Devil’s Vengeance (Devil’s Disciples MC #6)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

CHASE

What the hell was she still doing here?

It was driving me up the wall. Partially because I didn't want her drawing attention to the fact that I was at a library every day that week. People would start asking questions. But mostly because she didn’t belong here. It wasn’t safe. I knew what happened when girls like her hung around guys like us. I wasn’t having a repeat of that experience. I promised myself I’d never let that happen to another woman. I needed to figure out some way to get her to leave.

My eyes tracked her as she followed Lacey and Sam to one of the couches and sat down. A simple thank you didn't require her to sit down, damn it. I knew part of this was my fault for not passing the message on to Lacey, but again, I didn’t need people to know where I was going every morning after I finished my shift at Lacey’s club. Lacey and I didn’t talk about that day anyway. Shit hit the fan, we dealt with it, the fuckers who tried to take her died. End of story. No need to rehash things and draw attention to why I was talking to the librarian in the first place.

“You got a thing for that chick?” Bear asked as he dropped onto the couch next to me. We were close enough for me to keep an eye on the girls, but far enough away that I couldn’t hear what they were talking about. They were all smiles and laughing, though, so I doubted it was anything about the trafficking thing. That shit wasn’t funny .

“No,” I growled, but I didn’t look away from her.

She was gorgeous, putting the rest of the sweetbutts to shame with her tawny skin and curly black hair. Her makeup was more simple than most of the sweetbutts, highlighting her features without caking it on, but her lips were dark red and sultry looking, drawing the eyes to her mouth. When she was at the library, she had big round glasses, making her brown eyes look huge and innocent. Either she didn’t need them now or she was wearing contacts because she didn’t have them on her tonight. Instead, she had on a tight dress, knee-high boots, and one of those half-jacket things women liked to wear. It was hot, and she didn’t look as innocent as she had in the library, but I knew better. She didn’t belong here. The club life would eat her up and spit her out. It’d ruin her and I couldn’t let that happen. She needed to get her ass home.

“You look like you’re about to start a fight. I’d stop lookin’ in Lacey’s direction if you don’t want Brewer comin’ over here,” Bear warned. “He won’t know you aren’t looking at his old lady. He’s quicker to dole out punishment than Reaper recently. If he wasn’t an officer, I’d be fuckin’ pissed.”

I grunted in acknowledgement. I knew why Brewer was so uptight lately. Lacey told me she was pregnant. She wasn’t as excited about it as the other old ladies, so not a lot of people knew, but this kid belonged to Brewer and he was ready to break anyone who even looked like they’d cause trouble for her. If he wasn’t working, he was at the club with Lacey and he glared at everyone who even looked in her direction.

“Any more trouble with that asshole from the rally?”

My spine stiffened. Bear had been there, but that was about as far as his knowledge extended. I didn’t tell him where I was going when I went to the library the first time, and he didn’t ask. He had his own secrets. We respected each other’s privacy. I thought about telling him what I was doing, at least having one source of back up, but I didn't want to drag him down with me. I was already going against orders. I wasn’t going to fuck up Bear’s life right along with mine.

“No. Hadn’t heard from him since we were kids. He doesn’t even know where I live.”

That probably wasn’t true anymore. He now knew what crew I was in, and that Croy was my Prez. It wouldn’t take much to put two and two together and figure out where my chapter was. But Trick had always been an idiot, so who knows?

“Who doesn’t know where you live?” Viper demanded as he launched himself over the back of the couch and landed in an empty seat. Dumbass was always getting himself into trouble, climbing on shit like a little kid. “Do we need to kick someone’s ass? Because I’m down. I’m bored as fuck.”

“Fuck, yeah. Count me in,” Snake Eyes agreed, claiming the arm of the couch. Great. I was now surrounded by idiots on all sides. If I focused too hard on the librarian like I had been, it’d draw their focus, and I didn’t want her on their radar. No one would approach her while she was with Lacey, but I didn't need the whole damn crew chasing after her. I needed to get her out of here.

“Who’s the babe?” Viper demanded after a minute of me ignoring him.

Damn it.

The couch we were on faced the room, which gave me a good vantage point to watch over the girls. But it also meant everyone who was sitting with me had the same damn view.

“No one,” I snapped, hoping to head him off before he got started. “She’s here to see Lacey. She’s not sticking around.”

“She gonna join the club? She’d be fuckin’ hot as a stripper.”

I bit my tongue from shouting out her actual career. Some of the guys liked the idea of ruining an innocent woman. Hell, Croy claimed Riley without giving her a chance to argue because he was her first and wanted to keep it that way. I didn't want a repeat happening with the librarian.

“Don’t think so,” Bear answered, shaking his head. “Pretty sure she said somethin’ about Lacey savin’ her life.”

