Haidee

Chapter 1

Sadist Soul

My eyes narrowed on Shimmer as he, once again, argued for something stupid and bloodthirsty with no reason behind it. I tried not to look at him because I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep the irritation off my face if I had to look at his.

Instead, I concentrated on Denial. He was a master at keeping a neutral expression, never letting anyone know what he was thinking unless the words came out of his mouth. Even then, with his even tone and the inability to get a rise out of him, it was completely possible that he was lying. His poker face was on point.

But I knew him. I could read his eyes in a way very few could. And his dark blue gaze, pinned on mine, said one thing—he really hated the vice president.

Sighing inwardly, I agreed. There were reasons I kept Shimmer in the position he was in without argument. My crew was split in two. Those who wanted to keep things barbaric without any growth—Shimmer and his followers—and those who wanted progress.

Meanwhile, while we had our issues in-house, the rest of Ash Hollow could feel the turmoil. Our borders were getting sloppy. Other crews were moving in, trying to claim our territory, inch by fucking inch. And we couldn’t stop arguing about dumb shit. Like who let their ol’ lady put the seat down.

“It’s not a rule,” Secret said, blandly, his fingers tapping on the black book. As the keeper of the rules, he would know. I appreciated that this demon had my back, and was not a crony of Shimmer’s.

But as I studied the room, I thought that maybe half the crew would solidly stand behind me; while a little less than half had Shimmer’s outlook. And the handful remaining just wanted to ride and were thinking that this whole club thing was more of a hassle than it was worth.

These days, I didn’t blame them. They were right.

But I was going to change that. I was going to change it all. Ash Hollow has been falling into chaos for a decade now. When I took over the presidency of the Dirty Devils, I swore that I’d change that. I’d secure our spot as owners of this territory. I’d make sure that this club was respected and feared. Then I’d grow our club. Secure our reach. And make sure everyone paid their fucking taxes.

But I was also about being fair. Ruling by fear is one thing. But when your minions are so afraid of you they’d just as readily turn you over to your enemy to save their own skin for even a smidgen of promised reprieve from the terror they live in, you’re no longer truly in charge.

I didn’t realize that progress was going to be like pulling fucking demon teeth. Those bitches had roots that were welded in.

Shimmer thought that to fix these issues, the rules and consequences needed to be stricter. More severe punishments. Longer sentences. He thought cruelty was the way to go. Make them live in such poor conditions that they wouldn’t have a choice but to submit.

What he didn’t want to hear was that if he had it his way, they’d be the first to share any weakness we may have. Exploit any sign of animosity within our ranks. And that fault line was beginning to show outside of the clubhouse.

“Enough,” I said, having listened to Shimmer bitch for the last ten minutes. Shimmer quieted, but he glared at me as if he could kill me with a look. Too bad for him, that wasn’t in his power. But it was in mine. When I met his eyes, he flinched at the pain I caused him. And that was why he shut up. And why he feared me.

Taking a frustrated breath, I sat forward. “We can raise the taxes,” I said. “All in favor of a 2% increase, say ay.”

It wasn’t unanimous. Soon, the protection tax would be too high for the citizens of Ash Hollow to afford. And that meant they’d leave. The more that left, the less funding we had, and the more rebellion we had from those who stayed.

Though not everyone agreed, enough did that the tax was now up to 36% of all wages on every resident in Ash Hollow.

“Settled,” I said.

Before I could speak further, the door burst open, and Licks stood there, eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You said to come if there was an emergency.” His gaze was on Shimmer. His sponsor. I already wasn’t a fan of this kid.

“What is it?” Shimmer hissed, anger flaring in his eyes.

Licks flinched. “There are some Sticks and Bones in the back alley. Messing with a family there that doesn’t have a target on their door.”

He didn’t have to say it. If Sticks and Bones were in the back alley, they were very, very far from the border. Only further evidence that the Dirty Demons weren’t as feared by opposing crews in neighboring cities as it should be.

But that’s not what Shimmer and his cronies heard. They heard the challenge, alright. But not the reason behind it.

“Go,” I snapped.

Shimmer leaped over the table and plowed down Licks on his way out. The others followed as I got to my feet. Sticks and Bones wouldn’t be here in full force. But as I thought this, I wondered if maybe they would be. Maybe they were here to try to put an end to the Dirty Demons.

The bitter part of me thought maybe they should succeed. At least a little. Give Shimmer an ass kicking he wouldn’t soon forget.

But Shimmer was a flashy fucker. A strong demon. And thus why I keep him close. He is strong. And therefore, he needed to be watched.

I wasn’t in a hurry to get there. I knew that by brute force alone, we’d push all the Sticks and Bones out of our city. They might be the bigger crew, and ballsy to boot, but their demons weren’t as powerful as mine. That fact alone was the reason we kept Ash Hollow.

