Taz devils handmaidens m.., p.1
Taz: (Devil's Handmaidens MC: Timber-Ghost, Montana Chapter), page 1
TAZ
TIMBER-GHOST, MONTANA CHAPTER
DEVIL’S HANDMAIDENS MC
BOOK 3
D.M. EARL
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
1. ‘Taz’
2. ‘Shadow’
3. ‘Taz’
4. ‘Taz’
5. ‘Enforcer’
6. ‘Taz’
7. ‘Panther’
8. ‘Enforcer’
9. ‘Taz’
10. ‘Enforcer’
11. ‘Taz’
12. ‘Enforcer’
13. ‘Taz’
14. ‘Slick’
15. ‘Taz’
16. ‘Raven’
17. ‘Enforcer’
18. ‘Taz’
19. ‘Shadow’
20. ‘Panther’
21. ‘Hannah’
22. ‘Glory’
23. ‘Slick’
24. ‘Pops’
25. ‘Shadow’
26. ‘Tink’
27. ‘Enforcer’
28. ‘Taz’
29. ‘Raven’
30. ‘Tink’
31. ‘Enforcer’
32. ‘Pops’
33. ‘Enforcer’
34. ‘Slick’
35. ‘Taz’
36. ‘Enforcer’
37. ‘Taz’
About the Author
Also by D.M. Earl
© Copyright 2023 D.M. Earl
All rights reserved.
Cover by Drue Hoffman, Buoni Amici Press
Editing by Karen Hrdlicka
Proofread by Joanne Thompson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and places portrayed in this book are entirely products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Karen Hrdlicka and Joanne Thompson my editing and proofreading team. I’m beyond blessed to be working with both Karen and Joanne. Between these two women they polish my stories so they can shine. With their eyes on my books I feel you’re getting the best book it can be due to their experience and knowledge of how I write.
Debra Presley and Drue Hoffman of Buoni Amici Press. Talk about handling everything as my two publicists work endlessly to handle the social media aspect and so much more so I can concentrate on my writing. They are angels and I’m thrilled to have them be part of my team.
Enticing Journey Promotions and Itsy-Bitsy Book Bits. These two promotional companies help me with every new release and are very professional and always on top of everything.
Bloggers every single one of you. What you do for each and every one of my stories I can never repay you. Please know how much I appreciate each share, mention, post and video.
My DM’s Babes (ARC Team) and DM’s Horde (Reader’s group). The women in these two groups have become part of my family. I’m thrilled to spend time with each and every one of them.
READERS without each of Y’all I’d not be able to live out my life’s dream of writing books that make people tingle and just feel deep in their souls. Your support fills my heart and feeds my soul.
ONE
‘TAZ’
RAQUEL/QUE
This has to be a goddamn mistake. There is no other explanation for something of this magnitude. Fuck, I’m always on top of all of the accounts, how did this happen? Knowing I have no choice at all, a phone call is going to have to go out to my prez and VP. This can have a downward effect on how we manage our human trafficking side of the business. Especially since we have that lawsuit from the one victim we saved six months ago. What a little bitch she turned out to be. And how this is even an issue—no idea—but somehow, she’s managed to not only get an attorney but file her complaint in the courts.
Before reaching for the phone, I grab my amethyst worry stone, rubbing on it for strength and, more importantly, courage. I’m dreading this call. My office is just like my house, it has crystals all over. I have a chakra chain hanging right above my desk. I’ve believed in crystals and their powers since I left Wisconsin and discovered who my true inner self was.
Thankfully, Goddess, God, or whomever is looking out for me because both Tink’s and Glory’s phones go to voicemail, so I leave each of them a message to call me back as soon as they can. After that, I finally place the worry stone down on its selenite plate to recharge. I take a quick minute and try to think how this could have actually happened. I’m so careful, have all my firewalls and securities on our systems and I update regularly. Raven checks that shit for me religiously. She also has a separate off-site storage area. My office in the clubhouse is always shut and locked. Only way in is with a fingerprint and eye scan, with the four-digit code only a few limited people know. Sounds crazy but I run the books for both our club and Tink’s personal stuff. And Tink’s financial portfolio would make just about anyone drool, thanks to her grandma.
Running my hands through my long rainbow-colored hair, I feel the fingers of my anxiety starting to spread throughout my body. No, can’t let that happen. I don’t lose control, never, not anymore. I imagine my safe place in my mind, trying to do what my psychologist has told me to do whenever I have an anxiety or panic episode. I lean back, close my eyes, and take some large deep breaths in, hold for eight seconds and then blow out slowly. After a few minutes, I feel the stress leaving my shoulders and can actually take in some air without my chest constricting tightly. Between the weird shit happening to me lately at home and now this, no wonder my anxiety is through the roof. Should have known something bad was about to go to shit when yesterday I received that box of crystals all smashed to hell. And I didn’t even order them so, what the hell. And what a waste too, from what I could see they looked absolutely gorgeous, or the pieces did.
