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

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

MARIAH

We got to the library with plenty of time to spare. He wouldn’t let me go in without him, even though technically the library wasn’t open yet, and he made me stay at the circulation desk until he could check to make sure no one was sneaking around inside. Which was just insane. Trick was not so desperate to get to me that he’d break into the library so he could grab me. He struck me as too lazy for that.

“You know, I doubt he’s going to come here,” I said blandly as he prowled through the stacks. “And we have an alarm set. You saw me disarm it.”

“You’d be surprised what a good criminal can get away with,” he replied, appearing on the opposite side of the aisle he’d gone down. “Why doesn’t this place have cameras?”

I shrugged. “Budget cuts. This is a small town. We barely make enough to stay open. Only the fact that all three schools come here keeps us going. What little budget we had went to installing the silent alarm. The other alarm was donated to us.”

His brow furrowed. “Show me.”

That seemed like a waste of time, but whatever. At least he wasn’t being an ass. I showed him the little security pad where we input the code when we came in. It wasn’t anything fancy. It just alerted the police if someone broke in. And the silent alarm was connected to it. I wouldn’t trust it to keep anyone dangerous out, but it might deter them from doing anything stupid.

He grunted in what I assumed was approval before moving on. Only after he was sure everything was up to his standard did he let me unlock the door. Five minutes after we were supposed to open. Luckily, there was no one waiting to get in this early on a weekday.

“When does your coworker get here?”

“Regina? Noon today. Her husband has a doctor’s appointment she needed to take him to.”

He nodded and turned to head back to the computers, but I stopped him before he could wander off. “Ah-Ah! We aren’t done talking. I want to know what your plan is. Because if asshole Chase is going to come out to play today, I want a warning so I can kick you out.”

He smirked at me as he turned to face me again. “Think you can manage?”

“I think you’d be surprised.”

Him grinning at me still gave me butterflies, but I pushed the feeling aside. I was not going to let my head drift into the clouds about this. My feet remained firmly on the ground. Nothing was going to happen with Chase.

“Kinda wanna test you on that. I think it’d make me feel better about letting you out of my sight.” He practically purred it and leaned casually against the desk. I felt my blood heat little by little.

“Are you flirting with me?”

His face fell, and he straightened again, frowning. “No. I’m not gonna be an asshole. I’ll be around, keeping watch. If Trick or any of his buddies show up, press the damn alarm. I don’t care that I’m in here. I don’t want him thinking he can get close to you.”

He walked away without a backward glance. I sat there, stunned for a minute. That reaction was… odd. I mean, I was getting used to his moods switching on a dime, but he almost looked panicked at the thought.

My mind flicked back to everything I’d learned about Chase thus far. The sweetbutts said he never touched them, and they never saw him with anyone outside of the club. The old ladies said he was their shadow, followed them everywhere to protect them. And while he flirted with me easily enough, if I brought it up, he’d shut back down again. Like he was scared to get too close and drag me down like Trick dragged down Hannah.

That irritated me. I wasn’t a teenage girl looking for trouble. I wasn’t going to make stupid decisions for a man. I didn’t like him constantly comparing me to her. Nor did I like the idea of him hiding away and avoiding relationships just to protect the world from him, like he was the big bad wolf or something. He wasn’t a bad guy. The right woman would be lucky to have him. But he was so determined to chase everyone away, the poor woman would never get the chance.

I huffed out a small laugh. His parents got it on the nose, naming him Chase.

I had to push thoughts of Chase’s hang ups aside for a while as a class of middle schoolers started coming in to browse for books for a project. I helped show a few around, steered a few more away from sections they didn’t need to be browsing. One was watching Chase almost avidly and no amount of shooing him away would make him stop. I wasn’t worried about Chase hurting kids, not when he was already so protective, but I didn’t want that kid thinking Chase was a good reference for bikers.

Chase must’ve noticed too, because he narrowed his eyes at the kid and beckoned him closer. I watched as the kid wandered over nervously. His teacher came up next to me, a deep frown on his face.

“Should we do something about that?”

I shook my head. “He’s a friend of mine. He doesn’t hurt kids. And he doesn’t like innocents getting involved with his crew. He’ll probably steer him away with a warning.”

I said that, but I still wandered over to listen to them talking after the teacher got distracted by two arguing students.

“My brother used to be in a crew. I want to ride a bike like he did.”

Chase hummed and studied the kid. “You said used to. Did he quit?”

The boy shook his head, and his eyes dropped to his feet. “He got hit by an asshole in a minivan. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.”

My heart broke for the little boy. I watched Chase soften, just a little, before masking it with a grunt.

“Maybe wear a helmet if you don’t want to end up like him, then. And steer clear of clubs like mine.” He tapped the one percent patch on his cut. “ You see this, you head the opposite direction. I heard there’s a safe crew north east of here. Go see them.”

“Why?”

I almost stepped in before Chase could answer, but part of me wanted to hear what he had to say.

