Demon, page 17
Julia released an exaggerated huff. "I did, but things didn't exactly work out." She gave me a quick look. "Can we can talk somewhere private?"
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say." There was clearly no love lost between them, but there was something there. Regret maybe? That things hadn't worked out between them?
"You will when you hear that it's about Annabelle," Julia said with confidence.
Whoever Annabelle was the mention of her name brought about a swift change on both their faces. Demon's expression twisted, exposing pain that reached the depths of his soul. Annabelle meant something to him, and something had happened to her. Something that had affected him strongly.
Julia's face had softened, her eyes swelling. "You know I've always loved her," she said with feeling, gearing up for something more.
"Who's Annabelle?" I asked.
Demon looked at me as if he'd forgotten that I was there. He took a breath, reached up, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "My sister." His gaze swung back to Julia. "She was attacked not too long ago. You know something about that?"
Attacked! No! I held my breath, unable to move.
The tears Julia had been trying to hold back suddenly fell from her eyes. She reached up and wiped them off her cheeks. "I know. That's why I'm here." She began to sob. "Demon, I'm sorry! You know I would never do anything to hurt Annabelle! But I think it was Darrin."
He took a threatening step toward Julia with his hands fisted at his sides. "Your fucking boyfriend?"
I'd never heard that homicidal tone in Demon's voice before. I could see the dread in Julia's eyes. She'd hated telling him that. I felt a moment of sympathy for her before I reminded myself that she'd been married to him. She knew Demon better than anyone. Knew what he was feeling, what he was capable of. They had that couple connection that would probably never go away.
I prayed that his sister was okay, even while jealousy ate at me.
What did Julia’s arrival mean for our tenuous relationship?
Chapter 20
Demon
"Where the fuck is he, Julia?"
Her slight hesitation surprised me, considering that she was the one who'd come to me. "Don't tell me you're still involved with the asshole?"
"God, no!" she rushed out with big, wet eyes. "But I'm the only one who knows, Demon. He'll know I told you." She came further into the room and sank down on the edge of the couch.
I could understand her fear. Her boyfriend had left Annabelle for dead. He wouldn't hesitate to go after Julia. "You know I can protect you."
"Why do you think I'm here?" she said, smiling weakly.
"Why?" I snarled in a cold tone.
Julia knew what I was asking. She took a deep breath and looked everywhere but at me, her expression one of deep regret.
"Fucking answer me!"
She flinched at my tone, reluctantly raising her sorrowful eyes to mine. I recognized the condemnation in them, which for once was directed at herself and not me. "Darrin was infatuated with Annabelle. I just didn't realize how much. I guess I didn't want to see it. Didn't want to admit that his interest in her bordered on obsession."
I knew there was more, and I was losing patience. "And?"
"We had a blowup one day, a bad one. It was the first time Darrin had ever hit me. He, um, beat me pretty badly. I'm not even sure he knew what he was saying, but during his rant I heard him say he was going to teach me respect like he had that other little bitch. That she'd called him a pervert for the last time. When I asked him who he meant he just looked at me with a cold look in his eyes, and said I knew exactly who he was talking about." Julia paused, wiping the last tears from her face. "Annabelle was always calling Darrin a pervert."
Because even at her young age, she'd recognized the signs.
I wanted to wrap my hands around Julia's neck and choke her for what her fucking stupidity had caused Annabelle. It wasn't her fault Darrin had attacked Annabelle, but it was her fault for bringing the bastard into her life. I'd warned her about Darrin from the start. There'd been something unstable about the prick, and I'd picked up on it the first time I'd met him. But, like some women, if you showed Julia a good time, spent a little money on her, told her what she wanted to hear, she would turn deaf and blind to anything else. Julia was a fucking fool.
I wanted to blame Annabelle, too, for putting herself out there by working as a prostitute, but that would make me a total bastard. Not all women who sold their bodies for a living hated what they were doing. Hell, some fucking loved sex. There was nothing wrong with that, it was their bodies, and I didn't judge. But when it came to my baby sister? None of that other shit mattered.
