Payback (Dueling Devils) Read Free Page A

last prospect closed the door and Demon lifted his arms. “Let the church session begin. The Sidewinders seem to think we turned bitch? That we’ll turn over and take it in the ass while they shit and piss all over the legacy we’ve built here in Newcomb. Louis has always had his wires crossed. I’m not surprised he’d go back on our truce. What I need to know is what inflated his head and made him think he could take us. This rebellion takes big balls, something that fucking snake has never had.” Demon shook his head. He flared his nostrils and his chest heaved as his breathing gained speed.
    The men in the room sat silent, their expressions deadly.
    In need of a way to expend the energy building inside him, he paced the length of the room. “They came close to taking everything I fucking care about. That never should’ve happened. Ardy is no longer a house mouse on loan. She’s my old lady. You will treat her with respect and lay down your life for her if necessary, you hear me?”
    “Yes , Pres.”
    The thunderous response eased the lump in hi s throat. He alone was one man. Together, they were many. “I’m not going to sleep until the Sidewinders M.C. is fucking decimated. Cut down to numbers so low, it’d take them years to regroup and even then, I want the horrors they witnessed to keep them from trying it.”
    “How do you want to play it?” Lefty asked.
    “They’re new, unliked and not trusted. Chances are, no one will come to their aid, but let’s meet up with the local M.C.’s to be sure. I don’t want to turn this into a total blood bath. They’ll be expecting us to retaliate. I’m not a patient man, so I want this done yesterday. We pound the pavement, set up meeting and deal with this shit.”
    “Okay, what do you want the rest of them to do while we play nice with the bordering M.C.s?” Lefty asked.
    “Prepare to go to war brothers. Go home, clean your weapons, pull the gear out of storage. When I say I want their compound blown up and burned to the ground, I’m not saying that shit figuratively. You don’t come to the Dueling Devils, take their manhood and threaten their family. We’re going to make sure everyone watching, knows that by the time we’re done.”
     

     
    After Demon left, g oing back to sleep wasn’t possible. Her body might be weary, but her mind was alive and thriving. God, why can’t I ever turn off my brain? Ardy rolled onto her side and re-lived the horrific experience. Things could’ve turned out far worse. This life never felt more real than it did at this moment. None of the shit you saw on the television or heard about from others prepared you to actually be in it. Thank God, he had a back-up plan. His life is completely out of control. What are you doing? The sane part of her brain told her she needed to backtrack. Agreeing to be Demon’s old lady was more than choosing to go steady with a beau. It’s a lifelong commitment that practically placed a target on her back. He’s the President for Christ’s sake. In the light of day, away from the trauma, she wanted to back pedal.
    I can’t take that decision back .
    Abandoning the pretense of sleep , she sat up in bed and brushed her wild curls out of her face. She loved him. There was no confusion there. She just wondered if love would be enough. Her phone vibrated against the wooden nightstand and she jumped. Her stomach knotted. Her palms grew clammy as she picked up the phone. The sight of her mother’s name on her view screen had never been so beautiful. She held the phone to her ear. “Hey Mom.”
    “Hi , sweetheart. How are you?”
    A million answers dangled on the tip of her to ngue. She swallowed them down. Her mother didn’t deserve to have this burden on her shoulders. “I’m good. The kids are amazing, growing and thriving. It’s like any other nanny job.”
    “ Is that so?”
    The disbelief in her mother’s voice made her tread lightly. “Why wouldn’t it be mom?”
    Her mother