Wolf (Devil's Fury MC 9)

by Harley Wylde

  “They’re part of a group. We don’t know the name yet, but there’s more than one, Glory. It’s not just one man trying to get to you. It could be many more. We’ve seen two on camera. Twister’s brother and someone we haven’t identified yet. We don’t know exactly how big this thing is yet. Blades said he remembered a man in prison who always referred to the Sons. The hackers are trying to get more information.”

  “So we don’t know who the group is, what they want, or how many of them there are?” I asked.

  “Right. And that’s why I’m a bit obsessed with where you are every second of the day.”

  I could understand why he was so worried. It bothered me no one knew anything about the men who wanted to hurt me. Even worse, if they’d killed Amelia and filmed it, they’d probably hurt other women. Someone needed to stop them. I had no doubt the Devil’s Fury would do their best to put an end to the monsters, but what if they couldn’t?

  “Is someone supposed to call you with an update?” I asked.

  “Demon has sent a few texts out to everyone. I haven’t heard anything since lunch.”

  I leaned over Wolf and picked up his phone from the bedside table. “Text or call him.”

  “It’s almost midnight,” Wolf pointed out. “If I wake up Farrah, or his daughter, Rebel, Demon will be pissed as hell. Trust me when I say you don’t want to be on his bad side.”

  “You’re stressing out and not sleeping well. Please, Max. Call him. Tell him I asked if there’d been any news. Make it sound like it’s for me.”

  He sighed and placed the call, putting it on speaker.

  “What the fuck do you want?” Demon asked when the line connected, not even bothering with a simple “hello” first.

  “I have you on speaker and Glory is here. She’s worried that we haven’t found out anything new. I told her you’d been sending updates, but she asked me to call,” Wolf said. “I told her what I could.”

  “Right.” Demon sighed. “The group is called Sons of Vassago. From what Shield was able to determine, it’s a group who worships a demon by the name of Vassago, a Prince of Hell. We believe the women, and the way they’re killed, are intended to be some sort of sacrifice.”

  “Jesus,” Wolf muttered.

  “All the hackers, except Outlaw, are working on finding the names and faces of the members. At least the ones within a few hundred miles of here. It’s possible some could have flown from other areas, but the Sons of Vassago appear to be global. I’m not sure we’ll have a list of every single one no matter how long we work on this.”

  “Wait,” I said, my chest feeling tight as anxiety crept through me. “If they’re global, even if you get rid of whichever ones want to hurt me, won’t more just try later? Or want revenge if you kill any of their members?”

  “And that’s why we haven’t done anything yet,” Demon said. “We need to determine how expendable these men are. The last thing we want to do is start a war.”

  “They already brought it to our doorstep,” Wolf pointed out. “We didn’t start shit.”

  “Any idea how this all ties in to the clinic?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t overstepping. But since these assholes wanted me dead too? Yeah, it made it my problem.

  “Wire helped out with that end,” Demon said. “Twister’s brother goes by the name Saul Sanders. We can’t tell if that’s his legal name or not, but everything Wire has dug up has that name on it. Wire and his wife went through camera footage in the area for days and finally found our man stalking the patient from the clinic. He may not have been the one to assault her, but she was on his radar. The fact we helped her, then made sure she got home safely, probably pissed him off. Add to that the fact his brother was part of this club, and is now lying in a shallow grave, and it put a target on you and the doc.”

  At least it wasn’t something I’d done. And it wasn’t directly related to the clinic and the work we’d been doing. I had to wonder if Saul hadn’t discovered the club was affiliated with the clinic, if the doctor and I would have been safe. Or since his victim had managed to escape, would we still be considered a good alternative? I had a feeling we might never know.

  “I’ll call Church tomorrow and we can come up with a plan,” Demon said. “Hopefully, we’ll have more information on the men we’re dealing with right now and who else might be close by. Each club helping us track down this information is also going to keep an eye on the Sons of Vassago.”