"How long have you fucking known?"
"Not long, I swear! Maybe a few days."
I released a growl of disbelief.
"It's not something I wanted to tell you over the phone!"
A muted sound indicated that my phone was going off. I looked around for it, unable to locate it in any of the usual places that I left it. "Where the hell is my phone?" I met Bobbie's watchful gaze where she sat in bed, still clutching the sheet over her tits.
"In the cupboard over the coffee maker," she explained.
I retrieved it, seeing that it was LD who was calling. Probably to remind me about church. "Yeah?"
"We're all here, brother."
"Be right down." I dug out a t-shirt and slipped it on, putting my cut over it. "I'll be back." I stepped into my boots, not bothering with the ties. "You two play nice while I'm gone."
My gaze went to Bobbie. She'd been quiet during most of this. I wondered how she'd taken it all in, and what she was thinking now. Christ, she looked tempting sitting there in my bed, covered in nothing but a sheet that outlined her luscious tits. What I wouldn't give to get back in bed with her and go another round, but I had shit to deal with, and my brothers were waiting. I moved to where she was, lost my hand in all that untamed hair, and pulled her up to meet me halfway in a scorching kiss. I ground my mouth down on hers until she moaned and opened her mouth to my tongue.
I ended the kiss, drawing her plump bottom lip between mine as I slowly stood back. I had a healthy hard on by the time I turned to leave. I paused where Julia was sitting. "Where is he, Julia?"
She didn't hesitate to give him up. "I left him in Vegas. He's playing in a private game at the Bellagio tonight and tomorrow night." Darrin made his money gambling.
I gave her a nod and moved toward the door.
"Demon."
I stopped without turning around, my hand on the doorknob.
"He has two bodyguards with him."
Of course he did. I opened the door and left. Julia wouldn't need my protection for long, because finding Darrin and ending him just became a fucking priority.
This was the second time I’d been late for church. I opened the door, every head turning in my direction.
"Glad to see you up, Prez," Bull grinned from his chair. Several others mumbled the same.
"Good to be out of that fucking bed," I growled, reaching my chair.
"You saying you weren't happy having Bobbie all to yourself for three days?" Junior sneered, something in his tone that I didn't like. "When do I get a shot at her?"
It grew quiet. I'd been sitting down when his words froze me. I glared at him. "The fuck you just say?" I hardly recognized the menace in my tone.
Junior tried to laugh it off. "She's a club whore isn't she?"
Was he fucking stupid?
"Junior, brother, I'd shut the fuck up while you still have teeth," Cole advised.
Junior shrugged indifferently. "Just wondering. Saw her come out of LD's room the other day. Thought Prez was sharing."
I grit my back teeth for control and sat down, giving LD a frown. What the fuck was that all about? His jaw tightened, but he didn't offer up any explanations. He didn't look away either, indicating that he had nothing to hide. I reminded myself that LD wasn't the kind of brother who would go behind another brother’s back. He wouldn't look, much less touch, another brother's woman.
There was already too much fucking chaos to deal with to let Junior stir up ungrounded trouble between brothers. I took a deep breath, choosing the words that would make the most impact. I meant them for the whole room, but I kept my eyes pinned on Junior.
"No one touches Bobbie. She's mine. Are we clear?" Junior's response was the only one I was interested in, but I heard the murmurs of my brothers as they acknowledged my words.
"Loud and clear, Prez," Junior smirked.
I had a feeling in the pit of my gut that someday I was going to kill Junior. Pulling my eyes away, I addressed the room. "Someone tell me what the fuck's been going on since I've been laid up."
"We ran down the fucking Knights that attacked you," LD began, a smug look on his face. "All dead but one."
Cole laughed, drawing my eyes to him. "Thought you might like the prize we kept for you." I raised a brow and waited for his explanation.
"Got our hands on Freak."
My brows shot up. "Stretch's brother? He was with those fuckers?" I found myself grinning. "Does Stretch know?"
