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

Do it. Do it! I urge him silently.

“Keep it up, Skull, and I’ll kill your ass like I should have done years ago. You’ve been a thorn in my side for far too f*cking long.”

Skull just laughs it off. The blonde reaches up on her tip-toes and kisses the other man. “Behave, Dragon,” she whispers in a soft voice that radiates with warmth.

He looks down at her and gives her a smile, the kind that makes you feel like an intruder.

“I’ll show you just how good I am behaving when I get you home, Mama,” he whispers, and the woman blooms in a deep blush.

Then he does something that surprises me and makes me ache. He leans down and places a small kiss on her forehead. It’s so strange and seems out of character from this big man. It makes me instantly jealous of this woman, who clearly holds this man in the palm of her hand. I’m jealous of the love the two of them have and obviously cherish… the kind of relationship I wanted…

“Is this your daughter?” the man asks Skull, and then I’m instantly aware of all eyes on Gabby and me. I swallow nervously, wishing I had chosen to stay in my room instead.





I’m ignoring Beth. It’s not the most adult way to handle the conversation, but it’s survival. I shouldn’t have asked Beth to join me. It was a weak moment. I wanted to show off my child and her mother to Dragon. Seeing the way he and Nicole are with each other, though, brings home exactly what I’ve been robbed of—what Beth and her family took from me.

Today starts my revenge. When Dragon, nosy bastard that he is, asks about Gabby, I’m forced to acknowledge the woman who is the reason my insides are rotting away.

I turn around and take Gabby from her mom. The child cries and reaches for Beth.

Wanting her mother over me. Because she doesn’t know me. Because I am a stranger.

Hate burns in my stomach yet again. I give in only because I can’t stand to see my daughter cry. My daughter who doesn’t know me. My daughter who doesn’t want me to hold her. I’ve tried. It always ends up with her crying. Beth takes hold of Gabby and instantly, she stops. Anger wars with this feeling of failure.

Dragon slaps me on the back, moving beside me. “Dom is the same way. He’d much rather be on his Mama’s hip than mine. Who can blame them? I’d choose them over our ugly faces any day of the week,” he teases.

I know he’s trying to make me feel better. He’s a true friend and he alone knows how f*cked in the head I am right now over all this shit.

Before I can respond, he’s looking at Beth. “You must be Skull’s wife.” Hearing him call her that pisses me off even more. A wife is someone who stays by your side, who fights with you and holds their ground with you. A wife is someone like Nicole. Despite all of the shit her and Dragon went through, her love for him never wavered. She sure as f*ck didn’t run away and keep Dragon’s boy from him.

“I’ve got to go. My men are waiting on me. You call me if there’s trouble. Keep your family safe.”

“Always, *. You know that,” Dragon grumbles.

We might be friends, but he doesn’t take it well when anyone tries to tell him how to take care of what is his. I’d be the same way if I had any claim over Beth.

I throw up my hand to say bye, then walk away without looking back. I feel like a f*cking intruder in my own damn club. Just one more thing Beth seems to have taken from me.

“Skull?”

Beth. Her voice stops me. I can’t bring myself to turn around.

“What?” My voice is cold, but it’s nowhere near as cold as my heart.

“When will you be back?” she asks like she has a right to know. She doesn’t. She doesn’t deserve anything from me.

“After I kill your stepbrother,” I tell her before walking out the door.

I move my hand over my chest in the vicinity of my heart. There’s pain there. At this point, I can’t tell if it’s physical or in my head; I just know I am completely f*cked up.

I walk out to the bikes where the men are waiting. I sit there for a bit after I climb on.

“Skull?” I look over at Briar. I can see the worry in his eyes. I don’t know what the f*ck to tell him. “You got your head in the game?” he asks.

I don’t. I absolutely f*cking don’t. It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. I start my bike and give the signal to pull out. The air vibrates with the sound of the pipes revving. As we pull out onto the main road, I concentrate on that sound and the feel of the wind. Fuck everything else.

My club. That’s all I need.

I just wish I believed that.





The silence left behind as Skull slams the door is deafening. My face reddens. The babies are even silent, as if they too can sense the blackness and pain in the air. I bite my lip and look at the two strangers that Skull has basically left me with.

“He’s upset,” says Nicole.

Hello, understatement of the year. Nice to meet you.

“Don’t you think he has a right?”

“Dragon, don’t.”

“What, Mama?” he exclaims. “I’m not saying anything but the f*cking truth.”

Gone is his easygoing attitude. Skull leaving was like a light switch going off.

“If you don’t watch your mouth around Dom…”