Page 47 of The Devil's Revelation
TWENTY-THREE
IZZY
I’ve stepped from one fire into another. Now I just have to decide how much heat I can handle.
By the time I’m done telling the whole story over again to Bullet and Shadow, I notice the glances they share. They know something, and they’re not that happy with what I’ve said. I don’t know why, but that makes me feel better. At least they’re not writing me off and acting like this is all in my head. I know immediately I’ve made the right decision coming here.
Slowly some of the knots in my gut unfurl and I sit back, waiting for their questions. “What’s the name of the garage?” Shadow asks me, pulling out his phone.
“Volos Auto,” I answer. “It’s on the outskirts of the city center on the west side.”
Shadow pauses and eyes me for a moment. “Volos, you said?”
I nod. “Why? Does that name mean something?”
“It might,” he says cryptically, and starts typing away on his phone. “Who runs it?”
“Sergio. I don’t know his last name.”
“We’ll find it,” he assures me. “Any other names you can give me?”
“The guys in the shop are Ray, Charlie, Enzo, and Tony. Ray is the foreman, but Tony seems to be the guy that likes to run the show.”
“Any last names by chance?” I shake my head. “Enough for me to work with. I’ll be back.” He nods at Bullet and Torque before he leaves the room, phone already to his ear.
“You guys know what’s going on, don’t you?” I say, eyeing Bullet carefully.
He keeps his face neutral. “Can’t say until we check some information.”
I try not to be annoyed. “I watched Sons of Anarchy, so is this where you don’t tell the woman anything under the idea of protecting her?”
“It’s club business,” Bullet returns, “but something tells me you’ll be about as good as leaving it at that as my Old Lady.”
“Or Sage,” Torque adds helpfully.
“Why you boys can’t find nice, quiet, docile women is beyond me,” he gripes, though I see the amusement in his eyes.
“You’d be bored as shit,” Torque snorts. “Besides, Mom would corrupt them anyway.”
He nods gravely. “That woman is enough to make me consider taking up drinking.”
“But you love her,” I say with a smile.
Bullet grumbles under his breath. “Fuck if I know why.” Then with a wicked glint in his eyes, he adds, “Though she loves to suck my…”
“Dad,” Torque barks, glaring at him, and making me chuckle, despite the seriousness of the situation.
Shadow comes back in and the mood once again turns serious. “Russians,” he says, looking at Torque and Bullet. Both men curse, and I frown.
“Are you sure?” I ask. “The guys seem more Italian than Russian to me.”
Shadow nods. “Volos is the name of a Russian deity that deals with the underworld and a few other things. No one would know that unless they did a deep search or have some history with Russian and Slavic traditions. We learned a lot of things in Special Forces, one of them being some folklore from different countries.”
“So are Sergio and the rest of the guys telling the truth about their names? And why would the place being Russian mean anything?”
They share a look, like they’re deciding how much to tell me. Finally, Bullet says, “Normally I would keep this within the club, but since you’re involved, you have a right to know. The Russian mob has made a road into this city, and we’re trying to get them out. I’m sure you can figure out why,” he adds with a pointed look.
I nod, realization of the shit pile I’ve jumped into settling in. The mob. I am working for the damn mob. But it makes so much sense. The drugs, the distrust towards me, and the fact that I’m a woman. “Why the hell did they hire me then?” I wonder aloud.
