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

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

MARIAH

“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded.

Before I could even open my mouth to answer, five furious women made indignant sounds at him.

“God, you’re such an asshole,” Riley snapped. “Who she is doesn’t matter. We’re leaving.”

“Damn it, Riley!”

She ignored him, heading out the front door without a backward glance. Sam took my arm, leading me after her, and we all exited the house en masse. Two men in vests waited for us out front. One of which was a familiar and very unwelcome presence. But I didn’t have time to worry about Chase right now. I was a little worried about being attacked by an angry MC president.

Riley stood on the sidewalk, silently seething, until Allie threw her arm around her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Come on. We’ll have a few drinks, then you can tell me what’s climbed up Croy’s ass this time.”

It took a minute, but eventually Riley softened enough to nod. We split into two groups, with Sam and Lacey in a car with me and the prospect who’d offered me a ride home the other night behind the wheel, while Allie, Riley, and Quinn took the other car with Chase. I was grateful not to be trapped in a car with him, and by the time we arrived at the club, I was relaxed and ready to have fun. So was Riley, who had her arms looped through her friends’ and a smile on her face. The club we headed into wasn’t overly crowded yet, and we found a table near the back to crowd around while the prospect, Gunner, was sent to get drinks. Chase found a section of wall to lean against, his arms crossed over his chest. He was far enough away not to be a bother, but close enough to keep an eye on us.

“Don’t mind him. It’s been his job to follow me around since I met Croy,” Riley grumbled, shooting Chase a dirty look. When he looked like he was trying hard not to smirk, she flipped him off. A smile ghosted across his face, but when he noticed me watching him, it was gone again and he looked away, scanning the club as it slowly filled instead.

“So, bestie, what’s the drama this time?” Allie decided after handing Riley a cocktail. Riley took a healthy swallow before answering, her expression sour.

“I’m not even pregnant and he’s acting like Reaper. No offense,” she said quickly to Quinn, who just snickered. “He wanted me to take like six guys with us, one for each of us. It’s ridiculous. I might as well stay at the clubhouse if I’m going to be surrounded by that many bikers. I just wanted a minute to breathe, damn it.”

My nose wrinkled. “Are they all that possessive?”

“Yes,” they all chorused together in annoyed tones, then burst out laughing.

“Do yourself a favor and don’t hang around one of them too long or they might look to make a claim,” Lacey warned. “Once they decide they’re going to keep you, they’ll follow through no matter how much you protest.”

Riley nodded her head in solemn agreement. “True. I told Croy several times that I wasn’t interested. He ignored me.”

Looking between them, I asked, “And you ended up with him anyway?”

Riley shrugged. “He ignored me because he knew I wanted him. I was just scared of being part of the club life. It took me a while to warm up to the idea.”

That sounded a little insane, to be honest. I mean, I read about it in my books, but I figured that was for the entertainment value. I didn't think they’d actually ignore what a woman wanted to stake their claim. My gaze immediately flicked to Chase and narrowed. We had one hookup. If he even thought about getting possessive, I’d use every trick I learned in self defense to keep him away. No way was I letting myself get claimed by an asshole. I deserved better than that.

Granted, he’d have to be interested for that to even be a problem, but still. I was glad for the warning.

Once the topic of Riley’s security argument passed, the tension disappeared and things felt easy. Even though I had issues with Chase and he obviously didn’t like me, I trusted that he’d stop me from getting hurt, at the very least. He didn’t go through all that effort to get the rest of us out of that truck just to let someone snatch me again right under his nose.

After some dancing, we came back to the table to get more drinks. Allie started in about the security thing again, ranting about how her old man sends prospects to watch over her while she’s working and it scares off her clients. She was a photographer, and while she was good enough to sell her stuff to the magazines, she also did weddings and that kind of thing to pay the bills, and it pissed her off that the club was screwing with that.

“I mean, it’s stupid. Zayne and Caleb spent all that time teaching me to protect myself, but I can’t even go to work alone. I even have a conceal and carry, and still, that’s not good enough.”

