Devil's Vengeance (Sydney Storm MC 3)

“I’ll take a hand job,” I threw over my shoulder as I exited the room.

The tension I’d been carrying in my shoulders and neck due to the stress with the club started to ease thanks to Hailee. The last week had been spent trying to figure out Wesley Marx’s game. We’d also tried to work out what the feds had on us over Moses. Bronze was helping with that, but even he struggled to find out what we needed to know. King was furious with Jen and had started sleeping at the clubhouse, leaving me to deal with her. On top of that, Bronze had pulled me aside yesterday to tell me again to leave his sister alone. Nothing had been resolved with any of these things, and the stress was beginning to show in the club. I was fucking grateful to have Hailee to come home to at night. She couldn’t fix my problems for me, but just being with her helped me forget them for a while.

Shit with the club came to a head on Thursday afternoon when Bronze turned up at the clubhouse, furious.

“Two things,” he bellowed after King had ushered him, Nitro, and me into his office. He held up one finger. “Firstly, I’ve been able to confirm the feds are indeed investigating your club over the Moses thing and they’re also looking into your drug activity.” He turned to me and held up a second finger. “And secondly, you put fucking railings on Hailee’s house even after I told you to stop fucking seeing her. I wasn’t mucking around, Devil. Either stop seeing her or I’ll fucking walk away from this club and cut all ties.”

My temper exploded at the same time Nitro’s did. We both responded with an angry outburst, but King cut through the noise we both made with—“Enough!” When all three of us stopped and stared at him in furious silence, he rubbed his temple and said, “For fuck’s sake, I’ve got the headache from hell. I’ve had no fucking sleep for days, we’re dealing with fucking crisis after crisis, and you wanna bring this shit to me? What the fuck, Bronze?”

Bronze’s eyes blazed with fury. “My sister mightn’t be important to you, but she’s fucking important to me, and I refuse to allow Devil to drag her into your world.”

King frowned. “Hailee’s your sister?”

“Yes!” Bronze squared his shoulders. “I will walk, King, and I won’t fucking look back.”

King’s nostrils flared as his body tensed. “Like fuck you’ll walk.”

“I give no shits about the cash you give me. I’d give all that up without a second fucking thought.”

King took a step closer to him. The dangerous glint in his eye matched the deadly energy vibrating from him. “And I give no fucks about the cash either. What I do care about, though, is what I did for you seven years ago. Has that shit vanished from your memory? Do you need me to remind you about that? About what it would mean for your life and your career?”

Bronze’s lips flattened as he stared at King with resentment. “Maybe it’s time for me to pay for my sins.”

“You don’t want to pay for those sins, Bronze. You’d fucking die at the hands of all the motherfuckers you’ve helped lock up if you went to jail now.”

“Maybe I’d rather die than have Hailee’s safety compromised.”

They stared at each other in silence for a long few moments before I finally stepped in. “Her safety isn’t compromised.”

Bronze’s head whipped around so he faced me. Snarling, he said, “It mightn’t be yet, but I’ve seen the shit your club gets involved with, and I don’t want her anywhere near that.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but King’s venomous voice sliced through the air. “You talk a good fucking game, Bronze, but I think we both know that you are so far entrenched in the activities of this club that you could spend an eternity trying to climb your way out and you’d not come close to escaping. I’ve heard enough of this bullshit. Get me more info on what the feds know.” With that, he stalked out of the office, leaving Bronze staring after him.

“Hailee’s happy with me, Bronze. Think about that before you try to take it all away from her,” I snapped before exiting the office also. If I didn’t leave then, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from trying to knock him the fuck out.

I found King in the bar with a drink in front of him. Eyeing me as I approached, he said, “I’d suggest you stay clear of me today. I’m in a foul fucking mood, and I’m more than fucking ready to get into it with someone.”

I ignored him and indicated for Kree to bring me a drink. “You need to go home and get some sleep, King. And while you’re there, you need to talk to Jen. She’s losing her shit, and I’m concerned for the baby.”

His eyes darkened. Throwing some of his drink back, he said, “If I go home before I get my mind straight, you’ll be fucking worrying about more than that baby. No fucking way am I setting foot in that house this week.”

Fuck.

“I’m telling you, she’s not coping.” This was the last fucking conversation I wanted to be having, but I’d found Jen on the bathroom floor that morning holding a knife. The way she’d been staring at that knife led me to believe she intended to harm herself. And as much as I hated what she’d done to King, and agreed with his anger towards her, I knew he’d never forgive himself if that baby died because of something he could have helped stop. I’d managed to talk her down this time and was increasing my visits to her, but what she really needed was him.

He slammed his hand down on the top of the bar and roared, “And I’m fucking telling you that she should have fucking thought of that before she betrayed me.” He drained his glass and slammed it down, too. “Fuck!” With his eyes boring into mine, he said, “I want to wrap my hands around her fucking throat and strangle her last breath out of her, Devil. You still think I should go see her?”

I shoved my fingers through my hair, unsure of what to suggest. Nitro’s voice sounded from behind us. “Devil and I will go with you.”

King swivelled to face him. “What, to save Jen’s life?” He spat. “You really think the two of you could stop me from doing something I’ve spent the last six nights dreaming of doing? No fucking way, Nitro.”

Nitro stepped closer. “I know you, King, and I know how much you love that woman. You might scream at her, and spew your hate at her, but you’ll never hurt her physically.”

King forced out an angry breath. Without looking at her, he barked, “Kree! I need another fucking rum.”

She dropped what she was doing and quickly made him a drink. He emptied the glass in one go before saying, “Devil, this thing with Hailee, is it serious?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it is.”