that shit is not happening.”
Kobus Pretorius sat up and looked at Hawk, determination on his face. “I want in.”
Beast shook his head. “Sorry, man, you’re not a part of our club. We can’t allow you to participate in our war or even have more knowledge than you have right now about any of it.”
He didn’t give up. “Then make me a part of your club.”
Fuck. His wife nodded her head up and down several times in agreement.
“You have to ride to be a part of our club and not only that, you have to serve as a prospect for at least a year. And being a prospect means you are on the lowest rung of the ladder. You clean, you do whatever the brothers tell you to do, and you work when we tell you to work. It’s not easy, in fact it’s hell.” Hawk explained quietly.
“I ride, a Fat Bob actually. I’ve played rugby all my life, at school, for the Bulls and our country and suffered as I came up through the ranks. I know how to work hard and be a part of a team. I lost the brothers on my team when I was injured. Harmony and I don’t have any close family, we’re only children and we both lost our parents in our early twenties. We need a family and I need to belong to a team, to a brotherhood, again. If you offer me a place I will take it.”
“What about your social media life?” Ziggy had come in while they were talking.
Pretorius turned around and shrugged. “It’s gone. You can delete it right now if that’s what it takes. We don’t want any part of it any longer. We have a son we need to keep safe.”
And that’s the part that Beast wanted to hear and he knew his prez did as well.
“What do you think, Beast? You think the rugger bugger will fit in with the rest of the brothers?”
Beast lifted his shoulders in a slow shrug. “Don’t know, Boss. Maybe we give him a shot and see how it goes. No promises or anything.”
“Anything you want. All we want is to be able to raise our son among good people and we now know the people we have surrounded ourselves with aren’t good. They helped Stef to pull this shit off. They had to have helped, he couldn’t have done it on his own.” Pretorius said quietly but his eyes watched Beast and Hawk intently.
Ziggy gave a loud snort from the couch where he had parked his ass. Fuck. The day had not turned out the way Beast had expected it to. And it wasn’t done yet. There was a bitch waiting down in the Sanctuary and the other piece of shit would be joining her down there soon enough.
“I can’t give you an answer right away. Every single brother has to be voted on by the entire club plus we need to find you a sponsor.” Hawk was still explaining when Ziggy interrupted.
“I’ll sponsor him, Boss. I just checked him out and he’s exactly what I need. Man has skills in my area of expertise. And you did say I need an assistant. The universe listened and here he is.”
“Jesus, Zig, what’s with the universe listening shit? You want him you say so at the table. I’ll call an emergency meeting for early tomorrow morning.” Hawk griped then turned to the two people watching avidly. “You will stay here tonight. It’s not safe for the two of you or Jake outside our walls right now. We’ll send a few of the brothers to pack some shit for you for a few days.”
Pretorius shook his head and shrugged. “You won’t be able to get in. I changed our security a month or so ago when Harmony felt like someone had been in the house. The front gate you can open with a code but you’ll need my or Harmony’s thumbprints to open the doors.”
“And that’s what I mean. The rugby god over here will be an asset for the brotherhood.” Ziggy said as he typed away on his laptop not even looking at them.
“You’ll take over from here, Zig. We’ve got shit to do.” Hawk ordered. “Don’t try to leave the property. Ziggy will take you to meet your son. He’s playing in the back yard with one of the prospects. We’ll talk again later.”
With that Hawk was done and Beast tipped his head at the door indicting that they could leave. Shortly after they followed Ziggy out the door and Beast gratefully sank into the chair across from Hawk.
“Did not see that shit coming.” He said as he watched Hawk typing on his phone.
“Neither did I, brother, but if he fits in he will be a definite asset. He’s strong, a team player and has a stake in our fight. Plus he apparently knows computer shit.”
Beast sniggered. “Computer shit. Really, Boss?”
Hawk shrugged. “As good a description as any. I’ve sent a team to pick up Stef Van Graan. Ziggy has him on radar and will direct them from here. Strangely enough he’s not far from here. We’ll start once we have them both down below, let’s have a beer while we wait for the team to bring us our present. My old lady should be here soon as well.”
Beast and Hawk walked out into the common room and sat down at the bar. Chris slid two opened beers in front of them before they even said a word.
“Thanks, Chris.” They said almost at the same time and took a big slug each.
They drank their beer and waited in silence. Neither of them needed to talk. They were content drinking their beer and just sitting quietly.
Their beers were finished and they had started on a second one when DC walked through the door. They watched her in the mirrors behind the bar as she stalked towards them, menace radiating off her. Hawk swung around on his barstool and smiled.
“Hi, little bird, do you want something to drink?”
She didn’t answer just shook her head and walked into his arms. His president folded his old lady into his arms and held her, his head bent down as he quietly spoke in her ear. Beast saw her nod and his prez looked at him and nodded. Beast set his half-finished beer down as Hawk got up and walked down to the office with his woman. Beast got up and followed.
That dark part of him was eagerly anticipating what was about to come next.
Beast stood next to the Crow looking over the two assholes tied to the chairs bolted to the floor in the black plastic coated room.
Crow was the first to speak in that low hiss that made everyone assume she was male. “You made a mistake, Brandi. You betrayed the club that gave you a job and a place to live. You know what that means don’t you?” The Crow hissed in that scary fucking voice.
“This is a mistake, I didn’t do anything wrong. I told Hawk everything. Please, I don’t know what’s going on. This is a big mistake.” Brandi had tears running down her cheeks in black rivulets because of the mascara and eyeliner she had caked on her face.
Crow turned and picked up a knife from the collection of tools laid out on the stainless steel table bolted to the wall. It spun and swooped in her hand as she seemed to float over to Brandi. The fucker next to her watched with wide frightened eyes.
