Page 78 of The Devil's Conflict

“We’re burying the bodies, because we need to get rid of them as fast as possible,” Arson says as he comes up. “You leave that to us and see to your women.” He claps Bullet on the shoulderand then he starts barking orders calling out for people to grab equipment and get to work.

I guess having the equipment from when Rose and Bullet’s house was being built is about to come in handy. Now we just have to hope that no one heard this battle and called the cops. We haven’t heard any sirens, so maybe Cryos was able to prevent the calls from going through, but time will tell.

By the time we get ourselves settled, and everyone checked on, it’s well into the night. We don’t bother to go into the Church room, now that the women and kids are all asleep, including Thea, who still hasn’t woken up from whatever Medic gave her earlier. He and Rose got her sutured up, but kept her in the med bay to monitor her. Rose refused to leave either of them, not even when Bullet went in and tried to threaten her.

The look she gave him had even me backing up a step. Yeah, probably good she wasn’t in the Forces or she’d be running the whole damn country. But it wasn’t long before she was fast asleep in the chair by Crypt’s bed, and Bullet took her to bed. I’ll be doing the same to my woman as soon as Medic clears her. Though, I already saw Theo sitting in with them both so that Medic could come out to talk to the rest of us. Exhaustion lines his face, and blood covers his clothes, but he doesn’t seem to care.

“How are the kids?” Bullet asks Shadow and Viper when they finally come down.

“Macy was freaked out,” Shadow answers tightly. “But she settled once she realized we are all okay. I’m sending her and Quinn to Quinn’s parents in the morning. Quinn can’t take this kind of stress with the pregnancy and I’m not letting Macy be around this, not for another second.”

“Eden and Archer are going with them,” Viper adds with a grim determination. “This is the second time they have gone after Archer, and I’m not letting them have a third.”

Bullet nods and I know I agree that’s the right course of action. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“I think all the women should go,” Stone adds grimly. “Syn is going to fight me on it, but I can’t risk her and the baby either. The only reason she wasn’t out there was because she was so fucking tired. I’ll see if I can convince her to go stay with the Lanes. At least there she’ll have the cops to look after her.”

“Sage isn’t going to want to go, but she has those jobs coming up so she could possibly move them up,” King agrees. “She might even be willing to take Izzy with her, and we can ask the Phantom Kings to watch over them since it’s out their way again. And if they get done before things clear up, they can go to the Lanes as well. Dale and Alice won’t turn them away.”

“We could also reach out to Zeb and ask if he could house them for a bit,” Torque suggests. “He’s got a shop there and a good set up.”

“Sending them to different places is a good idea,” Arson says. “All of them together is a big target, whereas spread out and surrounded by people that can protect them will be helpful.”

“I don’t know if we have any allies where Quinn’s family is, but I’m sure we can find someone,” Shadow says grimly.

“What about Sadie?” Bowie asks tightly. “She’s associated with us.”

“Will she go with Eden?” Viper asks.

“I don’t know, but I can ask. And if she can’t, then we’ll have to come up with another plan for her,” Bowie says firmly. There’s something in his eyes that I can’t quite place, but it looks like there’s a bit more going on between those two than we figured. That will be interesting to see play out.

“I have a place she can go if needed,” Frost offers. He shares a look with Bowie, who frowns at that. “I need to make a few calls, but I have someone who can watch over her.”

“We’ll figure that out when the time comes,” Bullet agrees. “But I already know that Rose is going to put up a fight.”

“So will Thea,” I say with a sigh. “I’ll have to ask Theo where it’s best to hide her.”

“You’re crazy if you think she’s going to go,” Theo’s voice suddenly says as he comes out of the med bay. “And before you say anything, you’re in the common room where I can hear every damn word so this doesn’t count as a Church conversation. But after today, Thea isn’t going to budge. She’s a soldier through and through, and you don’t run from a fight.”

“That’s right,” she rasps, and I’m up and moving the moment she appears behind her brother. “I’m not going anywhere,” she says tiredly, but there is a conviction in her voice as she leans on her brother. Theo props her up, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her steady. “Besides,” she adds, looking at Bullet. “You need me. I need to decode those journals.”

“And that doesn’t require you to physically be here,” Bullet reminds her firmly. “Thea, you have no idea how grateful I am to you today, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit back and let you stay here, in harm’s way. You’re in a sling for goodness’s sake.”

I reach her, and Theo reluctantly steps back, letting me pick her up into my arms, cradling her to my chest. She looks up at me for a brief moment, before she looks back at Bullet. “And I’m not going to run and hide because of it.” Then she gets an odd look on her face. “And besides, if you make me go, you’re sending me right into their clutches,” she adds after a second.

“What?” I demand, confused and panicked at that.

“One of the men that cornered us, he said that the other women and kids were to die, but I was to be kept alive. Their boss wanted me alive because he has plans for me,” she answers.

Fear slices through me at what that statement is implying. “And they said you specifically?” I ask her, needing the clarification.

She nods. “He pointed right at me when he said it, so yeah, I’m certain.”

“Fuck,” I hiss. “Cryos!”

“Already on it,” Cryos calls as he heads for his office.

“Did you hear anything else, Thea?” Bullet asks her.

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