Dealing with the Devil (11 page)

“So we’ll write up a treaty,” Archie suggested. “We need to figure out voting rights so everybody gets a say. This is still a democratic club.” He sighed. “We need someone to draw it up…”

“How about Anita?” Danny piped up. “She’s a judge or some shit now. I bet she could come up with something that would make sense. You know damn well she’s helped us all of out a bind at some point. She’s a friend to this club.”

Stalking to the door, Archie leaned his head out. “Mort!”

The heavyset, bespectacled prospect jogged over. “Yeah, boss?”

“I need you to go into town and find Anita Raleigh. Tell her Lucy is in trouble and we need her help.” Mort was halfway out the door when Archie called out to him again, “And Mort? Persuade her,
don’t
strong-arm her. I won’t have people accusing the Devils of threatening Errol’s citizens. You hear me?” Mort nodded swiftly before heading out. Archie heard his bike flare to life and he rode into town. With that taken care of, Archie turned to Marco. “Let’s get this shit show on the road.”

* * *

An hour later, Rogelio Santos, Narayan Bosko, and Tim Gunter had all agreed to come to Errol to negotiate the terms of their agreement. Archie sent Kyle to make sure the bed and breakfast was set up for the leaders and Hunter cleared the motor lodge for their entourage. Once everyone arrived, the population of Errol would more than double overnight. It was about to get very crowded in this tiny town…

Mort returned shortly thereafter with a very flustered Anita Raleigh. She quickly readjusted her skirt, tugging it down and trying to smooth the wispy strands of strawberry blonde hair that had come loose from her bun. “I hear you need some kind of legally binding contract written?” She shifted her briefcase, grinning widely.

Archie turned to face her and his eyes widened. “God damn it, I told him to persuade you, not knock you around!” There were traces of bruises along her throat and his anger grew tenfold. “I’m going to kill that little son of a bitch.”

Anita stepped in front of Archie before he could stop her. “On the contrary, Mort was extremely persuasive. I was
very
impressed.” Her blue eyes sparkled with mirth. “Let’s focus on the task at hand, shall we? I understand Errol’s about to become a neutral territory for several rival clubs. So, you need a contract that everyone will be amenable to but will still allow you to make decisions in the event of an emergency.” Her lips curved up at the corners. “I’ll need a copy of your most recently updated charter.”

Archie would now have to scrub the mental images of Mort and Anita from his brain…but least she was happy, he supposed. Anita hummed to herself as she commandeered the small office off the back of the bar. Mort stayed close by, fetching her coffee and guarding the door so nobody bothered her. Every once in a while he’d grin like the cat that caught the canary. It was incredibly disturbing.

“Well that’s an image I’ll never get out of my head,” Danny muttered to himself. He slapped Archie’s shoulder and prodded him toward the back. “Things are settled for the moment. Everyone’s been mobilized. Marco sent the rest of the prospects out to get some essentials. There’s nothing more you can do tonight. So, you’re going to bed. End of story.”

Archie stifled a yawn. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” If Lucy were here, he’d have been in bed hours ago, though they wouldn’t be sleeping. A rumbling sigh emanated from his chest. Archie kicked off his cowboy boots and tossed his cut over the back of a chair. Archie wanted to rest but his mind continued to race. For hours he tossed and turned, thinking only of Lucy and how she must be feeling right now. Even after he succumbed to sleep, nightmares caused him the thrash until he startled awake again, just as exhausted as he’d been before. There was no rest for the wicked tonight…

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty! Get your ass up!” Cecelia shook Lucy’s shoulder several times. “What the fuck is the matter with you?” Although Cecelia was her usual hardass self, there was a note of worry in her voice. It had been almost three weeks since she arrived and Cecelia had been watching Lucy slip further into darkness. Lucy was barely eating and when she did, it was thrown up a few hours later. Something was wrong and Cecelia would be damned if she sat back and did nothing. “Don’t make me dump you off that bed,
chica
!”

