Chapter Three
Vandal
The second I pulled into the Steel Demons clubhouse lot, the tightness in my chest eased.
The sight of the bikes lined up, the scent of warm asphalt was home to me.
Macy sat behind me with her arms tight around my waist and her face pressed against my back.
She was stiff the whole damn ride back, but she held on.
She trusted me to get her back safely and it still meant something to me.
More than I wanted to admit.
The first order of business was talking to my brothers, specifically, I needed to convince Diesel and Rocky to agree to what I was asking of them, of the whole fucking MC.
Backup would be nice but even without it, this was a mission I had to take on.
It had been me and Macy against the world back then.
Two kids, one neglected and the other abused, helpless and hopeless with only each other to rely on.
Not anymore.
“Come on,” I murmured, putting her hands on my shoulders to help her dismount the bike again.
Inside the clubhouse, some of the women were gathered in clusters, laughing and talking, probably sharing recipes or diaper tips or some shit.
I spotted Diesel’s old lady, Ellie, chatting with Eliana and Harper, and I dragged Macy in their direction.
“What are you doing,” she whispered, trying to stop my forward momentum.
“Ladies,” I said a little too loud, my smile tighter than usual.
Ellie turned first with a sweet smile. “Vandal, how’s it going?” Her gaze flicked to Macy. “Who’s your friend?”
“This,” I began, draping an arm around her shoulders, “is Macy, my oldest friend in the world. We grew up right next door to each other.”
Humor and amusement shone in their eyes, but I ignored the questions that lurked underneath. “Hey Macy,” Eliana said, extending a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Right,” Harper said, snapping out of her momentary daze. “Have a seat.”
Macy was stiff but not unkind, just guarded. “That’s okay, I don’t have to.”
Ellie stood from her chair, her gaze fixed on the newcomer. “It’s all right. This is what we do. Have a seat. Do you want a drink?”
That tugged a reluctant smile across Macy’s face, but she looked to me first, almost as if asking if this was a safe place.
“I gotta talk with my brothers and I don’t know how long that’s gonna take. Stay here with the girls and I’ll be back when I’m done. Promise.” Those violet eyes darted around the room as if she expected danger behind every barstool. “Ellie is married to my Prez, you’ll be safe here.”
Her shoulders loosened a fraction and she nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
She reached into her bag for her wallet.
“This is our place. No charge.”
“It’s okay, I can pay,” she protested, but I laid a hand on her shoulder.
“This is MC headquarters, Mace. Private bar. Have a drink. I’ll be back.” I squeezed her shoulder and walked off, confident the ladies would take care of her. She needed their special brand of softness and feminine strength.
I headed straight for the office, but it was completely empty, not even Slate was behind his impressive computer setup.
Doubling back, my gaze connected with Macy’s and I sent her a smile and wink before heading to the back.
The guys favored this spot because it was outside with plenty of seating and absolute privacy.
I found Diesel and Rocky out back with a bunch of the guys, smoking, drinking, and shooting the shit. Rocky spotted me first and got to his feet. “What’s wrong?” His deep voice sliced clean through the noise.
I dragged a hand through my hair, took a breath, and laid it all out. I told them about Macy showing up at Steel City Ink.
“The girl you grew up with?” Gio asked, brows raised and eyes wide.
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s her. Totally fucking shocked me.
” I told them about her job as a bookkeeper and the guy Diego who couldn’t take rejection.
“After the kidnapping she found out exactly who he worked for. Sombra Negra,” I spat the name out.
“And there’s a cop that keeps showing up wherever she lands.
She can’t escape him.” My hands balled into tight fists that needed an outlet as I recounted everything Macy told me.
Nobody said shit for a long time, but I knew it wasn’t judgment. It was consideration. They were calculating the risk of taking on this task, preparing for what it might mean. Deciding if this was a fight for the MC. It was a big ask, going up against anybody associated with a fucking cartel.
“I need to help her,” I said, rushing to fill the silence. “Whether we agree to help her as a club or not, I can’t walk away. She’s like family to me.”
“You haven’t seen her since you were sixteen,” Rebel pushed back. “A lot can change in twelve years.”
I shook my head. “Macy was the only thing like family I had before Steel Demons.” My breaths came out in sharp, shallow pants.
Diesel finally stood, his gaze locked on mine. “Rebel has a point,” he said, holding up a hand to stop whatever argument I’d been about to make. “We need to know everything before we decide.”
Rocky nodded. “No secrets.”
I wanted to be angry because it wasn’t the answer I wanted but I’d been here before, heard the arguments whenever someone needed our help. I nodded, putting on an understanding face. “I’ve told you what she told me and that’s all I know.”
