Chapter 27

Heart

“How long we keepin’ Hyde on Detective Hannah.” Blade looks up from spinning his knife. “Been a month now. Nothing’s happened to her, and we’re down a prospect in the meantime.”

Slick perks up. “Does anyone miss ‘im? I sure fuckin’ don’t.” Blade just points the sharp end of his knife toward Slick and he shuts up.

Wraith shakes his head. “Fucker’s moved in with her.”

I bristle, but can’t make a protest. I sent her away, she’s a free woman. We’ve had regular updates from the prospect. She’s rented a small house, and as the VP had said, Hyde’s staying with her. Wanting to ensure there was full disclosure to the club, he’d admitted she’d picked up that she had a tail early on. The good thing to come out of that is she seems to appreciate her protection and didn’t run him off. If it wasn’t for the fact that there’s another man in her house, I’d be happy to know she wasn’t alone. Are they sleeping together? What if she feels horny and wants some cock? She was casual enough about sex with me. Is he keeping his hands off?

“Heart. You with us, man?” Blade throws an empty cigarette packet at me. “You zoned out there.”

“You got something we need to discuss?” Drummer asks.

“Nah, Prez. It’s all okay.” But I’m gonna have words with the prospect.

“They’ve got into a routine,” Peg starts his update. “She lets him know where she’s likely to be going. Planned meetin’s are easy, off-the-cuff visits not so much. But she sends him a text. He follows at a distance. Fucker’s actually quite good, not been spotted yet, even when her partner’s with her.”

“She still worried about Garza?”

“Hasn’t given Hyde any details, but yes. That’s why she’s happy keepin’ Hyde around. There’s a rumour where she works that she’s living with a boy toy. Her idea, actually, smart bitch. If anyone visits it gives him a reason to be there, and puts off anyone tryin’ to get in her house.”

“Unless it’s another bomb like last time.”

Peg concedes the point, then continues bringing us up to date. “And the case she’s workin’ on. Hyde managed to see some paperwork she brought home. Fuckin’ missin’ kids in Tucson.”

We’ve discussed that before. Both Slick and I exchange glances. The Herreras have come after both Jayden and Amy before. It was down to the prez they didn’t get their hands on my daughter, but Slick’s sister-in-law? She hadn’t been so lucky.

Prez raps the table. “I feel we’re livin’ with a fuckin’ cloud hangin’ over our heads. Can’t rightly explain it, just a gut feel I’ve got. I think it’s time I set up a meetin’ with Javier Herrera.”

“You think he’ll tell you anythin’?” Beef sounds concerned. “Don’t know that we should be facin’ them head on.”

Drummer’s fingers start strumming a beat. “Know what you mean, Brother. But Leonardo was straight. If Javier gives off the same vibes, then maybe we can breathe easy again. Reckon it won’t be too hard to read him.”

“You don’t go alone.” Peg’s adamant on that.

“Wraith, you come with.”

“Prez, I ain’t been giving much around here lately. I’m willin’ to go too.”

“You fit to ride, Brother.”

I grin. “Took my ride out yesterday, and I’m fine.”

He considers me for a moment. “And yer head’s in the right place?”

It’s a fair question considering my behaviour recently, and that of last year. “Yeah, Prez. I can keep a rein on my temper.” Unless I think of Hyde living with Marc. And why that thought starts the anger burning inside me I have no fucking idea. One night in my bed, no, not even that, just an hour if I’m honest, gives me no rights.

But she’d been my old lady.

That was just a ruse, a way to keep her to my side and away from my brothers.

But I miss that friendly voice on the end of the line.

“Heart, man. Keep with it.” Dollar nudges me in the ribs.

“I said you’re in, Brother. I’ll set something up and let you and Wraith know the details.”

Getting a meeting with Javier Herrera proves to be more of a problem than we thought. Life goes on as normal in the compound while Drummer gets put off time and time again.

After another two weeks have gone past, I corner him in the bar. “Reckon we’ll ever get into see Herrera?”

“No fuckin’ idea, Heart. But you see the news tonight? It’s been made public. Another kid’s gone missin’. Bright girl, twelve years old. Parents swear she was happy. They’re appealin’ for her to come home, but say they’ve no idea why she would have run away.”

My eyes go to Jayden, who’s playing with Amy. The shit that girl went through? Wouldn’t want to see it happen to anyone else. You wouldn’t know she’d suffered such an ordeal, been groomed, given drugs, and raped by strangers, kept under control by threats. At least she got to go home each night. No, you wouldn’t know, except when you catch her off guard and see that haunted look in her eye. And when it appears, Paladin’s right there beside her, and quickly she’s smiling again.

“You think the Herreras are involved?”

“Fuckin’ stupid if they are, but this is organised crime. Unless all these kids upped and left on their own, which seems doubtful, someone has to be doin’ the organisin’. But if they are dealin’ in skin, the cartel won’t like it.”

