Page 63 of Devil's Own: Roughneck

“You fucking snuck out again, didn’t you?” he asks, though it’s clear he already knows the answer.

“Yes. Dusty, Danni, and I snuck out. Gill was our getaway driver again. She’s so badass. Anyway, we met at an out-of-the-way location with the Lords women. They had intel on where to find a couple of those Death Bringers. We hunted one down, trapped him, and now we’re at the Horde cabin.” I stop to take a breath. “Baby, he doesn’t know the leak in the club but said Jack Dunham paid them to end the Horde.”

“Shit. I have to tell my brothers. Be prepared, Gee: You’re so going to pay for this stunt when I get home.”

“No. I’m not.”

“Oh, yes you are. And it’ll make you feel really fucking good while it’s happening.”

I swallow hard.

“Nothing to say?” he asks, snickering. “Love you, Gee. And you’ll feel damn lucky I do once I get my hands on you, babe.” Then he hangs up.

I don’t know what look I’m wearing on my face, but after I come to my senses, I see a whole group of women biting their lips.

It appears they heard.

Great.

19

Predictably, Green and Reaper are pissed that their women left the property again. But they’re pissed while feeling a bit of pride, the same as me, when I tell them what the women did. It was incredibly stupid. The whole lot of them could’ve been injured or killed. That’s something I can’t even think about.

What would I do now without Gia in my life? She’s everything to me. There’ve been a lot of women in my bed. Never met one I saw as a partner until Gee. Not another damn woman in my entire life.

Each man pulls his phone out, dialing home, and they both lose their shit. But as they’ve proven time and again, Danni and Dusty are strong, super-intelligent women. So when my brothers lose their shit, the women find it and hand it right back. I can see it on each of their faces.

And despite how angry I am that she’d put herself in danger, I’m also so damn proud that I found a woman like theirs. A good woman who won’t be cowed by her man getting upset. Though, that shit stays in my head for the time being. I don’t need her thinking she always has the upper hand in our arguments. Not that I plan to argue much. Fucking is far superior to fighting. But now on to the problem at hand.

I call a meeting with my brothers and Sarge’s ex-Raiders team.

“It’s Jack,” I tell them, not wasting any more time. “We have to get rid of every last Death Bringer because they won’t stop until every last one of us is dead. The Horde and anyone who helps the Horde.” I proceed to tell them the story that Gia told me and as I predicted, my brothers are livid. The ex-Raiders stand around laughing at the women’s cleverness.

“It wouldn’t be so funny if it was your woman,” I snap at Carter because he’s the closest to me.

“Nope. It wouldn’t. But she’s not, so I can see it for what it is. And that, my friend”—He pats my arm—“is funny.”

“What’s Jack’s deal?” Rico asks. That motherfucker has the whole Latin lover thing going on. I’m not into dudes, but even I can see the appeal. He has thattall, tan, dark hair, dark eyesthing working for him that women seem to love. When he’s not working, he has goddamn throngs of women following him around. They wait to take their turn falling on his dick. From what I hear, he never goes back for seconds because he doesn’t have to. “What’s his vendetta against the Horde?”

“Maybe because we were tracking him down,” Vlad says.

“Maybe,” Trouble replies, and we all fall silent for a minute. He’s working something out in his mind. Trouble was Sarge’s go-to tactical man. Planned every detail of a mission. Sarge told me that people don’t often take him seriously because he has that whole “Hang Ten, Surfer Dude” vibe going for him. And he looks the part, even down to the pukka shell necklace he wears. But that’s their mistake. He’s sharp as a whip. Thinks quick on his feet when the situation calls for it—a good brother to have at your back.

We have to make a plan now, and I know Trouble’s mind is whirring with the possibilities. We’ve been keeping surveillance on the remaining Death Bringers down here. We know where each man is sleeping, hanging out, who they’re fucking, and every other piece of intel we could discover. It’s hard enough being on the bad side of one of Sarge’s men. I’d hate to get on their bad side as a group. Their talent is unreal. But even with them on our side, it looks as if we have no choice now but to break up the group and go in, each of us performing a simultaneous hit. End them all at the same time.

“Trouble,” Sarge says to his man. “What you got?”

“Here’s what I think. We go in as two-man teams. Since we know the area better, I suggest each of us teams up with a Horde brother. It’s a calculated, concentrated strike. Each two-man group gets designated locations to bring the Death Bringers down. Remember, they don’t often go off alone since the last strike, so keep your eyes open.”

“Carter sent that list to all your phones. The mission continues until we take out every last name on that list,” Sarge says, falling back into his leadership role with ease. It’s good to see Vlad playing this smart and letting him. “So I got Vlad. Dark, you go with Chopper. Reaper with Carter. Cutter and Rico. Rough and Roscoe. That leaves Green with Trouble. Block’s staying behind to prep the hospital in case something goes wrong. Everyone good with this?”

The room fills with “Yeah,” and head nods.

“We should all get some rest,” Vlad orders. “Going in at night is our best bet.”

Given that Sarge’s men are used to catching Zs whenever they can, Carter had blackout shades installed in every bedroom. I pull them down, plunging the entire room into darkness. Thank god phones have flashlights because when I say it’s dark, I mean it’sdark. The flashlight keeps me from stumbling over something and breaking my neck.

I lie down on the bed, tucking my bent arm under my head on the pillow. This bed’s not near as comfortable without Gee in it. When I close my eyes, I let my mind drift to the last time we were in this bed together. The night I bought her that ring. We’re getting hitched as soon as I get home. I don’t give a shit about a wedding. Maybe we’ll head down to Gatlinburg. Make a weekend out of it.

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