Going back to the banking site, I recheck my calculations, and shit, it’s the same as before. Somehow there is over seven hundred fifty thousand dollars and change missing from one of Tink’s, our president’s, private accounts. For some that would devastate them, thinking they lost more than their life savings but for Tink, who inherited a massive amount that neither she, her grandbabies and great grandbabies will ever be able to blow through from her grandmother, it’s barely a nut in the barrel. Still, in my mind, that’s a whole hell of a lot of money to show up suddenly missing. And what’s worse, no one from the goddamn bank reached out to me, per the setup of these accounts as a safety measure. Well, that worked well. NOT.
Not sure what else to do, I put in a call to the bank manager/vice president. I’ve been dealing with Cynthia Micks since she started. She’s a nice lady, single mom with two young children. Yeah, I had Raven do a background check because we do a lot of business with this financial institution and needed to make sure I knew who had access to these accounts.
“Good afternoon. Cynthia, please.”
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“Yeah, can you tell her it’s Taz from the Devil’s Handmaidens? Need a word with her.”
As I wait for the call to connect, my mind is trying to fix this problem. Last time I checked this account was when Tink informed me she needed me to get some money together for Panther. He’s Shadow’s man now, but at the time all I knew was he was a hot as fuck guy who looked like every woman’s wet dream hanging around our enforcer. Now I’m always up for a good dream every now and then, but when Tink told me why he needed it, every dream vanished from my mind. Panther was like our club, trying to stop human trafficking one circuit at a time. Saying that, I thanked the powers that be for my own handsome dream guy in my life.
My phone ringing has me jumping like an idiot in my chair. Without looking at it, I answer.
“Hey, ya got Taz.”
“Sister, it’s Glory, what’s up?”
“Glory, got a situation, need to talk it through with you and Tink. Can you make your way to my office today? I’m waiting to hear back from our prez, then I can text a time.”
“Yeah, I can make it, but remember Tink and Noodles took a few days off. After that fucked-up mess with the four runaways to Texas, both Tink and Noodles needed some alone time. Think they went to Bozeman; I could be wrong. Can this wait or do you want me to still come by?”
Shit, forgot all about Tink being gone. Well, this can’t wait so guess I have my answer.
“Glory, think we need to deal with this sooner rather than later, so yeah, stop by whenever. I’m here.”
“’Kay, maybe I’ll grab Shadow, she’s prowling the hallway and main room with no one to torture or kill. The two of us will be there shortly. See ya.”
Oh fuck, just what I don’t need, our badass know-it-all enfor
Damn, just the thought of that day when Shadow convinced me to trust her, now I’m truly starting to lose it. That’s a joke in itself because I didn’t even do anything wrong. I’ve spent years in the Devil’s Handmaidens club, even went through prospecting and became a member, trying to rebuild everything in me that he ruined with his words and fists. I thank the powers around me daily that I fought tooth and nail to escape. Not only just for myself, but also for Teddy, my six-year-old autistic son. I made a promise to Teddy the day he was born that nothing would ever come before him. After we lost his father, and I managed to find a total jagoff who I brought into our lives. When I found out he was on the verge of spreading his evil to my son is when I decided it was time to finally leave his demented ass. The main reason was, on that day, Slick grabbed my son, shaking him to get him to shut up and stop crying. The only reason I didn’t kill the son of a bitch that day was because he and his boys beat me and I was left bleeding on the floor at his feet. We both ended up hospitalized.
Seeing him manhandle my boy with absolutely no regrets made my decision so fucking easy. I’d gotten used to Slick’s beatings and repeatedly raping me. I thought that it was me, that I did something wrong to upset him. Well, my mother always said I couldn’t do anything right. I found an asshole who, no matter what I did, and I was always trying to please him, it was wrong. Then I saw some video late one night on television about finding and connecting with oneself. So I started to look into crystal healing and different cards for readings, mainly oracle, but Slick hated the stupid useless ‘stones’ all over the house. I got to hiding my more precious stones and things because he would try to break them or just throw them away when I was at work. Well, his reasoning was he would find something wrong in everything I did.
I think back to the time I made him exactly what he told me he wanted for dinner, only to have him fling the plate across the room, screaming it was too salty or tasted like shit, I forget which. I knew in my gut if I stayed, eventually Slick would kill me and teach my son to be just like him. A hateful man who thought only his kind were allowed to live and walk this earth. Or my worst thoughts were he’d kill Teddy for not being able to be the jerk asshole that he was.
