Chapter 38: The Devil’s Reward: Chapter 37

I slip from the bed quietly, loathe to leave Quinn. She’s sleeping peacefully, hair a mess, and her mouth slightly open, but I’ve never seen anything more perfect. Still, it’s time to go and see my brothers. It’s barely dawn, and my head is straight again. I check my phone as I dress, just as a message comes in from Sniper.

I pull on my cut and put my phone in my pocket and then quietly put on my boots. Quinn doesn’t even stir. I feel lighter than I have in a long time, and while I would love to say that it was the blow job, I know it’s more than that. Quinn listened, let me lose my shit, and she was here for me. In my book, that’s enough for me to know that she’s it for me.

I’ll make her my Old Lady after this is all said and done. Screw the past, because she and Macy are my future.

I lean forward and kiss her gently on the forehead. She gives a soft sigh but doesn’t wake. I head out of the room, tiptoeing down the hall to the stairs, but I stop when I realize that I’m not the only one up early. Shit. What the hell do I do now?

Macy turns her head from where she’s watching cartoons, her hair sticking up in an adorable mess. She doesn’t look surprised to see me and gives a small wave. “Hi,” she whispers.

“Hi,” I whisper back, walking down the stairs towards her. “What are you doing up so early?”

She shrugs. “I’m always up early. I wanted to watch cartoons. Where are you going?”

“I have to go see some friends,” I explain. I don’t want to say why. That is not a discussion I want to get into with a five-year-old this morning.

“Will you be coming back?” she asks.

I smile softly at her. “I’ll be back, but I’m not sure when. My friends were hurt, so they might need some help.”

She frowns. “That’s not good,” she sympathizes. “Do you need to kiss their owies better? That’s what my Mom does for me.”

I chuckle, thinking of how Bullet would react if I was kissing his owies better. Fastest way to get a punch in the face. “I don’t think they need that, but they will need some help to get better. Do you need anything before I go?”

“Can you do my hair? I want a braid,” she says after a moment’s thought.

I nod. I have time, and this feels important. “How about you go and get a hairbrush and I’ll do it quickly before I leave.” Thankfully, Sam showed me how to do a couple when we were waiting in the Amazon Rainforest. We had to sit on our hands until we got the go-ahead to move, and she had been miserable. It took a few tries, but we finally found a style that worked, that she wasn’t always pushing out of the way or saying it was giving her a headache because it was done up too tight.

The guys had teased us about it, until Sam shut them down and made the point that knowing how to do a woman’s hair might just help me land a woman. They weren’t long in having her show them too when we got back from our mission. Funny as hell at the time to see a bunch of big men learning how to do hairstyles and using tiny hair bands to keep them in place.

Now to see if I can remember the skill.

Macy runs off, dressed in a pair of cute pjs with ducks on them, and then runs back with her brush and a hairband. She gives me a winning smile as she sits on the coffee table in front of me and hands me back both items. The hair band is far too small for my wrist so I put it on the top of my thigh. Gently I start to run the brush through her hair, careful with any knots and tangles that I come across.

“Where did you learn to do hair?” Macy asks quietly, her eyes on the screen in front of her.

I freeze for a moment, but figure there’s no harm in her knowing some of the story. “I used to be in the military and—”

“Like my Dad?” she interrupts.

“Yes, like your Dad, but in a different division. I was on a team, and we had one woman and she had long blonde hair that sometimes got in the way when we were working. One time, she needed help with it, just like you, so she showed me how to do some braids and a ponytail.”

“What was her name?”

“Her name was Sam.”

“Was she pretty?”

It’s an innocent question, but it still feels like a trap. I simply answer, “Sure, she was pretty. Not as pretty as you, of course.”

“Mom always says how pretty I am,” Macy says with a shrug. “But I’m just a kid. Mom’s the pretty one.”

“Your mom is very pretty,” I agree. I finish brushing her hair, and then I start to section it out, just like Sam taught me. Though Macy’s hair isn’t anywhere near as long, and is softer than Sam’s ever was.

“Are you going to be my new Dad?” Macy asks me suddenly. Now I freeze. Uh oh. I am not prepared for this kind of conversation. “It’s okay if you are,” Macy continues, like she doesn’t even notice that I’m having a bit of a crisis moment. “My dad died, so he’s not around, and he died when I was a baby, so I didn’t meet him. Grandma and Auntie Peyton say Mom needs someone, that she’s lonely by herself. I don’t want Mom to be lonely.”

