The Devil’s Blaze

by Zoey Parker

  Cutter let out a low whistle. “Two percent of everything?”

  “Yeah.” Joe nodded. “Financially, it’s a sweet deal. That would almost double our earnings in that area alone. All we would have to do is let them have the routes, and we’d provide some protection here and there.”

  “Protection, like do the runs for them? And only get two percent, along with all the fucking risk of running that hard shit? Those assholes peddle coke and H, Joe. Fury Riders…we aren’t drug peddlers,” Lucas interjected. The backbone of their club had always been to protect their community. Not letting that shit flow through their streets had always been something they took pride in. Most of their kids went to the schools in town. If the Iron Rebels took those routes and had free reign to peddle their shit, coke and heroine would be readily available at all the schools. Elementary through high school. No way would Lucas let that happen.

  His old man never would have allowed that shit. But his old man wasn’t around. He’d been VP when he was alive and had taken the club mostly legit with the garage. That was his old man’s work—giving them steady paychecks and something they could show to the public. No way he’d ever vote to let hard drugs run through town.

  “I didn’t say I’d decided on it, so keep your panties out of a twist.” Joe sat upright.

  “You’d have to bring this one to the table, Joe,” Cutter voiced softly. “This isn’t just your call.”

  “No shit,” Joe shot at him, then started to cough. He held his hand out to keep either man from helping him, and they waited until the coughing fit passed. “Let me think on it. I’ll bring it to Church on Tuesday if it’s something I think we should go forward with. I won’t bring it up if I’m not in support of it.”

  Lucas wouldn’t argue that point. Even if the club members wanted to jump on the offer, the only deals the president was required to bring forward were the ones he felt were in the club’s best interest. If he felt the deal was bad for the club, he wouldn’t bring it to the table, and everyone had to respect that. Hell, there was probably a laundry list of shit Joe never brought to them but never would he accept a deal or start something new without the vote of the board.

  Lucas wouldn’t ask for more than that. “They don’t want a war; they want the marijuana runs,” he noted instead.

  “Yeah. He said the idiots who jumped you and Jeff last month were working on their own. They had no club backing for that. Apparently, the little shit who stabbed you was damn near blubbering when he told Clay who he’d stuck. Fucking prospects don’t know their heads from their asses.”

  Lucas didn’t bother responding. The Iron Rebels were stirring up too much bad blood. They weren’t a violent club, but no way were they going to let their members be attacked or insulted. That shit didn’t fly.

  “Your girl out there?” Joe changed the subject.

  “Josephine. Yeah, she’s with Cherry.” Lucas jerked a thumb toward the door.

  “Cherry? You sure that’s wise?” Joe laughed.

  “It’s fine. Cherry is fine,” Cutter nearly growled. Whatever had started between Cherry and him wasn’t a little dalliance, and that suited Lucas fine. The girl was too innocent to be turned into a club whore, no matter if she was the one instigating the change. She needed a steady man, and Cutter was better than most.

  “Let’s go have a beer and table this shit for later.” Joe pushed out of his chair and walked out of the office, leaving them to follow him.

  Chapter 10

  Josephine should have known something was wrong. It was written all over Cherry’s face when they witnessed the large hulk of a man walking through the front door with two smaller, yet still severe-looking, men. She only got a glimpse of him before he disappeared down the same hall Lucas and Cutter had followed an older man down.

  Cherry explained somewhat what was going on while they waited for the guys to come back out. “Cutter and Lucas are captains. There’s another one, but I can’t remember his name. He doesn’t come around that often anymore. Joe, that’s the guy who went with them, is the president of the club. Old as fuck, and sick too. Same with the VP. He hasn’t been around in months; I’m not even sure if he’s alive.” Cherry bit her lip and shook her head. “Forget I said that. That wasn’t cool. Cutter would have my ass if he heard me say something like that.” Her cheeks blushed a bit, but there was no fear there.

  “What about that guy?” Josephine pointed to the newcomer walking into the building.

  “That is Clay. He’s the president of Iron Rebels. Another club a few towns over. I’ve been seeing their patches all over town, though. I think they are wanting to move closer.”

  “Closer to what? We aren’t exactly a metropolis here.” Josephine took a sip of her soda, letting the carbonation fizzle in her throat.

  Yelling and cursing erupted from the pool table behind where Josephine sat with Cherry at the bar. A pool stick was thrown down on the felt, and there was more yelling. Josephine swiveled on the barstool to see what was going on.

  “Just ignore them. Fire can’t stand to lose, and his little brother just cleared the table.”

  Josephine watched with fascination as the larger of the two men, Fire—named for his dark red hair, she assumed—started to rack up the balls again, cursing and accusing the other man of being a cheat the entire time. His brother just stood at the end of the table running the chalk over the tip of the pool stick with a grin on his face, shaking his head slowly.