Feeling the beginnings of a headache, I get up and go to the little bathroom off of my office. I splash some cold water on my face and light one of my meditation incense sticks. Then I grab some medication, close the medicine cabinet, and see my reflection in the mirror. Makes me remember how I looked that day I literally ran into Shadow. I’d been driving nonstop since I stole one of Slick’s cars. I wanted to get as far away from Wisconsin as fast as I could so I wouldn’t get caught. Teddy was coming down with something, so besides stopping to fill up the tank, I needed some children’s over-the-counter medication for him.
When it hit me I left my purse in the car, I turned suddenly and ran smack-dab into the middle of all that is Shadow. Having to look up into her face, as she is so much taller than me, I screamed, at the same time took a few steps away from her, almost falling on my ass. Her tattoo reminded me of the death fairy I treasured and was packed in a box in the back of my car. One of the few things not broken and destroyed by Slick. She never acted like my actions hurt her feelings, she just grabbed me and prevented me from falling down. Then all she did was search my face. It was kind of eerie. I was never sure what she saw but when she patted my shoulders, I felt like someone finally had my back. That thought in itself was crazy because she looked justifiably insane. And I didn’t know her from Adam.
She stood there for a bit before asking me if I was in some trouble. When I didn’t answer, she told me to stay in Timber-Ghost. When I said I didn’t know anyone, she weirdly said I know her now and asked me if I could trust her. A woman who has a skull-tatted face, asking me point-blank if I could trust her. And to this day, I’m not sure why but I did trust her, something in my gut told me I could, not to mention more importantly, standing with her I felt safe, which I hadn’t felt in years. I’d already seen evil at its worst, so just because she—for some unknown reason—tattooed her face, that alone didn’t make her a bad person. That would make me a hypocrite to my own self, since my beliefs a lot of people didn’t understand. I’ve been called a witch and worse for things I believe in and practice, like my oracle cards and my crystals. Then to top it off, Shadow won Teddy over when she first met him on day one.
The rest is history. She helped me find somewhere to live, well, that’s not exactly true. She talked to Tink, and they gave me an opportunity, to this day I don’t know why. They offered me a job on the ranch to take care of the place and cook meals. For that they would pay me, give me and Teddy benefits, and a small cabin behind the main house. I know my mouth dropped open because I wasn’t used to people doing nice things for me without wanting something in return. That’s the world I lived in before the Devil’s Handmaidens. When I hesitated, Tink came up to me, grabbing my hand, telling me no one would ever put their hands on me again unless it was what I wanted. How she knew Slick raped me constantly, I don’t know, but that alone made me say yes between my tears.
So that day Teddy and I became an extended part of the Devil’s Handmaidens MC. Momma Diane, after just a little bit, became Teddy’s grammy and Tank, his granddaddy. We were enveloped into this crazy as fuck family fold before I knew it, and damn, it felt so good. Like we finally belonged somewhere and to a bunch of someones.
When Tink and Glory approached me to prospect for the club, I hesitated. I had a kid to think about but the way they explained it to me, I’d be a member eventually, which came with so many more benefits for both of us. And because of Teddy, I’d mainly take care of the books and banking for the club businesses. When Glory found out I had an associate’s in finance, she jumped on it. They also offered to send me to school to further my education. Something I’ve wanted to do forever but Slick told me no fucking way, didn’t need to waste my time and money. So it didn’t take me long to agree to all of it.
Prospecting with a child was not easy at all. I know the club sisters took it easier on me than other prospects, which I so appreciated. When I made it and got my patch and rocker, never was I prouder of my accomplishment. Not even when I got my associate’s. As Teddy grew and got older, his autism became more of a problem. Momma Diane found a specialist in Billings who focused on childhood autism. Teddy was enrolled and went into the city once a week. Everyone took turns getting him to his appointments, which I think helped my son’s condition and prevented him from going within himself. He’s become more used to being around all types of folks, and to my utter shock and surprise, his favorite aunt of the Devil’s Handmaidens is, of course, Shadow.
So lost in my thoughts, I jump in my chair at the abrupt knock on the door. Oh crap, just my luck today bet Glory found Shadow, I think, fingers crossed. Though when she found Panther, she’d tone down a bit, but at the same time she’s even tougher and surer of herself.
“Yeah, come on in.”
“Hey, Tazzy, brought our club pain in the ass with, since Tink is off and about. What’s up?”
Once I get them situated at the small lounge area in my office, all of us with bottled water, I lean forward and just let it all out.
“I was auditing our club accounts along with Tink’s ranch and private accounts, and one caught my attention. It’s one of Tink’s personal ones and I don’t have a fucking clue how, but it seems that over seven hundred fifty thousand and change is gone. Before you ask, I’ve got a call in to the bank manager to find out why I wasn’t alerted that such large amounts of funds were withdrawn without my approval. As soon as I saw it, I put the call out first to Tink. I forgot they were gone, then reached out to you, Glory. I’ve never had this happen, not sure what the proper protocol is.”
