Released (Devil's Blaze MC #3)(51)

Tucker rubs his hand along his jaw, while he considers his answer. “I’ve asked myself that. It’s not quite so easy, brother, when it’s your own blood staring back at you.”

His answer stinks of weakness. If Beth’s safety was in question, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill. But with Beth gone… maybe he’s right. I focus on Gabby. The thought would be chilling. Could I do it?

“Is that the point of this meeting? Do you want us to finish what you couldn’t? ‘Cause I got to tell you, esé, I’ve got zero interest in cleaning up your messes. Got enough f*cking pots on the fire as it is.”

“I want to meet my daughters.”

“Not happening.”

“It can be where you say. I will follow your lead. I need to see my daughters.”

“You’re not getting me. It’s. Not. Fucking. Happening.”

“They will want to see me.”

“Maybe, maybe not. What they won’t do is see anyone involved in this f*cked up mess until I’ve determined that any threat has been annihilated,” I tell him, deadly serious. Torch grunts his agreement.

“Then I will work with you to make sure those threats are gone. Then, if my daughters agree, I want to see them… to get to know them.”

“Why the f*ck would I trust you?”

“You don’t have to… yet. I will prove myself to be an ally. I’ll do anything I need to do to be in my daughters’ lives.”

“I can take care of the threats without you. Why would I even think about agreeing to this shit?”

“Because I know where Colin is hiding,” he says, and there it is in a nutshell, the only reason I might work with the man in front of me. I start to tell him no. The word is on the tip of my tongue. Then I realize that the sooner I get Colin, the sooner I can kill him. Getting closer to Tucker means I can tear Viper apart and find the mole. All of this f*cking shit together means I’m that much closer to throwing the club Torch’s way and taking my family and getting the f*ck away from it all.

There’s only one answer I can give.

“What’s your plan?” I ask, giving my agreement without having to say the words which I would ultimately choke on.





“Well, lookie who decided to drag her ass out of bed and join the land of the living girls!” Candy says, and I feel myself blush. It is late. After the work out Skull gave me this morning, I was worn out. I fell back asleep and I’m just now starting my day. It’s only noon. That’s not bad. Heck, after the way Skull went at me, I should be thankful I’m still walking.

“You’re positively glowing,” Sacks observes.

“Enough already. How are you girls?”

“Well my ass is glowing like your face, but I’m good,” Sacks answers.

“Roger that one,” chimes in Katie. “Torch and Briar must have both decided to punish the same way.”

“Apparently. Did yours tell you he had a special lotion to take away the sting after?”

Katie snorts. “He was too busy trying to get me to swallow his lotion.”

“You guys make it hard on a single woman to be around you,” Louise grumbles.

I laugh with the rest of them as I sit down at the table. Mattah immediately puts a bowl of soup in front of me with a glass of milk. She’s taken to mothering me from the minute I got here, but I don’t mind. I stir the potato soup and look over at her.

“Annie have Gabby?”

“Yeah, that girl is doing some serious grieving, but our Gabby is working her magic.”

“Any word on where Latch was stationed?” Katie asks.

“Afghanistan,” Sacks says, and we all stay quiet for a bit except for Mattah’s mumbles calling Latch a horse’s ass.

“What are we doing today?”

“Not much, I’d say.”

“Why’s that?” I ask, Candy.

“I’m guessing that the prospects posted at the door are for us.”

“Well, hell,” Katie grumbles.

“Men,” Sack’s agrees.

“This is why I dig chicks,” Louise adds. When we’re all silent for a bit, she growls. “Well hell, does this mean we aren’t going after the other guy?”

“Skull says they are handling it.”

“You’re okay with that?” Katie asks me, because she understands as the other girls wouldn’t.

“Well, I’m not saying it makes me completely happy, but he promised not to shut me out and, well…”

“And?” Candy prompts.

I give a heavy sigh. “I’m not about to get you girls hurt. Last time was much too close.”

“Screw that. We’re big girls, we can make our own decisions,” Candy says, and everyone is nodding in agreement.

“Bethie’s right. This is our fight, not yours. We need to be the ones to handle this.”

“The f*ck you are,” Torch growls from the doorway.

I look up to find him and Skull standing there and neither one of them look happy. Shit.

“Skull…” I start, but he cuts me off.

“What did I tell you, querida?”

“If you’d just let me explain…”