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

Chapter 47

CHAPTER 47

MARIAH

Whoever the guy was, he seemed to know where he was going. He didn’t take me to the clubhouse, instead dropping me off with my parents. I scrambled off his bike, hugging my middle as I looked toward the direction we’d come.

“Chase–”

“If he’s still alive, I’m sure he’ll call. Go inside.”

He didn’t look like the kind of guy who you’d want to argue with. I didn’t recognize him from any of the times I’d been at the clubhouse, but it was a big club and I was usually focused on Chase, so it wasn’t saying a lot. I followed his instruction, hurrying inside, and pulled out my phone the second the door shut behind me. I tried dialing Chase, but it rang until it went to voicemail. Two more tries didn’t help matters.

“Please still be alive,” I murmured under my breath, shooting off a text to ask him if he was alright.

The light in the kitchen flicked on and I looked up, surprised. “Dad?”

His brow furrowed as he took me in. “Mariah? What the hell happened to you?”

“James? What’s wrong with Mariah?” Mom called, and I could hear her footsteps approaching from their bedroom.

This was the second time I came into my parents’ house looking like hell. My chin, hands, and knees all scraped from my fall and I was sure my hair was a knotted mess thanks to Trick. But surprisingly, other than that, I was okay. I thought for sure I wouldn’t have made it out alive.

“I tripped while texting. Scraped the hell out of myself,” I murmured. I was not telling my parents I was in a shootout. I’d never be able to leave.

Mom hurried over to me, fussing over every scratch she found. It wasn’t that bad. And I was too worried about Chase to feel it. I kept checking my phone, scowling every time the screen popped up empty.

“Everything alright?” Dad asked as Mom shoved me into a chair so she could get the first aid kit. I nodded.

“Yeah. The guy I’m seeing was supposed to text me back when he got home. I’m worried about him.”

“You’re seeing someone?” Dad asked.

“Oh yes. He came over the other morning to see her. Very handsome and rugged. He was just getting off a long shift, so I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself, but he looked nice,” Mom commented. She grimaced when looking at my palms with the bottle of peroxide and a cloth in her hands. “This will sting, but we gotta clean out the grit.”

I knew it was coming, but I still sucked in a breath through my teeth when she started wiping my injuries down. My hands and chin took the brunt of it, so she spent a lot of time working on those. It was when I’d changed into pajamas and she was working on my knees that Dad finally asked, “Where’s your car?”

I didn’t have a lie ready and I was floundering when the sound of an engine rumbled down our street. I checked my phone automatically, but I still didn’t have any message from Chase. An uneasy feeling swept through me and I edged around my mom, tiptoeing toward the front window. I pulled the curtain aside, peeking out. If it was one of Chase’s crew, they were either here with bad news or here to watch over me. But Chase’s crew wasn’t the only biker crew looking for me.

“Who is that?” Dad asked, looking over my head at the figure that jerked to a stop just out front. It took less than a second for me to realize who that was.

“Shit.”

“Mariah?” Mom called.

“I went on a date with him a few weeks ago. He’s a creep.” I looked over my shoulder at my parents. “Is Angelica here? We need to go out the back. He carries a gun.”

Dad scoffed, pulling me away from the window and pushing me toward my mom. “So do I, princess. Stay here. Don’t make a sound. I’ll be right back.”

Mom and I ducked around the table when we saw Trick’s shadow near the front window. The curtains were drawn, he wouldn’t be able to see us, but I doubted it’d matter to Trick.

He didn’t pound on the door or demand I come to speak to him. He went straight for kicking the door down. With a few heavy kicks, the door splintered and flew open, and Trick marched into the room.

“What’s going on?”

My sister’s voice near the hallway caught all our attention. I saw Trick’s gaze land on her and his evil smile spread across his face. I launched to my feet, putting my hands up when Trick whipped around with his gun raised.

“Don’t! You’re here for me. Leave my family alone.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh no. Fuck that. You fucked with me. Now I’m going to rip apart your whole family.”

“Think again.” Dad’s voice was deadly calm as he pressed the barrel of a shotgun against the back of Trick’s head. Trick froze almost comically, his eyes wide as saucers. His hands came up and my dad snatched the gun away from him, tossing it onto the couch. “Angel, princess, go join your mother and sister. Me and this young man need to talk.”

