Page 45 of Double the Redemption

“We have every say where Naomi’s and Asher’s safety is concerned,” Glitch snapped. Her glare was just as hard as Savage’s. “I’m not an Old Lady right now, Savage, so I’m not answering to you either. Their safety is our priority. If you can’t handle it, we take her and leave.”

“You’re including yourself in the leaving part?” Savage questioned.

“Yes. Karissa will be too.”

Code ground his teeth, and his fists clenched on the table. Razor was the same. Both men were going to be pissed as hell at their women when they were alone. These decisions couldn’t be made lightly.

Did he really want to deal with this by having an Old Lady? Even if Naomi didn’t end up giving him a chance or walking away?

The resounding yes that echoed in his head sealed it.

“Savage, accept the deal,” he said, looking at his president. “We fucked up. We fix it. This is the only way.”

Savage scowled. “You want this woman that badly that you’re willing to be bossed around by them?”

“If it’s what it takes to make things easier for Naomi, then yes. Look, they’re right. We’ve gotten lax. It’s not safe for the women and kids, not just Naomi and Asher. We take the time to fix this shit up, and we do it right. If the cartel showed up, we have prospects who would let them through the fucking gates. We can’t allow that—and Naomi’s mine. I’m claiming her. I’ll do what I need to for her to realize that I’m the best place for them, even when this shit is finished with the Feds.”

The room was silent.

Savage let out a heavy sigh but finally nodded. “Fine. We’ll accept the terms, but the Devil’s Predators’ members are not to be in Church meetings unless invited. They are here to protect Naomi. All the other shit, you leave at our fucking door.”

“Fine,” Simba agreed.

“And who is the third member of the brigade who’s going to be staying here?” Rogue asked.

“You already know the answer to that,” Simba said, with a slow, self-satisfied smile.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Ro-Ro, I won’t let the girls get into too much trouble while I’m here,” Taz said with a beaming smile, the cold intensity melting.

Rogue cursed. “I might kill him before you switch him out,” he warned Simba.

Simba shrugged. “You’ll have to go through Glitch and Karissa, so do your worst.”

Ink ignored the rest of the bickering, his mind moving on to the next step in what needed to be done. He needed to get Naomi to trust him again and to give him a chance to explore what might be simmering between them.

Good thing he had plenty of practice being charming. It might be the only thing that would work.

18

NAOMI

Some of her nerves settled with Jag close by. She was still unsure of Karissa, but she mostly ignored her, focusing on Asher and trying to make him comfortable. Asher wasn’t sure about the other two people in the apartment, so he gave them a wide berth and side-eyed them the way he used to whenever Diego brought random people into their space.

It hurt her heart, but she had to accept this would be their reality for a little longer, at least until things settled down.

She still wasn’t sold on them staying here, but knowing one of the Devil’s Predators, other than Glitch and Karissa, would be around made her feel better.

“Taz will be the one to stay with you for the first leg,” Jag explained. “After that, we’ll all switch out. The constants will be Karissa and Glitch.”

She liked Taz, and he got along well with Asher, so she was happy about that. “Will he be staying here?” She glanced around the small apartment. There wasn’t much room, but maybe they could figure something out.

“He’ll have a room in the clubhouse. He’ll be here at night, but he’ll be patrolling, so no need to clear out a space for him. During the day, Glitch and I will rotate. I’ll be taking a leave from the bar until you’re free and clear,” Karissa explained. She held Naomi’s gaze as she added, “And I know you’re not happy that it’s us because of what’s happened, but we won’t let this shit happen again, Naomi.” She gave Jag a pointed look. “Getting chewed out by every single man on our team certainly has the effect of making sure we remember our jobs.”

Naomi glanced at Jag wide-eyed. He didn’t deny it.

“You got chewed out; be glad Simba didn’t hand you your asses in the ring,” Karissa added.

Naomi gasped. “You’d beat them?”