Page 42 of Devil's Vengeance

Short and to the point, but not in a rude way. I was okay with that. I tried to go back to my book, but a quiet knock on the door dragged me away from the plot again before I could get into it. They didn’t immediately speak, and it made me nervous, so I grabbed the gun Chase kept in his nightstand and edged closer, opening the door only far enough to peek out.

I didn't know the guy on the other side of the door. He had glasses and was thin compared to the rest of the guys. He honestly wouldn’t look like he belonged if he didn’t have all the tattoos and the outfit to go along with it. He didn’t look dangerous at all. He grimaced slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Uh, hey. I just wanted to say thanks. For not selling us out to Nevada. I’ve already got a lot of issues with the crew. If they think he’s going to protect me, it’ll only make them hate me more.”

“They hate you?” I asked, opening the door a little wider.

He lifted a shoulder, his eyes downcast. “I deserve it. I just wanted to say thanks.”

I sighed. “Well, honestly, I didn’t do it for you. I wasn’t really looking to make enemies with Chase’s crew by ratting them out. He’s helping me out right now, and I don’t want any more trouble.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard a little.”

When I gave him a questioning look, he waved his hand toward the next room. “I’m next door. The walls aren’t that thick. It’s not my business, though. I’m just a prospect. I gotta get back to work. Sorry for interrupting your night.”

He was surprisingly polite for a biker. I had a lot of questions about him. How did he end up with this crew? Why did they hate him? And how much did he know exactly about what was going on?

If he knew too much, Chase would lose his shit.

CHAPTER 26

CHASE

I was fucking wrecked. It was nearly a week after Trick tried to hurt Mariah, and I’d seen no signs of him. I went with her every morning to the library, hung out until she was done, then headed to Lacey’s club for work before getting a few hours of sleep and starting all over. The lack of sleep was getting to me. I knew I could probably leave Mariah alone at the library. Trick wasn’t stupid enough to attack her in broad daylight, but after he threatened her, I couldn’t let her out of my sight. He’d proven how far he’d go to get to me. I couldn’t let my guard down.

Thankfully, tonight Lacey was off. She took at least one night a week off to spend more time with her old man, which meant I could get some decent shut eye for once. I dropped face first onto the mattress, ignoring Mariah’s snicker as she bustled around.

“Stubbornness biting you in the ass?” she queried, sitting on the edge of the bed as she took off her shoes. I opened one eye to glare at her, but it only made her laugh.

“I told you to go home and rest. I can handle my job without you babysitting me.”

I made a face. “I’m not babysitting you. I’m watching out for you. You heard him. He’s targeting you to get to me. I’m not going to let him hurt you.”

Her face softened a little. She rested on her elbow next to me, proppingher head up with her hand. “I appreciate that. Honestly. But I’m worried about you. Running yourself ragged isn’t going to make any of this any easier. You need more sleep.”

I wanted to tell her not to worry about me. But honestly, it felt good that someone cared. I had my brothers in the club who would back me up in a fight, but none of them would give a shit if I was sleeping well. I stopped talking to my parents after Hannah died, the guilt was too much to face anyone in that town, so I didn’t have any family. Mariah’s resolve to support me was a first in years. It was nice.

Giving in a little, I rolled onto my side to face her better, tucking my arm under my head. “What I need is time. If I had more of it, I could find Trick and handle him. Then you wouldn’t be living in limbo and I could focus on my job like usual. There isn’t enough damn time in the day.”

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah. I can understand that. How about… What if I take a few days off? I can’t swing much, I took ten days after I was taken to get my head on straight, but I have a few extra days saved up. I can at least give you a long weekend to do whatever it is that you need to do.”

It stunned me that she was willing to go out of her way to help me. Her taking a few days off would help a lot. It would give me a chance to find Trick during the day while the club was busy, and fucking end him before he got anywhere near Mariah again. I was so blown away by her offer, I didn’t even think before leaning forward to capture her lips. She seemed startled, but warmed up quickly and pressed in to meet me halfway. My free hand settled on her neck, stroking her pulsepoint as I teased her tongue with mine.

My blood lit on fire, and what was supposed to be a show of appreciation quickly turned feral. All the bullshit in the back of my head telling me to back off to protect her was banished without a second thought. It didn’t matter anymore. She was already in too deep. I could protect her better by keeping her next to me than by pushing her away. And I was tired of denying myself what I really wanted.

When I rolled her underneath me, she hummed this appreciative sound, running her hands up my chest under my shirt. Her bravado made me grin. I was an idiot when I assumed she’d be shy just because she was a librarian.She was anything but. Once the shock wore off, she fought for control of the kiss, smirking at me when I pressed a little harder against her neck to pin her to the bed.

“Don’t start with me, woman.”

“Or what?” she teased, lifting an eyebrow at me.

I tightened my hold a little in warning, but she didn’t fight me on it. Hell, she seemed into it, if the hooded look she was giving me was anything to go by. I shook my head with a chuckle.

“You’re trouble.”

She made that humming sound again, running her nails gently up my back. “Only when I want to be.”

I wanted to ask how often she wanted to be. Wanted to know more. To know every damn thing about her. But she wasn’t looking to chat right now, and I was easily convinced to focus on something else when she lifted her head enough to sink her teeth into my bottom lip just hard enough to tease me. I dove back in for another kiss, but I didn't stay there long. She had too many damn clothes on and I wasn’t going to waste any time with her. Who knew when I’d be called down by Prez to deal with something else? We hadn’t figured out anything about the rumors yet. Shit could go down at any minute.

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