Lucy groaned and rolled onto her back. “Cece, can you please back off? I feel like shit.” She threw her arm over her face, to shield her eyes. “I didn’t sleep well last night.” Hell, she hadn’t slept well in weeks. Lucy wanted to blame it on stress or missing Gabe but there was something else nagging at her. Something that would change everything…

Cecelia scoffed derisively. “No!” She snapped. “Get up, take a shower, brush your teeth—for the love of God—and stop feeling sorry for yourself!”

“I don’t feel sorry for myself!” Lucy sat up a bit too quickly and her vision swam. She gripped the side of the bed tightly. Nausea churned in her veins as she fought against the urge to vomit all over Cecelia’s combat boots. Breathing raggedly, Lucy desperately tried to control the churning in her gut.

Stepping back quickly, Cecelia got out of the line of fire. “Shit…” Her demeanor went from angry to sympathetic in a heartbeat. “Stay put, I’ll be right back.”

Lucy couldn’t have gone anywhere if she wanted to, not when she was as weak and nauseated as right now. Cecelia returned a few minutes later with a cup of hot tea and several packages of crackers. Laying them down on Lucy’s bed, she sat opposite her. Lucy accepted the tea gratefully and inhaled the sweet peppermint scent. Opening up the crackers, she nibbled on a corner before washing it down with a hearty swallow of tea. She repeated the action several times before she felt strong enough to address the issue at hand. “I’m not wallowing, Cecelia.” Lucy’s hand slid over the still-flat plane of her belly and she exhaled sharply. “I think I-I…” Her voice cracked painfully, “I’m pregnant.”

Cecelia unloaded a string of curses and dragged her fingers through the dyed strands of her blue hair. “Are you sure?” She leaned forward. “I mean
really
sure?” This changed things. The group was slowly but surely working on a way out of this place. With Lucy’s natural leadership abilities, the pair had gotten more accomplished in the last month than she had alone in over a year. They’d even figured out a way to debug the bunkroom so they had a safe place to meet. Cecelia had high hopes if they stayed the course, they’d be out in a few months. But if Lucy was really pregnant, they didn’t have months to wait…they had to get out
now
.

“I’m late as hell, I’m nauseous all the time, I’m exhausted…” Lucy pushed herself up from the bed and paced the length of the room. She took another sip of tea and sighed. “If this gets back to Sofía, there’s no telling what she’ll do. We just need to keep working.” She grabbed a fresh set of clothes.

“What are you doing?” Cecelia asked, grabbing Lucy’s arm tight as she walked past. “You can’t just unload this on me and walk off!”

Lucy smiled grimly. “A good friend told me I needed to shower and brush my teeth. Then I’m going to see how well this damn security pass works. We’re
allegedly
free to come and go as we please. I’m going to test that theory. It’s time we figure out what we’re really up against.”

Cecelia paled. “You want to end up with your face ripped off?” She suddenly felt a rush of protectiveness toward Lucy; nothing was going to happen to her while Cece was around. “Did you learn nothing from my mistakes?”

“You walked into the front hall, stole a gun off a guard, and tried to bust out. I’m going to try a different approach,” Lucy soothed. “Trust me.” A thought passed through her and Lucy turned and walked back to the desk. Leaning over it, she scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper and folded it several times. “If I don’t make it back, there’s something I need you to do…”

“I do not like this, Lucy!” Cecelia snapped. “If we get the group together and I get more done on mapping the compound, we can probably move up our timeline by at least a couple weeks.”

“First I need to determine if this is even something we need to worry about.” Pressing the note into Cecelia’s hand, she narrowed her gaze. “I have a brother. His name’s Daniel Harding…if I don’t get back, I need you to give this to him. He’ll understand.” Lucy rested a hand on Cecelia’s shoulder. “
Promise
me, Cece.”

There was a note of reluctance in her posture but Cece agreed nevertheless. “Yeah, I promise…” Cecelia hated all of this. She let go of Lucy only because kicking the ass of a possibly pregnant chick wasn’t on her to-do list today. In light of this new information, she had to rally the group and get them to increase their patrols. Julia got a position in commissary and had been slowly gathering food and gear. Bea continued to work in medical and was pilfering supplies as best she could without anyone noticing. Candy’s job was logistical. She was clocking all the guard shifts and had made friends with a couple of the higher-ups who ran things. Lucy, though…she was the brains. Cecelia wasn’t sure how they could do this without her.

