Page 41 of Devil's Queen

“If I did, they’d be dead by now. Enlighten me.”

“A couple of your guys paid a visit to our strip club tonight to collect from one of our girls. They were going to take her to pay off her debts.”

“Pay off her debts? What the hell are you talking about, Rem?” Rex’s expression hardens, his eyes narrowing. I can see the rage building in him, and I know I’m going to have to tread carefully.

“Your guy said she owed two thousand to your club. Seemed pretty adamant he had to collect one way or another since you were, and I quote, ‘Plowing through the clubhouse pussy.’ ”

“The fuck I am.” Rex’s face grows contemplatively grim. His brows furrow on his face. “I didn’t order shit,” he doubles down. “I’ve been at the garage all day. So have most of my guys. Are you sure you saw them wearing our colors?”

Does he think I am an idiot? Those colors run in my blood. There’s only one club in town with them.

“Yes, I’d recognize them anywhere.” I watch Rex closely. The anger wafting off him is palpable and thick, wave after wave of it. “You can’t tell me you didn’t know about this. These were three of your guys.”

“What did they look like?”

“Assholes,” I fire back. “I didn’t get a good look at the two goons with the main guy, but the one who sucker punched me was younger. I’ve never seen him before.”

Rex pulls out his phone and thumbs through the screen before he shifts to show it to me. The man from earlier is on the screen. “This him?”

“Sure is.”

Rex raises his chin, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Fucking Monte,” he growls. “He still alive?”

“You’ll find him and his buddies unconscious on your clubhouse doorstep,” I remark. “We gave them a ride home.”

“I’ll deal with this personally.”

“How, exactly?” I retort, my voice sharp. “You can’t seem to keep control of your own club. You made me all these grand promises about protecting me, and this is what your club did to me and mine.” I wave toward the blossoming bruise on my face. “Our dancer may have been their original target, but he set his sights on me the second I arrived. He wanted me.”

Rex’s eyes flash with anger. “They crossed the line, Rem. I promise you that I’ll make them pay for this.”

I meet his gaze, my own eyes hardening. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Rex. We’ve been down this road before.”

Rex swallows, his expression somber. “I know. But I’m telling you, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” He clenches his fists, knuckles turning white. “Monte is my problem. I’ll take care of it.”

I stare back at him, my anger and hurt mirroring his own. “I hope so, Rex. Because if you don’t, there won’t be a fucking club left. The Queens will want to move on the Zulu Kings for this. You have to know that.”

“I won’t let that happen. I swear to you. The last thing I want is a war between our two clubs. War serves no purpose to either side.”

He’s right. Wars destroy everything in their wake. It hurts innocent people, and even when it’s over, neither side gains anything from it but blood and death.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. As he turns to leave, I call out to him, “Rex…”

He looks back at me, his expression softening. “Yeah, Rem?”

“There’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?”

“The guy who attacked me tonight… he mentioned Wolff,” I say, my voice low and dangerous. “He told me I should just die like my father so they could have the shop.”

“That won’t happen on my watch.”

I want to believe him. I want to so badly that I can taste it, but tonight is proof enough that not even Rex can stop the freight train barreling toward us.

“This has gone on long enough. It’s time to take control and end to this once and for all. If you don’t, we will. I will end my father’s legacy once and for all if that’s what it takes. I’m tired of living my life always having to look over my shoulder. This ends now, Rex. Either by your hand or mine.”

With that, Rex leaves the shop and I’m left alone with my thoughts. War looms on the horizon, and I’m not sure how we’ll survive it.

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