Page 17 of Devil's Plaything

“Is that a threat? What are you gonna do? Run and tell Snake? You’re more of a pussy than he is!”

I clench my fists at my sides, aching to shed some blood. Both of them deserve a slow and painful death.

“Shawn, why don’t you give your boss a call and tell him you found his daughter and we’re holding Widow until he gets ?”

“Make that call and you’ll be dead before it connects.”

Snake and Hammer emerge from behind the storage bins, guns drawn. I smirk at Hawk and Shawn, knowing we got them. I should’ve never doubted Snake.

“Widow, message Bane and tell him we have everything under control now.”

Snake holds Hawk and Shawn at gunpoint while Hammer takes their weapons. Bane and the rest of the club are already on their way.

“Did you honestly think I would let you get away with this, Hawk?” Snake questions.

The rest of the guys arrive and Sergei enters with them. Shawn cowers, clearly terrified of the man. He should be more terrified of me. He’s a fucking worm.

“Remove your kutte, Hawk.”

Hawk tries to argue, plead with Snake. It’s this or death. We gather around Hawk, stripping him of his patches. Shawn attempts to run, but I’m not done with him yet. I train my gun on him, ordering him back.

We each take turns with Hawk, striking him for betraying the club. I can’t imagine what Snake is going through, seeing this happen to his son, but Templar is here now and he’ll help Snake get through this. The blows aren’t Hawk’s only punishment. We all have the club’s logo tattooed on our backs. When you’re voted out, exiled, you lose all connection to the club, including the tattoo. For a while, I wondered how it would feel to have it removed. Felt like that’s where I was heading.

Sergei revels in Hawk’s pain as his tattoo is burned from his flesh. He’s a sadistic motherfucker. His daughter may have wound up better off without him. Hawk is a mess, his screams of pain filling the warehouse. With a smile, Sergei calls for Shawn.

“No.” I intervene. “I’ll take care of him.”

He was doing everything in his power to set me up. Following right along with Hawk’s plan. I don’t doubt that Sergei would do justice in torturing him. I simply want the pleasure. It’s been awhile since I’ve shed another man’s blood.

Sergei lets me take Shawn, a sadistic smile on his face. Shawn tries to resist but to no avail.

“Not talking so big now, are you? Damn, this is going to be fun.”

Shawn laughs. “Not as much fun as I had with Cleo.”

I stop dead in my tracks, grabbing the front of his shirt and getting in his face. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“She’s a fucking wild one, isn’t she?”

Shit. I shove him toward Sergei. “I’ll be back for him. Keep him alive. That fucker is mine.”

24

Cleo

I never knew simply blinking my eyes could be painful. Every inch of my body hurts. I’ve only moved inches since Shawn left me. Inches is all I can muster but my phone is close. After he finished recording, he tossed it onto the sofa. It’s mere feet away, and now, I’m almost there.

When I reach it, I call Zeke. Yes, I could call Nitro but Zeke is the first person that’s come to mind. As the phone rings, I lay my head on the floor. The damn room is spinning.

“Cleo! Cleo!” Zeke answers, his voice frantic.

I open my mouth to reply. To tell him I’m okay, but I don’t even know if that’s the truth. No sound comes out. Just a hoarse whisper.

“I’m coming, baby!” he promises. “Fuck, I’m sorry!”

The phone disconnects but I know he’s on his way. I can hold on until he gets here. I force myself to stay awake, willing my eyes to stay open and only blinking when absolutely necessary. My breaths come as a wheezing noise, which can’t be good. All I want to do is sleep. I’m ready to give in when Zeke arrives. Shawn didn’t even bother to lock the door on his way out.

“Shit, oh shit. I fucked up. I fucked up so bad,” he mumbles, kneeling in front of me. His hand trembles as he covers me with a blanket. “This is going to hurt, baby.”

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