Page 23 of Devil's Valentine

“Hey,” Dean whines next to me and when my lips tip up this time, it feels more genuine.

The other guy, who is all muscles and tattoos, steps forward with a smirk on his face. “What has my Tallulah said?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, “I’m Scythe, I’m sure she’s spilled all the good things.”

Now might not be the time to joke or tease, but I still find myself tapping my chin and making a humming sound. “Scythe. Scythe.” I shrug and shake my head with a small frown on my face. “Sorry, doesn’t ring any bells.”

Scythe roars with laughter, Dean and Lucifer joining him. My man squeezes my hip and kisses the side of my head. The giant, who I know is an enforcer—whatever that is—with Tallulah, steps closer with a soft look on his face.

“You’re going to be just fine, little bit. Your man will make sure of it, but it won’t just be him. Every brother is at your back. We’re your family now.”

That’s when the tears fall and there’s not a damn thing I can do about them. It’s all too much. The bakery being destroyed. Not getting enough sleep in the last few days. Missing out on my man making me scream his name last night.

Dean wraps me up in his arms and whispers words I don’t even try to make out into my hair. I do a walk-through of the bakery like a zombie. Nothing seems to be missing and none of the kitchen equipment has been destroyed beyond repair, which does help to ease some of my turmoil.

Still, this is all almost too much.

When we’re back outside again, Lucifer shoots Frenzy a look, his voice filled with authority, “Take her back to the clubhouse.”He glances over when a van pulls up along with a few bikes. “They’re going to get everything boarded up and we’ll have the place watched 24/7. Church, the moment we get back.”

I look at Lucifer, Scythe, Hacker, and then my man. It’s far too early to be dealing with this bullshit, but here they are.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

They smile sadly at me and nod before Dean leads me back to my car. I stare out the window the entire time we’re driving, not caring about where we’re going or how long it takes to get there. I don’t care about anything right now.

Dean will keep me safe, I’m sure of it, but the destruction done to my dream is devastating.

I barely register when we pull through a gate and then park. It’s only when I’m surrounded by the loving arms of Cherise and the other Old Ladies that I’ve met at Crescent Sugar that I snap back to reality. My man is at my back, his warmth a constant, but it’s the fierce look in the eyes of the women in front of me that really tell me everything is going to be okay.

When his arms wrap around me, I lean back against his chest and take a deep breath for what feels like the first time since I saw the mess that is my bakery. He tucks his face into the crook of my neck and whispers, “I have Church. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. Let the Old Ladies take care of you until I get back and can take over.”

The women smile at me and nod and when they grab me, giving me hugs and passing me around, I let the feeling of family help to push away the despair. What I lost this morning were just material things; this is something far more precious.

CHAPTER 10

FRENZY

Sitting around the table in Church, I take a moment to stare at the DSMC emblem burned into the middle of the table. Ever since I found my place with the club, the emblem, which is sewn into the patches on our cuts and is tattooed on our souls, has been a tether for me.

It’s been a symbol of loyalty, of love, of brotherhood. It gave me something I desperately needed, something I never had until I came here and found my home on the back of a motorcycle. Everything about being on a bike called to me.

When I’m on the road, my bike rumbling under me, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to flying. It’s freedom, pure and without remorse.

I would have put Scarlett on the back of my bike this morning, but she needed her coffee, and I wasn’t going to get in the way of her starting her day off right. If I had known what fresh hellwas going to greet us at Crescent Sugar, I would have made her coffee in a mug, watched her savor every sip, and then shown her the freedom that comes with the wind rushing past your body and reveled in the feel of her curves pressed against me and her warms wrapped around me.

But it’s too late to redo this morning. It is what it is.

Now it’s time for answers.

The room fills up slowly and then quickly. Once all the ranked members and most of the patched members are sitting around the table, Lucifer nods at me. There are a few looks of confusion on the faces of my brothers. I’m not surprised. I’ve prided myself on being a part of the club, of working where needed and being valuable, but I’ve never taken the lead on something when it’s discussed around this table.

With a deep breath, I know what the first order of business is. “I’m claiming Scarlett. She’s the owner of Crescent Sugar.” A few brothers look even more confused, and I sigh, “That’s where the Old Ladies got those sandwich cookies and other treats for some of the parties. They’re called macrons,” I inform them even though they probably don’t care.

Understanding dawns on some faces and I swear I see a few lick their lips. Yeah, I’m not surprised.

“Is Scarlett the woman out in the common room with all the Old Ladies? The one with curves for days and a mess of curly hair?” The question comes from Gallows and the only reason I don’t launch myself across the table and beat the shit out of him is because he’s old enough to be Scarlett’s father and is very happy with his Old Lady, Sherry.

He’s also the guy who will be marrying us. As soon as I can get a ring on Scarlett’s finger and convince her that she’s all I want for the rest of my life.

I understand why she’s a little hesitant. But I have more than enough time to convince her that the only future worth having is the one we build together.

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