“Because your brother would be pissed if you joined people like us. Go join a crew he’d be proud of.”

The kid didn’t seem upset about him suggesting another crew. He beamed at Chase and nodded, running off to tell his friends he was brave enough to talk to the biker. A smile stretched across my face and when Chase looked my way, I raised an eyebrow at him.

He scowled. “What? I’m not gonna scare the hell out of a little kid.”

“Asshole Chase probably would. I’m glad to see the nice guy is back. You should bring him out more often.”

He rolled his eyes, but his smile said he wasn’t pissed about my tease. And whenever I wandered past him to put books away or help someone on the computers, he acknowledged me with a smirk or a nod, keeping a smile on my face all morning long.

Instead of bothering Sam again, I made the request to stay at the clubhouse after work. My list of books I wanted to read was piling up, and I liked the idea of a quiet night in Chase’s room. He agreed as long as I promised not to wander around the clubhouse and had a prospect bring me pizza when it was delivered. After days of stress and fighting, it was nice to have a quiet night to myself.

Of course, in a clubhouse like this one, that only lasted so long.

“What the fuck do you mean, no?”

“I mean, Croy gave me a job to do. I’m not doing anything else until I get it done.”

I didn't know either of the speakers, but neither sounded happy with each other.

“You’re a goddamn prospect. You take every job we give you and you do it without complaining,” the first speaker hissed .

I wasn’t familiar with all the prospects, but technically, the first guy wasn’t wrong. What little I knew about them, prospects followed orders and didn’t argue. But this guy didn’t seem to get that memo.

“I don’t care. I’m busy. Go find someone else to stalk your ex for you.”

There was a clatter and a few grunts. I almost wanted to peek out to see what was happening. I ignored that impulsive thought and listened instead as the fight escalated. It only stopped when someone bellowed at them both.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?”

Another scuffle, probably them being shoved apart. Both grumbled, but didn’t immediately answer. Whoever it was didn’t let it go, and when they wouldn’t give each other up, he knocked on the door instead. Chase’s door. Shit. Did anyone actually know I was here? Was I even allowed to be? The door opened before I could decide to hide or not.

“Chase? You got any idea what– Oh. Hello.” I recognized the older man. Nevada. The club VP. He was a nice enough guy. Babysat for Lacey sometimes. But he was still an officer, and I didn’t want Chase getting into trouble for protecting me.

“Uh, Hi.”

He frowned and looked around. “Where’s Chase?”

“Working. They’re doing renovations on my apartment building, so he said I could stay with him for a few days.” Which was a total lie, but Chase told me more than once that he didn't want his crew knowing what was going on. Hopefully, it didn’t bite me in the ass later.

“Ah.” He nodded in understanding. “Yeah, he’d do something like that. You got any idea why these two idiots are fighting?”

I hesitated too long. I did know, but I didn't want to explain it. I wasn’t looking to make more enemies.

Nevada seemed to realize the position he was putting me in because he backtracked eventually with a smile. “Know what? Not your problem. I’ll deal with them. You alright up here?”

I nodded. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

He waved me off and shut the door behind him so he could deal with the guys in the hall again. After I heard the three of them walk away, I scrambled for my phone and shot Chase a text to explain what happened .

Mariah: Nevada knows I’m here. He walked in to ask you a question. I told him my apartment was under reno and you’re letting me stay with you

Chase: Okay. Thanks for letting me know.

Short and to the point, but not in a rude way. I was okay with that. I tried to go back to my book, but a quiet knock on the door dragged me away from the plot again before I could get into it. They didn’t immediately speak, and it made me nervous, so I grabbed the gun Chase kept in his nightstand and edged closer, opening the door only far enough to peek out.

I didn't know the guy on the other side of the door. He had glasses and was thin compared to the rest of the guys. He honestly wouldn’t look like he belonged if he didn’t have all the tattoos and the outfit to go along with it. He didn’t look dangerous at all. He grimaced slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Uh, hey. I just wanted to say thanks. For not selling us out to Nevada. I’ve already got a lot of issues with the crew. If they think he’s going to protect me, it’ll only make them hate me more.”

“They hate you?” I asked, opening the door a little wider.

He lifted a shoulder, his eyes downcast. “I deserve it. I just wanted to say thanks.”

I sighed. “Well, honestly, I didn’t do it for you. I wasn’t really looking to make enemies with Chase’s crew by ratting them out. He’s helping me out right now, and I don’t want any more trouble.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard a little.”

When I gave him a questioning look, he waved his hand toward the next room. “I’m next door. The walls aren’t that thick. It’s not my business, though. I’m just a prospect. I gotta get back to work. Sorry for interrupting your night.”

He was surprisingly polite for a biker. I had a lot of questions about him. How did he end up with this crew? Why did they hate him? And how much did he know exactly about what was going on?

If he knew too much, Chase would lose his shit.