"He knows," LD answered with a quirk on his mouth. "Ain't happy about it, either. Threatening to rain holy terror down on us if we hurt him. Appears their mama wants him back home where a sixteen-year-old belongs."
I couldn't recall the last time LD had said as much in one breath.
"Fuck." I sobered at his words. I'd heard that when Stretch had become president he'd brought his four brothers into the club, but a kid? "What the hell was Stretch thinking, bringing his baby brother into this shit?"
"He wasn't thinking," Sax muttered.
"We could use him for leverage."
All eyes moved to Colton. "We have enough rival clubs out there causing us problems, starting shit that could end badly. Maybe we work out a truce with them. They get the kid back in one piece if they promise to stay out of our territory. No more cutting through without a parlay first."
"The kid deserves to fucking die for what they did to Prez!" Riggs snapped, his brows drawn together in a frown. "He's the one sitting here with two bullet holes in him."
Eyes returned to me. "You sound jealous, brother," I grinned. "I like Colton's idea. Let the Knights be someone else's problem. We can arrange a meeting with our demands." I swung my head toward Oz. "Take a picture of him, brother. Then send it to Freak with a meeting request."
"Got it."
"We gonna send him a pretty invitation, too?" Junior sneered, shaking his head with disgust. "What the fuck happened to taking a vote?"
I felt my blood pressure rising. "You want a vote?" I glanced around the room. "Anyone here object to Colton's suggestion of peace?" No one made a move except one. Junior was the only one to raise his arm. I glared at him. "Looks like you're outnumbered, brother."
Junior's face turned red and he muttered something under his breath.
"What about the women, Jordan and Viola?"
"Back where they belong," Bull responded. "Promised not to talk to anyone. Keeping an eye on them for a little while just to make sure."
I nodded, satisfied.
I turned to Cole. "Make sure the kid stays alive until we meet with Stretch." My leg was starting to ache, and I stretched it out to find a more comfortable position. "Most of you know I have a sister living in Las Vegas. A few months ago I got a call from Chantelle about an attack on one of her girls. Turned out to be Annabelle. The fucker had left her for dead."
I gave my brothers a minute to digest the news, watching the various responses move about the room. All of them became enraged and demanded justice. It also gave me the time I needed to control the fucking emotions threatening to explode from within me. I wasn't about to let my brothers witness any weakness from me.
"So that's the reason you've been spending so much time at Crystal's Palace?" Sax asked.
I nodded.
"Fuck, Prez, why didn't you tell us before now? We could have been looking for the bastard—"
I held up my hand. "I had to deal with her recovery first, brother."
I went on to explain my reasons for keeping Annabelle at Crystal's Palace, and why I'd been so secretive about it.
"How's she doing now?" Riggs asked.
"Her body has healed, going to take her mind longer."
"How the fuck did he get her there in the first place?" Loco snarled. "They just let anyone walk in and use the rooms?"
That was another story. I shook my head, running my hand over my rough jaw. "Annabelle was working there as one of the girls. Still don't know why when I've been sending her money to live on every month so she could go to school." I'd said that last comment more to myself. Her working there confused the fucking hell out of me. "None of that matters. What's important now is that I know who her attacker is."
"Then what the fuck we waiting on?"
I smirked at Sax's eagerness to avenge my sister. I was right there with him. "I just found out, brother. My ex showed up this morning. Seems her fucking boyfriend all but confessed."
"Who's her fucking boyfriend?" LD growled.
I knew this would hit close to home for my VP, considering that he’d lost his wife and son to violence. "Some prick named Darrin Cylus, a professional gambler, and it just so happens he's in a private game tonight and tomorrow in Vegas. So we're going to have to move fast."
"I'm in," Bull said without hesitation. Others chimed in, as I'd expected.
