Page 19 of Obey

I glanced at her, realizing that we’d gone from small talk to strategizing. “Then I guess I’ll have to find another way, because I’ve been down that road before, and I’m not making that mistake again.”

Sioux tipped her head back and forth, like she was considering that statement and looking for options. Then she cast me a sly half-smile. “That might be. But I’m thinking it might also be a means to an end.”

I frowned at that. “Meaning...?”

She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her eyes sparkling. “Meaning,” she whispered, her eyes sliding to the open door and back, “that you might not want to make that mistake again. But what if it wasn’t a mistake? Or rather... What if it was intentional, and then something happened by mistake?”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what the hell she was even talking about, and then suddenly remembered who Devil was. A man who liked to take advantage of women. A man who liked to get a little too rough in bed.

“Are you saying...?”

She shrugged and sat back. “He’s a man who likes it rough, right? I’m sure you know that better than anyone. And I’m sure you’ve seen things like that go... wrong.”

That last part wasn’t a question.

It was a statement.

“And when things go wrong, people get hurt,” I answered, a smile growing on my face.

She nodded and returned the smile, and I knew hers was an echo of mine. An exact match, if I had to guess.

They weren’t nice smiles. But then again, we weren’t planning on doing something nice.

CHAPTER 9

KNIGHT

“AND I’M TELLING YOU, Stu, that no good is going to come of this war being evenly matched,” I said, trying to keep my tone even and reasonable. “We all know that Devil’s bad for business. We all know the area would be calmer without him here. And we all know that there’s only one way to do that.”

There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line, and I fought with everything I had to keep my mouth shut. This was no time for being silent, and this was definitely not the time for taking so long to make a decision! Every cell in my body was humming with the desperate need to get this thing moving, and do it yesterday. Devil had my Saraya, and for all I knew he was hurting her right this very second. I had to get her out of there, but I couldn’t do it until I knew I had the manpower to win the war.

And I wouldn’t know that until I had my answers from the other two gangs we thought might come down on Devil’s side. Stu was the head of the Bears, a particularly nasty MC from the other side of Arizona, and though I’d always hated having to talk to him—he left a sort of slimy residue in his wake—right now, I needed him.

And I needed him to hurry the fuck up.

“You’re right,” he finally said, his voice gruff and reluctant. “It would be better for all of us if Devil went away. And I’m willing to sit this particular fight out.”

My heart started singing with happiness at the thought, and I was just about to thank him when he broke through my thoughts again.

“I do have one other option.”

Shit. I didn’t want options. I wanted to hear that Stu and his Rats would sit this out, keep their hands out of my business and let me get on with getting rid of Devil. I didn’t want options.

Options tended to get messy.

“And what’s that?” I asked, trying again to sound calm and reasonable.

“Figure it’s good for you if I stay off his side of things,” Stu said, and I could hear the sickening grin coming out over his pockmarked face. “But I figure it’s even better for you if I sent you help as well.”

Okay, this wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated. “How do you mean?”

“I mean sending you soldiers. For a price.”

Right. Of course there’d be a price. “And what would that price be?”

“Tinker’s bike.”

I almost threw the phone at the wall. Stu was right; soldiers would be helpful. We could doubly out-man Devil and his crew if we not only restricted his reinforcements but also increased our numbers at the same time. It was a perfect storm, and a very, very good plan.