“Unless they’re workin’ for the cartel. Or the cartel’s doin’ it themselves.”

Drummer points to the massive television up on the wall, now showing a game. “It’s eleven kids now. Eleven kids disappeared into the blue. Kids who have no reason to go missin’. And not one of them found. All from Tucson. Whoever is doin’ it has to stop soon, or they’ll make a fuckin’ mistake and get caught.”

“I hope they do.” My eyes find Amy. Although she’s not yet in the age range of the kids who’ve gone missing, the Herreras had their eyes on her once.

Drummer raises his finger, and Fergus is right there. “Two whiskeys. From my bottle.”

My eyebrows rise. If one’s for me, that’s an unusual step. Prez grabs the glasses and jerks his chin to show I should follow him. We end up in his office.

“Been meaning to talk to ya, Heart.” He sips his drink with his eyes focused on me. Has something happened to Marc? But when he continues, it’s to tell me I’m wide of the mark. “Club lawyer’s been in touch.”

Not sure where this is leading, my head tilts to one side.

“What do you know about grandparents’ visitation rights?”

I don’t know anything. In my lap, my hands curl into fists. “Susie Clyde is not seeing my daughter,” I spit out. “She never had rights when Crystal was alive. Oh, she got to see her a couple of times as Crystal thought it might help her get clean, but she was never allowed to spend time with her.”

“And while Crystal was alive, that wasn’t a problem. In Arizona, if both parents are together, grandparents have no rights at all.” He pauses, and by the look on his face as he takes another sip, I’m not going to like what I’m going to hear at all. “If there ain’t two parents together, grandparents can apply for visitation rights.”

“Crystal’s mother is not going anywhere near Amy,” I repeat. My fingernails bite into the skin of my palms.

“Lawyer’s told me she’s petitioned for visitation.”

I stand, my chair crashing to the ground behind me. “What’s that fuckin’ bitch up to? She never showed the slightest interest in the kid. I can’t see she’s had a change of heart.”

Drummer shrugs. “Her daughter’s dead, she might be missin’ havin’ a family.”

My eyes open wide. “Do you think there’s the slightest chance of that?”

He laughs, but it’s without any mirth. “No, I fuckin’ don’t. What I think is that we need to go see her. I don’t like fuckin’ loose ends, particularly not when it looks like they’re tryin’ to tie themselves together.”

“She was responsible for cripplin’ me and killin’ my wife, Drum. And tryin’ to sell my daughter into a life I can’t bring myself to imagine. I don’t like the fact she’s still breathin’.”

He slaps me on the back. “Been waitin’ for you to say that, Heart. Been waitin’ a fuckin’ long time.”

This has turned into a serious conversation. The last time we dispatched a woman to meet Satan it was a club whore who’d opened her mouth to the wrong people and nearly got Wraith and his woman killed in the process.

“We’re talkin’ about takin’ Clyde out. That’s some serious shit, Prez. Need the club to vote on it? Specially now if she’s started somethin’ in the courts. Fingers might get pointed our way.”

“Already did, Brother. While you were gone. Unanimous vote. Every brother wanted to dispatch her to meet Satan, but as she’s related by marriage to you, were waitin’ for you to have the final say.”

I’m making a grim decision here. On one hand, with the risk to Amy it’s an easy one to make. On the other, Susie Clyde is Crystal’s mother. With no idea of who her father was, she’s the only living relative to my dead wife. My wife she had killed. It doesn’t take more than a minute for me to make up my mind. Clyde’s days are numbered. But I am concerned about my club.

“I’ll do this alone, Prez. Don’t want nobody else involved. If the police come knockin’, I’ll stand up and take the rap. I know Shooter said he’d come with me, but ain’t takin’ him along for this.”

“Haven’t just got you back to lose you to prison, Brother. And you’re not doin’ this alone. She’s an addict, we do this smart. But it won’t be Shooter going with you.”

To my surprise, Drummer swivels his chair and opens the safe behind him. He takes out a packet and throws it on the desk. White powder is inside. My eyes rise to meet his.

“Heroin cut with a lethal dose of Fentanyl. Got hold of it after the club voted. No trace back to the club if we do it right.”

With the packet in my hand it feels real. But Prez is right. It’s time. There’s only one thing left to ask. “When?”

“No time like the present. And I’m riding along. So, if you’re ready, Brother?”

I’m more than ready. Leaving our cuts behind, we take a cage. It’s almost eleven by the time we arrive, full darkness. Half the street lights are out on Susie Clyde’s street, so we park discreetly up the road and then make our way to her house, keeping to the shadows.

There’s a light on inside.

As she makes a living whoring herself out, we listen for sounds that would tell us she’s got company. But she seems to be alone, the only light coming from the living room.

Prez raps on the door. A short pause, then we hear the latch turning.

