Dealing with the Devil (10 page)

Even though it was the dead of summer, Lucy shivered. The air conditioning cooled her skin and mingled with the uneasy feeling swirling in her gut. Gooseflesh erupted over every inch of her and she rubbed her arms briskly. They continued down a long, sparse hallway that led into an antechamber filled with metal bunk beds. If this wasn’t a prison, she didn’t know what the hell was. Sofía seemed to read her mind.

“This is an area reserved for our sisters visiting from out of town. I’ve also opened it as a place for battered women and children to seek refuge,” Sofía explained casually. The harder Sofía tried to convince Lucy she was some kind of saint, the less she believed it. There was something fundamentally wrong about this entire place, starting with the woman who ran it.

The hallway twisted and led to a corridor punctuated with dozens of simple white doors. Sofía slithered down the corridor, until she reached the end. She knocked several times before pushing the door open. “Our new members share their rooms,” She explained before flinging the door open. “Cecelia, this is Lucy.”

Lucy nodded a greeting to the woman who was hunched over her bed, reading from an ancient bible. Cecilia looked to be around Lucy’s age—though like Lucy, she was hardened by violence. A thick curtain of dyed blue hair fell in waves over her shoulders, shielding the left side of her face from view. Cecelia’s rough hands were wrapped around a rosary of crystal beads.

“Cecelia!”

“
Atrévete, puta
!” Cecelia snarled like a caged animal, the bible falling from her hands. When she moved, her hair fell away from her face, revealing a crescent scar marring her caramel skin. Cecelia’s back was tensed and she looked ready to lunge at any moment.

Lucy tossed her bag on the empty bed. She sniggered softly at Sofía’s indignation, watching the older woman struggle to keep a lid on her anger. “You heard her, Sofía. I think it’s time you leave.” She didn’t need to speak Spanish to know Cecelia had told Sofía to get lost in the rudest way possible. Lucy definitely agreed; she was sick of Sofía’s smugness.

Sofía’s spine straightened and a flash of anger twisted her face. “Perhaps your new friend can show you the rest of the place, then. I will see you later, Lucy.” Turning on her heel, she swept from the room and didn’t bother to stop the door from slamming behind her.

Lucy and Cecelia were left alone and silence hung between them awkwardly. Lucy glanced around, taking stock of the place. There were twin beds on opposite sides of the room. A clean set of sheets and towels had been placed on one bare mattress. In the corner there were matching dressers with a small area to hang items up. Along the back wall were built in desks separated by a bookshelf in the middle. Lucy had never been to college but she expected this was what a dorm room would look like. It wasn’t the worst place Lucy had ever seen…but it certainly wasn’t home.

Cecelia stared at Lucy while she unpacked. The girl hung up a few things before folding the rest and shoving them in drawers. Cecelia smiled when Lucy tore off the Black Jacks cut, balled it up, and threw it in the bottom of the closet. Setting the bible aside, she extended her hand, “Cecelia Santos.
Cece
.”

“Lucy…Archer. I would say it’s nice to meet you but judging from the major Jesus vibe you’re putting off, I’m guessing you would prefer I didn’t lie.” Lucy shook Cecelia’s hand cordially before she went to put the sheets on the bed. “How’d you end up here?” There was a long silence and Lucy wondered whether or not she understood. Lucy turned to face Cecelia again. She chewed her bottom lip uncertainly. “Do you speak English?”

“Of course I speak English!” Outrage spread over Cecelia’s features. “Stupid bitch…you got to stay quiet. God’s always listening.” She stalked over to the bookshelf and grabbed another bible. Pushing it into Lucy’s arms, Cecelia’s expressive grey eyes narrowed dangerously. “If you want to survive here, you need to accept Christ into your heart and study his words.” She glanced around, tilting her head toward the wall.

Paranoia speared through Lucy as she looked around. This woman was off her rocker! “Uh, yeah thanks, but I’m not sure I can deal with any bullshit about this being God’s plan right now.” Still, she set the book on the nightstand and kicked off her boots. The white linoleum floor was icy beneath Lucy’s feet and she hopped onto the bed. Cecelia rolled her eyes and dropped a few choice curses before going back to her studies.

Lucy made up the bed and hung her towel in the small bathroom they shared. After a while, boredom settled in. There wasn’t anything else to do, so she grabbed the bible and flipped it open. Cecelia looked over at her and Lucy had an epiphany. Cecelia wasn’t a religious nut; she was trying to teach Lucy how to communicate without getting caught in here. “You know, on second thought…I could definitely use a little bible study.” On all the pages of the bible there were numbers scribbled. It was code…hopefully a fucking brilliant code that could be their ticket out of this hellhole once and for all. Cecelia and Lucy shared a private smile before a bell tolled ominously throughout the compound. Lucy was immediately on high alert, “What the fuck is that?”

