Page 52 of The Devil's Conflict

“Alright, but what I’m about to tell you stays between us, and isn’t to be discussed with the other women, or any of the other men unless you are asked specifically by one of our MC, not the Misfits, and can’t be discussed with your brother,” he warns me seriously. I nod, watching him expectantly. “And it also can’t be discussed at the security business because we have non-MC members that work there and we don’t want them overhearing.” I nod again. Clearly whatever this is, is serious enough they don’t want anyone outside those who need to know to hear about it. “I need the words, baby girl,” he prompts.

“I understand, Sniper. I won’t discuss whatever you tell me other than with you unless directly asked. And even then, I’llhold my questions until we’re alone,” I add. “Don’t forget, I’m used to this.”

He smiles. “I know that, which is why I know you’re not going to freak out at what I’m going to tell you.” Then he starts giving me the story, and the longer I listen, the more my eyes widen. That all of this has been happening in this town, under everyone’s noses, and they don’t know anything about it, is insane. I mean, this is the kind of thing that usually spills over to the innocent, but the club has been doing a hell of a lot to keep that from happening. My heart clenches when he mentions that their former brother tried to kill Bullet, Rose, Izzy, Sage, and Kaleb, but seeing as they’re here, I’m also grateful he wasn’t successful. But when he starts to talk about how things have started to ramp up, and what they have been able to uncover, I realize why he’s been hesitant to tell me much.

This is a lot, but at the same time, little things are starting to click into place.

When he finishes, I clarify, “So what you’re saying is that the Russians are the ones that blew up the bar, and they were trying to take you all out in one location. But you’re not sure if it was from this Vlad’s guy’s orders, or Vlad himself considering what happened.” Then another thought hits me. “Wait, what did you say his name was?”

“Nikolai Egorov.” He arches a brow. “The name ring a bell?”

“It does,” I say absently as my brain racks itself to try and figure it out. “I know that name but I don’t know why or where from. Just that it triggered something. Let me think on it a bit more.” He nods. “So what about these journals? They aren’t giving you the locations and things that you need to look for all this stuff?”

He hesitates long enough that I know he doesn’t really want to tell me about this part. I don’t push him, waiting. Finally, aftera few more minutes, he says, “It’s encoded, and we’re working on decoding it right now.”

I don’t react to that immediately, letting it roll around in my head. But I don’t understand why it’s a touchy subject. “And you don’t want me to know that because…”

“It’s not that I don’t want you to know, but getting you involved in any way puts you in danger. And every single one of the women that have come into this club have been pulled into this shit show somehow and find themselves in danger. And I don’t want the same thing to happen with you.”

“And how would that get me in any more danger than I already am in? I mean, they almost blew me up in the bar, right? What more can they do that would be worse than that?”

He scowls at that. “Really, Thea? That’s what you get from that? Do you have no sense of self-preservation? They could kill you. They’ve already tried to do it to most of the women in some way, and I don’t want to add you to the fucking list.”

“But how would they know to come after me?” I point out. “I mean, yeah, they might have seen me, but as far as they know, I’m here as the club’s employee and the sister of one of your Prospects. Because they’re going to pay more attention to that than me being attached to you. And you also haven’t considered that if you let me help decode those journals, then it means you end this faster, right? Or, and this might be going out on a limb, but I never leave things to chance, that maybe, just maybe, they might be able to get through to my military records and figure out what I can do. This could mean if they know that, they won’t be waiting for you to make a move; they’ll be coming here. Not to just kill me, but all of you because you’re getting too close and they clearly don’t want that.”

He’s silent as he stares at me, but I see the tension in his body at my words. Clearly, no one has thought about that little possibility and what kind of danger I pose being here. “Fuck,”Sniper hisses, thrusting his hand through his hair in frustration. He starts to pace.

“But, to play the other side,” I add thoughtfully, “there is also a chance that whatever is in that journal isn’t something I can decode anyway, and they would know it if they have copies of it. Which means they’re not worried about me.”

He pauses and looks over at me. “Let’s hope to fuck that’s the case.” He resumes pacing.

“Does your MC know my history and that I can help?”

“Cryos found it in your military records in the background check, and he was the one who suggested it in Church the other day,” Sniper says absently. “We have Crypt working on it, but this wasn’t his area, and with his concussion, he was having a hard time. But I told them I don’t want you involved. So Silver is going to have a look at it and see what he can figure out.”

“And what’s Silver’s background? And don’t think I’m not coming back to the part where you said Cryos was looking through my military background,” I add with a glare.

He stops pacing and looks at me. “The only people to see that were me and Cryos. No one else knows, and Cryos won’t say a word, I promise, Thea.” His words ring with sincerity. I give a curt nod, but I don’t reply, unsure of how to feel that someone else knows what I’ve been through. But that’s something to figure out another time. “And as for Silver, the man is a genius, and I’m not just saying that. He’s got the IQ tests to back it up. He wanted to work on it before we discuss bringing you into it.”

“Okay.” I think it’s a waste of time, but I also know this boys club won’t want to bring me into it until they absolutely have to, so there is no point in arguing. “So then while you’re trying to get this figured out, I need to stay at the clubhouse? I need to work, Sniper, and I refuse to sit here and twiddle my thumbs and play the scared little woman.”

Sniper snorts. “No one would ever mistake you for that, baby girl. As for work, what I want is to keep you protecting the women and kids. We’ve already had men sneak onto the grounds and take one of the women, and the last thing we need is for that to happen again. And while the women can fight, Vlad knows that they are our weakness. Between you and Syn’s dogs, we wouldn’t have much to worry about.”

“And yet you have all these men around who are more than capable of doing that very thing. So are you saying that to placate me and keep me where you think I’m going to be safest?” I demand, pushing up off the bed to stand and glare at him. I try to keep my irritation in a firm grip, but I can feel it building.

He holds my stare as he glares back at me. “And so what if I am? I don’t care how good you are. You are not faster or better than a bullet or a bomb. If you’re here, I’m not going to be distracted wondering where you are or if you’re in danger.”

“So what you’re saying is you don’t respect all the work I’ve done and what I’ve trained for,” I sneer. The audacity of this man knows no bounds. “You sit here and say that you want us to be partners, and then you go and try to put me into a role you know damn good and well is going to piss me off. Or do you not trust the men you now call brothers to keep an eye on the women?”

His eyes burn with fury at that, and he steps forward, towering over me as he snarls, “I trust my brothers with my life every fucking day and that extends to their women. And now I have to trust them with your life too. And you’re the one woman out of all of them that matters the fucking most to me. And maybe instead of taking my suggestions as a slap in the face, you realize what they are. I just said I trust my brothers with the most important woman in my life, and they would be doing the same to you looking after theirs. Two of whom are pregnant. Vlad knows our families are our weakness, and he and Dmitri have gone after them far too much for any of us to just trustanyone with their safety. Because one of our own betrayed us. And we will do anything to make sure that never happens again. Ever. People can be bought or blackmailed, and the first place they will strike is the women because that is the chink in our armour.

“So no, Athena, I don’t think that regulating you to bodyguard means you’re not helping. I think it means you are doing one of the most important jobs out there. And it pisses me off that I have to put you in that situation. Like that makes you somehow less important because you’re the one guarding them and not someone guarding you. Because I am not about to lose you now that you’re finally mine.”

TWENTY-THREE

SNIPER

I’m damn glad she’s in my corner.

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