Hidden Secrets (Satan's Prophets MC) (23 page)

JD slapped Roach on the back, “Thanks, bro. I’m gonna go get my bike then I’ll be at the motel.”

Jaz and Lori were wrapped in warm blankets, sipping cups of hot tea when Mick pulled into his usual parking spot in front of the motel. Seeing Jaz’s car, he walked in.

“What’s going on?” Mick asked puzzled, wondering why JD and Drifter were there with the girls.

JD felt like ripping Mick’s head off. “Where the fuck were you?” JD asked, pushing Mick out the door. “Why was Jasmine allowed to drive over to the bar by herself? What happened to you watching her?”

“I had to go and meet with someone,” Mick defended himself, with a strange tone to his voice. Looking uneasy, he asked, “What the hell happened?”

“I’ll tell ya what happened!” JD was in a rage. He grabbed Mick by his shirt and pushed him up against the side of the building. “Jasmine—who you were supposed to be watching out for—was just nearly shot by a fuckin’ madman! Lori, too! If I hadn’t gone out there, they’d be dead now. That’s what fuckin’ happened.”

Mick blurted out without thinking. “Fuck, they couldn’t have known she’s here. I gave them a false lead to follow—away from Fulton.” Realizing what he let slip, Mick looked at JD and knew he screwed up.

JD released his hold on Mick. “I’m going to get Jasmine and Lori taken care of, then it’s you and me. Time to put this shit on the table—all of it.”

Mick agreed, resigned to the fact. “Yeah, we gotta talk.” He was running out of plans and knew he couldn’t handle this situation alone anymore. Mick needed help. JD and his MC club were the best option for keeping Jaz well protected.

“I’m going to call Jasmine’s friends to come over and sit with her.” Giving Mick a cold, hard stare, daring him to argue, he continued, “You be at the clubhouse in exactly thirty minutes. You don’t show it’ll be me you have to worry about.”

JD hated the thought of leaving Jasmine—especially now—but he had to get the whole story from Mick and get some kind of plan in motion fast.

Mick walked into the Satan’s Prophets clubhouse exactly thirty minutes later. He was relieved to get this mess out in the open and get some help. JD and Striker were standing by the bar, talking quietly. Mick looked around at the other members. They had openly hostile looks on their faces, but Mick didn’t let that bother him. He needed their help and he would play by their rules to get it. JD motioned for Mick to sit down at a table.

Striker spoke up first in his usual hard, controlled voice. “The way I see it, you need our help. We make the fuckin’ rules and you follow them to the letter.”

Mick shook his head to agree.

“Now, you tell us what this is all about and start at the beginning.”

Mick nodded and sat back to stretch out his legs. He knew he was going to be there for a while.

“I met Jaz and her dad, Nick Wallis, when I went to his shop to get a tattoo. Jaz was hanging there by herself. I kinda felt sorry for her—ya know, this teenager sitting there all alone. She looked so lonely and sad. The next time I went back for another tattoo, she was there again. This time, doing homework and listening to music. We struck up a conversation and I found out she really didn’t have many friends. I started going back when I had the time to hang out with her.”

“On days when rougher, one percent bikers would come in, her dad would chase her out of his shop. So I’d go with her and we’d take long walks. At this point, I kinda felt like her big brother. That’s about the time that Jaz’s dad asked me if I wanted to learn how to tattoo. I became his apprentice and worked at his shop, a few hours (here and there) when my other job allowed it. It was a few years later when I happened to overhear Nick and some guys talking. They were pressuring Nick to front their crystal meth operation out of his shop. I didn’t know he was skimming money until I walked into the back room one day when I wasn’t supposed to be working. He was counting a stack of money and he told me business was unusually good that day. I called him a liar and he admitted what he was doing. I tried to talk him in to going clean, but he wouldn’t listen. He said he liked all the money he was making and was hiding it for him and his family. Nick seemed kinda nervous that day and told me where he had the money stashed in case something happened to him. That’s when I knew I had to get Jaz out of there. I had a bad feeling about all of it. So I talked her into enrolling in an out-of-town college when she graduated high school that year. I told her she needed to get out in the world and see other places. She was thrilled to go.”

Roach walked over to the table and put a shot and a beer down in front of him. Mick nodded his thanks and downed the shot. After he drank half his beer, he continued on.

“Nick got greedy and started skimming more and more over time. Of course, these guys aren’t dumb. When Carlo and his boys showed up one day and threatened Nick, he told them he had the money hidden and he would return it. He kept stalling for more time and I think he was planning on making a run for it. Only, he ran out of time. That accident was only supposed to scare him. Someone screwed up and Nick ended up dead. I didn’t even know anything about it until Carlo showed up at the shop the next day, like a raving lunatic. He asked me where the money was and when I said I didn’t have a clue, he miraculously believed me. Sometime later, he found out Nick had a daughter. He gave me orders to find her and contact him when I did. He made it very clear, I had better find her.”

“I figured she was safe at college because of her different last name so I left her there. I stayed away because he had guys watching me. Maybe they still are, I don’t know. When I got a letter from the school saying she was expelled, I went to get her—but she was already gone. It was by sheer luck, I stopped in Fulton that day to get a room.” Mick stopped talking to light up a smoke and finish his beer.

