Page 83 of Avenging Devil: Part 1

It’s almost comical how fast Saffie’s on her feet and picking up her plate. “I’m ready,” she says overly brightly.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Niran

“Cyn!” I call out, rushing to catch up with my sister who had quickly stopped eating and hurried away when she’d finally noticed the black mood I’m in once Saffie had left the table.

She stops mid-clubroom, and swings on her heel. “What?” she tries in an innocent tone.

“Saffie’s a guest here and you fuckin’ disrespected her.”

Her hands go to her hips and she challenges, “So am I.”

Guest? I see her more as an intruder. At least Saffie was invited to stay. Moving closer, I grasp her chin with my fingers, and raise her head so she’s forced to meet my eyes.

“Get this straight. Saffie’s fuckin’ important to me, and you make sure you’re polite to her.”

“But Niran…” she whines.

I realise for the last few weeks she’s had it all her own way, and my—except for club business—undivided attention.

“You play nice, Cyn, or you’ll be out of here so fast your head will be spinning.”

Her mouth opens and shuts, stubborn lines appear on her face, but showing for once she’s not stupid, she recognises the determination in my expression. In a pure Cyn way, she shrugs. “Whatever.”

“Niran?” Lost’s voice barks.

Begrudgingly lowering my hand, I turn away from my sister, not totally satisfied with the way our discussion had ended.

“Toke’s got something to share.” Lost, with Dart standing beside him, jerks his head toward his office.

Moments later, I’m seated opposite his desk and handing a tablet back to Token with a scowl on my face, and a burning in my gut. Raising my eyes to Lost’s, I shake my head. “I can’t believe Saffie even fuckin’ entered the clubhouse.”

What I’ve just read makes me feel sick. It’s a report from Utah that has given us a rundown of the Crazy Wolves MC and all they were up to—the headlines being, prostitution, extortion, trafficking, gun running and drugs. Whatever crime they could commit, they appear to be into. Bile rises into my stomach as I realise I don’t know the half of what Saffie had suffered.

“Girl’s got spirit,” Dart offers, stretching out his long legs. “She wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“Girl’s got no fuckin’ choice,” Token observes. “Patsy told her their VP knew her fake ID. What options did that leave her?”

He’s right. I don’t like it. The four of us take a moment to digest the information Stormy’s just fed us. I stare at the Satan’s Devils flag hanging behind Lost’s desk. Memories come back to me. I’d once pledged my soul to the stars and stripes, after prospecting, I’d had no reservations swearing allegiance to the band of brothers I now ride with.

Like Saffie, at first, I’d been cautious, and like her, I was unwilling to take things at face value. That first meeting at the party down at the beach, I’d been encouraged by the camaraderie I’d witnessed, but I’d held back, caution in the back of my mind repeating a warning, MCs are gangs who choose motorcycles as a mode of transportation.

Alone and adrift, again, not unlike Saffie, they’d been the first people who’d tempted me in. When they invited me to prospect, I’d gone along with it, a chance to discover what they were about, and for them to see whether I’d fit in. We’d clicked. There was no other word for it.

If I’d had one sniff they were into anything like what the Crazy Wolves were known for, I’d have run a mile. Who would throw in their lot with an MC like that?

“Any idea how Saffie got mixed up with them in the first place?” Lost questions, wiping a weary hand over his head. “How the fuck did she get mixed up with Duke, let alone married to the motherfucker?”

Token nods. “Yeah, some. Stormy gave me details on that. Saffie comes from an ultra-rich family and is their only child. Seems her dad crossed Duke somehow, and he stole her away from them. He couldn’t tell whether or not she went willingly, but that he put a ring on her finger suggests she didn’t protest.”

She can’t have known what she was getting into.“The parents never tried to get her back?” I sit up straight. Loaded might mean enough money to buy a personal fucking army, and the question is, why they did not?

The computer guru’s eyes meet mine, and the lines on his forehead suggest I won’t like what he’s going to tell me. “It looks like the Crazy Wolves may have had some hold over the father. He never raised hell or fuck, Niran, he never even reported her missing. They fuckin’ disowned her for running off with a man of whom they didn’t approve. She apparently brought disgrace on the family.”

“Did she try to go back?” Dart asks.

“I’d say it was more likely she never had a chance. She was kept a fuckin’ prisoner,” Token snarls. “I’ve also seen medical notes of the injuries that put her in the hospital. Brother, they all but killed her. And from scars and evidence of previously healed bones, that wasn’t the first time.”

---