Page 11 of The Devil's Conflict

“Hopefully, it stays that way,” Bullet grumbles. “Alright, we all know what we need to do. Everyone else, watch your backs, and let us know if you see or hear anything that’s a problem.” This time, he does bang his gavel and everyone gets to their feet to head out of the room.

“Is Carson on the gate tonight?” I ask Shadow once we’re heading for the main doors.

Shadow nods. “Crypt hasn’t been cleared by Medic for more than desk duty right now. The guy has had so many head injuries in such a short period of time that Medic is worried the next one is going to permanently cause damage.”

Crypt had been knocked out when he was guarding Eden and Archer in Viper’s apartment not long ago, so I got that. I nod in understanding. “Alright, I’m going to pay him a visit to check on him and then I’ll be heading out. You hear back from Thea?”

Shadow shakes his head. “I’ll bother her tomorrow or talk to Theo about it. It really would be helpful if she took the job, but can’t force her.” Then he claps me on his shoulder and heads for his bike, he and Viper heading out together.

I look over at Bowie and Frost. “You two heading out?” Both nodded. “I’ll ride with you until we get into town. I have a stop I need to make before I head to the bar.”

“You want us to hang around until you’re done?” Bowie asks as we climb onto our bikes.

“Up to you. Not sure how long I’ll be and you need to get to where you need to be. I’m fine to be on my own.”

Bowie and Frost share a look. “We’ll see how things shake down,” Frost replies as he revs up his bike. I don’t bother arguing, and then we’re on our way. I already know where I’m going to be heading and I have to hope I’m not about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

FIVE

THEA

It’s time someone took him down a peg, and the one to do it is going to be me.

“Come on,sis, you know you want to,” Theo cajoles as he gives me a pleading look. “And it’s not like we’d be around each other all the time. So you don’t have to worry about me getting in your way.” His expression changes to a wicked grin. “And besides, sounds like you have something to prove to your old Major.”

“He wasn’t my Major,” I correct him with a scowl as I continue to fold the laundry beside me. I hate laundry, but my time with the Forces has drilled into me that it needs to be done and it needs to be perfect every time. Which is probably why I stupidly insist on doing Theo’s too. The idiot almost turned my clothes pink from a stupid red sock that was with the whites earlier when he wastryingtohelp. And I know I threw those stupid socks out, but clearly, he went in and found them again.Or bought another pair. Either way, I chucked them again when he wasn’t looking.

“Whatever. He was something to you, which means you can be around him all you like now. And if I become a patched member of the MC maybe the two of you can figure out whatever the hell kind of chemistry between you is,” he reasons.

I pause folding his white shirt and stare at him incredulously. “What the hell are you talking about? There is nothing of the sort between me and him. He’s the man that told me I was weak, and I couldn’t amount to anything in the Army. He was harder on me than anyone else, even some of the men, and he wanted me to fail. I proved he was wrong. Everything else you saw was all in your head. And you being a patched member of the MC is exactly why I’m thinking of not taking it. I don’t need to be in your way, and it’s not like you want to work with your sister, or tell these guys who I am.”

“Are you kidding?” he exclaims, setting his beer down on the counter with a thud. He starts to wave his hands the more he talks. “I’m good, but you’re so much better, Thea. You were Special Forces, and most women don’t ever get into your line of work. I brag about you all the time to my buddies, and I’ll do the same with the MC. Honestly, you’re probably more suited to this line of work than I am, but I’m not so insecure that I can’t work with my sister. We’re family, but we’ve always been good at putting the line between work and personal. Besides, they probably won’t put us together anyway. And we both know you’re bored out of your mind without something to do. Are you really going to be happy with some kind of menial sales job or a nine-to-five office job? You’ll go crazy.”

“I could go and work as a cop,” I suggest. “I already have some connections there too.”

Theo shakes his head. “No, that’s not you. And you dealt with those assholes on your team. You don’t need to add a wholefreaking police department to that list. Come on, how many times have we heard what female cops have to go through? And you wouldn’t be able to stand there and take it, either. You’d be miserable. Not to mention, if you were really interested in doing that, you’d have already started the process.” He gives me a pointed look. “Which means you’re in agreement with me on that.”

I hate that he’s right. Sometimes having a twin is a pain in the ass. “Fine, you’re right that I’m not sold on the idea,” I huff as I resume folding.

“Are you worried about the fact that there’s no other women?” Theo asks after a moment, his tone cautious. He knows the full story of what happened, and I can see the concern in his eyes.

I hesitate before answering. Is that what’s holding me back? I’ve been telling myself since we left that it was so I didn’t overshadow Theo or step on his toes while he’s trying to build a new life for himself. The problem with my life is that for a long time I overshadowed Theo because I was more studious, more focused, and seemed to get further faster than he did. Theo has never seen it that way, or resented me, but I know it bothered him that our parents never seemed to care as much about his accomplishments compared to mine. And I don’t want it to come off as though I’m trying to take over something else in his life.

Not to mention, he has a point about me being the only woman. That puts me at an instant disadvantage, and in this line of work, I’m going to be working with bossy, gruff men. The kind that often doesn’t like taking orders from a woman. And with everything I’ve been through, it’s not like I’m going to trust them instantly, and in this line of work, you have to. Because as much as I would love to be able to push it aside and try, I know myself well enough to know it probably won’t happen, even if I try my best.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Thea,” Theo promises me seriously. “You’ll kick their ass first, and I’ll just finish them off.”

I let out a dry chuckle. “There wouldn’t be much to finish off when I was done.”

“Exactly!” He grins. “But you could at least leave me a little piece. And Eric said that even though there are no other women that work there, the MC has a bunch of women that come in and out that are with some of the men of the MC, or friends with them.” He lets out a sharp laugh. “Apparently, the men are scared of them, too. They call them The Coven, or something like that. So I have a feeling they’re used to some strong personalities.”

“But it’s different to be around that sometimes or in a relationship with someone than working with someone all the time,” I remind him.

“Now you’re making excuses. Look, how about you give it a trial run? See if it works. Then, if you don’t like it, no harm, no foul, and you walk away free and clear to find something else that works for you.”

I bite back a sigh. Clearly, Theo isn’t going to take no for an answer. If I really want to put my foot down on it, I can, but a part of me is tempted. I never considered doing private security before, but it’s definitely something I’d be good at. And my skills would be valuable, which is something I want. I don’t want to lose the piece of me I’ve worked so hard to build. And if I take a regular job, that part will definitely fade away.

Then again, the other part of me is reminding me to be cautious. I get a good vibe from the MC, even with Grayson being a part of them, but sometimes vibes aren’t enough.

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