  “Thank you, Demon,” I said. “I know you didn’t have to let me hear all that, but it helps. Not knowing scares me more than having an idea of what I could face if those men get their hands on me.”

  “Not going to happen, Glory. You’re Wolf’s, which means you’re club property, and we protect our own,” Demon said.

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about being club property, but Wolf had mentioned something about a property cut for me. I hadn’t gotten one yet. Something told me the club was too preoccupied with everything else going on.

  Wolf ended the call and pulled me into his arms. “And now you know as much as I do.”

  “Except for the details of the video, and I don’t need to know those. It’s clear we’re dealing with people who have no conscience. No soul. Do they really believe sacrificing women will gain them favors with a demon?” I asked. “Isn’t that a little too…”

  “Hollywood?” he asked. “Yeah, it is. There’s a good chance they don’t believe sacrifices will do anything. They may just enjoy the kill and use the demon Vassago as an excuse.”

  “What do we do now?” I asked.

  “Get some sleep.” He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed me softly. “You’re too important for me to lose you, Glory. You’re… everything. My heart. My soul. My reason for breathing. As much as I’d love to be up all night making love, I want to be sharp and focused. I can’t let those assholes slip past me.”

  “I understand, Max.” I bit my lip before kissing him. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I needed to tell him. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, beautiful. I don’t deserve an angel like you, but now that I have you, I’m holding on and never letting go.”

  I snuggled closer. “Good, because I’m not letting you go either.”

  He placed his hand over my belly. We hadn’t been together very long, but I still knew what he was thinking. My big, sexy biker wondered if I could be pregnant. We hadn’t been trying to conceive, even if we’d decided protection wasn’t going to work for right now. Neither of us wanted to wait long enough for me to get on the pill, and since the first condom had broken, it hadn’t seemed worth dealing with them. He was clean. I was clean. So we were leaving babies up to fate.

  I pressed my hand to his. “I should start in about a week or a few days after. If I don’t, I can take a pregnancy test and we’ll see what it says.”

  “As much as I’d love to have another baby with you, I’d rather wait until the Sons of Vassago are out of the picture.”

  “Me too,” I murmured.

  “What about your degree? You haven’t been working on your classes since you moved in here, not that I’ve seen. And you said something about needed to do a clinical or whatever it’s called.”

  “I think I’m putting everything on hold for the moment. I want my degree, and I’ll get it. The time just feels off right now. What seemed like the most important thing ever has taken a back seat to everything else. I have you and Sienna. That’s what matters most. I’m only nineteen. I have the rest of my life to finish my nursing degree.”

  “Don’t give up on your dream, Glory. Not for me or anyone else.”

  “I won’t, Max. Nursing is still important to me, but my dreams are changing. I never counted on finding a guy like you. I’d thought it would be me and Sienna forever, or at least until she grew up and started her own life. Priorities change, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s why humans are so adaptive. Our lives are constantly shifting or turning upside down entirely. I still want to be a nurse, but it
’s not quite as important as before.”

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “My smart, beautiful, sexy wife.”

  I smiled and closed my eyes. With his arms around me, I felt safe and loved. As long as Wolf was by my side, I could face anything. Even some weird cult of psychotic murderers who sacrificed women. Nothing would take me from Wolf. I wouldn’t let it.

  I needed him as much as I needed air, and I knew he felt the same about me. He’d been lonely, even if he wouldn’t have admitted as much. He might have been with Franny for a while, but it was clear she’d never really cared for him. She’d been selfish and hadn’t accepted him. I loved Wolf with all my heart. I saw him. The real him, insecurities and all. Some might think tough, alpha bikers didn’t have weaknesses, but I’d learned that was far from the truth. Everyone had a weakness. In Wolf’s case, he’d wanted to be accepted. Loved. I would gladly give him that and so much more.

  He might be protective of me, but I would defend him as well. Not just physically. No, I’d fight for all of Wolf -- his strengths, his weaknesses, his heart… his very soul. He was mine, just as I was his, and nothing would ever tear us apart.

