The Devil's Game (Rhodes to Hell Book 1)

by K. B. Saint

  "You're full of shit, but what are you looking for?" he asks, coming closer to where I am in the kitchen.

  "Food?" I tell him, turning around to face him again. "Why don't you have any?"

  "We've been eating at the compound so much we had to throw most of it away when we got back. We can shop tomorrow. Right now, we have a job to do," he tells me.

  I raise a brow, not knowing anything about any job we're supposed to be doing. "A job?"

  "Preston had a meeting tonight but due to all of the shit happening right now with these other mother fuckers he had to leave, so we are going instead. You wearing what you have on?"

  I look down at my tank top and loose joggers and shake my head. "I'll go get a sweatshirt."

  "Be fast, Ruby," he calls after me. "The meeting is soon, and we have a bit of a drive."

  I am fast and I decide to just throw a sweatshirt on over my tank top and I grab a pair of black sneakers Preston had delivered to the compound last week. When I finish throwing my hair up into a ponytail I head back out to the living room and find Nicholai leaning against the back of the couch looking down at his phone. He has a sweatshirt on now too and I hate it for covering up all of the amazing artwork on his body. He has a black beanie pulled over his blonde hair, and the way he looks up at me when I come into the room is completely catches me off guard.

  The expression I see in his eyes is soft and never in the entire time since Benzo died has he looked at me like this. I expect it to be gone quickly but when he pushes off of the couch he stands in front of me and his look finally turns serious. He takes a deep breath and sighs as I just stare up at him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this meeting, and I wish I could leave you here,” he tells me with a shake of his head.

  “If you have a bad feeling, you shouldn’t go alone,” I say, not wanting for a second to stay behind if he’s already feeling odd about everything. “It’s better to have someone to have your back.”

  “Preston won’t let me leave you anyway,” he says. “So, when we get to the docks I need you to listen to every word I tell you, got it?”

  I nod and my confirmation is all he needs for his stoic, unbothered expression to wash back over his face. He leads the way to the car and once we settle into our seats he tells me the docks are about forty-five minutes away and I should try to catch a nap on the way. I don’t respond as he turns the music up loud and I’m thankful we seem to have similar music tastes because being in the car for so long with the wrong playlist can really put a damper on my mood.

  The drive isn’t bad and the fact I’m going to a meeting for Preston has my adrenaline so high there’s no way I’d ever be able to sleep like Nic suggested. I laughed when he told me initially because I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. I’m sure he’ll learn fast about how much I don’t sleep and hopefully he won’t pull a Preston and force me to nap all of the time.

  The only way I’m guaranteed to pass out without the help of drugs or alcohol is if I am thoroughly fucked but they still won’t give me any kind of sexual release now. I haven’t had sex in far too long and I only have Salem to thank for the couple of nights of sleep I got before they left. She snuck in my room after everyone went to sleep for two days and while she didn’t get to pound my cervix, I came enough times to get a couple hours of sleep each night.

  “We will be there in less than five minutes,” he says, after turning the music down. I pull myself out of my fantasies of his sister, and look over at him as he drives. He glances over at me when I don’t respond and knits his eyebrows together. “You okay?”

  I grin. “Oh, so you do care …”

  “Shut up,” he tells me, looking back at the road ahead of us. “We won’t be going in the front when we get there. I’m going to park on the road and we will have a small walk through some trees to get there. It’s the better option because they won’t hear us coming like they would if we drove up. I’ve never liked the motherfucker we are meeting. He’s slimy and has had Preston’s position on his most wanted list for years.”

  “Why was Preston supposed to be meeting with him today?” I ask, but I’m not sure he’ll tell me. There are always little things they say I can’t know they.

  “To discuss what they could offer as far as protecting what’s ours. Daymon, the guy we’re meeting, runs an MC just outside of Sawyer and has been in Preston’s pocket for a long time. But he’s antsy and the kind of grimy ass motherfucker who will turn if he finds something better. If I had the information Salem and Elijah are currently searching for right now, I would be able to confirm my suspicions about him. I think it was him who allowed these new shit heads in our city. He has no morals or loyalty, and I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in his head today if he so much as looks at me wrong.”

  “Wouldn’t Preston be mad if you killed him? I mean, wouldn’t it stir up even more drama?”

  I watch the dark road ahead of us while I wait for him to respond and as he pulls off of the road we’re on, he starts talking.

  “Killing Daymon would stir some shit up, for sure, but Preston would be even more pissed if I let anything happen to you,” he says, putting the car in park and opening his door.

  I follow his lead and get out of the car, meeting him where he’s waiting by his trunk. He pops the hatch and when once it’s open enough for me to see what’s inside my mouth falls open. I know Nicholai is a gun person, but I’ve never seen so many massive guns in one spot ever.

