Page 25 of The Devil's Pair

So, yeah. The Hellions and The Crew were tied together, for better or worse, but the whole idea that Crusher would go seeking Dawson’s advice or counsel was a bit of a shock. His President’s word was law, though, so of course Viper would do it.

“Yeah, sure,” Viper said now, keeping the surprise in his voice to a minimum. “I’ll get him on the meeting room phone for you. Five minutes.”

“Twominutes,” Crusher snarled. “Atmost.”

Viper took off at a trot and Michael watched him go, amused. Yeah, Crusher was still a feared and fearsome son-of-a-bitch, that was for damn certain. Thank Christ he was onhisside.

“So.” Crusher returned his full attention to Michael. “You look like three kinds of shit, Web, and no lie. Let’s get a few of the pass-arounds to cook you something, find you some clothes, get one of the back rooms ready. Hell, you can fuck ‘em stupid and you don’t even have to ask. Just take what you want when you want, man. You’re my personal guest.”

“I only want one thing.”

“Name it.”

“I want to be the one to kill Briley Cross.Justme. I don’t care about any of the rest of the pricks who took the Garden, so The Road Devils assholes are all yours, and you can settle that score. But that bitch ismine.”

“Ahhhh.” Crusher’s eyes were shrewd and gleaming. “Let me guess… she killed Gideon.”

“Yeah.” Michael swallowed hard. “Blew his chest wide open. But I don’t have the first clue where she is, or even how to begin looking. I need your help.”

“We’ll find her, man. Nobody can hide forever.” Crusher glanced down the hallway, saw Viper motioning to him from the meeting room door. “I gotta go, Web. You help yourself to anything you want, just hang out. As soon as I’m done, we’ll get you all set up to stay here and lay low for as long as it takes.”

“Is Shay around?” Michael asked, remembering that Crusher’s sister had ended up here with him. She’d been claimed as club property by proxy, so she’d definitely be the equivalent of a club woman-servant. “Maybe she can get me some clothes and a beer?”

“Shay’s dead,” Crusher said shortly. “Ace Cuddy killed her over in Colorado about a year ago.”

“What?” Michael gaped at his friend. “AceCuddy? Isn’t he from one of your biggest MC partners, over in Denver? The Fallen Angels, right? I thought he was President.”

“Yeah, well…” Crusher rolled his massive shoulders. “Turns out Cuddy was a cock-sucker – and I mean aliteralcock-sucker, he had a boyfriend stashed away in Denver somewhere – and he was working against us the whole time. He killed Kirk Jensen, and Shay, and some nobody club member of Cuddy’s up in the mountains.”

Michael wasn’t sure where to begin withthisinformation overload. He’d been in the Garden for almost two years, so he’d clearly missed all ofthisnews, but still… Kirk Jensen was supposed to have been the most untouchable criminal Denver had ever seen. The thought that he’d actually been taken down was unbelievable, evenmoreso that he’d been duped by a supposed ally. As for Ace being both a traitoranda cock-sucker, well… Michael didn’t actually know which of those things was more shocking.

Shay, though.Thatwas a goddamn shame. She’d been such a cute, sweet, smart kid and she deserved way better than to be killed in some MC bullshit gone wrong.

“Anyway.” Crusher nodded at Viper, turned towards the meeting room. “You make yourself right at home, Web.”

“Can I get a phone? I need to call a few people over in New Mexico, let them know where I am and that I’m with you.”

“Sure. Gimme an hour and I’ll have a burner sorted for you, no sweat.”

“Crusher – thank you. For all of it.”

“You got it.” He clapped Michael on the shoulder, and the smaller man’s knees almost buckled beneath him. “But thankyou, too… you showed up here at just the right time.”

“The right time?” Michael echoed. “To do what?”

Crusher flashed him a grin. “To give me a reason to remind people howexactlyI earned my name.”

Chapter Seven

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Five days later

Briley stepped back, examined the wall in front of her critically. She then narrowed her eyes at a spot that she’d missed and ran the paint roller over it again. Satisfied now, happy with the soft teal that she’d chosen, she looked around the living room, stretching her aching back out.

It was all coming together so beautifully, and faster than she’d imagined it would or even could. The speed was largely because of Dux and Drake, of course. The men had worked like Trojans for the past week (with Dux’s injured leg not even slowing him down at this point), fetching furniture and decorating supplies, then assembling all the furniture, then painting and hanging and wallpapering and deep cleaning as they went. The day before they’d finished the new tiled mosaic backsplash in the kitchen, and they were now arranging all the jars and cans in her walk-in pantry.

“Hiya, babe,” Dux’s cheerful voice rang out behind her. “That looks great, huh? You were right about it… itdoeslook like the color of the sunset over the mountains.”

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