Page 11 of Ink

“He used to be a badass guard dog,” I drawled. “Not sure what to call this thing.”

“Cerberus,” King answered in an exasperated tone.

“The three-headed dog that guards hell,” I explained as if I was insulting the beast for being named after a mythical monster.

Cerberus turned his head to stare up at me, and I could practically hear him gloating when Annika scratched him again.

Shaking my head to clear away my ridiculous thoughts, I refocused on Annika’s current situation.

Echo—our Road Captain—was lounging on one of the sofas, a beer in one hand and his other arm curled around his old lady, Violet. They’d been talking quietly with Ace—our treasurer and money manager with the Midas touch—and two other enforcers, Cruze and Fallon, when we entered the room.

They went silent now, looking in our direction. All eyes went to my cut before landing on me, the question clear in their expressions. I nodded, and while Cruze and Fallon grunted and rolled their eyes, Ace, Echo, and Violet grinned. Stella clapped her hands excitedly, then gasped and checked the baby carrier before sighing in relief, making King chuckle.

“Need you two to meet me in Wizard’s office,” I told Ace and Echo. “Club shit.”

“Blaze is on his way,” King added.

I lifted my chin in acknowledgment, then pivoted, ignoring Cerberus’s offended growl when I dragged Annika away. We strode down the hallway that led to the offices and other rooms. Like an armory. An interrogation cell. And a SCIF, also known as a skiff room. It was a secure room or data center that guarded sensitive security information from surveillance and leaks.

That level of privacy was necessary in the clubhouse when it came to the kinds of businesses and activities the Hounds of Hellfire were involved in. Particularly when it came to…bendingthe letter of the law.

The Hounds had just as fearsome of a reputation as the most violent and lethal clubs out there. But we lived by a code, one that was honorable, loyal, and fair. We did plenty of illegal shit, and people who needed killing didn’t usually last long on our radar. We had our own brand of justice, and when the laws of the land didn’t get the job done, we ventured into some dark gray areas.

We also had legitimate businesses, like Hellbound Studio, as well as a bar, diner, garage, and a few others. And Ace’s mad skills in the stock market kept the club finances well in the black.

However, our main source of income wasn’t something we advertised.

When we reached a closed door that had a fingerprint and retinal scanner, I hit a fat red button just below them.

“A doorbell?” Annika guessed, studying the button that was straight out of a superhero comic.

“Sort of. Wizard is our tech guy. He deals with a lot of sensitive shit. Not a good idea for visitors or prospects to accidentally walk in. Only Wizard, King, and our VP, Blaze, have access through the scanners. And he wears headphones a lot. You push that, it sends a signal to his headphones. Plays a tone that lets him know someone is here or needs something.”

She nodded and murmured, “Smart. But, um…”

“Why the big red button?”

Annika nodded, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Because Blaze has a warped sense of humor and thought it was hilarious,” I explained. “Never push the big red button.”

She burst into laughter just as the door buzzed, and I was able to turn the handle and usher her inside. When she saw the interior of the room, her eyes went wide, and her mouth formed a little O.

It was pretty impressive, with a wall of monitors and more computers on the desk, along with random gadgets—some of which were probably classified—all around the room.

Wizard was typing on a laptop, frowning intensely at the screen and muttering to himself. “Gonna kick someone’s ass if they don’t quit messing with this shit,” he grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. He whipped his reading glasses off his face and tossed them onto the desk. “Or better yet, gonna cut off each finger before I put a bull…” He trailed off when he finally swiveled his chair in our direction and spotted Annika.

Why was all the bloodthirsty shit coming out of their mouths in front of her? They were gonna send my woman running before I had the chance to slowly introduce her to the reality of life with a motorcycle club.

“Hey, there,” he greeted, his scowl morphing into a lopsided smile while he absently hit something on the keyboard that made his screen go black. “Video games are so violent these days.”

Annika shrugged. “I’ve never played one.”

Wizard’s eyes bulged, and his mouth opened and closed several times.

“Making Wizard speechless. Impressive,dolcezza.”

“Never?” he eventually asked.

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