“Ha ha! You didn’t fall for that, did you?” Token laughs like a loon. “I can just picture you telling the guy to get lost. You leave him with all his teeth?” He chuckles again, then gets sight of the expression on my face. “Er, you did cut him loose, didn’t you?”
I just stare.
Token backtracks fast. “It’s a nice-looking ride.” His eyes narrow. “Is there good money in that?”
“The deal is, you get paid if any of the pictures get sold.”
He nods as though that makes sense. “And have they? Been sold?”
“One has.”
Token beams and slaps his hand on the desk. “Well, that’s fuckin’ ace, Brother. Congrats. What’s it going to be used for? One of the motorcycle rags? Advertising poster? The Harley mag? Jeez. This is great. How much did you get? The brothers are going to be hyped about this. I know we give you shit about all you do on that bike, but the results have been amazing. Glad someone appreciated it.” He stares at my face, then his smile slowly falls away. “It’s not good?”
“I found the picture was sold when it appeared on the cover of one of the books the prez’s ol’ lady reads.”
“You… Patsy?” Token’s brows draw down into a V and then he snorts. “She reads fuckin’ mommy porn.”
Porn? No wonder Lost walks around with a smile on his face. I sigh, there’s nothing else for it. Through gritted teeth, I admit everything. “My bike was used as a prop with two young models, and it’s appeared as a cover for a romance book. I only found out when Patsy told me. Neither I nor the female model have been paid, and the photographer’s come up with a shit story as to the reason why we haven’t gotten the dollars we were owed.”
Token bends himself in half. “You-you…” he stammers out. “You and a model? Christ, Brother. No wonder you wanted me to track her down.”
“What? Me and the model?” Approaching him, I slam both palms on his desk. “The model is only fuckin’ seventeen.”
“Yeah, bit young for you, I suppose.” Token looks confused.
“I didn’t want to find the model. I wanted to find her fuckin’ mother.” I roll my eyes. I don’t want him to think I’ve been harassing an underage girl. “But that’s a dead end. I found out she’s not been paid either, and the photographer is holding onto our cash for no good fuckin’ reason.”
Now his mouth thins. “So when are we going to shake down this photographer?”
I lean forward. “When I can fuckin’ find him.”
“Ah.” It looks like a light bulb has been switched on. “Okay. Why the fuck didn’t you ask me to look for him in the first place? I presume you know his name?” When I nod, his brow creases, then he bellows with laughter again. “You didn’t want to admit what you’d been doing. Christ, Brother, this is priceless.” He chortles, leaning over and holding his belly.
“I need you to find Devon Starr,” I tell him, speaking as clearly as I can with a clenched jaw, while wondering whether I should have just taken a hit on the money.
Token types the name onto his keyboard then eyes the screen. He waves me to a seat which indicates this is going to take a moment.
I sit, resting my ankle on my opposite knee, and clasping my hands, tap at my chin. I allow Token the time and space to think.
“Hmm. I got a website,” he says after a few moments.
“He’s got Facebook and Instagram too.”
Token’s mouth purses. He tries one thing, then another. “We seem to have a man who doesn’t want to be found. A man who clearly doesn’t pay his debts. You don’t make this easy, do you?” He lowers his head, his fingers massaging his temples. After a moment, he looks up. “You got a copy of the photo that was used?”
“I’ve got a pic of the cover on my phone.”
“Give me your phone.”
Unlocking it, I select the photo and pass it over. Token presses a few keys, then hands it back. He’s all seriousness now, his joking manner gone. He’s obviously emailed the photo to himself and now he’s intent on what he’s doing. After a moment, he turns around his screen. “I did a reverse image search. There’s been more than one photo sold. Your bike is on five covers, not one. They must be popular shots.”
“Why would all the authors use the same picture?”
“Look closer. It’s not the same shot, but only fractionally different. Technically, the photos are unique. That’s how photographers make their money.”
I grunt. Seems Alicia and I have been cheated out of a thousand dollars apiece. When I get my hands on Devon Starr, I’m going to kill him.
“These are published books,” Token remarks. “Or books up for pre-order or have had their covers released, whatever that means. There could be more.”
“Fuck it.” I exhale the words.
Token’s staring at me. “You’ve been taken for a ride, Brother.”
“Find him, Toke.” My words are growled. “You don’t mess with me and get away with it.”
“Oh, I will,” Token promises, leaving me in no doubt he’ll leave no stone unturned to find the fucker. “Mess with one of us, you mess with us all. You don’t try to get one over on a member of the Satan’s Devils MC.”
I spend the next few minutes giving him the little information I’ve got. Owen Leesom’s name, and the phone numbers. Then I leave him to do what he does best—finding information.
Chapter Ten
Mary
“Do you think Grumbler will get me the money I’m owed?”
Drying the plate I’m holding in my hand, I stare out of the window as I think how to answer. While I don’t know anything about
