Page 103 of The Devil's Scars

“For what I said to you, in Keira’s room. The way that I shouted and shoved you.” Zoe shook her blonde head. “I – I was such a bitch, and I said some incredibly awful things. I had zero right, and I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hey, you were under the worst kind of stress. You’re a mom, Zee, and your kid was in a goddamn fire. She was rescued by your man, who damn near died gettin’ her out. If you think I hold you bein’ upset against you, you’re way wrong.”

“But I blamed you for what happened to Keira and Scars.” Zoe spoke quietly. “I said that you’d lied to me, and broken your promise about me and Keira being safe here. But you hadn’t.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t know that. It was the logical thing to think, though, that it was one of my old grudges that caused this whole damn mess. I mean… until ten minutes ago, I thought that Dawson did this. I was sure of it. We all thought it, Zee. Don’t beat yourself up about thinkin’ the most obvious thing.”

“That’s not the point, Wolf.”

“Then you better tell me what the point is, baby girl, ‘cause I ain’t followin’.”

“The point is that it’s one of my old grudges that caused this whole damn mess.”

Wolf stared at her, horrified, as understanding at last began to dawn. “Oh, hey… hold up, Zee…just wait a sec…”

“It’s all my fault,” she said quickly, cutting him off. “I said that you brought all this pain and trouble into my life, and Keira’s life… but I was wrong. I had it backwards. I brought it into your life and world. I brought it with me, and now, Scars is hurt badly, Willa was taken and lost her finger, a key club business has burned to the ground, some of the guys are hurt, and my daughter…” She stopped and collected herself. “My daughter can’t breathe on her own. And it was all me.”

“No.”

“Yes. I’m the one who stood next to Keira’s crib and accused you of making my life here unsafe. Well, I made everyone’s life here unsafe. I said that you put me and Keira smack in the line of fire, but I did that. I put every one of you in that sick prick’s sights, and now everyone is paying the price.”

“OK, enough,” Wolf growled. “Enough, Zee. Look, I’ve been around bad people for a long, long time, baby girl. I know how they work and think, and I also know that once a sick asshole has made up his mind to hurt people for whatever reason, he does it. No interest in who’s standin’ in his way, or how many innocents get hurt as he goes after his goal. None. All that a guy like that sees is what he wants – and to hell with the cost to all others. Gil Purdie wanted Keira. Maybe to hurt you, maybe as a final ‘fuck you’ to Hailey. Maybe because he really loved her and wanted to know his own kid. Who knows? And really, who the hell cares? Because the second he decided to burn everyone’s life to the ground, he showed himself to be a murderous prick, and he deserved to die. The end. In my world, justice has been served. I won’t be losin’ sleep over that man chokin’ to death on smoke, I promise you.”

“But –”

“Stop the goddamn ‘buts’, Zee. He was a monster, plain and simple. He wasn’t goin’ to stop, no way and no how. He made his choices, and they were bad choices, and the way things ended were the way they were always goin’ to end. Eventually. He was a violent and angry man, and he saw nothin’ but hurt as an answer. If he hadn’t come after Keira, he’d have been off hurtin’ someone else, baby girl. Don’t forget: he killed your sister. He had zero conscience or problems with killin’. Good riddance.”

Zoe bit her lip, stared up at Wolf. Then she said:

“What’s Kansas calling off?”

“Aw, shit, Zoe.” Wolf looked away. “You don’t need to know.”

She studied him closely. “You guys were going to go after Dawson? His crew?”

“I ain’t sayin’ one word.”

Zoe smiled. “Yeah, OK. I get it.” She shook her head, but it was an affectionate gesture. “Thank you, Wolf.”

“For what?” He looked back at her. “I didn’t do much.”

“You had my back, even when I didn’t have yours.”

“Bullshit, Zee. You always have my back. Just sometimes you kinda forget.”

“But promise me, Wolf… don’t undo all the good work you and the guys have been doing. Not over me, not ever.”

“But –”

“Nuh-uh. My turn to talk, and no ‘buts’.”

They exchanged grins, then Zoe turned serious again.

“I get that you guys did things a certain way for a long time, that you were well-paid to do things that way, and that it’s easy for you to slip back into the old ways when things are really – fraught.” She sighed. “I understand the temptation to revert to violence as an answer is huge. I’m guessing your Enforcers have retired mostly in name only, because let’s face it, they’re a certain breed of animal. They’re born, not made, and the fact that Ice and Cain and the twins have stayed peaceful and law-abiding for a year is amazing.”

“I had my doubts,” Wolf admitted. “I thought they’d join Dawson, you know. Just for the thrill and the cash. I figured they’d give it a shot with me out of loyalty, and then cave in time, go back to the way it was, because they’d find it too hard to turn their backs on their old lives. Too extreme of a change for them, in a way that it it wasn’t for the rest of us. Enforcers are different, like you said.”

“Most men would have gone back to what they knew best,” Zoe agreed. “It’s easy and quick – but under your leadership, they’ve really, really tried. They’re still trying. So, I get why you guys wanted to go on a mad spree today and take down The Blood Crew. I do. I even thank you for it, in a messed-up way. But I’m hoping that you can regroup after this, and decide on a plan for when things get really out of control with Jensen’s people, or an ex-MC ally, or even Dawson.”

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