“Lunch.” Cecelia stood from the bed and grabbed her own cut from its position on the floor of her closet. “Come on, we don’t have all day. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the girls.” Tugging her blue hair away from her scarred face, Cecelia looked significantly fiercer. “
Vámonos
!” She commanded.

“Alright, alright, keep your panties on.” Lucy followed Cecelia’s lead and tossed on her cut before following her out into the hall. Something told her that despite Cece’s prickly nature, they would be close friends. Survival was all that mattered and making alliances was the way to do it. One way or another, Lucy was going to get out of here…it was only a matter of time.

Lucy’s stomach growled as they entered the massive dining room. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until this moment, surrounded by the delicious smells wafting from a cafeteria-style kitchen. She followed Cecelia through a sea of tables until they reached a row of trays. Lucy grabbed an apple, a sandwich, and a sinful-looking piece of German chocolate cake before she thought better of it. “This stuff is safe to eat, right?” Cecelia rolled her eyes and grabbed the apple from Lucy. She took a large bite before letting it drop back onto the tray with a bang. Lucy stared down at the apple, frowning markedly. “You could have just said yes…”

Cecelia helped herself to a slice of pizza and grabbed a couple bottles of water before leading Lucy over to a table. Plopping down unceremoniously, she motioned for Lucy to take the seat beside her. “Welcome to bible study.”

Lucy suddenly felt like she was back in high school as four sets of eyes stared her down. “I’m Lucy Archer.” She introduced herself, hoping that they would a little more accepting of her than Cece was.

An effervescent redhead who was scribbling in a notebook looked up and gave a little wave. “I’m Julia Amos. And this is my sister Candice Rey. You might expect us to have the same last name since we’re sisters but—”

“She doesn’t need our fucking life story, J,” Candice cut her off. Unlike Julia she was blonde, though both sisters shared the same warm brown eyes. “Call me Candy, everybody does.” She ignored the death-glare Julia was giving her and popped a cherry tomato into her mouth.

“As I was saying,” Julia cleared her throat. “The girl to your left is Adela. She doesn’t talk.”

Lucy peered at the girl sympathetically. Adela couldn’t have been more than seventeen and the expression on her face never wavered from terrified. Lucy knew exactly how she felt. She nodded, prompting Julia to continue with the table rundown.

“Beatrice Patton—”

“Bea,” Beatrice had a thick Irish accent. Her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun to keep it out of her face. Her eyes were soft and blue, softening her otherwise brutish appearance. She took a long sip of tea and leaned back. “Keep your head down, nose clean, and avoid conflict. Best way to avoid trouble. You’ll get used to the way things work around here, we all did.”

“Look, this is all great advice but I really want to know why the fuck you’re all still here. Sofía said we’re free to come and go as we please. Besides the layout of this massive compound being confusing, I don’t see what’s stopping me from walking out of here and going home…” Lucy probed.

A low gasp of shock ripped through the table. Except for Cecelia, who snorted and slapped her hand down on the table. “Walk out the front door? Why didn’t I think of that?” Tapping her ripped, scarred cheek with her index finger, she feigned a ponderous pose. “Oh, right! That’s how I got half my fucking face torn off. Walk out the door she says…” Cecelia descended into a string of curses in Spanish.

“Is there a problem here, ladies?” A shrewd, sour-faced woman leaned over the table. “You must be the new girl.” She leaned in closer to Lucy. “I’m Priscilla.” Her pug nose wrinkled as she faked a smile. “I’m so sorry you got stuck at the freaks and geeks table. Why don’t you come sit with us?”

Lucy shook her head. “Thanks. I’m okay here.”

Priscilla’s expression soured. “You should probably know that Cecelia’s last roommate ended transferring rooms after she
bit
her.”

“Better move along then,
puta
. I get a taste for human flesh sometimes and you’re lookin’ real good today.” Cecelia gnashed her teeth, causing Priscilla to scoot away in fear. “That’s right, move your ass!” Turning back to her meal, Cecelia took a large bite of pizza. “For the record, I only bit her because she tried to go through my stuff. I’ll bite you too, if you try it…”

“Irina needed
twelve
stitches,” Julia piped up. When Cecelia scoffed at her, Julia raised her hands in mock surrender. “I just thought she should know all the information. Geez!” She went back to picking at her salad.

