Page 41 of Devil's Vengeance

“Maybe wear a helmet if you don’t want to end up like him, then. And steer clear of clubs like mine.” He tapped the one percent patch on his cut. “You see this, you head the opposite direction. I heard there’s a safe crew north east of here. Go see them.”

“Why?”

I almost stepped in before Chase could answer, but part of me wanted to hear what he had to say.

“Because your brother would be pissed if you joined people like us. Go join a crew he’d be proud of.”

The kid didn’t seem upset about him suggesting another crew. He beamed at Chase and nodded, running off to tell his friends he was brave enough to talk to the biker. A smile stretched across my face and when Chase looked my way, I raised an eyebrow at him.

He scowled. “What? I’m not gonna scare the hell out of a little kid.”

“Asshole Chase probably would. I’m glad to see the nice guy is back. You should bring him out more often.”

He rolled his eyes, but his smile said he wasn’t pissed about my tease. And whenever I wandered past him to put books away or help someone on the computers, he acknowledged me with a smirk or a nod, keeping a smile on my face all morning long.

Instead of bothering Sam again, I made the request to stay at the clubhouse after work. My list of books I wanted to read was piling up, and I liked the idea of a quiet night in Chase’s room. He agreed as long as I promised not to wander around the clubhouse and had a prospect bring me pizza when it was delivered. After days of stress and fighting, it was nice to have a quiet night to myself.

Of course, in a clubhouse like this one, that only lasted so long.

“What the fuck do you mean, no?”

“I mean, Croy gave me a job to do. I’m not doing anything else until I get it done.”

I didn't know either of the speakers, but neither sounded happy with each other.

“You’re a goddamn prospect. You take every job we give you and you do it without complaining,” the first speaker hissed.

I wasn’t familiar with all the prospects, but technically, the first guy wasn’t wrong. What little I knew about them, prospects followed orders and didn’t argue. But this guy didn’t seem to get that memo.

“I don’t care. I’m busy. Go find someone else to stalk your ex for you.”

There was a clatter and a few grunts. I almost wanted to peek out to see what was happening. I ignored that impulsive thought and listened instead as the fight escalated. It only stopped when someone bellowed at them both.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?”

Another scuffle, probably them being shoved apart. Both grumbled, but didn’t immediately answer. Whoever it was didn’t let it go, and when they wouldn’t give each other up, he knocked on the door instead. Chase’s door. Shit. Did anyone actually know I was here? Was I even allowed to be? The door opened before I could decide to hide or not.

“Chase? You got any idea what– Oh. Hello.” I recognized the older man. Nevada. The club VP. He was a nice enough guy. Babysat for Lacey sometimes. But he was still an officer, and I didn’t want Chase getting into trouble for protecting me.

“Uh, Hi.”

He frowned and looked around. “Where’s Chase?”

“Working. They’re doing renovations on my apartment building, so he said I could stay with him for a few days.” Which was a total lie, but Chase told me more than once that he didn't want his crew knowing what was going on. Hopefully, it didn’t bite me in the ass later.

“Ah.” He nodded in understanding. “Yeah, he’d do something like that. You got any idea why these two idiots are fighting?”

I hesitated too long. I did know, but I didn't want to explain it. I wasn’t looking to make more enemies.

Nevada seemed to realize the position he was putting me in because he backtracked eventually with a smile. “Know what? Not your problem. I’ll deal with them. You alright up here?”

I nodded. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

He waved me off and shut the door behind him so he could deal with the guys in the hall again. After I heard the three of them walk away, I scrambled for my phone and shot Chase a text to explain what happened.

Mariah:Nevada knows I’m here. He walked in to ask you a question. I told him my apartment was under reno and you’re letting me stay with you

Chase:Okay. Thanks for letting me know.

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