  If my parents were still part of my life, they’d be trying to pull me away from Wolf. They’d say it was too soon to claim I loved him. They’d say I was acting irrationally, and not doing the mature thing. They’d never really understood me. Yes, they’d pushed me to be the best I could be, and I appreciated all they’d done and sacrificed, but when I needed them the most, they’d tossed me out like unwanted trash. Me and my baby. I’d never forgive them for that. Hugs and kisses had been rare growing up. I wanted something different for my children.

  One day I’d send them a letter and thank them. If they hadn’t been so cruel, I’d have never met Wolf. I wouldn’t have moved to Blackwood Falls, fallen in love, or met the incredible people here. Picking up and moving had been scary, but it had been the best decision I’d ever made. I wouldn’t second-guess myself again. Whatever higher power had led me here had given me a gift. The best gift ever. Love.

  “Love you,” I mumbled softly.

  A snore was Wolf’s response and I smiled as I let sleep take me.

  Chapter Twelve

  Wolf

  Church was getting crowded. I looked around the room and realized I wasn’t the only one who’d brought my woman along. Because of the type of threat we were dealing with, the club officers had decided it was best if the women knew what was going on. Glory sat on my lap. Farrah stood behind Demon with her hand on his shoulder. Slash’s woman, Shella, sat on a chair next to him. Badger’s woman, Adalia, Dagger and Guardian’s woman, Zoe, and Outlaw’s woman, Elena, had opted to stay in the main part of the clubhouse with the kids. The other Fury ladies were propped against the wall near the door, each looking fierce and ready to tackle whatever evil dared to encroach on their territory.

  And then there was our guest. Alora Danvers.

  Badger eyed her before scanning the room. “You’re probably wondering who this young woman is. Her name is Alora and she’s Twister’s niece.”

  I heard a gasp and my gaze landed on Meredith, Grizzly’s adopted daughter. And Twister’s daughter by blood. Apparently, no one had told her she had living family.

  “We’re cousins?” Meredith asked. “How is this possible?”

  Doolittle stood and went to her, taking her hand. “Not right now, Merry. You’ll get a chance to talk to her a little later, and I promise we’ll explain everything.”

  Meredith nodded and gave him a slight smile.

  “I have no idea who Twister is,” Alora said. “Only family I ever had was my mother, and she died shortly after I turned eighteen.”

  “You don’t look older than that now,” Stitches said.

  “I’m twenty.” Alora folded her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up. “I also have a thriving business, own my house and car outright, and have no idea why you’ve dragged me here or what the hell is going on.”

  Slash coughed to cover a laugh. “Yeah, she’ll fit right in.”

  “Business?” Frost asked.

  “I’m a writer. A damn good one, too.”

  “Your business is writing?” Smuggler asked, as if it were a foreign concept. Since I’d never seen him with a book, that might not be far off.

  “I write romances.” Her cheeks flushed a little. “And before you make any snide remarks, you should know I’ve hit the bestseller lists multiple times and my net worth is somewhere around half a million dollars. So yeah, it’s a business.”

  Bandit whistled. “Damn. Maybe I need to start writing.”

  I snorted. “Write what? I’m not sure the world is ready for the crap that goes through your mind.”

  Badger slammed his fist onto the table. “Enough! Alora is here because I wanted her under our protection. Her uncle, Saul Sanders, is not only part of the Sons of Vassago, but he seems to be the leader for this particular area. All the hackers have been working non-stop on this issue. What they’ve discovered is unsettling to say the least. The Sons of Vassago have been under our noses for years. Most of the unsolved murders within fifty miles can be contributed to their savagery.”

  Alora paled and looked like she might crumple at any moment. Doolittle was the closest and led her to a chair next to her cousin. He stood by the two, keeping an eye on them. The look he gave them wasn’t of a romantic nature, so I believed him when he said he and Meredith were just friends. Although, now that she was of legal age, I wasn’t so sure she’d let things remain on a friends-only footing for long.

