“And you’re paying for my classes.”
His jaw clenched. Money was tight due to this fucking government operation, but the Sunnyvale home was set to hit the market soon.
He’d been assured the house wouldn’t last for more than a day or two.
Who the fuck knew when he’d be able to ink properly again.
He had a cabinet full of illegal shit that would make some quick cash, but he wasn’t feeling that life anymore.
“Okay. Deal,” he bit out, swallowing the foul-tasting lump in his throat. He’d figure it out.
She cackled a loud laugh. “I can pay for mine. I was just fucking with you. It’s weird when you’re agreeable. Let me talk to the girls.”
“They’ve gone with Shanna to get donuts. They’re pissed at you. You need to call more and be available to them. They need their fuckin’ mom. Even if it is by phone or video or whatever,” Dev said.
“I know. I don’t know if you’ll believe me or not but I miss them. Outside of not having them in my life every day, I’m far happier here. But I think about them all the time,” Tena said.
As much as she made his life a living hell and shouted the roof down whenever they were together, she reminded him of easier times.
“Good,” he said. “They need love. I gotta split. Call back tonight, I’ll talk to you with them so maybe Abi won’t be so hard on you.”
“Thanks, Dev,” she said, sounding truly appreciative.
“Yup. Back at you.” He reached down, mashing his fingertip on the screen to end the call.
“That was real balanced of you,” Cash encouraged as Dev extended the cell phone. His sweet agent took it, not even questioning how it wasn’t his phone in the first place.
Dev pivoted around to head back to his apartment. Besides needing one hell of a vacation, he was weirdly in a decent mood. Shocking considering everything that went down yesterday. It felt right to be on good terms with Tena. And he lived to tease Cash, so bonus there. “I gotta get dressed and go to the clubhouse. I can’t stand around visitin’. I got shit to do today.”
He started across the landing when he heard Cash say, “This isn’t my phone.”
Mae met him at the door, Shanna and Abi were already headed down the staircase, keys in hand.
“We’ll get you donuts,” she said, pushing her hair off her face.
“Dev, I think I want that Freewheeler in Dad’s shop if I can have it,” Shanna said, turning to look up at him from the bottom step. They stared at one another. She looked like he felt: lighter. He didn’t allow his mind to wonder why. There was no good answer to that question. Instead, he smiled and nodded.
“Sounds good,” he said to both Shanna and Mae.
When Mae hit the bottom step and started running toward the back of the building, he called out to Cash. “Bring me the phone.”
He pushed through the door while shoving off his jeans and underwear. The donut shop was about five minutes away, giving him fifteen minutes before they returned. Perfect for a fast fuck before he started his fucked-up day.
Chapter 29
More than any time before, Dev needed to be on his A game. Thanks to Cash’s special brand of love making, he was loose, relaxed, and semi-calm. Okay, that might be a stretch…which Cash did really well… At least he wasn’t wired and fried like usual these days. Coupled with Cash’s efforts, his sweet daughters gave him a hug before he left this morning. Their love energized him and gave him strength. Ready to put a fork in this bitch of a life he had and call it done.
He knew these roads like he knew his own face and barely paid attention as he slowed the Harley, coming up on the entrance to the parking lot of the Disciples clubhouse. Church was only for the patched brothers and absolutely mandatory. No one else was allowed inside the room, but as Dev took the turn into the lot, he saw maybe as many as a hundred bikes parked in every inch of the lot and back acres. The Disciples colors shone vivid and strong. Prospects and brothers alike stood waiting and watching for his arrival.
If he read it right, the energy pulsing off the guys spoke of hard-core vengeance. The grim faces ranged from sadness to anger. Every man there would willingly put their lives on the line for immediate retribution and appeared to want that moment sooner rather than later.
As he pulled to the front of the building, he saw that skank Dixie and her daughter Daphne standing with the other club whores, waiting to go inside.
Dev had barely given his dad’s side piece a single spare thought since his old man hit the pavement yesterday. What a stupid cunt to be here today. Of course he’d have to figure something out for her, but that time wasn’t now. The whore Dixie should’ve stayed away. He set his jaw as he parked straight up to the front door just like his old man used to do.
Diesel rode behind him for the entire ride from his house to the club. His new shadow, while defining his role as second. It didn’t really bother him like he thought it might.
Dev cut his engine, dropped the kickstand in place, and dismounted the bike in one fluid motion. He glanced over the sea of Disciples cuts just like the one he wore now. There was absolutely no sense of pride in this moment even though the men needed the unity of the patch.