Lucy showered and hurried through her routine, ignoring the gnawing in her gut. Her curly hair was still damp as she tossed her purse over her shoulder and headed toward freedom. She said nothing to the guards as she headed down the West hallway and straight for the front door. To her surprise, no one said anything as she swiped her access badge. The massive doors to the outside swung open and she inhaled the scent of the desert deep into her lungs.

Keeping her head down, Lucy stalked outside. The whole time she was just waiting for a shot to the back or someone to stop her. She almost sobbed with relief when she found her Harley parked in a space near the front. Sliding her fingers over the pristine cherry red paint, she tossed her leg over and prepared to flee.

“Looks like we both had the same idea.” Sofía’s voice stabbed through Lucy’s subconscious mind. Lucy nearly groaned; she had been so close, and yet so far away. Sofía moved to the left, leaning against a custom bike with the Black Jack’s insignia emblazoned on the side. “Mind if I join you?”

“Yeah, I do, actually,” Lucy replied curtly. “I’ve got errands to run. I don’t need a chaperone.”

Sofía’s gaze darkened. “I have done nothing but offer you a brand new start. You are respected here. You are not treated like a second-class citizen or as a burden to the club. No one questions your right to ride!” She sighed, “If you would just let me, I could teach you so much, Lucy.”

Toying with the key in the ignition, Lucy scoffed. “You don’t get it, do you? Gabriel may be overbearing and yeah, he’s a jackass sometimes…but he’s
my
jackass.” She pointed an accusatory finger at Sofía. “You took away my chance to change things with the Devils. You stole my life from me!”

“I
saved
your life!” Sofía roared, her cool façade suddenly slipping. All at once, the monster behind the mask was revealed. “Do you think I know nothing of this world? My father ran with a group of bikers in California. My life revolved around the club since the day I was born. My mother was a slave to my father’s demands. Although they took vows, he spent every night in a different woman’s bed, tarnishing the good name of our family. He used my mother like a piece of trash, keeping her pregnant until her body gave out…and when she finally died, he found another woman and did the same thing to her. My sisters and I…we swore things would be different.”

Sofía’s entire body was shaking and she was vibrating like a wire about to snap. “When I met my husband, he was soft spoken and sweet. I did not think he could be cruel or ruthless until the day we met my sister’s fiancé.” The haunted look in Sofía’s eyes bled from her soul. “How could my Hector who loved me dearly and doted on our daughters be so unmoving?”

Against Lucy’s better judgment, she listened quietly. Bloodshed and hatred between rival MCs was a tale as old as time. What the hell made this story different?

“I had three children with Hector. Magdalena was the oldest and so beautiful. She was a gentle soul. Paloma was the middle child, bright and happy. She could have cured cancer. But my little Teresita was my husband’s pride and joy.” Sofía’s green eyes were bright with tears. “When she was two years old she got a terrible fever that wouldn’t break.” Her breath hitched in her throat, “On the way to the hospital, my family ended up in the middle of a war for territory. They forced my husband off the road. Teresa was shot through three times and Paloma died in the car accident. Hector was beaten so severely that his legs stopped working. He survived, somehow…and although his body was weakened, the hatred that raged inside him only grew stronger.”

Lucy instinctively rested a hand over her womb. Although she wanted to feel no sympathy for Sofía, it crept over her nonetheless. “No one should ever have to go through the pain of losing family like that but the Black Jacks are not innocent either. They gunned my parents down in the street too. For
no reason!
Just because they could!” She shook her head forcefully. “I still don’t know why you’re telling me this.”

“I am getting there,
querida
. Patience.” Sofía seemed to rally and the tears were banished beneath her icy exterior again. “Hector changed after that. He was distant and cold. He became bloodthirsty, cruel, and reckless.” Sofía frowned. “Magdalena grew up watching her father try to commit suicide every day.” She straightened her shoulders.