“Let me explain.” Crow hissed and started cutting the tank top from Brandi’s body. Throwing it to the side she ran the point of the knife down between her fake tits, leaving a red line that had blood beading here and there. “Have you ever seen the movie Pirates of the Caribbean? The scene where the pirates talk about the code. The pirate code. Oh yes, I can see by your eyes that you have. Well, you betrayed the code, the biker code, this club’s code. You conspired against the club. You conspired with the man here next to you to destroy another man’s life. You conspired with others to destroy the life of an innocent child, your own child. And all for money. Shame on you.”
And then Crow went to work and started cutting lines around Brandi’s tits. The bitch screamed in pain.
Bending down Crow hissed in her face. “Tell me what I want to know and this stops. Tell me.”
Red in the face and blubbering incoherently Brandi’s mouth flapped open and closed. “I...I don’t know much. Laney wanted to know about the club, new people and so on. She’s got two girls she wants me to bring into the club as a new club girls. But you’re not having parties so I can’t. I tried to tell her but she’s not listening. She told me to meet her tomorrow night and the girls will come back here with me. She said the brothers won’t be able to resist them and they had work to do inside the club. That’s all I know.”
With her head tipped to the side Crow looked down at her victim and nodded slowly. “Did you sell your son to the Maingarde Organisation?”
She nodded after a quick glance at where Hawk stood motionlessly beside the door.
“How long have you known the piece of shit in the chair next to you?”
That’s when Stef Van Graan suddenly found his balls and his voice.
“Shut the fuck up, you fucking whore. I’ll fucking kill you myself once I get out of here.”
Beast laughed and Crow hissed out a chilly laugh. “You don’t seriously think you’re going to walk out of here do you?”
Crow stepped back and tipped a head towards the asshole now straining against the tie straps holding him in place. Beast cracked his knuckles and grinned.
“Unlike the Crow I won’t be using a knife. If I did I would skin you alive and we don’t want that kind of damage on your body. Makes it hard to set up an accident for you.” Beast growled right in their captive’s face.
Then he beat the ever loving shit out of the lowlife. He stayed away from his face but his body was fair game. He only stopped when the fucker hung in the chair moaning loudly.
“Why did you target Kobus Pretorius? What does he have that you or the person pulling your strings wants?”
“He...he took my g...girl. Sh...she was mine long be...before he saw her. I saw my op...opportunity when his best man invited me to...to the bachelor’s party. I approached this bitch and paid her to set him up to look bad. But she wanted the real deal. I knew he...he wouldn’t go for it. I roofied him but he didn’t perform as we expected, she rode him at first then I fucked her and made it look like rape. She had people who photoshopped and edited the video.”
“Where were his best man and friends when this was going down? There are men and voices in the video encouraging him.”
“His friends had left when he semi-passed out. I promised to take care of him and called some buddies in to help us have fun with him. I’ve been blackmailing him with the video. That’s it. That’s all of it.”
“You will write down the names of your buddies. Do not leave a single name off that list. I’ll know if you do and come back to finish the job.” Beast threatened and the sick piece of shit nodded then sagged in the chair.
Hawk motioned the waiting brothers towards the bag of meat hanging in the chair. “Take him to his cell and wait with him until he gives you the list of his accomplices.”
Wolf and Scar cut him loose and dragged him out of the room.
“What...what is going to happen to me?” Brandi asked softly.
“We are going to clean you up and you’re going to arrange a meet with Laney and the new girls. You are going to tell Laney that you have very important information for her. We’ll give you tonight to heal and tomorrow night you are going to give us what we want. Aren’t you Brandi?” Crow hissed coldly.
She nodded wildly. “Yes, yes, anything you want. I’ll help you, just don’t hurt me again. Please, don’t hurt me again.”
“Of course not.” Crow said insincerely and motioned for Sin to cut the ties.
She stumbled to her feet and Beast and Sin walked her out the room and down to her cell. Crow followed behind and while they watched spread ointment over the shallow cuts around her tits and Hawk threw a t-shirt at her. She pulled it on with a groan then sat down on the bunk bolted to the wall.
They silently filed out of the room and it locked automatically as Beast pulled it closed behind him.
Taking Crow’s hand Hawk walked her down to her room and the two disappeared inside and closed the door.
“This shit is becoming more and more fucked up, every time we think we are getting to the head of the snake there’s another fucking twist and knot we have to unwind first.” Sin bit through tightly clenched teeth.
“Let’s see what we can extract from Laney tomorrow night. It’s going to be fucking interesting to see what the Crow is going to do to her. She was one of Hawk’s fuck toys. It’s not going to be fucking pretty.” Wolf growled and shook his head.
“Fuck. Let’s get out of here and get a shot to wash this shit off and out of our heads for an hour or two.” Beast started to walk down the passage but Scar stopped him.
“I think you might want to clean your hands first brother. Don’t know if you noticed but you’ve cracked the skin over your knuckles and you’re bleeding all over the place.”
Scar was right. He was bleeding. Leading the way to their medical room he stood silently as Scar cleaned his knuckles and taped the cuts closed. No way his old lady or anyone else was going to miss that shit.
Sin immediately came up with a solution. “We’ll just say you had a bit of a meltdown, not uncommon for you, and you beat a heavy bag to shit. Easy.”
And that’s what they did.
They went upstairs, sat at the bar, had a shot and drank beer.
Before he went home to his girls and his old lady Beast went upstairs to check on their new recruit and his little family. He found Kobus and Harmony asleep on the bed, Jake asleep between the two of them. Kobus had his arm over his kid and his woman.
Guarding and keeping his brand new family safe.
Retreating Beast nodded at Terror who was on duty in the passage and went home.
He missed his girls and his woman.
He needed them to forget about the shitty day he’s had.
