Page 51 of Brandishing Balance (Devil’s Psychos MC #3)

Marcos

“ G ood work, man.” I slapped Axel on the back as we walked out of the warehouse that held the fight.

Axel nodded, a man of few words as usual. “You need me for the sit down?”

“Nah, unless you want to be there. I’ll call Trick and Ransom for back up. Stone’s home with Luke and Maya.”

He shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. I need a shower. I hope he gives you what you need.”

“Me too. Be ready for church if things roll fast.” I glanced back at Phoenix and Blaze. The men nodded their heads at me.

I turned to Nico and nodded. “Ready?”

“For a sit down with the Irish? Always,” Nico chuckled. “I texted Trick already. Him and Ransom are gonna meet us.”

“Good.”

Marcos

The ride to Satan’s Palace is peaceful, if not a little chilly. Middle of October in central Illinois meant the riding season would be coming to an end soon. Nico gave Leo a call on the ride, and due to Bluetooth, we were both able to talk to him.

Dagger gave his cousin the run down and Leo agreed that Nico could make a deal on behalf of the family, and the Psychos could discuss their own deal for distribution.

Things were finally looking up. I only hoped that Ronan Tiernan was a man of his word, and that he wasn’t just blowing smoke up our asses to land a coke deal.

We pulled into the parking lot of Satan’s Palace.

The bar and grill were around the corner from the Devil’s Psychos clubhouse, so Nico and I parked at the clubhouse and walked over.

As we were walking, I looked at the empty buildings between the two businesses and frowned.

I paused as we passed a large empty lot.

“What’s going on?” Nico asked, stopping beside me.

“Just thinking,” I murmured.

“About?”

“Expansion dreams, brother. Expansion dreams.”

Nico looked around and I could see it dawn on his face. “Build something like the Knights?”

“Maybe.”

“It’s a good dream.” Nico patted my shoulder as we began walking again.

The bright lights of Satan’s Palace light up the otherwise deserted street.

It was amazing that this place did so well, but because of its night club vibe after ten p.m. it really kept things exciting.

The rooftop dining with a view of the river probably also helped.

Something I would have to think about if I planned on buying the properties between the clubhouse and here.

The place was still busy, despite it being a Sunday night. We walk in just as Trick and Ransom pull up in front, so we pause to wait while they shut off their bikes and dismount. “Hey guys, thanks for coming.” I slapped hands with them both, patting them on the back as we shook hands.

“Not a problem pres. Glad we could be of help,” Trick said.

“You got a private room we can use?” Nico asked.

“We should,” Ransom nodded. “Let’s go talk to the girls.”

He led the way to the bar where there were three ladies slinging drinks like their lives depended on it.

Trick and Ransom were a couple of the most solid brothers the Psychos had.

They’d always been great when I needed something, and they were never loyal to Buckley in the sense that I had to watch my back. They were good dudes.

After talking to the bartenders, Ransom led us to a staircase on the right side of the room that led up to the VIP area on the second floor. On a Sunday night, the second floor was empty, as was the banquet room in the back.

When Ronan Tiernan and his brother Kierney arrived, one of the bartenders led him up to the VIP section and immediately took everyone’s drinks.

Ronan and Kierney settled into the booth across from us, their associate James standing near the stairs, where Trick and Ransom were standing by for back up.

“Damn, you look like shit, man,” I said, cutting right to the chase. Axel really beat the shit out of the Irish man.

Ronan laughed and shrugged. “I’m good. Your boy Axel is a good fighter.”

Kierney shook his head. “You’ll have to excuse my brother; he’s a touch off.”

Ronan elbowed him in the gut and grinned. “My little brother wouldn’t know what a good fight was if he was tossed in the middle of it.”

Kierney rolled his eyes but chuckled.

I smiled, enjoying the comradery between the two brothers. I think we were going to get along with them well.

“Shall we cut to the chase?” Ronan asked, as our drink appeared. The bartender left and walked over to Trick.

I turned back to Ronan and nodded. “Yeah, seems like you know quite a bit about what I need to know. You work with Hillcrest?”

“Fuck no!” Ronan and Kierney yelled together.

“Fuck that cunt,” Ronan spat, his Irish brogue coming out thick.

“He’s a dirty mother fucker,” Kierney added.