But sooner than I’d care to admit, that wouldn’t be enough. Sticks and Bones to the north were always slipping into our territory. Looking for a flaw. Any frail, vulnerable crack in our stronghold. And those cracks were beginning to show.

Maple Roots to the south and east, and then KOK Suckers to the west were equally pushy, but smarter than Sticks and Bones. They were waiting and watching in the wings. Waiting for shit to go down between Dirty Demons and Sticks and Bones. Something bad enough to weaken both crews so that the two remaining crews could come in, take us both out, and split the territory.

“That went well,” Denial said; his tone was light. Even. As usual. But I could see the irritation burning in his eyes.

“Mm,” I answered.

This hadn’t been a true gathering, as we were missing a handful of our members. Church would be held in a few days. But Shimmer was becoming more vocal and nearly outright belligerent about stupid shit, so I needed to appease him.

At one point, just letting him rant had been enough, so he knew he was being heard, even if he didn’t get his way. When it became apparent that he was being ignored, that was no longer enough. But I wasn’t going to fine or punish one of my demons for something stupid like their ol’ lady putting a toilet seat down.

It’s that petty bullshit that really pissed me off. If it wasn’t specifically against the rules, I’d just kill Shimmer, dispose of his body, and be done with this rebellion. Unfortunately, because of something that happened in Dirty Devil’s past that I’m not fully aware of, that exact scenario is explicitly forbidden.

“Raise in taxes is not going to go over well,” Bone Breaker said as he strode up on Denial’s other side. Denial gave him a bland smile.

“Where’s Bounce?” I asked.

“He went with Shimmer to keep his stupid ass under control. Sweet Love is with him.”

Bounce and Bone Breaker were my enforcers. Big, bulking demons who could crush anything. And they could get bigger than the image that they normally put out. Which I believe was one of the only reasons Shimmer never outright challenged either of them.

Sweet Love was just that. The sweetest damn demon I’d ever met. It’s nearly sickening. But he also likes peace among the crew. He knew that we were supposed to be family. Our bickering should be like that between siblings. Not hostile. Not conspiratorially. So, he was willing to look beyond his need for peace to use his means to set those who were stepping out of line back on their path.

Really, he should be an enforcer too. But I already had two who were so in sync with each other; it was both mesmerizing and frightening to see. Pretty sure that was from years of being lovers.

Instead, Sweet Love remained our Road Captain.

The only reason Shimmer wasn’t more of an issue than he was and could be forced to back down was because the strongest demons on the crew were loyal to me and me alone. They could not be swayed, bribed, or bullied otherwise.

Shimmer learned that the hard way. He probated for four months because of it. You’d think he’d have learned his lesson.

Not so.

“I think we need to talk about him more seriously,” Denial said as we stepped outside. Though the back alley that Licks spoke of was nearly a mile away—and eight miles from the fucking city border—we could already hear the chaos of the fight. I sighed in frustration. We didn’t need this right now. “We need to make a contingency plan.”

I nodded. “Agreed. We can talk later.” Meeting his gaze and then Bone Breaker’s, they nodded. Then we jogged down the streets, shuttered up by concerned and fearful residents until we got to the fray.

Sticks and Bones came with more than I thought they would. And yet, not in such force that they were a true challenge. They were here to annoy. To test us. What we really should be doing is showing a united front.

Instead, there was Shimmer and company working together and then those who didn’t want to work with Shimmer. Both sides were efficient, but they also got in each other’s way. Snapping at each other. Growling and snarling amongst themselves. Something that Sticks and Bones didn’t miss.

A frustrated growl left me as I scrubbed my hand down my face. What the actual fuck is wrong with these demons?!

I didn’t join, though. I didn’t need to. Watching as Denial and Bone Breaker joined the fight, I leaned against the wall at the end of the alley we just ran through. Studying them. Watching the way Shimmer moved. How he flashed in and out of positions, appearing just a few feet away.

He’d be a lot more dangerous with that skill if he learned not to flash like a damned rocket before he used it. I’d heard many brothers offer to help him hone it, but he was far too arrogant to take anyone up on that offer. Instead, he gave away his own weaknesses.

Especially when you watched him long enough and could predict the position he’d show up in based on the way he shimmered. Three steps to the left. Unfortunately for him, the demon he’d been fighting had either learned it already or knew it. He shifted three steps to his right and slammed his fist into Shimmer’s skull before he’d ever fully appeared there.

Shimmer stumbled backwards, snarling.

I should have been angry. Angry at the man who’d hurt one of my crew. My vice president. But I hoped that he’d land a few more blows. Since I wasn’t allowed to knock some sense into Shimmer physically, perhaps someone else could.

Doubtful, but it was still worth hoping for.

I was going to get Ash Hollow under control. To do that, I needed to fix Dirty Demons. And I would. But that change needed to begin with Shimmer. Therein laid my problem.