Page 64 of Ink's Devil

“You find him? I want him back here. He’s got access to large quantities of drugs, and whether or not he’s the ringleader, is probably up to his neck in the new trade coming into Pueblo.”

I glance at those tools again being under no illusion what would happen if my brother’s alive and they get their hands on him. But if Connor’s whole story was concocted, I don’t feel much sympathy about the Devils hurting him. With Ink locked up, they’ll show little mercy.

“How many do you think should go?” asks Beef.

“I’ll go,” offers Thunder. His voice surprises me. I hadn’t noticed him descend the stairs, though the expression on his face shows he’s been here for most of the conversation.

“Me too,” agrees Mace.

“Four more,” Demon proposes. “Just in case we need to extricate a hostage.” But a glance in my direction shows he thinks it’s unlikely.He thinks I’ve been had.Maybe I have. Or, perhaps, he still doesn’t believe one word of my story.

“One more thing…” Cad holds up his hand and interrupts. “Don’t know what this has to do with it, but Ink already asked me to look into this Phil Foster.”

“He asked about Phil?” It must have been after last Sunday. I’m confused, why would Ink want to know about him?

Demon ignores me. “And have you?” He gestures at the tech man to give him more.

“Yeah, he’s one shady motherfucker,” Cad obliges. “Cops want him but can’t pin enough on him.” He glances my way as if to see how I’m taking it.

It’s not news to me. I’d known all my life my father was a criminal.

“Drugs?”

“That’s what I was looking for but haven’t found a connection as yet. I’ll get back to digging.” Then Cad turns to leave, presumably to resume what he was doing. I call out to him. “Cad, find Connor. Please?”

Sparky waves Cad off, and then he comes over to me. For the first time since the alley he sounds a little sympathetic. “If your brother is being held against his will, we’ll find him and get him out. If he’s not there, we’ll find out what’s happened to him.” He crouches down in front of me. “While he’s still got the rest of the drugs, he’s got a bargaining chip.”

I hadn’t thought of that. The implications slam into me. “Are you saying we’ve got to leave them where they are? Oh my God. Mom’s alone,” I cry out. “What if someone comes for the rest?”

Demon stares at me, then voices his thoughts. “If they’re left there, someone may not take them gently. If they’re not, they might take it out on the person who was storing them, unknowingly or not. Fuck.” He turns to Mace. “Know you’re suspicious of Beth, Mace, so am I. But her mother?”

With a glance my way as if the last thing he wants to do is something to assist me, the enforcer gives a resigned lift of his chin. “If you don’t need me here, Prez, and we’re not setting off anywhere, I’ll go check it out. I’ll take Rusty with me, and we’ll bring whatever’s there back.”

He means take the drugs. “But wouldn’t it be worse if they turn up for them and find them gone?” I’m so worried for my mom. She’s done nothing wrong. “What if they hurt my mom, trying to find out what happened to them?”

“Bring Beth’s mom back with you.” Demon shakes his head. “Fuck, this is getting complicated.”

Now one of the older bikers, Bomber, appears. “Ink’s not been charged yet, but that will be coming. Got Sykes out of bed and he’s at the station.”

“Bet the lawyer liked that,” Mace scoffs.

“For what we pay him, he better be there with a smile on his fuckin’ face,” Demon retorts.

Ink. Them talking about cops and a lawyer makes it real. I start to cry in earnest, saying through my sobs what I tried to tell them from the start, “Let me go. I’ll go to the police. I’ll tell them what happened, I’ll say Ink had nothing to do with it—”

“No, you won’t,” Demon says.

“But this is all my fault,” I protest, and hiccup. “I don’t know why Ink took the bag off me, but he was arrested when it should have been me.”

“Exactly.” Now, Prez is crouching in front of me. He brings out a knife and slices first through the ties holding one leg, and then the other. He nods at Beef who goes behind me and frees my hands. At last able to, I wipe at my eyes. Demon continues, “Ink knew whoever was caught with those drugs could be arrested—he knew the area was swarming with SWAT. He made a call that that wasn’t going to be you. Until I know what was in his head when he did it, you’re doing nothing to put yourself in the sights of the cops.”

Demon rises, I get to my feet as well, rubbing my wrists to get the circulation going. We stand looking eye to eye.

“Fuck knows why Ink did what he did,” Demon eventually tells me. “For some reason he thought it was better to be him than you. Maybe he thought there was a chance he could get away with it…”

“Could he?” Hope stops me breathing.

“No fuckin’ chance.” Demon’s eyes flare. “He was caught handing drugs to a fuckin’ dealer.”

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