Page 38 of Avenging Devil: Part 1

“Hey, Cyn. You visiting?”

I notice Cyn’s looking between her and Dart, her eyes flaring with interest.

“Staying for a little while,” I explain, answering on her behalf, then take my opportunity. “You know if there’s a room I can put her in? I didn’t get much notice.”

Alex isn’t at all fazed. “Sure. You want me to get her settled in?”

I breathe out a sigh of relief. “That would be great, if you don’t mind.”

When I check, Cyn seems happy enough to go with her and walks off in her wake.

As Dart turns to me, I pre-empt him. “I barely know her, Dart. She’s had a bust-up with her parents and for some fuckin’ reason ran to me. The bust-up was that they didn’t want her to go back to an abusive motherfucker.”

“What the fuck?” He turns to look in the direction she’s gone. “Perhaps Alex can tell her a thing or two about that.”

What he’s alluding to happened shortly before I joined the club, but I know the story. Alex’s abusive ex had tried to kill her. In the end, it had been he who’d been taken out by an impressive shot from Pennywise, our resident sniper.

“Couldn’t hurt her speaking to Cyn.” I think it would do her some good, to understand once that behaviour starts, it’s only going to get worse.

“You don’t want her here,” Dart observes sagely.

“I just don’t know what to do with her.” I shrug. “She’s all but a stranger.” And, unfortunately, not the stranger I’d prefer to have here in my domain. “I honestly don’t know what to do with her, Dart. I’ve got to work, and I can’t just leave her hanging around here.” Who knows what fucking mischief she’d get into, or how many people she might upset?

“Hey, Salem?” Dart calls out to the man just entering, then when he approaches, asks, “You still thinking about hiring a receptionist?”

Salem seems taken aback and takes a moment to get his thoughts on Dart’s track. “I thought we’d dismissed it? Sure, it would be good, but one of the prospects can handle it, maybe the new one, Kid? The custom build place is on the compound, and I don’t want a civilian with open access to it.”

Dart grins widely. “Niran’s sister’s going to be staying a while at the club. If all it involves is answering phones and shit, why not give her a try?” As I stand open mouthed, he adds to me, “Gives her something to do so you don’t need to be here to entertain her.”

Well fuck. I grin at him. “Sounds fuckin’ good, Brother. She’d get bored as hell sitting around here doing nothing.”

“Suits me,” Salem agrees.

And while Cyn might object to doing a good day’s work, Salem won’t let her get away with shit. As enforcer, he’ll lay down those rules she’s not keen on. Might be a sure-fire way to get her heading back out.

“Niran?” I swing round, and my heart rate speeds up.

“Toke, you got something for me?”

“Not that you’ll like,” he warns. “Did a search on Saffie Jones. Her background is solid and uninteresting. Parents dead, clean record. Got her GED but didn’t go to college. Has worked several low-skilled jobs and moved to San Diego from Los Angeles a few months back. Never been married and no associations with any MCs that I could find. No reports about abuse or any attack made to the police. In summary, I found zilch.”

I tap my fingers against my chin. Of course, being scared of bikers and MCs could mean she was raped by a man wearing a cut. Devastating enough, but I’d suspected with her severe reaction she’d had it would go deeper. She was downright terrified to find out what I was. I can think of nothing else to explain it.

What is it, Saffie? What am I missing? Why did you suddenly become so scared of me?

That Token has found no police reports means shit. If she’d been raped, she might not have reported it. She could have been embarrassed or didn’t want to make a victim of herself, especially if the rapist was backed up by his club. She’d been spooked enough to move to a different city.

“You’re staying away from her, yes?” Token asks, looking concerned. “Just because I found nothing, doesn’t mean there’s not something there. If she’s spooked about clubs, she could bring trouble down on us.”

Of course I’ve thought about going back to see her, but what right have I got? I’m not her man. “Don’t see what choice I’ve got. I don’t want to distress her further. She’s got my number if she comes around.”

“From her extreme reaction, I think that’s right, Brother.” Token slaps me on the back, and then starts to walk off.

“Toke?” When he turns around, I ask. “Keep an eye on the hospital appointments for me. Let me know if she books herself in for an operation.”

He gives me a thumbs up and walks off.

That’s as much as I can do for now. Standing, I brush my hands over my head, thinking about the results of Token’s research. Saffie seems to have an unremarkable past, nothing out of the ordinary. So why is my gut telling me that Token’s not dug deep enough?

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