Fractured Brotherhood (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation 7)

Chapter Eighteen

Zag

“Anything?”

I leaned against the railing on the front porch and cradled my phone between my shoulder and ear. “No.”

Hero sighed into the phone. “Leo and Marco haven’t seen any movement from him either.”

“We’re not going to see him move, obviously, Hero. He’s going to pounce when we aren’t paying attention.” Which wasn’t going to happen because the whole club was on high alert. We were all done playing this game with Malcom.

Now that we knew it was him, all we had to do was wait for his next movie.

“Ransom called us yesterday.”

I had been at Tess’s for three days, and nothing had seemed out of the normal. She worked all day, and I kept watch.

Part of me didn’t think Malcom would be coming for Tess and me right now, but then I also knew the guy was a psycho, and no one could know what his next move was going to be.

“What did Ransom say?”

“Dr. Douchebag tried to off himself. Managed to get his bedsheets off and made them into a noose.”

“Did it work?” If there was one person in this world who should off themselves, it was Douchebag.”

Hero chuckled. “Negative. One of the guards heard a commotion, and when he went to check on Douchebag, he found it on the floor with the sheet around his neck, but he was still very much alive.”

“Dumbass,” I muttered. “That is what he is.”

Hero waited for a beat. “Have you heard from Zig?”

“Not since he showed up at Tess’s the other day.”

“We haven’t seen him either. I think your dad is worried about him.”

I sighed and watched a car drive by Tess’s. “I don’t know what to tell you, Hero. He doesn’t like that I’m here.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, brother. When we decided to move Tess to Falls City, he was firmly against you knowing where she was. He’s pretty convinced that woman is going to be your downfall.”

I shook my head. “Or she is going to be the best thing for me. Does he really think I can’t keep my head straight with her around? You guys all seemed to stay alive while protecting your women.”

“You’re right, but I think he knows that the odds can’t always be in our favor. Hell, we thought you were already a goner when Malcom took you. We’re all a little afraid that the Devil’s Knights might have used up all their luck.”

“So that means we all need to run and hide without tails tucked between our legs?” I shook my head. “For as long as I can remember, the Devil’s Knights have been about doing what’s right and protecting the innocent.”

“You know he doesn’t think she’s innocent.”

I scoffed. “He doesn’t know her. Not even a little bit. All it would take is meeting her one time for him to know that she is in no way our enemy.”

“Marco agrees with you. He met with her when she signed the papers to rent the duplex. He tried to tell Zig to cool his jets, but you know your brother. Once he gets something in his head, it takes a hell of a lot for him to think differently.”

That was the damn truth. I was the same way to an extent, but not as extreme as Zig.

“He’ll come around once we get Malcom.” We were all handling Malcom and his months of terrorizing the Devil’s Nights differently.

“Otherwise, everything good there?” he asked.

“Better than I hoped it would be. Well, there is one thing.”

“Uh oh,” Hero laughed. “It’s not the paradise you thought it would be?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I think it’s a problem all of you guys faced when you hooked up with your ol’ ladies. Well, except for Pie.”

“She can’t cook?” Hero guessed.

“I don’t know if it’s can’t, or if she just didn’t have someone to show her how to.” It wasn’t like the food she had made in inedible; it was just blah.

“I’m sure Meg will be more than happy to give her some cooking lessons without Tess knowing they are cooking lessons.”

I chuckled lightly. “You’re right about that, brother. I’m sure she’ll be much more receptive than Aunt Marley is.”

“Just keep checking in every day and try not to let the cooking get to you. We were pretty spoiled by having Meg cooking for us when we were growing up. I’ll let you know if we find anything out.” Hero disconnected the call, and I shoved my phone into my pocket.

“Coffee?”

I glanced over my shoulder, and Tess stood there.

She was still in her pajamas, and she had two cups of coffee in her hands.

Her legs were bare, and she wore a pale-yellow pair of soft cotton shorts. Her black hair was piled on top of her head in a messy knot, and her feet were bare.

I had been sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms and making sure Tess was always safe. She worked all day, and then at night, we would scrounge up something for dinner and then watch TV till we were both tired.

She was getting more comfortable with me, but it still felt like she was holding all of her back from me.

I grabbed one of the cups from her. “You’re up early.”

She shrugged and sat on one of the patio chairs on the porch. “My eyes opened before my alarm went off, and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I figured I might as well start the day with some coffee.”

I took a sip and tried not to spit it out.

I had also learned the past three days that Tess was not quite the best at cooking, and now I could add subpar coffee to the list of things that weren’t good. “You use the coffeemaker?” I asked,

She shook her head and tucked her legs under her. “No, I found some instant in the cabinet.”

Yup that’ll do it. Instant coffee was not for me. “Thank you, babe.”