Devil's Vengeance (Sydney Storm MC 3)

Fuck.

I hadn’t told her how I knew her brother, and I sure as fuck hadn’t told her about his ultimatum. I wasn’t about to, either. Snaking my arm around her waist, I said, “Nothing, darlin’. We’ll sort our shit out soon.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Devil, don’t lie to me. I know he’s got a problem with me dating you. Has he said something to you about it?”

“He’s made it clear he doesn’t want us to date, yes. But, Hailee”—I strengthened my hold on her—“I’m not walking away, okay? Your brother will have to either come around or learn to live with us being together.”

She nodded like she believed me, but I saw the doubt in her eyes. I resolved to do whatever it took to get Bronze on side. No fucking way was he coming between me and the woman I wanted by my side in life.

Monday rolled around and so did Storm’s problems.

“Got a job for you and Hyde,” King said, coming out of his office when I hit the clubhouse first thing Monday morning. He looked as tired as I felt.

“What?” I said as I yawned.

His forehead crinkled in a frown. “You get any sleep last night, Devil?”

“Some.” Hailee had kept me up half the night, so I couldn’t complain. But a later alarm would have been appreciated. She always set her alarm for six fucking a.m. to do her meditation. I needed to find a way to still get as much sex in as we did, but with more hours of sleep. Possibly getting her naked much fucking earlier would do it, but then again we’d probably just fuck for longer and still not get much sleep.

“Devil! You fucking hearing a word I’m saying?”

I blinked and yawned again. “No, but I was wondering how you went with Jen on Saturday night? Did you go home and talk to her?”

“Yeah, she’s sorted.”

“As in?” It felt like I cared more about her than he did at this point, and that was saying something because I cared almost nothing for her.

“Fuck, Devil, what is this? Monday-fucking-sharing-circle?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I told her she can stay with me while she’s pregnant and then until she finds her feet. After that, I want her gone. Now, can we please get back to club shit?”

“What’s on for today?” I was more than happy to get back to club shit.

“I need you and Hyde to go collect cash off a few assholes today.”

“Where’s Kick?” It was usually his job to do collections.

“Evie’s in hospital. They’re having some complications with the pregnancy, so I’ve told him to take whatever time he needs with her.”

I nodded. “Is Hyde in already?”

“Yeah.” At my stunned expression, he said, “Surprised the fuck outta me, too, brother.”

After months of Hyde being off the rails with his moods, and being MIA more often than not, he’d finally gotten his shit together over the last couple of weeks and was back to putting the club first.

“You ready to go?” Hyde joined us, no sign of his usual morning grumpiness at all.

“Be back by lunch. Devil, you’re with me for my visit with Ghost this afternoon,” King said.

As Hyde and I walked out to our bikes, I wondered what the hell had happened with him to change his mood so drastically. In the end, I decided it had to be pussy. I couldn’t think of anything else that would change his asshole ways in such a short amount of time.

I glared at the motherfucker standing in front of Hyde and me, giving us the fucking run around. My mood had turned foul as the morning progressed, and no fucking way did I have the patience to deal with his shit. On top of that, the heat had grown unbearable. We were dealing with fucking forty-plus degree heat, and we were doing that inside this motherfucker’s tiny tin shed of a fucking house.

“Look,” I snapped, “have you got the cash or fucking not?”

He grimaced, and I knew we weren’t going to get very far, very fucking fast. “Well, I do, but it—”

Hyde had been patient up until that point, again surprising me, but he’d found his breaking point, too. Stepping forward, he scrunched a handful of the guy’s shirt in his hand. “There’s no room for any buts in all this, asshole. To be honest, I’m hoping you don’t have the cash, because I’m ready to give my fists a workout.”

The guy continued to shake his head and plead his case. “I can get it for you, but not today.”