Page 30 of Taming the Demon

Mara recognized Virus and she recognized the miserable scowl on the enforcer’s face. More than obvious that Virus wanted nothing to do with protecting Mara. But orders were orders and Mara knew the only reason Virus did what he was told was because of the pregnancy lie. Ironic enough, that made her feelsick to her stomach. She also did experience a mild sense of relief that she was protected. Even if she preferred it to be Darrow.

Darrow,she thought as she parked her car at the back of the diner.We just needed a little more time… then and now…

Time could not be altered. Not by thought and not by action. Time came and went and that was it. Mara knew better than to even think for a second about staying too far into the past in her mind.

She opened the side door to the diner just as one of the waitresses came rushing toward her, headed for a cigarette break.

“Hey, Stacey,” Mara said. “Any chance Kaye is here?”

“She just got here,” Stacey said. “You okay? You look tired. Stressed. Haven’t seen you around here in a while.”

“Life,” Mara said, rolling her eyes. “I left Fitz.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“It was time. Long overdue. But guys like Fitz you just don’t leave. You know what I mean?”

“Got it. I mean… wow.”

“Hey, do me a favor. If he shows up here looking for me…”

“I never saw you,” Stacey said. “Now move out of my way because if I don’t have a cigarette I’m going to burn this diner down. Margaret was here this morning acting like the rotten rich cunt she is.”

Mara traded places with Stacey. As Stacey lit her cigarette, Mara raced through the kitchen out to the counter of the diner. That’s where Kaye stood in a light ivy-green uniform with white lapels and her hair pulled back and up in a tight bun. The uniforms Margaret insisted everyone wear were awful looking.

Kate refilled two cups of coffee for two men who looked like they hadn’t slept in days. She then noticed Mara and smiled ear to ear.

“Mara?” Kaye asked. “Haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I keep hearing that. Hey, can we talk for a second? I need some advice… pregnancy advice…”

Mara nodded at Kaye’s belly. Kaye wasn’t showing just yet. It was still too early. But that was okay with Mara. She just needed to keep a smile on her face.

And keep all her lies carefully in place.

Darrow reached into the fridge for a fresh beer and then stretched his back. He twisted off the cap and flicked it into the kitchen sink. Then took a big gulp of his beer, his mind racing with hundreds of thoughts at once.

Right about now would be the time for Darrow to find something to ease his mind. Lift weights. Pick a fight at a bar. Find some pussy to lick and fuck. Or just go straight to the clubhouse and pick twodeeceesto do whatever he wanted them to do.

Instead, he stayed put. At home. In his apartment. Waiting for Mara to get back. Before she left, he slipped a small tracking device into her bag. He knew right where she was at all times.

Another gulp of beer and Darrow walked back to the table and sat down in front of three laptops. The Russian guy he had stabbed was namedAkim. Scouring parts of the internet nobody needed to know or understand told Darrow that this guy literally meant nothing to anyone. Just some body, literally. A body. Muscle used to protect Damien. Stabbing him meant nothing. And Damien killing him and burying him meant nothing either.

Same for the car. Registered to a fake limousine company based fifty miles north in some small bullshit town. Darrow wasn’t expecting anything though. You did not rise up to lead a mafia without having your ducks in a row.

Damien was smart, organized, and had a lot of power and money. He also had that cleaned up look. You could look at him and judge him, but something about a suit and expensive pair of shoes made people feel a certain way. Compared to those who saw the outlaws inSOFRAW.Their image screamed chaos and violence.

“Fuck,” Darrow spoke out loud.

The Damien angle was for sure a dead end. He wanted to find Fitz first for personal reasons. Even if he didn’t intend on using Fitz to gain information about the club, it was pretty clear Fitz loved to talk. He’d do anything to stay alive and if Damien was smart (which he was) he’d keep Fitz alive and get as much information as possible.

For what purpose? Who knew. But information was never a bad thing to have.

Darrow set his sights on another laptop. The status bar reached the ninety percent mark and ticked away one percentage point at a time. Finally, the screen refreshed and Darrow quickly went back to work, printing off all the documents he needed.

He checked his phone and saw that Mara was just a mile or so from the apartment. After finishing his beer, he grabbed the papers from the printer and waited at the front door for Mara. As she came walking down the hallway and saw Darrow standing there, waiting for her, it didn’t take a nuclear scientist to know Darrow had been tracking her. Mara clutched at her small bag. Tight. Her nostrils flared with anger.

“Bastard,” she called out to Darrow.

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