I nodded. “How do you know him then?”

“He fucked over a friend of mine. Made a deal with the mayor. Took a land project up from under him. He does dirty business and doesn’t care who he hurts.” Ronan took a sip of his drink.

“Yeah, he’s been stalking our girl,” I admitted, nodding at Nico.

“He kidnapped her for a while. We were able to get her back.”

Kierney hissed. “That’s damn lucky. I hear he’s dealing in the skin trade.”

“Trafficking, yeah. We killed most of his guys at a warehouse down south when we got Maya back, but Hillcrest has all but disappeared since then.” I swig back my whiskey and nod at the waitress standing near the stairs.

Trick and James settled into their own booth to wait for us.

The bartender scurried over to the VIP bar and began making me a fresh drink.

“That’s fucked up man. Your girl, she OK now?” Ronan asked.

“She’s got her days, but she’s a fighter. She’s doing good,” Nico answered.

I smiled and nodded. “She’s learning self-defense and kick boxing, talking to a therapist. She’s doing alright.”

Ronan smiled, his lower lip cracking open. “That’s great. I hate nothing more than then fuckers selling people. We’ll help you any way we can. I wanna nail this fucker to the wall.”

“Yeah, there’s a long line of people that want in on his torture session.” I nodded.

The bartender walked over and set down fresh drinks for everyone.

“Look into his shell company Summit Holdings. He’s got buildings in Cicero and Englewood. You come to the city, and we’ll help you take him out. We can ride around and do some recon before we figure out the best action plan.” Ronan said.

I nodded slowly. “Ok. I’m gonna have my tech guy work on Summit Holdings. I need to bring this to my club, but potentially a recon trip would be viable. We’d need to move quickly though; I don’t want this fucker getting away.” I texted Jack immediately with the information.

“Absolutely. You and your guys can stay with me. I’ve got a place on Lake Shore drive, bring your girl. She can hit the sights while we work.”

I smiled wryly. “I appreciate that. My son has school though. He missed a lot while his mother was kidnapped. He can’t miss much more, I’m afraid.

And my girl, we don’t leave her alone without one of us, so I’ll probably stay behind and send Nico and my enforcer Jason Langford north. ” I glanced at Nico, who nodded once.

“Ah, you have a son. How old?” Ronan’s brogue popped out in the odd sentence that made me chuckle.

“He’s nine. Almost ten. He’s a good kid.

Nic’s teaching him how to fight. He’s working through his anger over his own kidnapping at Hillcrest’s hands and his mother turning herself in to save him.

” I sighed, not really sure why I was giving the man so much information.

Ronan Tiernan seemed like a good dude though.

Both Ronan and Kierney cursed and shook their heads. “Jesus H. Christ,” Ronan groaned.

I nodded. “Yeah, you can see why I’m gunning for Hillcrest.”

“And we’ll help you get him,” Ronan said. “Talk to your brothers, talk to your tech guy. Let me know what you need and we’ll help with what we can.”

I nodded. “I appreciate that, man.”

“What are you looking for in terms of weight for coke?” Nico asked, bringing the conversation around to back on topic.

Ronan and Kierney shot out some numbers, Nico nodded and countered an offer.

“And you’re authorized to negotiate for the buyer?” Kierney asked, looking disgruntled.

“It’s my family. You’ll be going into business with the Seratellis,” Nico said, eyes bouncing between both brothers.

“Shit,” Kierney swore.

Ronan laughed again. “I had a feeling it was the Seratellis. That’s fine. You a Seratelli?”

“On my mother’s side. My cousin is Leonardo.”

“Alright.” Ronan nodded. “That works for us. And the Devil’s Psychos will handle transportation north?”

“Yeah, for a price,” I shot back immediately.

Ronan smirked. “Of course, let’s hear it.”

We negotiated the terms for a while longer before Ronan grinned and held out his hand. “Alright, good business.”

I shook his head and grinned. “If only all business was this easy.”

“It’s only because he’s had his head bashed in tonight,” Kierney said. “He’s a masochist in that regard.”

Ronan rolled his eyes. “Nah, sometimes you just gotta fight shit out of your system. Fight or fuck.”

“Amen,” Nico and I said together.

Ronan and Kierney laughed, and we finished our drinks, toasting to a new friendship.