Payback (Dueling Devils 2)

“A pardon? Do I look like a fucking warden?” He snickered.

“She doesn’t want you coming down on her for not coming forward.”

Demon ground his teeth together. “She can have her life, but she needs to find a new job. I don’t want that bitch anywhere near me or mine.”

“Understood.”

“She’s there right now isn’t she?”

“Yep.”

“Where are you?”

“The club. I thought neutral ground would be best.”

Demon grunted. “I’ll be there in thirty. Tell her to get her shit straight and be ready to tell me everything. She leaves so much as one sentence left unsaid and I find out about it, it’s her ass.” He disconnected and looked up.

Ardy’s hazel eyes were trained on him.

He strode over and placed his hands on her

hip, bringing her body in line with his. “ I gotta go babe.”

“You’re leaving, Daddy?” Rocket asked.

“No leave me, Daddy. Go with me,” Harley added. She poked out her bottom lip.

He chuckled “You know Daddy has work to do”

“Are you coming back tonight?” Ardy asked cautiously.

“Can’t say. I’ll call you either way when I get a moment.”

“Okay.” Her voice lowered.

He sighed. “You know this is how it is.”

“I didn’t say anything, D. I understand okay, you don’t have to coddle me or lecture me. When you care about someone, you worry. The two things go hand in hand. I can hold down the fort and handle anything that comes up while you’re gone, but don’t expect me to pretend I’m not concerned.” She sighed. “Has it been so long since someone cared about you and wasn’t afraid of you… that you don’t remember what the relationship was like?”

Her words penetrated his mind, blowing it wide open. This is the element she brought to his life that had been missing. “It’s been a long time, baby. I’ll keep what you said in mind. Just know if you ever talk crazy to me in front of my boys, we’re going to have a problem. You don’t have to jump when I say jump. I’m not your President, but you will respect me and be mindful of the burden I’m carrying on my shoulder. Understood?” He gripped her thick hair and tilted it back, adding just enough pressure for her to feel it.

“How could I forget? You have everyone else chasing their own tail and afraid to look you in the eyes.”

“But not you?” He smirked. “Why is that?”

“I’m still asking myself the same question,” she whispered. “I’m not the type of woman who takes risks. I wouldn’t consider myself brave. I mean, this is the farthest I’ve been from home.”

Demon leaned in, hovering millimeters away from her mouth. “Yet here you are, the old lady to a president of a motorcycle club. How does that work?”

“When you took me, you changed me. “

“No baby, I just brought out what was already there.” He brushed his lips against hers and stepped back. She’s too easy to get wrapped up in. “Give Daddy a hug and then I’ve got to go,” Demon nodded to his kids. He always made a point of letting them know how much they meant to him when he rode off, because he never knew if he’d be coming home in one piece, or at all.

Later on, he pulled up to Taffy’s.

During the day, it looked like an upper scale restaurant with its black awning, cursive script and tinted windows. They kept it clean, tasteful and exclusive. People who frequented knew the rules and treated the women with a modem of respect. Amazing, how well behaved fuckers got when they knew bad behavior would bring a biker down on them.

He pulled into the back, parked his bike and walked up to a side entrance, using his key to gain entrance. The place looked like a ghost town saloon. The lack of loud music and flashing lights was downright off putting. The poles looked sad with no one sliding down them. “Yo, Gia.” He boomed, not about to play hide and seek.