  Another shoving match broke out at another table, but harsh laughter followed. The men were playing. Everywhere she looked, the fierceness of their expressions completely countered how friendly they were behaving.

  “Sort of like watching the apes at the zoo, huh?” Cherry laughed, then cleared her throat. “Dammit, I have to watch that.”

  “Cutter won’t let you have opinions of your own? Is that what it’s like to be a girlfriend to him, to all of them?” Josephine knew her voice had turned sour, maybe a little contempt had leaked into her tone, but she needed to know what she was getting into…what she was bringing a baby into. That was the purpose of her being there; that’s what Lucas had told her. She needed to start being around his club, his brothers. He wanted her to be part of his world, and this was it.

  “No, I think I’m giving you the wrong idea. Cutter isn’t bad. He’s a little warped when it comes to manners, though. Saying shit against the other members irritates him. Disrespectful, he says.”

  “An offhanded comment like the one you just made?” Josephine turned her eyes on Cherry.

  “Well, maybe not that one, ’cause well, he’d agree. Fire does look a bit like an ape when he starts pounding his chest.” She cracked a smile. “But he’s just big on respect.”

  “For the club?” What about the women? Their families. There was more to life than just what she was looking at, right?

  “For everyone: the club, their families,” she paused and looked away before continuing, “myself.”

  Josephine remembered what she had witnessed when she walked into the lounge with Lucas. She’d seen Cherry on her knees in the corner, sucking off Cutter. The man who apparently held respect in such a high regard.

  Cherry looked up, and her eyes flashed. “You saw.” Her cheeks blushed a hot red. “I noticed you and Lucas right after, I had hoped you didn’t see.”

  “It’s none of my business.” Josephine returned her attention to her drink.

  “It’s not what you think. Really,” Cherry rushed to say. “It’s…well…that wasn’t his idea. I mean, it was, but it’s my thing. The public display…it’s…well, I like it.”

  “Really?” Josephine looked around the room, trying to see if anyone else was having as good of time as Cutter and Cherry had been when they arrived. “Is that usual around here?”

  “Sometimes. Usually later, when the guys have relaxed more, drunk a few beers, and are done catching up with each other. It’s not uncommon to see that going on.” Cherry tucked a short curl behind her ear.
>
  “Did you ever…with Lucas?” Josephine found herself asking, unsure if she wanted the answer or what she would even do with the information.

  Cherry blushed again but didn’t look her in the eye. It was answer enough. “Like I said, we weren’t serious. Not a thing at all.”

  “He just used you like some common whore.” Josephine snapped her mouth shut, realizing what she’d just said and how she’d said it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…shit. I’m so sorry, Cherry.” Her own cheeks heated with humiliation at being such a stuck-up bitch. Had it come from jealousy? Cherry had slept with Lucas, and the image of her kneeling in front of him, sucking his cock in front of the whole club, had her heart twisting and her mind racing.

  “It’s okay.” Cherry brushed off the comment but not before Josephine noticed the hurt expression.

  “No, it’s not.” Josephine touched her forearm. “I’m really sorry. That was horrible of me to say.”

  “What was horrible?” Lucas’s deep voice penetrated the tension lingering between the two ladies.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Cutter showed up behind Cherry, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his chest.

  “Nothing. It’s nothing.” Cherry waved a hand and reached for her beer still sitting on the bar.

  Josephine chanced a quick glance in Lucas’s direction and wished she hadn’t. His stare was hard, unyielding. Without a word, he reached past her and snatched up her drink, taking a long sip. “Regular?” He held the drink between them.

  Josephine could feel the blush creeping up her neck and wished the floor would just open up and swallow her whole. It would be better than this. Between her recent behavior and the hard look he was giving her, the night was quickly turning into a disaster.

  “What did you say to Cherry? What was horrible?” Lucas demanded again, his arms crossing over his chest after he put the drink back down and waved the bartender to take it away.

  “Lucas. It’s okay,” Cherry tried to interject, but Cutter pulled her back against him again.

  “If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask her,” Lucas warned.

  She swallowed the thick bile that threatened rise up. She’d been horrible. How could she admit that to him? It was the group of men in the room she had worried would treat her badly for being an outsider, but she was the problem.

  “Cherry—”

  “Can we talk about it privately?” Josephine stepped forward, putting her hands on his arms. A dark eyebrow arched. “Please. I’ve already apologized to her. I’ll tell you, but in private.”

  His jaw worked while he thought her request over. Cherry didn’t say anything else, and Cutter, thankfully, remained silent, as well. “Fine.” He snatched her arm and yanked her to follow him. She apologized to everyone she bumped into as he dragged her through the crowded room.

  His grip was tight on her arm, but she didn’t fight him. He hadn’t heard the situation, but he was already angry. What would he do when she fessed up to being a bitch? A judgmental bitch? He pulled her down a hallway to a small office. Once inside, he slammed the door shut and leaned against it, finally letting her go.

