Page 158 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Exactly what Nox figured he’d say.

“But Saint’s still a target,” he finished.

“Targeting Saint is all fine and dandy, but what are we doing to stop T-Bone?” Decker asked. “He can’t continue to get away with exploiting women like that.”

Crew answered, “If we can confirm he’s still a Demon, we’ll include him as part of the sweep. If not, then the best thing to do is tip off the locals about him using a motel in their area to pimp out women.”

“Crew—” Decker started.

Crew shook his head. “Honestly, I’m surprised he’s still breathing. I figured since he disappeared, he trulydisappeared.”

“You’re not the only one,” Nox muttered.

“Let the locals charge him and take him into custody. He’s only one minor player in the grand scheme of things,” Crew said.

“He’s not some minor fucking player,” Finn shouted, jerking around in his chair. “Look what he did to some of our women. Look what he did to Sadie. I was okay with the Demons handling his ass but I’m not okay if they let him slide.”

“You want to get jammed up? Because that’s what will happen if you—or a few of you—try to handle him yourself,” Crew warned with raised eyebrows. “But if he’s still a Demon, I’d like to keep the locals out of it so the fucker isn’t tipped off that he was being watched.”

“Let’s assume he’s still a Demon,” Rez suggested.

“You know we don’t deal with assumptions,” Crew told Rez. “We need facts and evidence.”

“The fact is, he’s an abusive motherfucker. And we also have evidence of that,” Decker insisted. “He tried to abduct Val and ended up taking Sloane. He kept Sadie wired on meth and pimped her out to the point of death and, fuck, even her being a corpse didn’t stop him from continuing to milk his cash cow.”

“You think I’m not aware of that shit?” Crew asked. “I understand why you all want to string him up. I’m no fan of that motherfucker, either. But let’s not do anything to jeopardize this investigation. We’re at the five-yard line and ready to make the last play. Let’s not move the goal posts and screw up our lead.”

“He’s not on the list to be indicted?” Finn asked.

“As far as I’m aware, none of the prospects are. They want to hit the big players. The ones that matter the most and without them around, the MC—if it survives—will be only that. A motorcycle club and no longer a criminal enterprise.”

“If the Demons survive, it’ll always be a criminal enterprise,” Nox mentioned. “They’re not going to go straight.”

“Just like the Mafia,” Torres said. “It’s like a fucking octopus. Cut off a limb and it grows a new one.”

“Or a starfish,” Decker added. “Cut off an arm and a new starfish grows.”

“What?” Rez asked.

“Yeah, it’s true,” Decker answered him.

“How do you know this?”

“Because I have a curious four-year-old,” Decker answered. “She asks that Google thingy that talks back to you five thousand questions a day. I’ve almost smashed it a million times, but I know if I do, I’ll only have to replace the fucking thing.”

Nox grinned and shook his head.

“Holy fuck, is that a grin? No fucking way,” Finn said.

“Way!” Rez yelled.

“You’re such assholes.” Nox didn’t bother to hide the grin that widened.

“Oh, look what some sweet pussy can do,” Crew said. “Insurance should’ve paid for that instead of a therapist.”

“I’m sure T-Bag could’ve helped out with that. You’d only need to cut your dick off afterward as a safety precaution,” Finn said.

“First off, Liyah isn’t…” Nox shook his head. “Never mind.” There was no point with this bunch.

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