“Before,” he looked at JD, “when you asked me where I was? I just got back from Jersey. I rode down last night to Blackwood to meet up with Carlo. I told him I finally had a lead on Jaz and her trail was leading out west. I might have thrown them off, but maybe not. Carlo didn’t look like he believed me.”

“Where is Carlo now?” JD asked, pacing the room.

“Not sure. Maybe still in Blackwood. Like I said—not sure if he believed me.”

JD walked over to stand in front of Mick. “All right, you told us all that, but you left out one important thing. Where’s the money?”

Mick shot a hard glare at JD. “I have it hidden. It’s in a safe hiding place where no one will ever think to look for it.”

JD couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You son of a bitch.” He pulled back his fist and delivered a smashing blow to Mick’s nose. Blood poured down over his mouth, but JD wasn’t done yet. He hit Mick again, this time catching his right eye.

Mick was ready to jump all over JD when they both heard, “Enough!” Striker shouted out in a booming voice. He walked up to Mick and JD.

“Calm your fuckin’ asses down now. We need fuckin’ answers, not fists here,” Striker continued in a strained, harsh voice. “Back the fuck off each other and do it now.” JD walked away from Mick trying to gain some self-control.

Striker leveled a fierce look at JD. “Even if Mick returned the money, he’d be dead now.
And
they’d still be searching for the girl. I know how Carlo operates. He never leaves any loose ends. At least this way, Mick is alive and was able to watch out for your old lady. I’ll make a call down to our brothers in Jersey. They’ll keep tabs on Carlo’s activities. If he’s gone, then we better prepare for anything.”

Mick went to leave and turned to Striker. “You’ll keep me informed of what you find out?”

“What for?” JD cut in. “You weren’t even here to keep her from being nearly killed today. What the fuck do we need you for?”

Mick started walking toward JD. Drifter and Roach cut in front of him.

“Let him come, we have unfinished business.” JD braced himself, ready to fight.

“You two dumb asses wanna finish it, take it outside. Not in the clubhouse,” Striker ordered, walking over to the bar to get a drink.

Roach joined Striker at the bar. “Wish they’d get it out of their systems, once and for all. Maybe enough punches to their heads will knock some sense into them.”

“Stupid fuckers,” Striker cursed, slugging down a beer. “I better go make that call.”

Mick turned and walked outside with JD following him. JD let Mick throw the first punch, but he was ready for it. He ducked and caught Mick under his chin with an uppercut that snapped Mick’s head back. All the suppressed anger JD had built up for Mick fueled his rage. Another punch to Mick’s face knocked him out cold.

JD stood looking down at Mick, disappointed he didn’t get in a few more punches. He walked back into the clubhouse, went straight to his room and grabbed some gear. On the way to the door, he yelled over to Roach that he’d be staying at the motel from now on.

Drifter was waiting by the door. “I’m gonna stay there tonight, too. Figure Lori might need some company.”

“Good.” JD was glad to have another bro around. “I’m gonna grab them some food at the diner first, then I’ll be there.” Rubbing his bruised knuckles, JD had to flex his hand a few times before gripping the handle bars on his bike.

When JD arrived at the motel, he was relieved to see Jasmine and Lori were doing somewhat better. They were sitting calmly on the couch talking with Susanna and Renee.

“I’m going to be staying here with you, babe.” JD said to Jasmine. She was thrilled to hear that. She didn’t want to be alone. “I brought you girls some burgers and fries. How about eating?”

None of the girls realized just how hungry they actually were until they bit into the juicy burgers. After everyone had eaten their fill, Renee and Susanna went home.

“Are you okay, babe?” JD questioned Jasmine when she got awfully quiet.

“Yeah, I guess so. No… maybe not. All I keep seeing in my mind are those awful dead eyes staring at me.”

JD closed his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest. Jaz moaned, “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over seeing someone killed in front of me.”

“You know it was you girls or him—don’t you, babe? I’m just thankful I rode out there.” JD closed his eyes, trying to push away the thought that Jasmine could have been killed.

“What about his body? Did you call the police? Oh, no! Am I going to have to testify against you in court?” Jasmine’s body was wracked with shivers again. JD pulled the blanket up higher around her shoulders.

“No worries there, baby. It’s all taken care of. No cops and no court.” He was relieved when she settled more comfortably against him without asking any more questions. He held her until she finally fell asleep and then carried her to bed.

Drifter had gone with Lori to her little efficiency apartment. “Will you stay with me tonight, Drifter?” Lori asked him timidly.

“Sure, darlin’. That’s why I’m here—figured you might need some company.”

Lori went into the bathroom to change for bed. When she came out, Drifter was lying on the couch with an arm thrown over his eyes. He was naked from the waist up and as she got closer, she noticed the tattoo on his upper chest. It was of a heart with a dagger stabbed through its middle and drops of blood were dripping down. Lori felt an overwhelming need to comfort him for a change. She knew what that tattoo symbolized and the secret pain Drifter lived with. Could she help heal his broken heart, she wondered? She’d like to try. As Lori came two steps closer, all of a sudden she was looking down the barrel of a gun.

“Lori! Never sneak up on me like that again!” Drifter put the gun back under the blanket on his hip. “Sorry—old habit of mine. I always sleep with my gun.”