Page 2 of The Devil's Conflict

If anyone told me I would be a part of an MC ten years ago, I’d have told them they were idiots. I was sure my career was with the Forces, and I would either die out in the middle ofnowhere, or I’d retire old and cantankerous from sitting behind a desk instead of out killing the bad guys. But you know what they say about plans, because here I am, perfectly happy with my life and where I am. Sure, there are times I miss what might have been, but there is no point in feeling sorry for myself. It’s not like I asked for that bullet to the shoulder that caused permanent nerve damage. Enough that they didn’t think I was going to be able to use my left arm or hand at all, and medically discharged me.

I put every damn ounce of energy and strength I had into my recovery, including months of intense physical therapy. They still didn’t want me back, but I showed them they were wrong in counting me out so fast, and that’s good enough for me. Then, of course, came the time to find a job, and that wasn’t easy. I was smart with my money though, so I had time. It was pure chance that I happened to run into Bullet the day I walked into the bar to apply for a bouncer job. Figured with my training, it would be easy enough, and that was the start of a friendship and my life as I know it.

“Sniper,” someone calls, pulling me out of my thoughts and making me turn my head to see Bullet and Viper standing at the end of the bar.

Thankfully, that’s the moment Sandy comes out of the kitchen and tells me, “She’ll be here tomorrow at noon to see you and do a shift as a trial run. Her name’s Katie, and she’s twenty-four.”

“Good. And you’ll be around to show her the ropes?”

She nods. “I’ll get here early to make sure she isn’t showing up to no one here. Since fuckwad is gone, does that mean you’re closing tomorrow night, or do you need me to work a double?”

“I’ll close,” I assure her. “And if I need help, some of the brothers can jump in.”

She nods. “Alright. Go do your secret club meeting and I’ll handle things out here for now. Oh, and I’ll rewash these glasses for you since your mama clearly didn’t teach you how to do it properly.” She smirks at me, and I narrow my eyes at her.

“Demoting you the first chance I get,” I huff without any heat. She scoffs and brushes me away, used to my idle threat. I turn and head past Bullet and Viper, who both follow me into my office and shut the door.

“Heard someone had sticky fingers around here,” Bullet drawls as he takes a seat in the chair across from me. Viper leans against the wall by the door, a scowl on his face.

Our President, Bullet, is a formidable presence that few would ever think of messing with. Six-two, with hard blue eyes, salt and pepper hair, with a matching thick beard, and thick muscles, the man is in a damn good shape for his age. He’s the only remaining member of the original club, and he and our former club brother, Hammer, brought the club out of the 1%er life. The start of it was this bar, which is why I take shit seriously around here. Without it, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

Viper is our club’s Treasurer, so I’m not surprised to see him here either. A six-four black man, with dreadlocks that he keeps pulled into a ponytail high on the top of his head, blue eyes that currently are hard and angry, a goatee, with wide and thick shoulders, arms, and legs, the man isn’t someone you mess with. And if he had been here when I sent the kid packing, he probably would have beat his ass on principle. He’s a damn good brother, but he takes his job of Treasurer seriously, and even one cent being gone is a personal affront to him.

“We did, and I kicked his ass out. And I told him the paycheck he should have gotten today is going to cover it. The paycheck is more than he stole, but considering he won’t want a police record, he’s not going to cause problems. And Ithreatened to beat his ass if he did, so there’s that too,” I say with a smirk, sitting back and folding my hands over my stomach.

Bullet nods. “Good. Viper, make sure you keep tabs on this prick, and if he decides to cause trouble, we’ll give him a reminder.”

“Done,” Viper answers, pulling out his phone and sending a quick message to someone. I’m sure it’s Shadow, his partner at the security business they run for the club.

“And I heard you might already have a replacement?” Bullet asks.

I nod. “Sandy’s friend’s daughter, I guess. Got out of an abusive relationship and needs a fresh start. I’ll have Cryos run both to make sure we’re not going to have any problems. I trust Sandy, but clearly our last few hires haven’t worked out.”

Bullet nods. “Let me know if we need to start asking brothers to cover some shifts. Or we can get one of the prospects to come help.”

“We need to get a few more prospects,” Viper pipes in. “I know we keep saying it, but we really need to work on bringing a couple more in.”

“We need prospects with life experience,” I say with a sigh. “We keep getting these eighteen-year-old kids that show up and think it’s all going to be parties, free liquor, and free pussy. They don’t want to do the work. Maybe not Crypt’s age, but definitely closer to Kaleb and Carson’s age. And if we patch Kaleb in within the next six months, that means we’ll be down to two.”

“I’ll talk to Erik,” Viper offers, meaning their new receptionist/logistical person they just hired. “He might know of some other buddies that got out and are looking for something. Even if they don’t stick around forever, it would be better to have them now than not at all while we work on recruiting more.”

“Could also mention it to Shadow to see if Quinn might have some suggestions,” I add. “And we should also check withKaleb and Carson to see if they have any friends who might be interested.”

“We’ll do all of that,” Bullet decrees. “You’re right. With shit going down, we don’t want to be left with too small a crew. And while Kaleb and Carson are damn fine prospects and will be equally good brothers once they’re patched in, having Crypt with his skill set is damn helpful. We get a few more with military skills and Vlad will be a thing of the past.”

“Any updates on that front?” Viper asks curiously. “He’s gone too quiet for my liking.”

“No,” Bullet says grimly. “But Cryos has his shit going nonstop and is constantly searching the dark web for any information he can possibly find. I’m going to call Church tomorrow and hopefully we’ll have more. But for now, make sure you keep your ears to the ground.”

We discuss a few more things related to the business, when Viper’s phone goes off and he grins like an idiot. Bullet and I share a knowing look. Viper recently got together with Eden, a court reporter at the local court, and if I wasn’t convinced about Shadow’s theory that the women are planning world domination before, I am now. Eden is stunning, and she’s as crazy as the rest of them. Hell, she went after Viper’s ex and threatened to cut her throat when she found out Viper’s ex sold their son Archer to Vlad for money and her addiction. Not that I didn’t agree with her, but damn, we don’t need another crazy woman added to the mix.

The Coven is strong enough already.

“It’s getting really sickening watching all you lovesick fools,” I grumble, ignoring Viper when he flips me the bird and goes back to typing on his phone. I’ve always been happy as a bachelor with the ability to have some fun with women as I pleased, and seeing the brothers find women the way they have,I’m even more grateful I’m single. I don’t need that shit in my life. No-strings attached sex is far more my style.

“Don’t be jealous, VP,” Viper taunts as he puts his phone away and heads for the door. “We could always hook you up with Sadie if you’re feeling lonely.”

Sadie is Eden’s best friend, and she’s just as crazy, if not crazier, than Eden herself. “No thanks, brother,” I tell him firmly. “I have no desire to have that ball of crazy in my bed.” Sadie’s stunning, but she is definitely not my type. Not to mention, she’s far too young for me.

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