"This kill is mine, brothers." I wanted to make that clear. "Cole, LD, and Sax will go with me. We'll plan for tomorrow night. I'll put in a call to Trip to see if we can get a couple of his Vegas Watchdogs to offer assistance." I sat back in my chair, for the first time in a long time feeling as if shit was finally falling into place and getting done. "After that we focus on getting to the bottom of who attacked our club. It's been fucking long enough."
"What's to get to the bottom of? Thought we knew it was Devil's Soldiers we didn't patch-over," Riggs grumbled around the unlit cigar clamped between his teeth.
I narrowed my eyes on him. Did he sound worried? I couldn't tell. His expression was neutral and gave nothing away. Then I recalled that he'd been shot that day.
"That reminds me--how did the run to Waco go?" I assumed that the weapons run for the Corrupt Rejects had gone on as planned during my time upstairs. "That was this past weekend, yeah?" Colton, Junior, Loco, and Reid had volunteered to go, but I looked at Colton for confirmation.
He pressed his lips and shook his head. "Didn't happen, Prez. Samson called and rescheduled for the last weekend of this month."
I frowned, impatient to hear the information he had for us. "He say why?"
"Something about receiving a replacement shipment for the guns stolen from them earlier and wanting everything moved at one time."
Shit. It made sense, but I didn't like what that could mean for my brothers. If word got out that there was a big haul of weapons being transported to Waco, it could be too tempting for rival clubs to pass up. I cut my eyes to Junior. "Put your skills to use, brother. Map out a safe route, roads not usually traveled, and keep it between the four of you. Oz can track you if we need to know your location." We couldn't afford to lose a shipment like that, couldn't afford to be under the other club's thumb for the length of time it would take to pay them back.
"Think that's it for now, brothers. Church is done."
I was getting a fucking headache. My side and leg was throbbing like a toothache, but a thousand times worse. I was looking forward to the day when church was held over more pleasant shit like voting in a new brother or planning a charity run. The old saying “when it rains it pours” couldn't be truer for the club right now. We were always ready to act if trouble came, but peace was nice, too. None of us were getting any younger.
I watched as most of my brothers piled out of the room. LD remained behind. I'd known he would after Junior's comment. Sax paused at the doorway and looked back at me.
"Bobbie tell you that Bull and I are taking her and Holly to Pahrump for her car?"
"Yeah, brother." I was glad that he had reminded me. "Take a cage, yeah?" I felt it was safer with the girls, and I sure as hell didn't want Bobbie on the back of another brother's bike. Sax's face fell, but he acknowledged with a chin lift and left the room. I turned my grin toward LD, knowing that he had something to say.
"Not hitting on your woman, brother."
"Know that. Junior is going to get stripped of his colors if he keeps this antagonistic shit up. Pitting brother against brother.”
LD nodded. "Loyalty only goes so far. You think Killer would have put up with his ass this fucking long?"
I released a loud breath. I got what LD was saying. Killer would have put Junior in his place a long time ago. Son or no son, he would have demanded respect from Junior, and if he hadn't gotten it he would have kicked his worthless ass to the curb. Junior had been testing the waters for a long time now, seeing how far he could push his brothers, and knowing all along that they would put up with his shit because of Killer.
I shook my head with regret. "The problem with Junior is for every step forward he takes two backwards. He's never grown up, and his disappointment at not becoming president is eating away at him. Causing him to make stupid decisions, say stupid shit."
LD leaned forward, his muscled, tattooed arms on top of the table. "Junior wasn't lying when he said he saw Bobbie coming out of my room. I caught her eavesdropping outside his room. He and Tamara were discussing shit and mentioned something about the fire. I dragged her ass inside my room before she was discovered."
Shit, I was going to have to talk to her before she found herself in trouble. Whoever the traitor was, he was fucking serious about hurting the club, and being in my bed put a mark on her. It wasn't unheard of for the men in an MC to talk about the status they wanted in a club, and Junior had been vocal about what he wanted.
"Did you hear anything?"
LD looked at me with hard eyes. "He's serious about being president. Said something to the affect that you should have died during the attack on the clubhouse."
