Shadow’s Heart (Devil’s Inferno MC #3)

Chapter One

Shadow

I t’s finally over. I honestly can’t believe it’s only taken a few months for myself, my Dad, and Blade to achieve this. They’re all dead. Just like they should be, none of the men who we’ve spent the last few months going after deserve to fucking breath. Useless pieces of shit. Child abusers are some of the worst scum of the earth, especially those who fucking pay for the right to sexually abuse a child, and in the case of these fuckers, it wasn’t just any child but my sister. Don’t be mistaken, I’d have gladly ended all these men even if they hadn’t touched Sera, but they did touch my sister, and that made this mission very fucking personal. With each death, I took pleasure in knowing these predators couldn’t harm anyone else.

Sera went through fucking hell growing up, and we’ve made sure each and every man who touched her is no longer part of this earth. I don’t feel the least amount of remorse for it either. People like them don’t deserve to live in the same world as the rest of us; they’re better off fucking dead. It’s most definitely safer for all the children of the world.

Tonight we took care of the last two who remained on our list. They were harder to end because of their place in society. They weren’t just some random smuck off the street; no, they were rich fuckers with a lot of connections and security. So unlike with all the other men we’ve ended recently, we needed a plan that was full proof; we had to ensure nothing would come back on us personally, or Devil’s Inferno. We needed to play it very fucking smart. We couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Blade worked with our SAA, Eagle, to make sure we had everything covered. It was fucking smart on his part. If you have someone with an elite military background, you fucking use him. Eagle is fucking skilled when it comes to this sort of shit; he can study a plan, find all its faults, and fix them before anyone else even realizes they’re there. He’s a strategic genius, and we’re seriously fucking lucky to have him and his skills within the MC. I have no doubts about the fact that if he hadn’t been involved in our plans, we would never have been able to achieve what we did tonight, and I’ll be forever thankful to him for the part he played in making sure we could do what we needed to.

It wasn’t easy with all the security they had in place, but with a little bit of backup from our computer guru Tech back home at The Compound, we hacked into their system totally unbeknownst to anyone and managed to lay in wait for the two brothers. Okay, when I say we hacked, I totally mean Tech did all the hacking, and we took advantage of the gap he made in their security. The brothers were clueless to the danger they were in when they arrived home, carrying on like they didn’t have a care in the world, until they were suddenly faced with three men determined on revenge. The looks on their faces were priceless. I don’t think either of them ever believed they would ever be exposed and have to face any consequences for what they’d done. They honestly believed they were untouchable. They were easy as fuck to handle, clearly used to only dealing with children who were a hell of a lot smaller than them and easily controlled. I’d say I was shocked, but I’d be lying. Some things are universal when it comes to predators like them. They’ve never had to face someone stronger or bigger than themselves, and they never have a fucking clue how to deal when they’re finally in that situation.

As much as we all wanted them both to suffer for their crimes against Sera and any other children they’d no doubt harmed throughout the years, that wasn’t on the cards. Instead, we meticulously staged a murder-suicide. Fuck, we weren’t even the ones to end either, brother. They actually did it themselves. Fearing for what we would do to them if they didn’t. They weren’t exactly wrong for their fears either. Blade’s lethal under normal circumstances, but you throw my sister into the mix, and he becomes something else entirely. I’m pretty sure even the fucking devil wouldn’t want to come up against Blade when it comes to the way he is when my sister is in the equation. At least I never have to worry about her safety now that she’s happily in love with my ferocious friend.

I’m fucking relieved it’s all over now though. No more traveling around the country multiple times a month to end one of my targets. Now I can go back to my normal everyday life. The only problem with that is it means I can no longer avoid my girlfriend Megan and the hell she’s going to rain down on me. She hasn’t been happy about my disappearing on club business so often over the last few months. It’s the first time it’s happened during our relationship, and she hasn’t liked it one bit. On the positive side, it also means I get to spend time with my best friend, Wreck. Unlike Megan, Wreck has understood me not being around as much as I normally would and what I’ve been doing; being a member of Devil’s Inferno means he was fully aware of where I was going and why. That’s the difference, I suppose; Megan doesn’t like that she isn’t allowed to know all the facts and makes it known loudly.

If Megan were my Ol’ Lady, she’d be entitled to know all the facts. We don’t hide things away from our Ol’ Men or Ol’ Ladies, but the thing is, that’s not a step I can take with her. Something just isn’t right; I didn’t notice it at first when we were hiding our relationship away from everyone at her request, but since the truth has come to light, the little red flags I was ignoring have grown to massive fucking neon signs. The woman I first started seeing who was sweet, down to earth, and caring is hardly ever in sight anymore. Instead, I tend to get someone I don’t recognize. Someone volatile and violent. There’s only so many times I can brush off her behavior before I have to admit she’s not who I thought she was.

