Page 31 of The Devil's Redemption

“Thank you. We appreciate that. I spoke with your doctor this morning. He said Maggie is showing signs of improvement, but she hasn’t woken up yet.”

“That’s wonderful,” Stone breathes. “I’m sure you feel relieved that she’s headed in the right direction.”

“Yes,” Royce nods. “I’ll be even more relieved when she’s safe under my roof again.”

As innocent as his statement is, there is an underlying tone of impatience that I don’t care for. Not to mention he hasn’t been by the clubhouse to visit her since it happened. If it were my daughter who’d been taken, I’m sure I’d be by her bedside as much as possible until she opened her eyes.

“This here is Konstantine, Atticus, and Zephyr,” Royce continues.

Per the patches on their cuts, they’re the VP, Sargent at Arms, and Road Captain, respectively.

“Nice to officially meet you. I’ve got Blade, Cap, SoCo, Pretty Boy, and Drama.”

The group of them nod to us before Royce speaks again.

“Why don’t you come inside? The girls are just about to put some lunch out on the table.”

We follow Royce and the other men inside, and if I was impressed about the outside of the house, the inside leaves me speechless. I can only describe it as a cross between a castle and a log cabin. The way the stone and wood work together to form a seamless design is masterful. The Bastards are skilled and smart when it comes to all of their business ventures, and it shows.

“Everyone,” Royce begins when we step into the large dining room. He walks up to a girl I think he’s going to introduce as another one of his daughters. “This is my ol’ lady, Delilah.”

Damn.

I have to keep my facial expression in check as I lay my eyes on her. Royce has to be twice her age—she doesn’t look a day over twenty-five—and twice her size, too. Her head stops at Royce’s pec. Her dark hair is mixed with platinum blonde highlights, and it’s in curls halfway down her back. She’s wearing a low-cut, black top with lace panels cut into it, exposing her voluptuous tits without showing too much. I’m sure when she turns around I’ll be able to see her ass cheeks peeking out from the bottom of her cutoff jean shorts, too.

“This is Stone and some of the rest of the Devil’s Skull. They’re down in Whispering Valley.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Delilah greets us. “Some of the other girls and I were just getting lunch together. You’re more than welcome to stay. It will just be a minute for us to whip up some more sandwiches.”

“Thank you, we’d appreciate that,” Stone answers.

With a satisfied smile, she reaches up for a kiss, and Royce meets her halfway.

“We can head into the chapel while we wait. I’m sure this isn’t just a social visit.”

Stone nods, and we follow Royce farther into the house. Hanging outside of the chapel on a hook is a cut. Each of the Bastards place one of their hands on it as they pass before entering. I wonder if it’s Crew’s at first, but usually brothers are buried with their cuts. It must signify something else for them.

“Have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable,” Royce directs.

Once we’re all seated, several members of both clubs light up cigarettes. I’m one of the only guys in my club who doesn’t smoke. Growing up constantly surrounded by cigarette smoke, it’s interesting that I never got into it. I’d give anything for a beer though. The cold carbonation is exactly what I need after a long trip.

Besides Sasha.

“So what can I help you with?” Royce questions, lighting up a cigarette.

“We’ve been on the road for a couple days now, meeting with different clubs and gangs to try and find out more information on Jasper. We wanted to talk to you to see if Crew was able to gather any information that may tell us where Jasper may have fled to.”

Royce considers what Stone is asking him. It’s not unheard of that an MC will share intel regarding a common enemy with another MC, but Royce seems conflicted. Like he knows something but doesn’t want to give it up. I can feel my blood heat the longer he stays silent. If he knows something, anything that can help us find Jasper, I need to know what it is.

“I made a promise to Sasha,” I begin, speaking out of turn, “that I would find that sick motherfucker and drag him back to Whispering Valley so she could kill him. I don’t intend to break that promise.”

I look around the table at the other members of the Bastards. None of them look too pleased with the idea of me finding Jasper before they do.

“I’m sure you and your guys feel the same way.”

A dark shadow passes over Royce’s stare when he realizes I’m referring to Maggie. As I’m about to continue, Stone speaks up.

“I know you’d rather have him all to yourselves, but maybe we can work out a deal. We share our information with one another, and no matter who finds him first, we all come together to deliver justice for the girls.”

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