“Go get her,” Rocky urged gently. “I know you didn’t let her leave the clubhouse,” he grinned but it faded quickly. “This is cartel shit and those fuckers are crazy. We need to know everything.”
I nodded, noticing that Slate had already opened up the steel-cased laptop that never left his side. “Yeah, okay.” Relief punched me in the chest, making it hard to breathe while I walked inside to get Macy.
She looked up as soon as I stepped into the bar. Her eyes caught the low light, wide with a hint of vulnerability she hid under layers of toughness. She stood before I stopped at the table. “What’s wrong?”
I hated that she expected to be let down. “Nothing. They want to talk to you.”
She swallowed. “All of them?”
“Yep.” I took her hand in mine and led her outside to where my brothers waited.
Her breath hitched at the sight of them. Her shoulders stiffened and she took a step back like her feet wanted to bolt but she was too stubborn to let them. “Uh… hey,” she said in a soft voice that was trying to hide her fear.
My hand went to the small of her back on instinct, always there to steady her and ground her. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “You’re safe here.”
She nodded but my words did nothing to ease her tension.
“They need to know everything.”
Slate moved closer, laptop in his hand as he looked up. “Start with names, first and last if you have them. Also aliases. Business names. I can start looking while you talk.”
There was something about the calm, methodical tone of Slate’s request that seemed to steady Macy.
She nodded, exhaling a shaky breath before licking her lips and rattling off a bunch of names.
“I didn’t know much of anything at first,” she began, her voice soft but even.
“Lewis, that’s my boss, was my boss, he handled the meeting with Diego and everybody else.
I mostly kept up with the books for the business while he took care of all the accounting.
I knew he wasn’t on the up and up because he just has this criminal air about him. ”
“What does that mean?” Rebel’s question came out harsh but that was just who he was.
She trembled under my hand. “It means that he was smarmy and greasy, cocky as fuck,” she began. “But he also had more money than a small-time entrepreneur should have. I don’t know, okay? I’ve spent time around lots of criminals and he fits right in.”
Diesel nodded. “Got it. Vandal said the guy liked you?”
She nodded, body growing tighter with tension. “I tried to shut it down, politely at first but that only encouraged him. He must’ve thought I was playing hard to get so I got firmer, and he got more insistent. And then angrier.”
My fists clenched so tight my knuckles popped.
Macy continued in a robotic voice. “I didn’t realize he was anything more than a low level criminal until after he kidnapped me.
I heard a few conversations through the walls, conversations about jefe and then I heard the name, Sombra Negra.
Everybody knows that name down there and that’s when I realized how serious things were.
” Her eyes slammed shut and a shaky breath escaped. “There was a… tattoo.”
“This one?” Slate asked, turning the monitor to face her.
Macy nodded. “Yeah, that was one,” she said and pointed to the screen. “This one too. They were all… under his clothes. Black ink. Something with a skull and smoke—like it was dissolving into shadows. And words in Spanish I didn’t understand.” She looked away as her eyes fell shut.
That’s when it hit me, what he’d actually done to her. My vision narrowed to a pinpoint and my blood turned to ice in my veins. Every muscle tensed, ready for battle.
He didn’t know it yet, but Diego Ruiz was a fucking dead man walking.
“You remember anything else?” Rocky asked, his voice softer than usual.
She nodded, rattling off more business names, a nonprofit that was probably laundering money, and a few other long-ass Spanish sounding names.
“Detective Halloran is one of those businesses. I’m not sure which one but he came into the office once a month to get his check and we never cut any in his actual name. ”
Slate nodded. “I’ll find it all,” he said with a tight smile. “Anything else you remember, addresses or anything, just text me. It’ll help, I promise.”
Macy nodded. “I don’t have a phone, Ruiz took it. I had a burner, but after Halloran found me the last time, I tossed it in case they were tracking me.”
“I’ll get you one,” he answered.
“That’s not necessary.” She took a step back and shook her head. “This seems like a lot, and it feels like I’m about to put more people in danger.”
“That’s for us to worry about,” Diesel assured her. “This isn’t our first dance with a cartel.” His gaze flicked to mine. “She’ll stay with you?” he asked me.
I nodded without hesitation. “Wherever I am, she will be until further notice.”
“Okay, then.” Diesel nodded, his hands on his hips. “Macy, we need you to trust us. We’ll keep you safe. You’re family to Vandal which means you’re family to us.” His stare was intense, but Macy didn’t look away, she held it firm and unwavering. “Can you do that?”
Macy said nothing for a long time as if she was really considering the answer. “All I can promise is that I’ll try.”
Rocky smacked his hands together and smiled. “Good enough.”
“Come on,” I whispered. “Let’s go home.” Damn, it felt good to say those words to her again.