They both frowned, confused, and shot me impatient looks when I didn’t automatically speak up. I wasn’t sure when I became the woman whisperer, but too many damn times to count, the idiots around here came to me to explain when the women weren’t acting right.

“She was in the truck that Lacey was put in when she was taken. We helped her and the others escape. She wanted to say thank you in person.”

“Ah.” Snake Eyes nodded thoughtfully .

“Shit, she’s got balls showing up here to say thanks,” Viper said, sounding impressed. “We’re way worse than the assholes who took her.”

In some ways, yeah. We didn’t sell people like that asshole had, but the combined body count for the crew was probably obnoxiously high, and our product trade was extensive. Between our charters, we probably covered the entire southern half of the country.

“Sam invited her.”

If she would’ve made the request to me, I would’ve straight up told her no. Though it begged the question. How the hell did they meet?

That question bothered me. It could’ve been simple enough. They could’ve met around town or on a job. Sam worked as an electrician. She could’ve fixed up something at Mariah’s place. But what if they met at her work? Did Sam know I went there? Would Mariah tell her? I didn’t even know her. How the hell was I supposed to know if she’d keep her mouth shut.

Frustration drove me to approach them again, even though I told myself to stay the hell away from her. It’d only draw more attention her way. If she was just here to see Lacey, she’d be left alone. But if it looked like she was interested in talking to the crew, it’d open her up to receiving attention she wouldn’t want.

“... So yeah, I’ve been taking some self-defense classes, but the guy who runs it is a bit… overenthusiastic. It’s obnoxious, really. Like I get you’re excited about teaching, but I’m twenty-five. I don’t need to be smothered with praise. I need to know if I’m actually doing things right so I can protect myself.”

Lacey’s face twisted up with disgust. “Seriously? How will coddling you protect you?”

Mariah shrugged, annoyance written all over her face. “No clue. But he’s the only one in the area.”

“Well, I know enough that I’ve been teaching the sweetbutts and the other old ladies a thing or two. If you feel comfortable coming here, you can join us.”

Shit. That was the exact opposite of what I wanted. She was only supposed to be here for a day. Not integrating herself farther into the crew. I didn’t want her coming back. It only put her more at risk .

“Croy isn’t going to just let an outsider in to join us,” I interrupted before Mariah could answer. “Invites only.”

Lacey rolled her eyes. “ I’m inviting her. Or did you not clue in on that? What do you want, Chase? I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”

I fought off a scowl. I was still recovering from Reaper’s ass beating last week. I didn’t need to add another one from Brewer. He might not be as dangerous as Reaper, but he wasn’t gentle. And because I wasn’t an officer, I wasn’t allowed to fight back without serious repercussions. You respected the damn officers, or you got your ass thrown out. Simple as that.

“Don’t worry,” Mariah said, shooting an irritated glance over her shoulder at me. “He’s not babysitting you. He’s been pissed since I showed up. No clue why. I didn’t do anything to him.”

Sam had been sitting nearby, talking to her old man and a few of the other guys, but she overheard the conversation and looked over her shoulder, frowning at me. “You’re usually really nice, Chase. Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, Chase. Does baby boy need a nap?” Clink teased, joining in on the conversation.

“Go fuck yourself, Clink” I snapped back.

The humor in Clink’s face flickered just a little. He was an easy-going guy, but he didn’t take kindly to being disrespected in front of his old lady. Apparently, I was just full of stupid ideas tonight. All thanks to one chick who wouldn’t take the fucking hint and go home before she got herself hurt. I hated being an asshole to her, but I was trying to protect her. From her own stupid ideas apparently.

“Watch yourself, Chase. I’d love an excuse for a fight. I’ve been itching for one,” Clink warned. His hands flexed a little, and I saw that twitchy look in his eye. He was a recovering addict and sometimes he took those urges out in violence instead.

“Make it a fair fight and I’ll meet you outside,” I countered. Maybe I needed to work out some energy, too.

A hand gripped my shoulder, yanking me back and away from the group. “Ignore him,” Bear said, tightening his grip when I tried to fight him off. “He’s been drinking. I’ll bring him outside so he can clear his head.”

Before I could protest, he marched me away, leaning low to whisper in my ear. “You’re already on thin ice after the rally, Chase. Shut the hell up and get outside. We are not havin’ another member dropped back to prospect for causing trouble. Use your fuckin’ head.”

I shook him off, but went along with his plan. Four sets of eyes watched me go with dark looks. Bear was right. I was being an idiot. But no amount of fresh air was going to help. Nothing would until I finally convinced the innocent librarian to go back to her life and stay the hell away from my brotherhood. I wasn’t going to let her become another innocent bystander hurt because of MC business. She wouldn’t become another Hannah.