“Your Mom has you, so I don’t think she’s completely lonely,” I say weakly as I quickly finish her braid. “I don’t know what the future holds for your Mom and I, Macy. But I like her, and I want to get to know her more. And I also like you, which means I want to get to know you too. But if you’re not happy with me seeing your Mom, then all you have to do is tell her.”

She shakes her head and turns to look up at me. “No, I like you. You’re nice, and you’re nice to Mom. Does that mean you’ll be having sleepovers all the time?”

Shit. I am comfortable with this conversation. “I hope to come over and visit as much as your Mom lets me,” I say after a moment. “Does it bother you if I have a sleepover?”

She shakes her head. “Maddie sleeps over and it’s fun. But you can’t have my teddy bear. That’s mine,”she tells me with a warning frown.

I chuckle. “Mr. Teddy Bear is safe from me,” I promise. “Now, I have to go see my friends, okay, so are you going to be alright down here by yourself?”

“I do it all the time,” she says carelessly. “But can you get me some cereal first? I’m hungry.”

“I’ll get it,” a soft voice behind me says, and I turn my head to see Quinn standing at the bottom of the stairs, a soft smile on her face. She doesn’t look mad to see me down here with Macy, so I have to assume she’s okay with it.

“Hi, Mom!” Macy says with a wide smile as she jumps up and runs to hug her. “Shadow did my braid for me. And he did it right!” She sounds awe-struck.

“I see that,” Quinn says as I stand and set the brush down on the sofa. “How about you go and get the cereal and the milk okay? I need to say goodbye to Shadow.”

“Okay. Bye, Shadow,” Macy says cheerfully before she heads into the pantry.

Quinn moves towards me. “Will you let me know how they are after you see them?” she asks softly when I reach for her and pull her in close. “Let them know I’m thinking of them?”

“I will,” I promise. I glance at the pantry door and see that Macy is still in it, so I press my luck and lean down to give Quinn a kiss. She sighs softly, kissing me back, but I pull away when I hear Macy coming back, happily humming something under her breath. “I’ll text or call later depending on how things go, okay?”

“Okay,” she says with a nod and steps back. “And thank you, Shadow, for being so good with Macy.”

I stare down at her for a moment. “She’s a good kid, Quinn. You’ve done a really good job with her.”

“Even when she asks you embarrassing questions?”

I smile. “Even then. You can’t know if you don’t ask. I’m going to the hospital, but if you need me, call me, okay?” She nods. I glance over to where Macy is in the kitchen and see her back is turned, so I kiss Quinn again, needing just one more taste of her. When I pull away, her face is flushed a bright pink, but I see the light of desire in her eyes too.

“You know that kissing gives you cooties, right?” Macy asks suddenly, making Quinn jump back, startled, her face turning from pink to red in an instant.

I look at Macy, who is looking at me with narrowed eyes and hands on her little hips. The sass of this girl makes me want to grin, but I manage to keep my face expressionless. “Maybe I like cooties,” I return.

“Gross,” Macy says with disgust. “I’m never kissing boys. They’re icky.”

“Exactly right,” I agree. “You just keep remembering that until you’re fifty and you’ll be all good.” Quinn laughs softly and I wink at her. “Alright, I need to go. I’ll see you ladies later, okay?”

“Bye,” Macy says, uncaring as she looks at her mother expectantly, waiting for her breakfast to be served.

“Bye, Shadow,” Quinn says, moving towards the kitchen.

I turn and head out the door to my bike. I wish I could stay longer, have breakfast with them, have a little bit more time, but I’ve been away long enough and I have a mole to catch. It’s time to put on the pressure because after last night, his time on Earth is limited.

When I reach the hospital, most of the brothers are gone. Crypt stands at attention outside the door of Izzy and Kaleb’s room, and he gives me a quick nod before he returns his attention to the hallway leading in. Simon Lincoln seems to have gotten a couple of semi-private rooms.

I walk over to where Sniper is talking quietly to Viper. Viper gives me a quick once over, then nods when he sees I’m alright. “What we got?” I ask quietly.

Sniper and Viper exchange a look. “We haven’t said anything to the boys about the tracks back to the clubhouse,” Sniper says in a low voice, careful that no one can overhear. “No one saw the person behind the wheel.”

I nod. “Windows were tinted.”

