He might just be the strongest man Cash had ever known.
He also couldn’t see a way to relieve Dev’s burdens that were mounting by the second. It appeared they were going to have to see this through to the bitter end.
“We gotta get that fuckin’ dog in the mornin’. They’ve both asked about it a million times.” Dev spoke low as he passed Cash, heading to the small army of agents stationed right outside the front door. “He’s gonna have to shit so we need somebody to take him out until I feel better about the girls goin’ in the backyard.”
“She,” Cash corrected about the dog’s gender and wished he hadn’t. His hand reached out to grip Dev’s forearm, stopping his forward movement. Tired, red-rimmed eyes glanced back at him, questioning why he’d stopped him.
“Not now,” Dev said. “Let’s get this done so we can be alone.”
“I can crash at my old place tonight,” Cash started, but Dev shook his head. “I don’t mind.”
“No fuckin’ way.” Dev shook his head harder, finally making eye contact. He looked and sounded like Cash was the dumbest person on the planet. The tip of Dev’s finger poked his chest. “I need you. You clear my head and make me stronger. You stay.”
His heart liked those words a whole lot, and he nodded as Dev twisted his arm free of the hold. He followed a step or two behind, like he was destined to do. Dev swung the door open wider then waited for Cash to go through first before quietly shutting the door behind him. Dev cocked his head in the direction of the girls’ room. “They’re freaked the fuck out, and they’re quietly listenin’ to us. They don’t need to hear anything else.”
Shanna moved to stand with Joe along the hall banister. Trace and Mitch were at the bottom of the staircase in a quiet conversation. Diesel kept the wall up just outside Dev’s door, appearing like the badass outlaw biker he was supposed to be.
After the day they’d had, Cash half expected Dev to jump Diesel, but he sidestepped the guy, going to stand across from his sister, talking directly to her. “I’m gonna keep ’em here for a while. I don’t know about school, but I suspect they’ll have Christmas break sometime soon.”
“I’ll take care of their absences. We can have their schoolwork sent home until you figure everything out. I’ll flash the badge and talk about safety and confidentiality.”
A show of appreciation swept across Dev’s brow as he crossed his arms over his chest, his ass hitting the wall. For about the tenth time that day, Cash’s heart crashed at everything Dev had to deal with. Shanna’s simple offer of help caused Dev relief and gratitude. He had so little help in life.
“So what’s good?” Dev asked with an abrupt change into a severe attitude, swiveling his head toward Diesel. His fists came together underneath his biceps, giving all the brashness his Devilman was known for.
Diesel lifted two hands in a show of peace. Clearly, he didn’t know Dev as well as he thought he did if he thought a hand in the air could calm the man down. “You’ve always known the government infiltrated the club. I’m certainly not the only one.”
“Do you work for the same agency my old man did?” Dev barked with accusation. The only real confession Dev made after talking with his mother.
“I do.” Diesel nodded, casting his gaze down to his booted feet. “A couple of years ago my superiors told your old man who I was and what they wanted me to do.”
“And what the fuck did they want you to do?” Dev asked.
“To take over the club when your old man retired. And they wanted your father to retire. He was no longer in the DOJ’s inner circle of information or importance. That’s how Cash snuck under your father’s radar.” Diesel paused, letting that information sink in before he continued. “They were puttin’ pressure on your old man. Apparently, he was always difficult to deal with, but he used to pretend to try to follow the rules and meet his revenue goals. He was also intimately connected to the leaders of the different foreign cartels down south. But over time those leaders were arrested or replaced, and with Fox consistently reportin’ a sizable deficit in both money and product, even with his tradin’ steadily increasing… Well, it led us to today.”
“But Dev’s supposed to take over the club,” Shanna said, and all four men shook their heads. She didn’t back down. “No, Dev’s supposed to take it over. It’s in the bylaws. I’ve heard it said my whole life.”
“Last night, we identified that the charter makes no reference to an heir to the Disciple throne,” Cash explained.
“I think it was a control issue to hold over Dev’s head,” Diesel added. “Dev was never gonna be given the top spot. Honestly, when Fox started talkin’ about you bein’ second, I figured it was so the famous Devilman could take the fall for whatever your father was doin’ on the side. I was close to gettin’ him to admit it. If I had more time, I’d’ve gotten it out of him…”
“I knew it,” Joe said, throwing his hands in the air. “I told you Fox had it in for Dev. I knew your police record was enough to frame you then put you in prison for a very long time. I knew it.”
“You fuckin’ knew my old man was gonna use me and you didn’t warn me?” Dev shot back with all the piss and vinegar an exhausted man could muster.
The pride of coming up with the answer was lost as Joe shook his head. “No, I didn’tknow,know. I just thought it when I saw your record, but we cleaned it up, and you have Cash and Shanna at your back. Nothing was gonnahappen, happen.”
“What about you? Were you gonna have my back?” Dev bristled, staring fiercely at Joe. Cash half expected Joe to wet himself with as scared and stunned as he looked, causing him to intervene to give Joe a break.
“Joe’s an asset to you and this operation, and he’s taken good care of all of us. That includes you,” Cash explained to Dev. “We’re all on the same side, but it’s getting late, and we have a big few days ahead of us.” Joe sure looked like he wanted a quick retreat out of the situation. “We’re smarter now with what Diesel’s told us. Tell Dev what the club members are saying.”
“They’re ready for vengeance, but the group message you sent out brought ’em to heel at least temporarily. They think you’re their new leader and want your guidance. They’ve done what you asked, but it won’t last long.” Diesel looked directly at Cash as Mitch then Trace came to stand on the top steps of the staircase. “What’s got me angry is our fuckin’ department heads need to be more forthcomin’. We don’t really know anything more than we did this mornin’, except a lot of people are now dead. If it was our side who took Fox out, we should’ve been better prepared. We, meanin’ this circle of people right here, need to stick together. Until we know more, Devilman’s gotta lead the Disciples, and we gotta have his back at every angle.”
Dev nodded, turning to Cash as his heart hit the floor. Of course, he knew what had to be done, but he was tired of the silent games this case was playing.
“Diesel needs to be at Dev’s back all the time,” Mitch added. “In the position of the new number two. Trace’ll be there too, but he’s not able to be on the club grounds like Diesel can.”
“I’ll be there as far as I’m allowed to go,” Trace reassured. Cash appreciated the show of force, but Dev was a hard-headed man who never seemed to remember he wasn’t bulletproof.