Angelica didn’t argue, darting across the room to hide behind my mom. Dad pushed against the back of Trick’s head a little, forcing him to sway on his feet.

“Nice and slow. Out the back door.”

“The back?” Trick asked, his eyes darting around for an exit plan. “Why not the front?”

“‘Cause if I kill you, I don’t wanna drag your body around to bury you. Start walkin’.”

Trick let out a nervous laugh, his footsteps slow as they headed for the back door. “This is just a misunderstanding. I’m sure we can discuss this like gentlemen. ”

“No one touches my family and gets away with it,” Dad snarled. “I got friends in low places. Friends who would love an excuse to get ahold of a shithead like you. Pretty sure they’d take issue with you being in their territory, too. If I put you in the ground, they’ll thank me for it.”

Why did it sound like my dad was talking about the Devil’s Disciples? I stared in shock as he marched Trick towards the back, his expression calm but deadly. I’d never seen this side of him. My dad was a strong man, protective of his family, but I never saw him ready to kill someone before.

“Now, now, let’s not do anything hasty,” Trick bargained. “Mariah, tell him–”

Dad shoved harder against the back of Trick’s head, causing him to stumble. “Don’t talk to her. Don’t even look at her. You want to keep your head on your shoulders, you never come near my family again. Understand me?”

Trick used the momentum to duck out of the way, lunging toward my dad. Unlike when he tackled me, my dad didn’t so much as sway, instead smashing the butt of the gun on Trick’s temple. It knocked him out cold and he hit the ground with a dull thud.

“Holy shit. Who the hell was that?” Angelica demanded.

Dad looked at me, raising his eyebrow. “I’d like to know that too.”

They were all looking at me, and the lying took its toll. I couldn’t do it anymore. So I told them everything. From how I first met Chase to Trick targeting him through me, to what happened at Riley’s place, all the way until tonight. Mom and Angelica looked shell shocked, but Dad looked pissed. He pushed to his feet and pulled out his phone, dialing a number without saying a word to me.

“Socket. Why the fuck is my daughter part of your crew rivalry?”

Someone murmured on the other end, but we could only hear my dad’s half of the conversation.

“Yes, that’s my fucking kid. Why would he even suggest that in the first place? Uh huh. Well one of those little shits who’s causin’ you trouble just showed up at my home threatening my family. Come get ‘im before I blow his brains out and ruin my floors.”

He hung up, slipping the phone away. When he noticed me gaping at him, he shrugged. “Never was much interested in prospecting, but I’m friends with a few of the crew. I’ve ridden my old Harley with them before.”

He said it like he didn’t just reveal something absolutely mind blowing. My gentle, easygoing dad was friends with the Devil’s Disciples, a notoriously dangerous biker crew that I had the misfortune of falling into by accident.

After the rollercoaster of the evening, it was too much to process. I sat heavily at the kitchen table, staring at him. “Who even are you?”

“That’s what I was going to say,” Angelica chimed in, sitting next to me. “Are you like an honorary member? Or a hangaround?”

Dad smirked, his familiar smile tinged with something a little more dangerous. He took a step forward, out of range of Trick, which was when I noticed the asshole was moving. I lunged forward, sending my chair flying against the wall as I grabbed my dad and yanked him out of the way. Trick buried a knife into the wall right where my dad had just stood, snarling at us all before he took off out of the front door. My dad barreled after him and lined up a shot, but Mom cried out to stop him.

“James! We have neighbors!”

It made Dad pause and Trick sped away, darting past the bikers who were headed our way. A few spun around to chase him, but I doubted they’d catch up. Trick was as slimy as an eel. He was good at getting out of tight spots. I’d need to stay on guard even longer now until he was finally dealt with.

“Mariah!” Mom called out in surprise as I sank to my knees, exhaustion weighing heavily on me. I just wanted this to be done. I would never read another dark romance again if this crap could just end.

Dad kneeled beside me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “You’re alright, princess. It’ll be okay.”

Looking up at him, I asked, “What about Chase?”

He pressed his lips together in a tight line. “I’ll find out about him too. Just take some deep breaths. It’ll all be okay.”