Susie’s eyes widen when she sees me standing there. I haven’t seen her often, and never without my wife by my side. She’s skinny, track marks up her arms. She smells like something rotten, and her eyes are sunken in her face.

“You heard about me wanting visitation, I take it.” She’s blocking the doorway, but it’s no effort at all to push past. “Hey, I haven’t invited ya in.”

“Need a chat, Susie,” Drummer says in a reasonable sounding voice.

“You gonna offer me money to stay away from the kid?” she asks, sounding hopeful.

“How much money do you owe now?”

She shrugs, but I expect it’s a lot. She’s got an expensive habit.

Drummer surveys the room and looks at the grubby chairs and makes no move to sit down. Instead he reaches his gloved hands into his jacket and pulls out the plastic bag full of powder. Susie’s eyes gleam, and her hands start to reach for it.

“Not so fast,” he begins, slapping her hands away. “I’ve got some questions I want answers to. Then you can have it.”

“What d’ya want to know?”

She’s trembling as though desperate for her next fix. Guess we came at a good time, when she was out of her stuff or at least getting low.

“Archer. What was your relationship to him.”

We might prefer to remain standing, but she sits down, puts her head in her hands, and then looks up. “I owed money to the Herreras. A lot. Two men came to the door and dragged me out to their car. I thought that was the end, that they were going to kill me.” Her eyes half close and she shudders as she remembers. “I had nothing to pay with, until I remembered the kid. Once I mentioned her, I didn’t know what they would say. The Herrera’s don’t have a reputation taking children, but I was desperate. I didn’t have a choice, there was nothing else I could offer up.”

And that makes it all right? But I don’t speak, just fume in silence.

“They left me locked in a room, and then that man, Archer, turned up. Talked to me about Amy. When he heard her dad was a biker he got real excited. Hyped up. Said it would be no bother taking biker scum out. And I agreed. Never did like you, Dale.”

No, she didn’t. I don’t bother telling her the feeling’s quite mutual.

“But Crystal?”

“Fucking waste of space. Never did anything for me.”

But you did nothing for her. Just gave her a shit life.

Drummer growls. “Go on.”

“Well, he got it all sorted, but it didn’t work. You, Dale, you were still fucking breathing. And too well protected at the hospital. So he was gonna help me go through the courts.” She pauses and picks at a scab on her arm. “They wiped my debt in the expectation I’d get Amy and give her to them. Were going to pay me more on delivery. Got a buyer lined up.”

“Who?” I snarl.

“Didn’t know, didn’t care. They’d pay me the rest once I had her. But it didn’t work out. Archer got himself killed, and I didn’t hear from them again. All that money I could have had.” Her tear is for the money she missed out on, not the death of her daughter, or whatever hell she was prepared to see her granddaughter into.

If I hadn’t already decided to kill her, I would have done so now. My hands itch to strangle her, but Prez’s steely gaze pins me to the spot.

“You’ve applied for visitation rights. You still in contact?” As he speaks, Drummer’s tossing the plastic bag from one hand to the other.

Watching him, she licks her lips, and a crafty look sweeps across her face. “Let me have some now and I’ll tell you the rest.”

Like a magician, Prez magics the packet away in his jacket again and shows her his empty hands. “Stop talkin’ and you’ll get nothin’.”

She huffs. “So Archer was dead and I had no more contact. That stuff,” she points to Drummer’s jacket, “Well, I’ve got a big habit, and it costs more than what I can earn. Debts started to mount up again. Got another visit, and they told me to get hold of the kid or I was dead. Told me how as well, that I could apply to see her, and you couldn’t stop me.”

“Got a name?” Drummer asks casually, though by the tension in his body he’s far from relaxed.

“It was one of them Herreras.” She taps her fingers on her knees, then looks up. “Alonso. That’s it.” She looks triumphant. “Now can I have my stuff?”

“Alonso Herrera? Are you sure?”

She nods eagerly. “Yeah. That’s right.”

Drummer looks at me, I give a nod, and he takes out the packet again. When he throws it to her she catches it in both hands and wastes no time busying herself preparing the stuff. A fatal dose, though she doesn’t know it. One that will stop her heart. Not that I think she’s got one.

As if we’re not there, she carries on. Preparing a syringe, she puts a sleeve around her arm, pulling it tight. A look of bliss comes over her face as she puts the plunger down. And then she leans back as though resting her head. She draws in a breath and lets it out, I watch her chest fall and rise.

Then it doesn’t move anymore, the lethal combination working fast.

Both of us stand in silence, watching the woman who is never going to get her hands on my daughter.

As we go back to the cage, Drummer takes his gloves off. He pauses before starting the engine. “You okay, Heart?”

“That shit she spilled, Prez. Woman was pure evil.”

“You don’t need to worry about her anymore. And Amy’s safe. That’s all you need to think about.”