Page 62 of Paladin's Hell

Pal nods his thanks.

“Any idea who we’re dealing with?” Who is fucking with us? One thing I know, I don’t like it.

“Cad took fingerprints.”

“I can’t get into AFIS, Prez. I’m working with Mouse, Keys and Token to see if one of us can break in. But we’ve got the prints there as something to refer to when anyone gets in our sights.” As he mentions his counterparts in the other Satan’s Devils Chapters, I realise he’s missed one. “No one from Utah helping?”

“Don’t think they’ve got someone like me.” They’re losing out then. Couldn’t do without our computer and technology expert.

“Lizard?”

“Nothing new at the tattoo parlour, Prez. Just want to know who these fuckers are.”

“What we all want, Ink. What we all want.”

“So who the fuck wants to mess with us?” Demon throws out to the table. “Whose toes have we stepped on?”

“And is it against the club, or one of the members?” Thunder growls. “Could be one of us fucked with the wrong person.”

As everyone looks pensive, all end up shaking their heads, I feel frustrated. I want an enemy I can fight. “Cad? Anything come up while you’ve been looking into the new police chief? He seem one to want to clean house?”

Cad shrugs. “I’ve looked at his record, Prez. No cop likes a one-percenter club, but if he was behind messing with us like this, he’d be a dirty cop. No sniff of that so far.”

“Well, keep looking. Coincidence we’ve got problems when he rides into town. Okay everyone. Keep your fuckin’ thinkin’ caps on. Anything that occurs to you, doesn’t matter how small, bring it to me or the VP, alright?

After a round of nods, I turn to my left. “What about improving security, Demon?”

Demon nods down the end of the table. “I suggest Pal leads on this bit. He’s been comin’ up with some good shit.”

Pal looks startled, but jerks his chin, then starts to come up with suggestions. “Your security cameras could do with an update. They’re old, just detect motion, and at night the pictures are grainy. There’s new shit on the market that doesn’t cost a fortune.”

“What would we get if we replace them?” Lizard, presumably making up for his previous lack of concentration asks.

Pal’s face suddenly looks years older as he sits forward. “To start with, your current system relies on you knowing there’s a problem and then looking at the recordings. Or Cad, using up time going through the triggers that set it off each night. That’s old hat now. You, we,” he quickly covers his mistake, “ideally want a system that sends alerts out as soon as an event occurs.”

“So we could have got to the shop while the thieves were still inside?” Pyro looks interested.

“That’s it,” Pal agrees. “It gives us a chance to catch the fuckers red-handed.”

“And who would monitor the alerts?”

Paladin’s voice seems to be gaining in confidence as he responds to Bomber. “Anyone, or all of us.”

“Fuck, I don’t want us all to set out in the middle of the night just because a squirrel’s gone investigating.” Ink throws out.

There’s a curve to Cad’s lips as though he already knows how Pal’s going to deal with that. Guess the technical guy and Pal have already had their heads together.

“New cameras would have far better night vision so you’d be able to see if it was some rodent scratching for food. We’d all have an app on our phones. Can view in real time, or check what triggered it. You’d get an alert, call up the system, and see if it was anything you had to leave your bed for.” Pal takes back the floor.

“Needn’t even take your cock out of your bitch,” Mace observes.

“Like it wouldn’t put you off your game, Mace?”

“Mace would probably have finished anyway by the time he picked up his phone.”

The enforcer glares at Sparky and Thunder.

“As I was saying,” Pal’s lips twitch. “It’s possible that with the new cameras and their better definition we might have got a decent picture of the man at Tits Up the other night.” He frowns. “With the current system it’s not even possible to see clearly whether it’s a man or a woman.”

---