This story was getting longwinded and Lucy’s patience was wearing thin. “Your life is tragic. I get it, but I didn’t volunteer to hear your entire life story. You have two minutes to make your point and then I’m out of here. I’d like to get my errands accomplished before sundown.”

Sofía remained quiet for a long moment. “Time passed and Hector drifted further away. I wanted to rekindle a relationship with my family, most especially my sisters…” She swallowed hard. “Roberta welcomed me back with open arms but Louisa and Maya were not so forgiving.”

Lucy tried to ignore the uneasiness that crept over her. It could have been a coincidence that every summer they would spend months visiting with her mother Louisa’s sisters Roberta and Maya. Those names were common enough…

“I regret very much that I did not try harder.” Sofía smiled sadly. “If I had, I would’ve gotten to know you. I swear on the grave of my mother, I did not know what Hector had planned. If I knew my sister would be caught in the crossfire…”

“What are you saying?” Lucy’s anger spilled outward like molten lava, mingling with her shock. “You’re my…”

“
Tía
, yes.” Sofía filled in after Lucy trailed off. “You were named after our mother—Lucia. I see so much of her and Louisa in you.” Tears burned in her eyes once more. “When I found out you had joined with the Devil’s Own, I had to do something!” She cried. “Men are violent, cruel creatures. We are better off without them! My husband, your father,
your
husband, they are monsters! They perpetuate violence and hatred. Look at how they try to control you. How your husband treated you!” She slipped from her bike. “I am offering you a partnership, Lucy. You are a kindred spirit. A natural born leader…already in a few short weeks you have garnered a reputation for being someone our people can trust.”

“I won’t be your puppet!” Lucy cried. “I get it, Sofía. Your father was a dick and your husband wasn’t much better. I’m sure Gabe’s appearance can be frightening to some but he is honorable, dependable, and sweet.” She glanced away. “I love him.”

Sofía did not seem convinced. “Men are the root cause of all the violence, depravity, wars, pestilence, and fear in this world. You think that you love him because you do not know any better.” She inhaled sharply. “In the new world I am building, there will be peace, love, joy, abundance to share. We will not be weak any longer,
mija
.”

Lucy gritted her teeth. “I’m not weak
now
. See? I’m getting the fuck out of here.” Having had enough for one day, she kicked her bike into gear and took off like a shot. The gates opened automatically from the inside and there was only one road out of the place. Lucy took it all the way to a two-lane highway and followed the signs toward a small town between Reno and the Black Jack compound. Her mind spun as she mulled over Sofía’s confession. Could it possibly be true? Lucy wished her mother were still living…there were so many things she needed to talk to her about right now.

Eventually, Lucy found herself in the middle of a town. There was a diner, a post office, a small clothing shop, and, the last building on the left was a tiny family-owned pharmacy. Pushing open the door to the shop, Lucy threw money down on the counter as she grabbed a pregnancy test from the shelf. She hunkered down in the small bathroom and stared at the box until her vision practically blurred. The instructions were easy: Open box, piss on the stick, and wait. If only it easy enough to gather her confidence. Lucy’s hands were shaking the whole time and she narrowly avoided dropping the test into the toilet. It had been a long time since she had something to pray for but in that moment, she begged for the strength to turn the test over.

Seconds ticked into minutes and Lucy knew it was time. Gripping the plastic stick tighter, she stared down at the tiny plus sign staring back at her. Emotion clogged Lucy’s throat as she stuffed the stick into the garbage can and washed her hands until her skin was raw. Stomping out of the bathroom, she headed for the front.

“Miss, are you all right?” The cashier looked up at Lucy’s pale, drawn face.

“I need to borrow your phone.”

“I’m not sup—”

“Give me the goddamn phone or I’m going to come over this counter and break you in half!” Lucy warned menacingly. And by God, the way she felt at this moment, she might have gone through with it. Thankfully, neither of them had to find out. The girl handed the phone over and Lucy pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket. After she dialed, she held her breath until a masculine voice picked up on the other side. Lucy didn’t let him get a word in edgewise. “I need you to meet me at the bar in an hour…you know where?”