  She rubbed the tender spot on her arm he’d been gripping. “I’m sorry. I said something horrible. Something I didn’t mean.”

  “What was it?” his hard voice demanded.

  Josephine took a deep breath and slowly began to explain. She relayed the conversation exactly as it happened. What she didn’t do was confess that she’d been jealous of Cherry. He could either figure that out on his own or he wouldn’t.

  “You called her a whore?” The softness of his tone didn’t diminish any of her fear that he was pissed. In fact, it only amplified it.

  “That’s not how I meant it. She’s not—”

  “But you think I treated her like one?”

  Her chin rose up. Why was she the only one on trial here? He had used Cherry like a whore. That was his sin, not hers. Her problem was vocalizing her damn thoughts all the time. “Didn’t you?”

  She hadn’t thought his gaze could get darker, but it did. A shadow crossed his features, and his eyes narrowed in on her. “That’s what you think of me?”

  “I don’t know you!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know any of this.” She waved her hands around the room. Framed leather vests lined the walls with pictures hanging below them in some sort of memory of brothers lost.

  “You asked her if we had fucked?” Lucas wasn’t moved by her outburst.

  “Yes.” She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest in harsh movements. Two could be just as pissed as one. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. It’s not her fault. I mean, you—”

  “I never promised her anything more than she was willing to give. Nothing we did together was nonconsensual and never in the context of a relationship. That doesn’t make her a whore, and it doesn’t make me an asshole either.”

  “Maybe that’s it. Maybe we are just too fucking different.” She could feel the tears start to race toward her eyes, and she clenched her teeth to try to stop them. Crying wouldn’t solve anything. “I mean, really, what the fuck was I thinking? You offered to fuck me in the storage closet of the hospital to relieve my tension.” The anger began to simmer, but she didn’t even know who she was angry with anymore. “That’s all I was to you, too—a whore.” Fat tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them, so she turned away, not wanting him to see her. She scrubbed her face clean of the tears and hugged herself.

  He didn’t say anything, and she didn’t hear any movement, but his arms found her. Wrapping around her, he held her against his chest. He spun her around and rested his chin on top of her head, letting her take her time to calm down.

  “It was a horrible thing to say to her,” she whispered into his kutte.

  “Yeah, it was,” he agreed but didn’t sound angry anymore. “She’s young. Younger than any girl should be when she has to fend for herself.”

  “I’m not a judgmental person.” She sniffled. “I don’t understand why I said something like that.”

  His chest rumbled beneath her ear as he chuckled. “Well, I’d say it has something to do with the hormones running fucking crazy in your body right now, coupled with your jealousy that I had my hands on another woman before you, and then you had that soda—which I haven’t forgotten about—that was fully caffeinated.”

  Even in her teary-eyed state she managed to roll her eyes at his statement. Of course he’d latch on to that stupid detail.

  “But you’re wrong. I never saw you as a whore, not for one second.” He pushed her away from him and captured her face between his hands, bringing his face closer to hers. “Not for one fucking second did I think that about you. I’m not gonna lie: I was hoping to get in your pants the moment I laid eyes on you, but not because of that. Before you, I just wanted sex. A quick fuck and that’s it. But with you…it’s different. I want it all, Josephine. Everything. All of you.”

  “Did you really let her suck your dick in front of everyone?” She whispered it while staring into his eyes. No longer hazed with anger, they were soft and concerned.

  “Not my best moment.” He released her face and took a step back. “She had a thing for me. I knew it, and I shouldn’t have let her do most of what I let her do with me, but I did. Because I was an asshole.”

  “And the other girls? The really pretty ones with the sexy bodies?” She dragged her wrist under her nose, feeling like she was going to start crying again soon.

  “Some of them, yeah. But that’s done with. You are mine now, only mine, and I’m yours. There’s not going to be anyone else.” He looked so sincere when he said it; she didn’t want to question him further. Not then. Not at that moment. At that moment, she just needed to feel him.

  He must have sensed that, because before she knew it, she was swept up in his arms, and he carried her to the large chair in the corner of the room. Sitting down, he cradled her in his lap. “I should have warned you about Cherry.”

/>   “Cherry was fine, is fine. It’s not her. It was me.”

  “Not your finest moment, but I think you were insulting me more than her.” He ran his hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her. The big biker guy was snuggling her and trying to comfort her for being a bitch.

  She sighed and rested her head against his chest. “I’m sorry.” She snuggled further into him and let the warmth of his body soothe her. “What happened with that guy who came? He looked mad.”

  “Nothing you need to worry about.” He patted her hip. “Let’s get back out there; Cutter is going to think I’m in here whipping you or something.”

  “Does he do that to Cherry? That slap he gave her…”

  “Cutter takes care of Cherry how they both agreed to take care of her. Don’t worry about her. I think he’s actually into her much deeper than he’s even letting on. Now, let’s get out there. You can make one more apology, then we are heading home. We still need to discuss that soda.”