Lucy’s appetite waned as she stared down at her sandwich. It tasted fine—great, even—but knowing for sure she was a prisoner here made her sick to her stomach. Cecelia was covering her scarred cheek as if she were embarrassed. Uncomfortable silence hung between them. Lucy looked around at all the women coming and going. Her curiosity prompted her to break the tension. “How many people actually live here?”

“Couple hundred, in total,” Julia replied and adjusted her glasses. “Although the population fluctuates based on how many refugees we have at any given time.” She licked her lips and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Recently I’ve noticed a lot of new members coming in. Sofía is preparing for something and I’m willing to wager it’s bad news.”

“Shut up, Julia!” Candy hissed, “You say something like that and you’re going to find yourself in big trouble around here. Gazing around the room, she was fairly confident no one had heard her sister but she still refused to relax. “Come on, it’s time go.” She picked up the rest of Julia’s salad and hurled it in the trash.

Bea shook her head. “Aw, leave her alone. It’s nice to have somebody around here who isn’t a raging bitch all the time.” She took another long swallow of tea. “But I should get going too. I’ve got work in an hour.” When Bea got up, Adela followed her to the opposite side of the dining hall.

Lucy and Cecelia were the last to leave. When they returned to the room, both women got out their bibles and Cecelia started to show Lucy the code they used to pass secret messages to each other. Lucy had never seen anything so complicated in her entire life. “Where the fuck did you come up with this?”

“I’m an electrical engineer,” Cecelia replied.

Snorting softly, Lucy looked up at her and realized she wasn’t kidding. “Oh, you’re
actually
an engineer.” Cecelia was a strange, maybe rabid, genius.

“I did all the electrical work in this building,
chica
. I’m not just a pretty face, you know.” It was how she knew the compound so well and why they were so desperate to keep her on the inside. “Keep reading. When you get to the end of Numbers, wake me up. I need a nap.” Crawling into her bed, Cece tugged the blanket up to her shoulder and turned her back.

Lucy stared down at the bible verse and the alphanumeric code that Cecelia had devised. She was supposed to be concentrating but her thoughts slipped back to Gabe. What she wouldn’t give to feel his arms wrapped around her right now… Lucy’s heart ached fiercely.

Flopping onto her back, Lucy rested the bible on her abdomen as she stared up at the ceiling. Did he miss her as much as she missed him? Did he miss her at all? After a while, Lucy’s exhaustion caught up with her and her eyes fluttered closed. Dreams of Gabriel filled her head and in sleep, tears flowed down her cheeks.

* * *

Archie rubbed his temples and tried to block out the voices volleying across the War Room table. “Alright, enough!” His voice was hoarse from yelling. “We’ve been at this for
hours
. Our brothers from Cali will be arriving soon. Maybe they’ll have some better ideas.” They were all hungry and tired after hours of brainstorming. Archie had sent the prospects to Marge’s to pick up some food a while ago; they were due back any time. Big Mike recommended they sleep in shifts in case any of their brothers showed up from out of town. The only person who wasn’t eating or resting was Archie…he hadn’t done much of either since leaving Reno.

Danny stepped into the War Room and closed the door behind him. Tossing a burger and fries in Archie’s direction, Danny plopped down beside him. He opened up his own meal and dug in heartily. “You want to talk about it?” He asked through a mouthful of burger.

“No.” Archie let out a rumbling sigh. If Lucy were here, she’d have torn Danny a new one for his disgusting table manners. But she wasn’t. She was alone in Reno and he was stuck here, feeling guilty.

“Well, that’s too fucking bad.” There was a beat of silence and Danny dropped his burger, wiping his greasy fingers on his jeans. “I’ve heard the story of your trip more times than I can count. What you failed to mention is at what point you fell in love with my little sister.”

Archie was in no mood to fight Danny and too exhausted to lie. Instead, he met Danny’s gaze. “What do you want me to say? I love Lucy.”

Danny scrubbed a hand over his stubbled cheek. “You son of a bitch…” His perfect, delicate, sweet little sister may have been twenty-six years old, but in Danny’s eyes she was still the bucktoothed kid forever chasing his heels. “How long has this been going on?”

“I didn’t even
kiss
her until after we were married! I swear to you, I have the utmost respect for your sister.” Archie put up his palms in mock surrender.

“Why did you say it like that? You didn’t even…” Danny let out a horrified gasp, “You
banged
my sister?” Danny leapt from his chair and grabbed Archie by his cut. He forcefully slammed him down on the War Room table, cursing and spitting in anger.

