Page 20 of The Devil's Conflict

Bullet doesn’t answer for a moment. “What’s your problem with her?”

I don’t answer for a moment. The question is simple, and I know he’s asking as my friend, not my President. I also know he’s just like his wife and won’t let it the fuck go if I don’t answer. He’s just a bit more direct about it. “I don’t know,” I reply. He just arches a brow, clearly not buying my bullshit. I huff out an annoyed sigh. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You want to know why I’m pissed at her? Because I finally managed to forget about her, and here she is, right back in my life, running her smartass mouth, and making me want her. I can’t fucking want her. She’s too young, and she pushes every button I have just by looking at me. I’m forty-fucking-two, I don’t have time for that shit.”

Bullet is quiet for a moment, then chuckles. “Hell, I never thought I would see the day a woman actually caught yourattention. And how much younger is she than you? You make it sound like she’s nineteen and she definitely isn’t that.”

“She’s ten years younger than me. First time I met her, she was twenty-two, and she was a smartass then,” I add. “Apparently, she’s just been sharpening her skills since.”

“Yeah, I heard from Milk she said something about you being old and your hips going.” He grins. “And ten years is nothing really, but you’re right that we have a lot of shit on our plates. So I suggest you stay the hell away from her. Leave her to Shadow and Viper, and focus on this shit. If you can’t do that, then you know you need to do something about it.”

“Yeah, I know.” I glare at the wall in front of me. “What I need to do is pretend she doesn’t exist. And since you’re here, you can help me move these shelves to check and see if anything is behind these.”

Bullet steps further into the room. “Good thing for you I’m avoiding my wife at the moment or I’d have Milk come help you and shit his pants doing it.”

I roll my eyes. “Kid needs to grow some balls. I wasn’t even really directing anything at him.”

Bullet shrugs. “Kid is young and sensitive. Good brother, but he’s got some growing up to do. Now, move the fuck over there so we can get this thing moved. Then you can go back to moping over the fact that you want a woman who’s younger than you and tying your dick in knots.”

I scowl. “Fuck off.”

The worst part is, once we’re done and find nothing, my thoughts immediately go back to Thea.Fuck! I’m in trouble.

NINE

VLAD

I’m going to handle this myself.

“What is your plan?”I demand of Nikolai, who is staring at me with a cold, expressionless look on his face. “You’ve been doing nothing for a week.”

“You asked me to get the job done and I’m doing it,” he replies calmly.

I try to get a grip on my anger, but it bubbles up hot and fast. “Do not forget that you answer to me,” I remind him icily. “So I suggest you start talking before I put a bullet between your eyes.”

His expression doesn’t change as he stares at me. There are few that make me uneasy, but Nikolai has always been one of them. The man is an assassin, and he’s one of the top ones in the Bratva. He’s on loan to me from the Pakhan, but we both know that can change in an instant. Which is exactly why he doesn’tfall into line, and why he stares at me like I’m an equal and not his boss.

After a long tense moment, he finally says, “I am seeing the response of the MC to determine the next move. The problem with you all is that you do notthink, you act. Or you act too cautiously that you let them get away. I have determined that they are taking it seriously, and are taking steps to travel in pairs, to travel with their children to and from school, and their women to their jobs. However, they have also not gone into retreat and locked themselves in their clubhouse. It is most curious, as that would be normal procedure. I’m quickly realizing that they are not a normal MC.”

“What I don’t understand is how they always get ahead of us or how they are always besting us,” I grit out, incensed that these idiotic bikers keep getting in my way.

“They are an interesting mix,” Nikolai replies, his expression finally showing some emotion, and this one is pointed and direct at me. Disapproval. I clench my hands at my sides, but say nothing, just silently seethe as he continues speaking. “The mistake you and Dmitri both have made is thinking of them as a normal MC. Like the ones you deal with in the neighboring towns. This group is mostly former military, which means they operate and think like one. I have also found out that most of them were top in their ranks, which makes them the kind that are able to anticipate what you or Dmitri would do and have done. Not to mention the K9 trainer. She’s top of her field for a reason, and considering the number of times she bested the both of you, it’s a point in their corner. They also always seem to find people that somehow connect to a way to get around you, or connected in some way to us. The photographer, the mechanic, K9 trainer, and the court reporter have all been affected by you and Dmitri, which means that they have all closed ranks. The social worker was more in the wrong place at the wrong timefrom what I can see, but that doesn’t change anything. She’s also protected.”

“And I suppose you have a solution for this? What, kidnap the women?”

“That’s been done and failed. Not to mention, they’ll be watching and waiting for that.”

“So what then?” I snap, impatient that he’s playing word and mind games. If I didn’t fucking need him, I’d just kill him now and be done with it, damn the consequences.

“I’m thinking on it,” is his only answer before he turns and walks out of the room, shutting it quietly behind him.

I stare at it for a moment, incredulous that he thought he could just do that. I don’t give a fuck who he is, he still answers to me. But I don’t move. Mostly because I know if I do, the temper inside me will bubble over and I’ll do something that will either end with me dying at his hand or the Pakhan’s. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to take it.

I slam the button under my desk, and another man walks in. “I want a list of every business and location that the Devil’s Soldiers MC frequents or owns,” I order him. “Get it to me in one hour.”

If Nikolai is going to be slow about things, I’m going to handle this myself. And I don’t care who I have to kill to get them out.

TEN

SNIPER

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