Page 82 of Avenging Devil: Part 1

“What?” I frown. “Pearl? For breaking a plate and cutting herself?” I jerk my head to indicate where Kink’s now kneeling down, handling a dustpan and brush like an expert sweeping up the bits of broken plate off the ground. Her eyes widen as I point the sight out. “Guess we’re kinda different to the Crazy Wolves, huh?”

She stares at a patched member doing the work we could have summoned a prospect for, or perhaps instructed Pearl to clear up the damage she caused. Slowly, her body begins to relax, and she sits up straighter. For the first time since she entered the clubhouse, the lines on her forehead start to smooth out. “You are.” She picks up her fork and puts a small piece of beef into her mouth. I grin, taking it her eating has to be a good fucking sign.

“Saffie, isn’t it?” Lost bellows as he appears from the clubroom. He bends his head and takes Patsy’s mouth in a scorching kiss before looking back up. “Welcome to the Satan’s Devils MC.”

I nudge her. “That’s our prez.”

For a second, her fork hovers midair, then drops to her plate.

“Hey, Prez. You can sit here.” Keeper stands and takes his plate to the sink where he rinses it off.

Taking the seat he vacated, Lost focuses on Saffie again. “These assholes been treating you okay?”

Again, looking as scared as potential roadkill, Saffie can’t seem to get a word out. Again, I find myself answering for her.

“I think we compare favourably to the Crazy Wolves, or at least so far.” I give her a wink.

“I fuckin’ hope we do.” Lost frowns. “Saffie, my ol’ lady’s going to get you settled in after you’ve finished eating. Let me assure you, you’re safe here.”

“No one’s going to get to you on this compound, sweetheart.” The VP backs him up.

“Trust us.” I take hold of her hand that’s lying on the tabletop and squeeze it.

Saffie doesn’t know whether to resume eating, or whether we expect her to speak. After a second, she decides on the latter. “Thank you,” she addresses Prez. “But I won’t be here long. Patsy said you’d help me get a new ID and relocate.” The last is said hopefully.

“That’s the plan,” Lost confirms, then with a glance my way adds, “If that’s what you want.”

It’s not top of my list of things I want to do, but it seems to satisfy her, and she settles back to eat.

A figure appears in the doorway. It’s Cyn. As I raise my chin in greeting, I see her eyes narrow, her mouth form a pout, then watch as she makes a beeline for me.

Standing too close to the woman at my side, she sneers down at her. “That’s my seat.”

“Cyn!” I say, sharply. “Where are your manners? Saffie’s eating.”

“Saffie? Who the fuck’s she?”

“She’s my fuckin’ friend,” I tell her, my eyes blazing, and my jaw clenched. I force myself to sound more normal, and I glance to my side. “Saffie, this is my sister, Cyn.”

I swear I see a pent-up breath leave her body as Saffie gives a little nod. I’m certain that’s a look of relief as I remind her who this is.

“I always sit next to you, Niran.” Cyn places her hands on her hips and glares at Saffie.

She does if there’s a seat beside me and we’re eating at the same time, but that’s just circumstance, isn’t it? It hasn’t become a thing.

“I’ve finished.” Saffie puts aside her almost untouched plate.

“Stay right where you are,” I growl. “Cyn can sit somewhere else.”

She does, taking Grumbler’s chair now he’s stopped eating and has stood up. Conversations that had been flowing around us cease as her ill-contained ire puts a damper on the mood. I deliberately keep putting my fork to my mouth, but Saffie has ceased to eat.

I try to signal to Cyn that I’m going to kill her later, but she refuses to look at me. At Saffie, yes. She keeps shooting looks of disgust her way.

It becomes a battle between brother and sister. Stubbornly, I refuse to have her think she’s chased us away. So for possibly longer than necessary, I stay at the table, and, of course, Saffie stays with me.

Thank fuck for Patsy who, for a second time, saves the day. The first, of course, being by getting Saffie here.

“Well, Saffie, if you’ve had enough to eat, I’ll show you your room,” she says as she gets out of her chair.

---