Page 126 of Paladin's Hell

Pyro’s frowning. “He did say you wouldn’t be in the role long, that he didn’t have faith in your abilities. That the club will soon see you weren’t up to the job.” He shrugs apologetically. “His words, Mace, not mine.”

Mace nods to show he realises that.

“Listen up,” Hellfire takes back the floor. “Whatever he thought of Mace’s abilities, any weakness he hoped might eventually be exposed, wasn’t coming fast enough for him. His next plan was to create trouble for the club. Thought it would test Mace, reveal a weakness.”

“Mace ain’t weak,” Rusty objects.

Hellfire raises his chin. “He’s not. He’s a fuckin’ good enforcer. But in Taser’s head, he wasn’t good enough. It was pure accident Paladin got in his sights. He thwarted Taser’s plans to have a murder pinned at our door. He wanted us to think there was a gang involved, which is why he got his cousin to cause other disturbances that night.”

“For which his cousin got paid in auto parts. Three hundred dollars’ worth for aiding and abetting a murder.”

Hell shakes his head, “Abetting, covering it up, yes. But Taser swears blind his cousin didn’t know why he needed to dispose of the vehicle.”

“Is this cousin thick?” Buzzard’s eyes go wide. “You don’t dump a car for no reason.”

“Not the sharpest tool in the box, it would appear,” Hellfire confirms, then pauses, and looks straight at me. “Cousin’s name is Drayton. Pal’s already got proof of his involvement. Seen the stolen parts already on his bike. But let’s continue. Taser got part of what he wanted, the club on lockdown. Brothers getting frustrated, chasing our tails trying to find an external enemy. He was laughin’ that no one was looking within. But of course, we didn’t find anything. That’s when he decided to escalate matters. Not just, in his mind, exposing Mace’s incompetence, but to set Mace up.”

“I made that fuckin’ stupid comment about Jayden,” Mace groans.

“Fuck, no one took it seriously,” Sparky’s lookin’ perplexed. “Tempers were getting frayed, no one likes being cooped up.”

This time it’s Rusty who gets out the cigarettes. Smoke hangs over the table as half-a-dozen men light up. “What did you say, Mace?”

That’s what I want to know too. Tilting my head, I watch the enforcer, interested.

“That if it was the Herreras on our backs, our problems would be solved if we got rid of her.” His eyes find mine. “I meant send her away to see if that ended our problems. I didn’t mean it any other way, Pal, my nerves were on edge so I worded it badly. Was going to ask Hell if you could take her to Vegas for a bit, see if that quieted things down.”

“But you said it. And in Taser’s hearin’.”

“Yeah, Rusty. That’s about the gist of it.”

Hellfire glares, silencing everyone. “Taser took Mace’s car. He’d got rid of Runt on some pretext, so no one knew he’d driven it out of the gates. With so much comin’s and goin’s as brothers were doing shifts protecting our businesses, no one bothered checkin’ the recordings.”

“Because we were lookin’ outwards for something comin’ in, not going out,” Cad clarifies with a frown. “I was focused on watching what was outside the gates.” He glances at me. I nod. Interpreting there’s more security we’ll be tightening up in the future. He’s already said he values my opinion, someone with fresh eyes. I get a warm glow inside me when I realise my contributions are starting to be valued here.

A glow which disappears immediately with Hellfire’s next words. “Taser got Jayden off the compound.”

I jump in. “He tortured her from that point. The story he told her was that I was dying or already dead. Jay was distraught. She’d have done anything to get to me, had no reason not to distrust him. When she was left in that car, she had to think he could have been telling the truth. Her physical suffering was obvious, but the mental anguish on top? He’s one cruel motherfucker.”

“And that was the man I called friend. Brother.” Pyro’s looking disgusted with himself.

“Wasn’t just you, Brother,” Demon, quiet up to now, puts in. “He’s a narcissistic conman who only thought of himself. Bastards like that can hide in plain sight. All along he thought he was better than us, that we were a bunch of idiots he could fool. And he’s still trying to do that.”

With all eyes upon him, the VP continues, “He’s downstairs trying to justify himself. Telling us of his loyalty to the club, that everything he did was for our benefit. That if we couldn’t see how bad Mace was doing, he’d show us how much better he could do when we promoted him to enforcer.” He pauses, his head moves side to side. “Doubt it would have stopped there. He said some pretty bad things about my weakness as VP, and Hellfire as the prez.”

“Thank fuck the asshole’s so stupid,” Bomber says. “If he was smarter he’d have gone through all the officers. Would have found a way to get rid of them all until he was seated in the top spot.”

Everyone’s quiet for a moment as that sinks in.

“Anyone got anything else to add, or shall we get to the vote?”

“Who was he working with, Prez?” I ask. “Anyone other than his cousin?” If there’s someone else I want any fucker who helped him to feel our kind of retribution.

Hellfire nods, acknowledging my question and why I’d asked it. “Only Drayton. Very much a follower, just acting under instruction.”

“You satisfied with that, Prez?”

Hell glances at Demon who gives a quick nod. “Yeah. Taser didn’t have much time for the fucker. Thick as shit, he said. Just did what he told him without asking questions. Lives for that fuckin’ bike. Would do anything to get a new part for it.”

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