Page 60 of Devil's Queen

“No,” she answers defiantly. “I can take care of my family on my own.” I can’t help but admire her strength, even in the face of such a terrifying threat. Rem has always been resilient, and now, more than ever, she’s proving her worth as a true leader. “I’m not going to tuck tail and run, Rex. There’s no way he knows about Beaux. He can’t.”

“It’s not about me questioning your ability to protect our son. I know you can, but you know what Wolff is capable of. You can’t guarantee that he doesn’t know about our son. My fucking neighbor knew about him.”

“Wait, what?”

“That’s a story for another time, but I need you to listen to me, Rem. Go into lockdown. If not for yourself but for him.”

Her eyes flicker with a mixture of defiance and fear. I can see the struggle within her, torn between her need to protect her family and her determination to face this threat head-on. But deep down, I know that I’m right. We can’t afford to take any unnecessary risks.

“Look, I understand your concern,” she begins, her voice filled with fierce determination. “But I can’t just hide and wait for him to make a move. We have to be proactive. We have to find Wolff before he finds us.”

I step closer to her, reaching out to gently grasp her trembling hand. “Rem, I’m not suggesting we hide forever,” I say softly. “But for now, until we have more information and we can ensure our safety, going into lockdown with the Zulu Kings is the best course of action.”

“I said no, Rex.”

Her stubborn streak is showing, and unlike everyone, I don’t give a damn about it. If she wants to make this hard, I’ll take it to a level she’s not expecting. “If you won’t take my offer to go into lockdown, I’ll bring lockdown to you.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Me, Rem. Me and Birdie. We’re safer under one roof with both clubs watching the house. Wolff’s been to my house. He hasn’t been to yours. I don’t even know where it is. It’s the second safest place for our family.”

“You can’t be serious,” she argues. “You’re not moving into my house.”

“I am. Give me the address.”

“No,” she protests again.

“You will give me the address, Rem. It’s this or the clubhouse. Your choice.” I will protect my family even if it goes against what she wants. No matter the cost.

Rem rattles off the address quickly. I know this isn’t what she wants, but it’s the only compromise I am willing to take right now. “I think your club should watch the house. Your neighbors won’t notice anything different with them there like they would with my club.”

“Are you making demands of my club now too?” she fires back.

“No, but I’m trying to play this in a way that doesn’t put a spotlight on your house. My club standing watch outside will be nothing but a red flag. It has to be yours.”

“Fine,” she agrees easily. “And yours will be doing what?”

“Looking for Wolff. Make your calls. I’ll make mine. I’ll see you at the house in a couple of hours.”

REMY

I breakthe news to Mama as soon as Rex leaves. She’s less than thrilled at the prospect of Rex and his daughter being under the same roof as us, but I didn’t have a choice. Rex would have dragged us kicking and screaming to the Zulu Kings’ clubhouse, and that is the last place on Earth I want to be trapped. She couldn’t argue with my reasoning but didn’t have to like it.

Truthfully, I didn’t like it either, but it’s the lesser of two evils. After sending Mama to the store to gather extra supplies and then to the school to get Beaux under Harlow’s careful watch, I make the necessary call to close the shop for a few days with pay for my affected employees, citing a family emergency. None of them balk at the idea of a couple of days off with pay, and it eases my fear that one of them will be hurt because of the threats against me.

After setting up the security system and double-checking every door and window, I head for home. There’s a crowd of motorcycles surrounding the house. I park my bike out the back of the house to allow for more room in the driveway.

“We cleared the house while you were gone,” Cheyenne mutters when I walk up to the back porch where she’s sitting. “Neighbors are a little suspicious, but I explained to them that there was a death in your family.”

“They buy it?”

“Some, yes. Others, probably not, but hopefully, it will keep the nosey Nellies at bay until we find this asshole.”

Mama’s Oldsmobile turns the corner a few blocks away. I can see Beaux sitting in the back seat. Seeing them both safe settles my soul a bit. Harlow parks her bike behind Mama’s car once they’re both in the driveway and helps her carry in groceries. Beaux follows behind them with a couple of grocery bags in his hand.

“You ready for all this?” Cheyenne asks.

“No.” If you had asked me if I saw my day going in this direction, I would have said you’re nuts, but here we are, about to be holed up in the nuthouse with my ex and his daughter. “I don’t really have a choice.”

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