“Crypt was able to get the plate number off it before they hauled it away,” Viper says. “It comes back to a dummy corporation called Grom Industries.”

“Grom is a Slavic deity,” I mutter, straightening slightly. “So our mole used one of Dmitri’s vehicles.”

“I can’t imagine that Dmitri would have wanted such a blatant hit,” Sniper muses.

“So he stole the vehicle?” Viper questions. “Either our mole is stupid or one brave son of a bitch. I wouldn’t want Dmitri pissed at me like that.”

“We need to amp up our search for him,” I tell Sniper tightly, looking him dead in the eyes. “Put on the pressure.”

“Fucking right,” Viper agrees.

“We will,” Sniper assures me. “Doctors say that Rose, Bullet, and Sage will probably be out for at least another twenty-four hours, but Izzy and Kaleb are both in and out. Torque hasn’t left Izzy’s side, and Kaleb’s mother has been here to see him. She begged me to find who did this to her son, and I made her a promise that I will. I don’t intend to break it.”

“Sniper,” Hammer says, coming over, eyes heavy with stress and fatigue. He nods at Viper and me, and continues, “We having Church soon?”

Sniper nods at him. “I’m going to call it in a couple of hours. You need to get some sleep, brother. You’ve been here all night.”

“Bullet is my oldest friend and brother, Sniper, no way in hell am I leaving him,” Hammer snaps. Sniper just nods. Hammer huffs out a breath. “Fuck,” he hisses, rubbing his eyes. “Sorry.”

“I get it, brother,” Sniper says with a wave of his hand.

“This is just like back in the fucking eighties when Bull was running shit,” he growls. “That good-for-nothing bastard was always landing one of us in the hospital, or sometimes heading for jail. Now we’ve got a fucking mole, the mafia on our tails, and brothers and their women in the damn hospital. It’s like the past’s come full circle.”

I glance at Viper and see him give me a subtle nod. Our thoughts are heading in the same direction. Hammer is on to something, and I doubt it’s a coincidence. “You said Bull was in with the mafia back then, wasn’t he?” I ask Hammer casually.

Hammer shakes his head. “Nah, back then it was the cartel and some other local gangs that were trying to take control of the town. It was a fucking mess, brother. It was all-out wars on the streets. Bull was moving drugs and some guns mostly, but we all knew he wanted more power and pull. It’s why Bullet, a few others, and I worked so damn hard to get the club out from under his thumb. There was a divide in the club, and some of the brothers paid the price by standing with us, while some were taken out by the gangs and cartel.”

“Some deserted the club though, didn’t they?” I ask carefully.

Hammer gives a humorless chuckle. “Bullet, Trickster, and I tracked them all down. If they were deserters, then we took care of them,” he says grimly. “Couldn’t let that shit stand.”

We all nod. I vaguely remember Trickster from when I joined. He died of a heart attack within the first year after I patched in, but he had been a gruff old man that liked to play tricks on everyone in the clubhouse. I vaguely remember him tricking a club girl into taking a laxative, ending in her spending almost a full twenty-four hours in the can. She didn’t stay long after that. She was too pissed.

“So we don’t have to worry about any of them coming back to get revenge,” Viper muses.

Hammer shakes his head. “Whoever Dmitri is working with, our mole is smart and is figuring out a way to stay hidden. But this shit, this isn’t going to fly.”

“No, it isn’t,” Sniper agrees. “Dmitri and his men are going to wish they hadn’t set foot in this town.”

Hammer nods. “I’m going to go grab some of that shit coffee. Call my cell if anything changes.” Then he turns and heads off.

Once he’s out of earshot, I murmur to Sniper, “We’re not going to mention our mole is responsible for this, right?”

Sniper shakes his head. “Let him think he’s safe, and that we’re blaming Dmitri. Might make him sloppy enough to slip up.”

“Hopefully,” I agree. “I’m going in to see them, and then I’m heading back to the clubhouse. You’re keeping the guards here?”

Sniper nods. “I’m not taking any chances. I have Carson and the other prospects keeping the clubhouse locked down, but I want Crypt here. With his training, he’ll be in better use here.”

“Good call,” I agree. “Crypt is a scary bastard when he’s on a job. I’ll come back and rotate out with them after Church to give them a break.”

