Page 75 of Avenging Devil: Part 1

“But I’ve got a new ID.” I hadn’t thought where it had come from and that it might not be legit.Would it stand up to scrutiny?I’d always had that fear at the back of my mind, now I’ll have to be extra careful.

She smiles, and her next statement alleviates my concerns somewhat. “You have. And it will be at least as good as anything the feds would have produced.” She chuckles softly. “They’ll have used the same databases and taken the same steps to concoct a history for you. Not that the feds would know of course.” She pauses again as though for emphasis. “People determined to stay on the right side of the law wouldn’t have helped you as much as they have, their hands would have been tied. I suppose the question is, can you condone some illegality if it’s done for the right reason?”

My brow creases as I think. In my case, I certainly would, and apparently already have. “I suppose so,” I eventually reply, as long as it steered clear of the things that were done by Duke. Those weren’t in a grey area, they were positively black.

“I can’t give you details on who they are. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Saffie, but if they’re to help others like you, they need to stay under the radar. But I think you can tell they’re good at what they do.”

I’ll give her that. I nod. It’s been months since I ran, and Duke’s not caught up.So far.

Looking down at her hands, she shakes her head. “You heard the phraseclub businessbefore?” The roll of my eyes gives her the answer she’s looking for.Every fucking day.“I’m not normally involved in the business of the club, but Lost, my husband, wanted to get information to you, and using me seemed the best way. It’s the first time I’ve heard of the Freedom Trail, and I’ve got to admit, I’m proud of the men who help women like you escape.”

“Was it the Satan’s Devils?”

She doesn’t say yes, but she doesn’t say no. I don’t push. When something comes under the heading of being the business of the club, they mean it’s the province of the members. Women are better off not knowing and keeping their life can depend on knowing when not to ask. Or at least, that’s so in the Crazy Wolves.

So I focus on what else she’s said. “What information does… Lost?” She nods, a slight smile appearing at my rendition of the strange name. “What does Lost want me to know?”

“Okay.” Again, she leans forward. “Niran, who I believe you know, is a member of our club. He’s an outstanding guy. He served with the Marines before he lost his leg, you know about that?” I’d known he’d lost a leg, but nothing more, so I shrug. “He’s a really good man.” She tries to impress his virtues on me again. “It hurt him when you pushed him away.”

Is she here to plead his case?Knowing Niran, I’d have expected him to come himself.

Deep down I know what she says is the truth, but there’s one massive strike against him. “He’s a member of an MC—”

“Saffie, we’ve established not all MCs are the same. Look at me. Do you think I’d be associated with thugs and criminals?”

Shrugging is my only response. I could have said,hey, look at me. Do you think I’d want to be associated with violence and murder? Yet here I am.But I keep my mouth shut.

“Niran was worried about you. He knew you’d been raped and wanted to find out by whom for his own reasons.”

To take revenge. It was what I’d feared, and why I’d given him no information.Is she here to tell me Niran killed Duke, and now I’m free of him?My heart leaps. Oh, please. Let that be what she’s getting around to saying.

“And?” I prompt, impatiently.

“We’ve got our own intelligence guy, and he, well, he started looking into your background.”

And? That shouldn’t matter. Who would link Saffie Jones from San Diego with Sapphire Marshall from Nevada? My manufactured past, I’d been assured, was watertight. It’s ironic, but it appears to have something to do with this woman’s husband’s club.

When Patsy grimaces, some of my optimism leaves me. “He found nothing except what was left for him, your new identity. But his search triggered another party to question,” Patsy pauses, not for effect, but by the way her face is twisting, to delay causing me pain, “where Sapphire Marshall is?”

What?There’s my confirmation that anything to do with an MC is bad news, well-intentioned or not. “Did he tell them?” I hiss, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest.

“Of course not.” She snorts. “Token’s leading them on a wild goose chase, so they can’t even locate where his initial enquiry came from. He’s covered his tracks. But Lost is worried the Crazy Wolves have got technical skills you might not have considered or maybe not have been aware of. But if they’ve found out your new identity, it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with you.”

Jesus.My heart beats so fast I think it’s going to jump out of my chest.

“You know Duke’s from the Crazy Wolves?” I manage to stammer out.

“We know all the information given to the Freedom Trail.”

So Niran knows. Yet he hasn’t come to see me. Does he know all that happened to me? Everything I’d admitted confidentially? Is that why he sent her and didn’t come himself? Is he disgusted that I’ve been used and abused, not just by Duke, but by everyone?

I feel faint. My palms sweat, and nausea floods through me.

Duke’s never stopped looking for me.How could he have found my new name?

Grit.Damn it. I must have underestimated him.Duke boasted about his abilities, but I never knew their extent.

But if it’s him and he’s come close to finding me, what can I do? Options flit through my mind, but there’s only one that makes sense. “I need a new identity. I need to disappear again.”

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