  “What gun do you prefer? I noticed you always grabbed something different when Salem would take you out shooting in the woods behind the compound.”

  “I don’t have a preference I’ve really only ever used guns on the fly, I always let Say pick and she just wanted to find one I was comfortable with,” I admit.

  He nods and looks over the gun he has before his gaze falls back to me. “Did you find any you liked better than others?”

  “I want you to pick the gun you think I’ll be the most efficient with, Nic. I don’t know gun names or what they can do like all of y’all. I just want to be able to have your back if I’m needed. My aim is pretty good with most of them, but Salem says I don’t do as well with guns that have a lot of recoil or something,” I explain, looking over the guns with him.

  He pulls out a black gun from the pile and hands it to me. I don’t ask questions as he explains the general handling of the weapon and when I slip it into my hoodie pocket I hold into it tightly, thankful it’s not one of the bigger guns he has. The gun is light, but I wouldn’t be able to conceal it very well if I didn’t hold onto in my pocket. Nic chooses his gun quickly and slides it in the back of his jeans before quietly closing the back of his car.

  Silently he leads me through dark woods, and I am doing my best not to trip on the brush on the ground, but the crescent moon isn’t offering much light for us tonight. I reach out and take hold of Nicholai’s sweatshirt for stability, fully expecting him to rip from my hand. He lets me hold onto him, but he doesn’t acknowledge my touch at all. As we get closer to the tree edge we start getting glimpses of the water near the dock’s well lit management office. I can see people lined on the wall, standing still and it seems like they’re waiting on something.

  I tug Nic’s shirt and he stops, looking back at me. I can’t see his shadowed face very well, but I point towards the back of the building and he looks back quickly. He nods and tugs me along but in a slightly different direction, curving us around so we’re behind them now..

  We stop about twenty feet away from where the trees meet the water and he just stands still in front of me. I assume he’s listening for what they’re saying so I try to do the same. Their talking is faint but as we slowly step closer their conversation becomes more clear. We’re completely behind them and they’re all facing what I assume is the front of the property waiting for Preston.

  “I can’t wait to hang his head on the wall,” I hear one of the men say.

 
“Preston won’t know what hit him when Daymon tells him we no longer need him,” another guy says, laughing.

  “But he really won’t be ready for the bullet in his skull,” the first guy confirms, and it feels like ice is running through my veins as we stop and back away some.

  Nicholai’s grip tightens on my wrist and he pulls me back through the darkness the way we came but I know he’s not going to be leaving without killing the man those guys who were talking work for because I feel the same way.

  “I’m killing that son of a bitch tonight. I want you to go back to the car, Ruby. Be in the driver’s seat and—”

  “No Nicholai,” I tell him. “I’m going to have your back.”

  “You said you’d listen.”

  “You said I could have your back,” I tell him, glaring at him even though I’m sure he can’t see my face.

  “Fine. God you’re so annoying,” he gripes. “I want you to go over to the tree and lean around the far side so you can see everything. Don’t let me get shot.”

  “I can’t have your back from in the trees Nic and you know it’s the truth. Even I know this tiny gun won’t do shit this far away,” I whisper harshly. He growls at me under his breath.

  “I need you to stay in the woods at least. I am not going in tactfully, I am going to kill those men standing behind the building quietly but after, I’m just winging it. I need you to cover me when I’m running back to the woods. I won’t be able to kill them all. There’s probably thirty of them here.”

  “All just to meet Preston?”

  “It’s all a set up, baby, just stay in these damn woods and make sure they don’t shoot me when I’m running back this way.”

  “I don’t like this Nic.”

  “Just do it,” he grinds out before shoving me toward the big tree he’d been talking about.

  I do as he said and perch myself behind the tree, tucked into the darkness, watching as he sneaks up on the guys on the back side of the dock and lays all four of them out easily with the knife he pulled from his boot. He needed their vantage point and now he has it. I watch him creep along the back of the building, obviously trying to get a feel for where everyone is set up. There are only a few more men out in the open but I don’t doubt Nicholai’s statement about so many of them being here.

  He gives no warning before coming out of hiding and blasting the first three guys around the corner. Bullets ring out from every direction and I can see the other side of the cove of trees is already occupied with Daymon’s men. There are bullets flying everywhere and I quickly find Nicholai again just as a bullet hits him in the shoulder. He doesn’t even flinch as he shoots back in the direction the bullet came from. He strikes two more guys coming out of the office and then I see him.

  There’s no denying who the big, dread head, monster motherfucker is when he finally comes into my view because no one else matters to Nic once he spots the guy who I assume to be Daymon. He fights everyone off to get to him and I watch as he reloads his gun and walks straight down the wooden doc towards the big man. He’s not showing any fear at all.