“Not going anywhere,” Hulk says as he comes over. “We only have a couple of rooms to watch and they’re close enough that I don’t have to have two people on them at all times. Crypt and I will rotate out if needed, but we’re not leaving.”

“And I’m not leaving, so I’ll be a guard too,” Stone says as he also joins our circle. “King and Torque are too focused on their women and aren’t in any shape to watch over shit. I also doubt they’re going to want to leave for Church.”

“Think they deserve a pass on this,” Sniper agrees. “You coming or staying here?”

He glances at us and then he says, “Staying. But I want updates.”

“Done,” Sniper agrees.

“I’ll go see them and then head out,” I announce. I turn and head for the first room, and walk in to find Kaleb sleeping but Izzy awake and curled around Torque, who is holding her tight. His eyes are heavy with fatigue, but they latch on to mine as soon as I walk in. “Hey, brother,” I say quietly, moving to stand by the bed. I look at Izzy, who looks up at me with pain-filled eyes. “Hey, sugar,” I murmur to Izzy, reaching out to gently touch her head. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she murmurs. “I’m really getting tired of almost dying, Shadow.”

“You’re not going to die,” Torque says firmly, his arms tightening on her.

“Of course not,” I agree. “You’re damn strong, sugar. You just rest and let your man take care of you and you’ll be as right as rain. You need anything?”

“Pain meds,” she murmurs. “But I don’t want them.”

I look at Torque in confusion. His features are tight as he explains, “She’s worried about developing an addiction, especially after the cocktail that she got injected with. So they’re only managing her pain.” And it’s paining him, that’s clear to see, but I get it. Addiction isn’t something to play with.

“How about when I come back, I’ll bring you some of your favorites, huh?” I suggest with a smile at Izzy. “What do you want? Chocolate? Ice cream?”

She perks up a little bit at that. “Chocolate. Any kind,” she tells me, smiling at me gratefully.

“Done. Now, behave for your man, got me?” She nods and then she closes her eyes and snuggles into him. I grip Torque’s shoulder in support and he nods. “You need anything?” I ask him softly.

Torque looks up at me. “Find the bastard,” he says quietly, but the vehemence in his voice is unmistakable.

“We’re on it,” I promise. I move over to Kaleb, see the bruises and cuts, and listen to the monitors beeping around him. Then I head down the hall to see the others.

I take a deep breath before I enter the room, but it’s still a kick in the gut to see them all laying there. Sage is closest to the window, with King sitting in the chair beside her bed, holding her hand, his eyes never leaving her. She’s connected to a bunch of wires and machines, bruises and cuts covering her body, and an oxygen tube under her nose. Next to her is Rose, and my heart clenches as I approach her bed.

She’s lying there, pale, with machines and tubes everywhere, including down her throat to help her breathe. She’s bruised and swollen, her face cut and stitched in a few places. My mouth is dry, and I have to fight the emotion brewing inside me at seeing such a strong woman lying in this bed. She should be teasing and scolding me, pulling me into whatever shit she’s planning, not laying here with machines helping to keep her alive.

I force myself to take her uncasted hand in mine gently, hating how limp it is in my grip. I stare at her, vowing silently that I’m going to get her justice. I force myself to lean down and kiss her forehead, and murmur, “You best be waking up soon, woman, because I need to put that bail fund to good use.” My only answer is the steady beeping of her heart monitor and the slow and even rise and fall of her chest with each breath. I pull away and go over to see Bullet.

I look down at the larger-than-life man who has been more than just a President to me. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. He gave me my purpose, and I’m going to make sure that he knows it was worth it. He’s black and blue, also with a breathing tube and monitors attached everywhere. He’s very pale, his beard matted, but even unconscious, the man has a stern look on his face.

I gently touch his arm, and murmur, “You better wake up, old man, or the women are going to beat you to it. They’ll cause all kinds of mayhem before we can reign them in.” Again, no answer.

I pull away and walk over to King, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You need anything, brother?” I ask.

“I need them all to wake up,” he says instantly, voice empty and hollow. “The doctors are confident about their recovery, but they’re going to be in a world of pain when they wake up. But it won’t seem real until they do, you know?”

I nod. “I know. I know you won’t leave them, so do you need anything? Clothes and shit?”

He shakes his head. “Nah I’m good. Thanks, brother.” I nod, and then with one last look at them all, I head out.

It’s time to start my hunt, and this time, I’m not stopping until the mole is in my hands and his blood is running through my fingers.