Page 37 of Demon
“I’ve been on my own for a long time,” Ronnie said, looking at Gavin.“I’ve been making my own decisions for even longer.I appreciate you coming all the way down here to help me.But I don’t need you liking or not liking who I see.And if you’re going to be nothing but a judgmental ass, then you can go home.I’ve got enough to deal with, with all this.”She motioned toward the table still covered in files.“I don’t need to manage an ego that’s been overdosed on testosterone too.”She didn’t look at Demon.She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want to see his expression as she let her brother know that she wasn’t the child he left behind when he left for college.
It wasn’t that she didn’t think he knew that but sometimes they fell into old habits when he came home, and he’d never been around much since she had been on her own.
Gavin dropped his head, letting it hang for a moment before he spoke.
“You’re right.You’re right.I’ll try to keep my comments about your choices to myself.”He lifted his head and met her gaze.
“That’s not what I’m saying.I don’t mind you telling me what you think.I value your opinion on most things.But you bring those opinions and concerns to me.You don’t try to scare people away from me by doing the big, bad, older brother routine.”She kept her hand on Demon’s, the weight of both reminding her not to get up and knock some sense into her brother.
“He’s not good enough for you.”
“I know that,” Demon said with a snort.
She turned and looked at him, eyes wide.Why would he say he wasn’t good enough for her?
“But I figure I could be the next president or next in line for the throne of the United Kingdom, and I still wouldn’t be good enough, so why not try?Why not go after her?If I’m lucky, she’ll settle and then I can spend the rest of our lives proving to her how much she means to me.”Demon didn’t look at her as he spoke, instead looking at Gavin.But he wasn’t ignoring her.He’d released her knee and turned his hand over in hers, weaving their fingers together as if he was letting her know that together they were unbreakable.
Ronnie liked that thought.Not the whole thing about not being good enough.Given time, she’d show him otherwise, but the part about being unbreakable as long as they held on to each other.
But was that what he was thinking?They’d barely kissed a couple of times, maybe she was reading too much into this.
19
Fourhourslater,Demonpulled his pickup into the lot at the clubhouse and parked it.They’d spent much of the morning working on plans for how to keep Ronnie safe, while not tipping off their dad and letting him know they were on to him.
Ronnie had decided she needed to go to work, if only to maintain her routine.She went in nearly every day to check for new skips or to get new information on the ones she already had, so she would do that.
Demon hated the idea.There was no way he could justify going with her.Not to mention, he looked too much like Jim Bob and since her dad had bailed him out, he didn’t want to chance being recognized, even if it was as the wrong person.It would make him suspicious.They needed him ignorant that they were onto him for as long as they could manage it.
They’d compromised by deciding Gavin would go with her.Demon didn’t say that worked out for him, because it gave him a chance to go back to the clubhouse and talk to the upper hierarchy.He needed to let them know what he’d done and give them the choice to back him or not.
He'd known when he gave Gavin that name and code phrase that it might cost him his patch, but he couldn’t bring himself to be too worried about it.She was his.She might not know it yet, but he would convince her.
Getting out of the truck, he headed inside to where at least Tuck and Sadist should be waiting.He’d reached out to them a couple of hours before and let them know he needed to talk, and that it was important.Now it was time to face the music.
Either he would be walking out of here with his brothers at his back or he’d be carrying a box containing everything he owned.
He stepped inside and found the bar unmanned, but the door to the back room was open and the light was on.A quick stop by the bar to pour himself a cup of coffee, he carried the cup into the back room with him.
Tuck sat at one end of the long table, a coffee cup in one hand.Beside him was Sadist and on his other side was Ruger.The treasurer’s presence didn’t surprise him, especially since this concerned him and his family.The face that did surprise him was Gizmo.Giz sat next to Ruger.
“Is this everyone?”Demon asked as he stood next to the door, taking in everyone present.
Tuck nodded once.
Demon closed the door, flipping the lock before moving to stand at the far end of the table so he faced everyone.He took a long pull off his coffee before setting it on the end of the table and stepping back.He stood with his back straight, and his hands clasped together behind his back.
“This isn’t formation and I’m no fucking XO.Have a seat, Marine, then tell us why you felt like you needed to see us all so early and why it was so important,” Tuck said.
“You all know about the bounty hunter from last week,” he continued, filling them in on what Gavin and Gizmo had found out.He finished with, “I understand if I’ve gone too far and by revealing my agency, I’ve compromised the security of the club.I knew it might cost my patch when I did it.”He fell silent for a moment then picked up his mug and stood.
“Where do you think you’re going?”Sadist asked.
“I figured I’d step out into the other room.Let you talk and decide if I’m packing my shit or what.”He didn’t wait for a response, but went to the door, unlocked it, and left, pulling the door closed behind him.
Fuck he wanted a drink, something with more kick than coffee, but he needed to stay clear headed, so he wouldn’t be taking the shot his nerves begged for.Instead, he refilled his coffee, went to one of the tables, pulled out a seat, sat down and tried to decide what to do next, whichever way they decided.
He hadn’t been sitting there for five minutes when Ruger opened the door and waved him back in.He stood, taking his coffee with him and followed the treasurer back into the room.