All this doesn’t even take into account her obvious hatred for my best friend. A hatred that’s so fucking unwarranted it’s unreal. They’d never met before I introduced them, but for some unknown reason, Megan hated him on sight. From the moment she laid eyes on him, she was downright rude and disrespectful. Despite trying to talk to her about it, nothing has changed there. She still treats him like something disgusting she’s stepped in. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she tries not to be as obvious about it now, but it’s clear to see how she really feels. Wreck being the amazing person he is has never once held her behavior against me, and I’m fucking thankful for that. I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life; we’ve been best friends since we were eighteen. If I’m being totally honest with myself, my relationship with Megan’s never going to work because she can’t accept Wreck. There’s absolutely no chance I’d tie myself down with someone for life who couldn’t accept him and how important he is to me.

God, I’ve got so fucking much going through my head. I thought I’d seriously hit the jackpot with Megan. I’m at the point in my life where I want to settle down and find a love that’s on par with what I see between Wrath and Flame. Hell, what I see between Blade and Sera too, even though their relationship is still new compared to Wrath and Flame. Their newness doesn’t take away from the fact they are clearly head over heels for one another. Unfortunately for me, what I have with Megan isn’t anything like that. I thought we could be when we first started dating, but her change in personality has made it very clear how wrong I was there. I really need to sit down with her and talk once I’m back home. I can’t keep on living in a relationship like the one we have. I’ve been struggling with all this for a while now, but being away seems to have given me the clarity I need where my relationship is concerned. This isn’t what I want to be part of anymore; the stress and arguments are just too much. It doesn’t matter what I do or say; she always seems to have a problem. This isn’t what I imagined my relationship would be like when I settled down.

Despite everything going on in my mind, I can’t wait to get home; it’s been a long trip this time. Two days we’ve been away, and as much as I wanted to do this, I much prefer being closer to home. Violence isn’t something I usually partake in; that’s more my twin’s thing. Oh, don’t get me wrong, if I need to, I’ll get my hands dirty, but I prefer working in the background. Blending in, gathering information from the shadows totally unseen. My road name isn’t Shadow for no reason; I’m really fucking good at what I do. Actually, I’m one of the fucking best, but I needed to be part of this. For Sera and my own sanity. It hit me really fucking hard when Sera’s past was revealed when our so-called mother showed up at The Clubhouse. I couldn’t help but feel like I failed my sister by not being there to protect her from the horrors she experienced growing up. I knew what I felt wasn’t exactly logical; it’s not like I knew anything about Sera while she was growing up. None of us knew she even existed until she showed up at Inferno’s and told her story to Blade, but I couldn’t help feeling how I did. She’s my baby sister; if I knew about her when she was growing up, she’d never have experienced the horrors she did. I’d have protected her from it all, and I wouldn’t have been alone in doing so; Wrath would have been right there next to me. I couldn’t change the past though; unfortunately, I don’t have any sort of superpower or a time machine; instead, I made the decision to make every person who had a hand in her abuse pay for it. And they paid dearly with their lives. Fuck if it doesn’t make me feel better, and I hope it makes Sera feel better too.

We’re about thirty minutes away from The Compound, traveling the backroads where we can put pedal to the metal and ride a lot faster. My Dad, Blaze, is in the lead. I wouldn’t expect anything else; I may be the club’s VP, but he’s the former President, and I will always fall in line behind him. It’s a respect thing. Blade’s behind me, doing his thing as an Enforcer and ensuring both myself and Dad are safe and protected. I know I have nothing to worry about with him at my back. I’m pretty sure he’s just as eager as me to get home, no doubt missing Sera. I think this may have been the longest they’ve been separated since they began their relationship.

When Sera arrived, totally out of the blue as none of us even knew she existed, I never imagined she’d end up an Ol’ Lady to one of our members, but fuck if she isn’t the perfect match for Blade. They have such a deep bond coming from a place of mutual trauma and understanding, but fuck their love shines between them. You can feel it in the air when you’re around them, and I couldn’t be happier for them. They both deserve the happiness they’ve found after the hell they’ve been through. Now I just need to end my fucked-up relationship with Megan and find what they have for myself. Easier said than done. I know it’s going to be a shitshow when I end things with Megan.