  I can’t hear what’s being said but I can see the man moving his hands and I blink before Nicholai puts a bullet in the guy’s skull. The extra gunshots begin again and Nicholai ducks behind one of the tethered boats before standing up and shooting back. I take this as my time to join in and even though I don’t think my bullets will do much I figure confusing them is better than standing here and doing nothing. I shoot the gun once and then again as Nic barrels up the grassy hill separating him from the cover of the trees.

  The shots follow him and just before he gets into the tree line he gets hit in the shoulder again. He doesn’t stop running as he yells out for me to come on, grabbing his shoulder with his free arm. He gets to me falls into me making me stumble back.

  “You’re fucking hit, Nicholai, what the fuck?”

  “We have to go!” he yells as the bullets fly past us, getting closer and more precise. “Fucking get low and run!”

  I duck down and do my best to stay with Nicholai through the pitch black forest and we run as hard as our bodies can carry us. Nicholai starts to slow as the pain sets in more and the gunshots in the distance are getting closer and closer to us and I can only hope we make it out of this forest alive.

  ... TO BE CONTINUED.

  Acknowledgments

  There have been so many people along the course of my life who have laid the stones I’ve needed to step on in order to become the author I am now. I am thankful for my past and those that have helped me on my journey.

  Most of all, I would like to thank my husband and kids. I’m not sure I would’ve survived without the four of you. From the food you’ve brought me while I was writing to accepting another night of me writing instead of being fully present, it’s been y’all who helped me push through and get this story complete. The climb is always hard, but the top is going to be beautiful for all of us. I love you more than anything and always will.

  Ashley, thank you for always supporting everything I do no matter what it is. I love you sissy, so much!

  Harley you single handedly pulled me into the indie community and watching your journey over the last couple of years has been so motivating. Thank you, thank you, thank you for always being someone I could chat with about everything from mental health to author resources, you’ve been amazing. I am so thankful for our friendship and I can’t wait to hear all about the stories of you in your rain soaked cabin in WA, living your best life at home writing the best kinky shit ever. I love you and will always be grateful for our paths crossing.

  Goodness, where do I even start with you, KV? There are people we connect with in life who almost seem unreal. Your stories rip me apart and force me to face shit I’ve hidden from for most of my life. I’ve known a cookie cutter isn’t for everyone but you showed me what it looked like to match the actions with the feelings. You reminded me I was brave enough to be me and write what I wanted, and not what fit the mold. The support you’ve shown me as I prepared for this release means more than I’ll ever be able to explain. Thank you for being you.

  Amy, I am positive there isn’t a better editor out there for me. You straight shoot and I appreciate the hell out of your honesty. Working with you has helped my writing more than I ever thought possible! I promise to never over use the word ‘that’ ever again in my life because I’m still traumatized from deleting it over a thousand times. Thank you for everything.

  Mallory you were the last push I needed to stop second guessing myself with this whole publishing stuff. Our conversation was a pivotal point in my life and was when I finally decided to stop being so afraid and just do it! Thank you so much for the push.

  Ramzi meeting new people in a community as big as the author one is intimidating. You were one of the first to make me feel included and although most of me writing this book is a big blur, I’ll always remember our sprints! Thank you for including me and always being so willing to help me.

  Leila your support has been so amazing to have in this big ole community and I love having someone who always posts the best memes that touch all the way into the deep dark parts of my soul. Thank you for always hyping me up.

  Victoria, B, and Marie, Celena, and Abigail I don’t know what I did to deserve the love you have shown me leading up to this release but I am so thankful for ever bit of hype you sent my way. Y’all are all so special and I’m thankful to have all of you! I love y’all so much. The best hype crew ever.

  Tori, you’re up next, kid. I love you so much and will always be thankful for our friendship. You are growing into an even more beautiful woman than you already were when we met and it is a honor to be a part of your journey, Wattpad Sisterrr!

  And last but most definitely not least. Jackie, I wouldn’t have been able to get this completed without you. You call me out when needed and push me to always be my best. We are figuring this author stuff out together and I’m so thankful I was gifted an assistant like you
. I bet you have hives from just reading this so I’ll just say one more thing. You get on my nerves bitch but none of this would be the same if I hadn’t had you helping me through all of it. Hollis is yours forever. ily soul sister.

  About the Author

  K.B. Saint is a dark romance author who loves to write about broken minds, toxic relationships, and great sex. Add blood, gore, and triggering topics and you have her wrapped in one little dark blanket ... where she's most comfortable.

  K.B.’s debut novel is The Devil's Game.

  Book Two in the Rhodes to Hell Series

  Join K.B.’s reader group

  Follow her on Instagram

  Like her Facebook Page