The one he’d called Taz reached up and took the money, looking at Angel with a wide, evil grin. “You got it, boss.”
Angel swallowed. It was the guy that had been checking her out at the party. What was happening? What were they talking about? Getting what done?
“That’s kind of old school these days, Big Ed. The lady’s with me.”
“Well, I’m an old school kind of guy. You wouldn’t want any of my guys to think she was available, would you?”
Cole’s gaze moved to Taz.
Big Ed smiled. “Didn’t think so.” He turned and walked over to a table along with three of his guys. The other four stood waiting.
***
The muscles in Cole’s jaw worked as he grabbed Angel’s hand and headed toward the door. Crash and the four Devil Kings followed them out. Cole and Crash had parked right in front of the door. The Devil Kings headed toward their bikes, which were parked in the row beyond.
Cole turned to Angel and said in a whisper, “Look, I’m gonna get you out of here.”
Crash looked at him and said in a low voice so the others wouldn’t hear him. “Are you insane? You do that and Big Ed will slit both our throats. Besides, there’s no way you’re gonna get her out of here. I’m with you, Brother, but there are eight of them. And you piss on the Devil Kings, Mack will have your ass. What’s left of it, anyway. You’re lucky Big Ed’s even giving you this out.”
Cole grimaced. “Goddamn it.”
“Cole?” Angel whispered questioningly. “What’s happening?”
He turned to her. “I’m sorry I got you into this. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“A little late for that,” Crash added.
Cole glared at him.
The Devil Kings sat on their bikes, waiting. The one called Taz hollered over to them, “Let’s go!”
Cole looked back at him. Crash was right. He didn’t see anyway out of this. It was a fight they couldn’t win, and once the fight was over there would be no one standing between these animals and Angel.
They mounted up and pulled out of the parking lot. They rode down the street, followed by four Devil Kings.
***
In a few minutes, they were turning down a side street and slowing up in front of a line of rundown businesses. They passed a Vietnamese grocery, a pawnshop, and a couple of boarded up buildings. They rolled to a stop and Cole backed up to the curb. He cut off the engine, and they dismounted.
Angel looked up at the neon sign in the storefront window. Stumpy’s Tattoo Parlor.
Cole slid his hand to the nape of Angel’s neck and pulled her close. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. “Just do what I tell you and everything’s gonna be okay. Don’t put up a fight. You understand me?”
Put up a fight? What was going to happen? She looked in Cole’s eyes. She didn’t have any choice but to trust him. She nodded.
Cole took her by the wrist and pulled her along.
Crash bent and pulled a bottle of whiskey from his saddlebag.
They entered the shop, followed by the Devil Kings. A bell tinkled over the door, announcing their entrance.
Angel looked around. There was no one in the place, and then a voice from a back room yelled out.
“Be with ya in a minute.”
“Hey, Stumpy! Get out here. Cole needs to get his ol’ lady stamped,” Taz yelled. The four guys leaned against the counter. Taz looked over at Angel and grabbed her right wrist. “Come on, darlin’.”
Cole yanked on her left wrist.
“I got it.” He glared at Taz. Angel stood between the two, wondering what was going to happen. Taz stared Cole down, and then smiled.
“Okay. Go on.” He nodded toward one of the tattoo stations.
Cole led Angel over to a long padded table. He pulled her sideways over the table on her stomach. She tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t let go of her. He sat down on a stool near her face. Holding her by both wrists, he looked into her eyes and could see she was scared.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
Cole shook his head, silently telling her to be quiet.
“Stumpy! Let’s go,” Taz yelled.
“What’s he going to do?” Angel whispered softly to Cole. He looked at her a long moment.
“He’s going to put a tat on you that says you belong to me.”
“A…a tattoo? But that’s permanent.” She tried to pull away. Cole tightened his grip on her wrists, holding her where she was.
“Quit.”
“If she’s too much for you to handle, I’ll take her off your hands,” Taz offered with a grin, watching her struggle. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than breakin’ a woman’s spirit.”
Angel turned to look at him. He smiled back at her, and she could see the evil in his eyes. She turned back to Cole and whispered, “Why are you doing this?”
Cole leaned forward and said in a low voice, “It’s the only way to protect you from all of them. Do you understand? So they won’t touch you.”
She started to tear up. Cole saw her eyes pool.
“Hey, look at me. You are not going to cry in front of them. Understand? Don’t give that asshole the satisfaction.”
She studied the look in his eyes and nodded, blinking away the tears and taking a deep breath.
Stumpy came out of the backroom. He was in his sixties and covered with tattoos.
“Hey, Cole. Taz. Boys. What can I do for ya?”
“We need to get her stamped,” Taz said, nodding toward Angel. He tossed the bills down on the station counter. Stumpy looked over at the woman being forcibly held down across his table.
“She don’t look too willin’, Taz. We got rules about—”
“Just fuckin’ do it, old man,” Taz snapped threateningly.
“Yeah. Okay.”