“Get off me!” Archie thundered, pushing Danny off and tugging his leather cut down to smooth any wrinkles. “Lucy is my
wife
!” Archie drew in a ragged breath, “You want to know the truth? I’ve loved Lucy since I was a kid. I was fucking terrified of what I felt for her.” Collapsing in his chair, Archie exhaled sharply. “So, I pushed her away because I didn’t want to lose Lucy
and
my best friend. But you know what, Danny? I’m done pretending. I want to wake up with her every morning. I want to have kids with her. I want to grow old and hold hands on some fucking porch somewhere
with
Lucy.” He felt his stomach tighten painfully. “But right now? All I want is to get her back.”

Danny was quiet for a long moment before he took his seat again. Stuffing more food into his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully before he spoke. Danny glanced over at Archie and sighed. “I guess if there’s anyone that’s good enough for her, it’s you.”

“What’s the catch?”

“If you
ever
hurt my little sister, I don’t care that you’re my best friend or that we grew up together or that you’re the President of this club. I will hunt you down and I will tear you apart piece by piece. Then I’ll feed your carcass to coyotes!” Danny’s face darkened menacingly.

Archie felt a sense of relief wash over him. “I swear on my life, I won’t hurt her.” Unfortunately, he already had…but he planned on making it up to her when he got her back.

Danny nodded his acquiescence. “Good. Now get your shit together, man. You have to stop walking around here like a zombie. You moping around and sighing all the fucking time is not good for morale. Pull it together, eat something, and then you’re taking the next sleeping shift. You hear me?” He glared across the table. “If Lucy were here, you know she’d agree with me.” It might have been a low blow but manipulation was all Danny had at this point. Archie was off the rails.

He opened up his own meal and took a small bite of the burger. At this point it was cold and the bun was soggy but it was sustenance. Archie and Danny finished their meals in relative silence. Every once in a while Hunter or Mort would pop in to see if they needed anything to drink or another burger. Danny was halfway through his third when the cavalry arrived.

Marco Caraway was the President and leader of the California branch of the Devil’s Own MC. In addition to his high ranking position within the club, he was also Lucy’s godfather and a very good friend to the Hardings. Marco was in his early fifties and greying just slightly at his temples; there was a joviality that seemed to elevate his handsomeness. On this occasion, his face was drawn and pale. It was clear he was a man on a mission.

“You’ve been riding for hours, Marco,” Archie clasped his hand and shook it tightly, “Take a load off. Can I get you something to eat?”

“No,” Marco’s voice was grave. “I rushed out here as soon as I heard about Lucy.” He let out a shaky breath. “When we spoke on the phone yesterday, I started putting all the pieces together. Lucy isn’t the only woman who’s been taken.”

Archie offered Marco a seat and poured him a hearty snifter of brandy. At the very least, he could use a drink; the man was shaking like a leaf. “What are you talking about?”

“Our brothers to the North, the Redhawks? Their girl Julia was taken a few weeks ago, same night as Candy,” Marco pressed. His stomach twisted painfully at her name passing his lips. Even though their relationship failed years ago, she would always mean the world to him. “And Los Santos? One of their patched members, Cecelia, disappeared over a year ago without a trace. She was out near Reno doing some freelance engineering work. Turns out, it was for a shell company owned by Sofía Salma. When you told us she’s the one running the Black Jacks, everything started clicking into place.” His lips pursed into a tight line. “I even spoke with the Nightriders…”

Archie’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you out of your damn mind? You could’ve started a war!”

“Narayan Bosko’s daughter Adela went missing too. She’s seventeen years old, Archie. He came at us weeks ago, accusing us of taking her!” There were very specific rules the Devil’s Own followed and harming women and children were not tolerated. Even the Nightriders knew that. Marco planted his feet firmly and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t care if the man is a monster,
nobody
deserves to lose their child.”

Marco was right. Old feuds meant nothing right now. There more important things at stake. “Sofía Salma is taking them and using them to keep us in our place.” The threat of hurting the women they loved was enough to keep them at bay. She was counting on their anger and hostility to keep them down but Archie had a better idea. “Get Narayan on the phone. I’m going to call Rogelio and the Redhawks.” He faced the group. “Sofía is counting on the fact that we’ve been divided for so long. It stops today. Separate we’re weak, but together we’re strong enough to take her down.”

Danny cleared his throat. “The Nightriders, the Redhawks, and Los Santos may be willing to play nice to bring Lucy and the rest of our girls home but what happens after that? It could turn into a bloodbath!” He licked his lips. “If you’re going to do this, we need some kind of insurance.”