Released (Devil's Blaze MC #3)(26)

“She’s not here,” Sabre says so casually he has no idea I’m resisting the urge to slap the shit out of him.

“Where the hell is she?”

“Torch got a few prospects and took the girls into town to the day spa. Supposed to last all day. Some kind of pre-wedding gift.”

“Pre-wedding gift? Jesus, that man is whipped,” I growl, hating him a little bit more.

“And proud of it,” the bastard says, coming up behind us.

“Who’s watching the girls?” I growl, instantly worried. I don’t want Beth left on her own at all until I neutralize the Donahues—or whoever the f*ck else is in the wings.

Jesus, and now I need to take care of the Chrome Saints and Viper. Yeah, he’s going down separate from his f*cking club. The world will be a better place without him.

Christo, my list just keeps growing.

“I’ve got three of our prospects watching over them. They’re good. I’ll go back and pick them up this evening.”

“See that you do,” I growl, and when he goes to reach for Gabby and she starts twisting in my arms to get to him, I shut that shit down. “Gabby and I are going to see Diesel. I’m taking the wagon,” I tell him, talking about my SUV.

“You going to get Diesel and his men to help on the raid?” Sabre asks.

“Shit no. If the ones that are going can’t take down Matthew and those sorry bodyguards he keeps, we don’t deserve to wear cuts. No, I’m just getting out for the day. Going to show my daughter off.”

“We’ll follow you down,” Torch tells me. “I got some of the specs that Crusher wanted for the computer setup that Diesel’s wanting to install.”

“You have to make sure the girls are safe.”

“Latch and I will be here, and our best prospects are on them. They’ll be fine. Honestly, I’d prefer the two of you travel together. Can’t be too careful these days. There’s safety in numbers,” Sabre says, and I want to beat the hell out of him. I want to be alone. The last f*cking thing I need is Torch tagging along.

“I want Beast standing over the girls,” I growl, not knowing who I can trust, but knowing Beast is my best bet. If Sabre looks put-off, he doesn’t saying anything, though he does watch me carefully. Could he be the f*cking mole?

“Sounds good,” Torch says, and just like that I’m trapped with the f*cker.

“You’ll drive so I can pay attention to Gabby,” I grumble. There’s no way that I’m going to let him bond with my daughter any further. No way.

As we load up, I’m left with one thought. What in the hell else is going to f*ck up today?

Somehow I know something will.





“Shit! Any word from Louise?” I ask for the tenth time.

We made it here fine. Matthew’s men were such morons that the backside of the lake wasn’t even being monitored. Of course, the cabin and land around it were being guarded like freaking Fort Knox on a day when more gold was being delivered. Louise went on around towards the front perimeter and was going to try walking down the graveled road saying her car had broken down a few miles back and she was stranded. It was sketchy at best, and there was a chance she might need to blast her way out if it went south. Sacks and Candy were waiting just beyond the road so that when a couple of men went to check out the vehicle, they could take them out. They were also close enough that if Louise got in trouble and had to call for a mayday, they would be right there.

Katie and I are still on the backside of the property searching the defenses and waiting to see if our diversion would give us a small crack, a weakness to let us slide through. If not, we have a bigger diversion planned. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.

“Why do you keep asking that? You can hear them if they use the radio, the same as me,” Katie grumbles, the tension coming off from her in waves, too. What on earth possessed us to do this? I should have kept my mouth quiet and tried it on my own. I don’t want to be responsible for these women losing their lives and I know Matthew won’t hesitate to end them.

“Stop it, Bethie,” Katie murmurs, looking out over the cabin and waiting.

“Stop what?” I ask, playing dumb.

“They chose to help us. They knew the risks, you didn’t twist their arms.”

“They don’t know Matthew like we do, either,” I remind her.

“Still…”

“Guys, Louise has made contact,” Candy whispers over the two-way radios that Louise picked up from her brother.

“Are they going for the bait?”

“Are you kidding? Hell, I’m only into dick and even I almost swooned at those jugs she was flashing. How does someone with double-Ds manage to still be perky?”

Katie snorts and I smile despite the gravity of the situation.

“Okay, we’ll let you know when they get her to the cabin from our line of sight. Then when she gets in, we’ll give her the ten minutes she asked for and storm,” Katie says.

“I still say ten minutes is too damn much,” I complain.

“I agree,” Sacks whispers.

“We’ll be able to tell if it goes the wrong direction. Let’s sit tight and stick to the damn game plan,” Katie counters.

We all go radio silent after that. I can’t tell if it’s because everyone is nervous or if my own nerves are so on-edge that something feels off. I just don’t have a good feeling. I suck air in and hold it as I watch Louise walking up to the front porch of the small cabin. She stumbles slightly on the second step. I think that was by design because she bends over to adjust her sandal and one of her boobs almost pops out. She braces her hand on one of Matthew’s goons and smiles up at him, laughing and flirting. She seems like a different person compared to the hard-nosed woman that I know.