Riley nodded. “There’s always someone at the hospital with me. I’m lucky though, because with HIPAA, they can’t follow me around inside. They seem content with me working on the same floor as Doc and sit in the parking garage instead. You’d think they had better things to do than follow us around.”

“Reaper said they’re going to open things up for more prospects soon,” Quinn inserted. She was more docile than the rest, sipping on her Sprite without getting all worked up, but she did agree that the bodyguard thing was a bit much. “How much do you want to bet they’ll be the ones taking over following us around so the guys can get back to work?”

“Ugh. You’re probably right,” Riley bemoaned. “I think Gunner is close to promoting, and Joe won’t be far behind him. They’ll need new guys to kick around.”

While they continued to rant, Lacey leaned close, amusement tinging her voice. “You look like you’re watching a Telenovela. ”

I shot her a look that said oh, come on , tipping my head toward the group. “This is better than any romance novel I’ve ever read. And this is real life.”

Chuckling, she nodded. “It is entertaining sometimes. How much do you want to bet each and every one of them will be naked underneath their men the minute they get back? They might complain now, but they’re all enamored to the point that it’s just sad how quickly they give in.”

“Hey! I heard that!” Allie complained. “It’s not like you don’t do what Brewer asks!”

Lacey raised an eyebrow lazily. “Brewer can ask all he wants. If I’m not interested, I don’t give in to him. You do. And if that’s how your relationship works and you’re both happy, then more power to you. Don’t compare relationships. Each is unique.”

“You missed your calling as a therapist,” I pointed out when the other two women pouted but stopped ranting.

Lacey smirked at me. “I’m exactly where I need to be. But I do play therapist to my girls at the club, and sometimes the clubhouse too. What about you? Do librarians play therapist to their patrons?”

“No,” I laughed, shaking my head. “But I do get to see the kinds of things people will check out. You’d be surprised at how raunchy some of the old ladies in our town are. We have a book club and everything.”

She cackled, and I gossiped about the strangest things I’d seen people check out. It wasn’t usually the book so much as who was checking out the book. It was fun just to chat and hang out, and I almost forgot about the security detail until Riley stiffened.

“What the hell?”

The club, which was mostly filled with older twenty-somethings hanging out at the bar or dancing, was not the place you’d expect to find a group of bikers. Especially a group as intimidating as the ones who walked in the door. It felt like I’d seen one of them before, but before I could figure it out, Chase and Gunner were at our sides.

“Outside. Through the back. Now.”

For a group of women who pitched a fit about having security, they didn’t even blink before following orders. Quinn was tucked between Allie and Riley, with Sam at the front and Lacey in the rear. I glanced over my shoulder as we shuffled out, frowning at the group, but they either didn't notice us or didn’t care.

Once we got outside, I raised my eyebrows at Lacey. “Who was that?”

“Rival crew,” she explained. “There are two in the city. They don’t come close to the Devil’s Disciples territory, though, so if they’re here, they’re probably looking for trouble. I’ve got a kid at home. I’m not looking to play that game. We can finish out our night at my place instead.”

I’d been so focused on the realness of the women and the crew that I momentarily forgot that it meant the rest of it was real, too. The security was there for a reason. If the girls were out alone and someone knew they were connected to the crew, they could be hurt or taken in some kind of revenge plot. That honestly was a little terrifying.

“I told you,” Chase growled as he waited for me to slip into the back seat of my car. “You don’t belong here. It’s fucking dangerous. Get it yet?”

On one level, I did. I even understood why he was so determined to keep me away. But there were plenty of women who spent time with the crew who weren’t claimed. I didn’t see him chasing off any one of them. It felt personal, and that pissed me off because I hadn’t done anything to earn that. Aside from what? My job? That was idiotic.

“You’ve made yourself perfectly clear,” I hissed under my breath. He turned to walk away but froze when I finished. “I still don’t remember asking for your opinion. I’m not doing anything wrong. And I can take care of myself.”