  “We need to drive them out of this area,” Slash said. “I haven’t figured out yet how we’re going to do it, but if we take out Saul, it’s only going to put our families at greater risk. They already want Glory. How long before they put a target on all our women and our daughters?”

  “If he’s my family, maybe I could reason with him?” Alora asked.

  “Don’t think that’s a good idea,” Steel said. “I’m not sure Saul would care if you were blood or not. If he didn’t sacrifice you the way he’s done so many other young women, he might very well try to marry you off to one of the members of his cult.”

  “So we’re definitely calling it a cult now?” I asked.

  Steel shrugged. “Can you think of a better word for it?”

  No, not really. I saw the frustration on Badger’s face and knew he wanted us to focus. He looked like he was seconds from erupting, and none of us wanted that to happen. He’d gotten his name for good reason. Ever met a badger? Those bastards were mean as fuck and would tear you up.

  “They need a good reason to move out of this territory,” Badger said. “The tricky part is making sure we aren’t pawning them off on another club. Any ideas on where we could lead them?”

  “And how are you going to ‘lead’ those men anywhere?” Guardian asked. “No offense, Pres, but we don’t have anything to offer that they’d want other than Glory, and obviously we aren’t handing her over.”

  Alora raised her hand and cleared her throat. I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh at how fucking cute she was.

  Badger sighed and leaned back in his chair. “This isn’t a classroom, Miss Danvers. You have something to say?”

  She nodded and stood. “Not to state the obvious, but like I said, I’m a writer. If you need a creative way to get my… uncle to move out the area, why not give me some time to come up with something? Preferably a non-violent way where all of us stay alive and breathing?”

  Badger opened and shut his mouth, clearly speechless. I was right there with him. My woman? Not so much. She leaned forward, excitement flashing in her eyes.

  “You think you can write a scenario where your uncle would leave?” Glory asked.

  Alora scratched her nose. “Well, in theory, yes. I mean, I write erotic romances mostly, but I’ve been known to throw in some danger. I don’t see why I couldn’t at least try. Unless someone already has a plan?”

  The room was so quiet I co
uld hear the clock on the wall ticking. Yeah, none of us had a damn idea as to what to do. We’d never been faced with anything quite like the Sons of Vassago. Even back when Slash’s dad and his club had been raising hell in the southern part of the US, it hadn’t been this level of horrifying. Not to mention, Abraxas and his brothers were only based in our country. The Sons of Vassago were worldwide.

  “Right.” Alora cleared her throat. “I just need my laptop or a pad and pen. A quiet place to think and write. Might take me a few hours.”

  “Find out which of the rooms aren’t being used, make sure it’s clean, and let her use the space,” Demon said. “Assign a Prospect to make sure she has everything she needs, and make sure the fucker knows to keep his hands to himself.”

  Doolittle stepped closer to Alora. “I’ll help her get set up. I need to go let the dogs out anyway.”

  Alora blinked at him stupidly. Then she snickered before doubling over and laughing until she cried. “Oh, God! Sorry! It’s just… Who Let the Dogs Out?”

  “I don’t get it,” I mumbled to Glory, whose shoulders had started shaking with silent laughter.

  She pulled out her phone, tapped on the screen to pull up YouTube, and soon a song filled the room. The moment we heard the lyrics, everyone roared with laughter, and poor Doolittle just rolled his eyes.

  “It wasn’t that funny,” he said. “And I really do need to let the dogs out if I don’t want to clean up puddles.”

  “I think we needed that,” Glory said after Alora followed Doolittle from the room. “Anyone else feel better? Cleansed?”

  Most of the men at the table nodded, and the women too.

  “Are we really letting a romance writer figure out how to get rid of a killer?” Dagger asked.

  Outlaw leaned back and put his hands behind his head, stretching in his chair. “Anyone want to place a bet that her browser history includes multiple ways of killing a man or getting rid of a body? I wouldn’t discount her just yet. We can at least hear what she comes up with -- unless someone here wants to give us some ideas.”