Page 100 of Avenging Devil: Part 2

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Niran

Ihate this. Absolutely fucking hate it.

“You sure you want to do this, Saffie?” I cast a look at the woman beside me.

Her lips are pressed together, her eyes staring out in front and there’s a determined set to her shoulders as she turns and simply says, “Yes.”

It has taken two weeks to arrange. Fourteen days to get everything in place. One delay being a kidnapping which the Utah team had been called in to resolve. It had been interesting to see how they worked, how they pulled together, and how their expertise was employed. They’d successfully foiled the plot and got the victim back unharmed. Just another day in Utah apparently, but to me the life-or-death situation handled so calmly came as a surprise.

Then, for our part, what we were going to do wouldn’t work if Duke was oblivious to our plans. The only way we could think of to let him know, was to work on the assumption that he was in tight with Susie for some unfathomable reason. Despite my intention to keep Cyn in the dark, Stormy had come up with the idea to use her.

Contradicting my earlier instruction that Sharpshooter was to lock all contact down between Cyn and the queen of bitches, I’d asked him to encourage it, fostering the friendship while feeding Cyn only information we wanted passed along,

Not knowing anything about the arrangement between Duke and Susie, we’d then have to leave sufficient time for the message to get to where we wanted it.

Of course, we could be completely wrong. Duke’s meeting with the ex-hangaround could have been entirely accidental. But the photo had showed two people speaking amicably, and she hadn’t looked like she was running for the hills. My gut tells me I’m right. For some inexplicable reason, she’s thrown her lot in with him, and it’s a fair bet that information will be exchanged between them.

Having failed yet again to dissuade Saffie, seeing her staring out of the window as though lost in her thoughts, in my head I return to that conversation with Sharpshooter.

“My sister driving you crazy yet?”

He’d gone quiet as though thinking. “We’ll need to have a chat about Cyn when you’re back, Brother,” he’d told me, a little ominously. “But as for the business in hand, I told her exactly what you wanted me to. Token recorded the conversation.” He’d chuckled. “Susie had a few choice words about you being with Saffie but seemed interested when Cyn passed over the information that you were going to visit Saffie’s parents this weekend.”

“She told her, just like that?”

“As I said, there are things you need to know, Brother, but I don’t want to go into it now. But yeah, in the midst of a girly chat, she gave the update just as we planned. You can’t criticise her for doing what you wanted. She doesn’t know what the fuck’s going on.”

He’s right, she doesn’t. But I’d have thought she’d have shown some sense and some loyalty.

Fucking Cyn. As soon as I get back to San Diego, I’ve got to sort her out. She’s trouble to me, and the club. If she was anyone else, I’d take her out for the part that she’d played. But she’s my fucking sister. She might only carry half of the same blood, but how could I condone killing her? Conversely, sending her home without her making any recompense doesn’t feel right. Her betrayal nearly got both me and Saffie killed, and she’s got to atone for that. Maybe sending her back to that abusive fuck of a boyfriend would be punishment.

I relegate that problem to the back of my mind, and concentrate on the now as the brr-ing sound indicates a call coming in. It’s Snatcher.

“Red’s got brothers in place around the perimeter.” As we’re in Nevada, Red had offered his support, and we’d gratefully accepted. “Stormy and the other snipers are in position. Thor and Rascal have just taken over from the guards in the gatehouse.”

I smile to myself. Our initial view against warning Bartell in case anyone on his staff was on Duke’s payroll was reinforced for different reasons once we’d hacked into his security cameras. Having studied the behaviour of his security staff, we’d determined they were unpractised, lazy and used to being a deterrent rather than capable of any action. Hence, Thor taking control of the guardhouse without a shot being fired. We’d have heard if he’d run into trouble. We’re just coming up to the entrance now.

“Swift, Preacher, Piston, Road and Cowboy are inside the grounds at any possible points of entry. Gears is managing the drones. Honor and Duty are back at base, watching the monitors and analysing activity from CCTV in the area,” Snatcher continues. He pauses, waits a beat, then advises, “Niran, Saffie. You’re good to go.”

This is it.I turn to Saffie, taking her hand and tightening my fingers around hers. She looks worried, but when she turns to face me, she gives me a brave little nod.

As the gates open, Bolt drives the car disguised as a cab through. Gazing ahead, I watch as we traverse the long driveway, and as the mansion appears ahead. I knew Saffie’s parents had money, but this is beyond anything I expected. I cast another look at the woman beside me.

She’s changing in front of my eyes. I’d left Utah with a biker babe, not that she’d appreciate me describing her that way, but her tight jeans, t-shirt, and the way her hair hangs loose, screams to me she was dressed to be riding up behind me.

Now she’s in the same clothing, but she’s combed back her hair, taming it, and there’s a new poise about her. It’s in the raise of her head and in the set of her shoulders, as if she’s morphed into a different persona.

For the first time since we met, I don’t feel worthy of her. What am I, but a damaged vet? She’s a socialite and heir to a fucking fortune.

I thought I’d be the one to offer reassurance, now I’m not so certain it won’t be me needing it from her. I’m so out of my depth.

They’re monied but they're still human, I try to convince myself.

Bolt catches my eye in the rearview mirror and gives me a chin raise. It’s a reminder that we’re not on our own. He’ll be waiting outside.

We’ve set it up carefully, fully believing that if Duke’s going to take the bait, he’ll be watching. We want him to think Saffie and I have come on our own. If I’m really lucky, he’ll believe we think he’s dead, put down with the rest of the Wolves in the clubhouse, and that we won’t be on our guard. Chances are he won’t bank on it, but however well he comes prepared, we’re better. He’s heading straight into a trap he won’t be able to get out of.

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