Page 32 of Devil in Disguise

I nodded in agreement, my instincts buzzing with uncertainty.

The building loomed before us, an ordinary apartment complex in the heart of the city. We climbed the stairs, our footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. With each step, I felt a growing sense of unease, a tingle at the back of my neck that something was amiss. Montana knocked on the door of the supposed apartment and we waited, our gazes locked on the closed door.

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a familiar face.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There he was, Shadow, my former club brother, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Oh shit,” he exclaimed, taking a step back. “It’s not what you think!”

What a load of bullshit!

Montana and I exchanged a look of pure disbelief.

“Kansas told me to,” he added, as if that explained everything.

I had to hand it to the guy; he was loyal to the end. But his days of loyalty to the wrong people were about to come to a screeching halt.

“Is this Sypher and Pippen’s place?” I asked, my voice laced with impatience and a hint of threat. I was done playing these cat-and-mouse games. Shadow’s eyes darted between Montana and me, and I could see the wheels turning in his head.

“Yeah, it’s their place, but they’re not here. I’m just watching it for them, that’s all. I swear!” His voice rose in pitch as he realized we weren’t buying his story. “They’re lying low, and Kansas asked me to keep an eye on things. That’s the whole truth, Reaper, I swear!”

“Why?” Montana asked.

“Why what?”

Growling, I grabbed Shadow by his cut and sneered, “Why are you watching this place?”

“Reaper?” Montana said as I turned to him, seeing him holding a stuffed animal.

Frowning, I let Shadow go and took a good look around the apartment. This wasn’t just some safe house, a place to hide out. It was a home. They lived here.

Seeing a picture on the mantel over the fireplace, I walked over and picked it up, and growled, “Start talking, Shadow, or Ghost is going to be the last male member of your fucking family.”

Shadow’s eyes widened at the mention of his brother, and I knew I had him right where I wanted him. His loyalty to his brother trumped club loyalty. Always had. I could see the internal struggle play out on his face. Montana picked up on it too, and we shared a knowing glance. We had him and he was about to talk.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you,” Shadow said, holding his hands up in surrender. “But you gotta promise me you won’t hurt Ghost or my sisters. This has nothing to do with them.”

I snorted. “That depends on what you tell us, doesn’t it?” I said. My voice was cold as ice.

Montana and I waited, our gazes locked on Shadow, as he seemed to debate with himself. Finally, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Sypher and Pippen were living here to get their daughter the help she needed.”

“What daughter?” Montana and I asked at the same time.

“Pippen, I mean Dante. The little girl is biologically his.”

“Shit,” I cursed, looking at Montana. “You know what that means, right?”

“Yeah, our fucking problem just got a hell of a lot worse,” Montana muttered, then asked, “What does my brother have to do with this?”

Shadow gulped and his eyes widened.

“What?” I shouted, making the brother jump.

“Kansas branded Dante to protect him.”

“I’LL KILL HIM!” Montana roared.

“All I’m saying is, you need to stop and think before you confront your brother, Montana. Walking into the Diamondback clubhouse guns blazing won’t solve anything.”

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