Page 8 of Devil's Game

I let the statement settle on their shoulders as I wrapped an arm around Giana’s waist and pulled her into my side. Some of the tension eased from my rigid muscles with her pressed against me, and I inhaled, reassuring myself by the tang of blood that clung to her still, reminding myself that it wasn’t hers. My ragged breaths eased as I looked down at her, her amber eyes soft as they met mine, yet she didn’t melt into me; she stood tall, determined not to sink into the background.

Reluctantly, I pulled my gaze from hers, needing to finish this speech before I got too distracted by how the blood coated her dirty blonde hair. Pride ignited in my chest as I took in the men and women before me. There wasn’t even a flicker of surprise as I met their gazes head-on, as though they’d expected nothing less for the traitor.

Good.

“I wasn’t the one to kill him. No, our devil Giana did it before we even broke into the house.” My lips twitched as murmurs of surprise and respect floated around us. “She isn’t a weakness to exploit. She’s deadly all on her own, and she won’t hesitate to kill anyone who stands against us, even if they’re easily twice her size.”

Silence settled around us as the Demons absorbed this information. I didn’t truly think any of them would make a move against her, but I hadn’t thought Mike was a threat, either. Better to strike fear in their hearts than be sorry.

“We’re starting with phase one of our plan,” Kellan announced, taking over for me. He stepped in front of us, commanding the bar’s attention. Blood was splattered on his leather jacket, and I could tell by the way his hands were fisted at his sides that even he was barely holding on right now.

He’d been almost as lost to his rage as I had been when I learned about Giana being taken, which surprised me. He was the most levelheaded of us all, but surprisingly, it was Spade who dropped into a lethal calm long enough for us to form a plan. I nodded at Spade over Giana’s head, but he barely tore his gaze away from our girl to return it.

His jaw ticked, and it seemed like he was using every last ounce of his self-control to keep himself from stealing Giana away from me. Probably because he could tell I’d rip off his head if he took her from me now. All of us needed her in our own way, but I was honestly going to stab someone repeatedly with a screwdriver if I didn’t get her alone soon.

“The Barones might know that we’re in control of the outskirts now, but they have no idea just how deep our ties go. We’ll be taking over the town one step at a time, and the fastest way to see them crumble will be by going after their pocketbooks.” Kellan crossed his arms over his chest. “Spade and I will be splittingeveryone into groups and heading off their shakedowns of local business deals.”

Spade shook his head at the sound of his name, apparently not hearing a word that Kellan said before that.

“But what about the businesses who publicly support the Barones?” Travis asked, his brows furrowed in thought.

“We’ll only be protecting those who are truly victims to the Barones. Meaning, any business tied to the Barones through anything other than force will not be getting any help from us,” Kellan assured. “I’ve established a relationship with the other businesses downtown through my tattoo shop, so I know, beyond a doubt, which ones those are.”

An echo of agreement sounded around the room.

“Next, we’ll be going after their government support, stopping their shipments and attacking their business deals.”

“What about her, though?” Kevin asked, blinking wearily against the bright morning light that shone in through the dirt-streaked windows. I ground my teeth, and if it wasn’t for Giana gripping my waist, I’m sure I would’ve launched myself across the room at him and beat his face into a bloody pulp. “What if tonight was just a ploy, and she’s really working for the Barones?”

My arm slipped from where it rested around Giana, and I took a menacing step forward, but before I could take out this morning’s frustrations on the soon-to-be-dead fucker, my devil beat me to it.

“I don’t owe you anything—not my story or a reason, other than I have the trust of your leaders.” She propped her hands on her hips, cocking her brow in a glare that sent a spark of desire straight to my cock. “But what I will say is, I will be killing the Barones, one person at a time, and I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who gets in my way. So, as Merrick said, you’re either with us or against, but either way, make the decision quickly becauseI seem to have developed a thirst for bloodshed, if you hadn’t already guessed.” Giana gestured to the blood coating her hair and clothes, a malicious grin spreading on her lips.

Kevin paled at the clear threat in her words, his throat bobbing as he gave a stiff nod. Giana held his gaze for a moment, appearing to write his weasel face into her memory, before she took a step back into me. I wrapped a possessive arm around her waist and tugged her closer, letting her feel the nudge of my hard length against her back.

When a soft gasp slipped from her lips, concealed from the crowd by whatever Kellan was saying, I knew she felt me, and desire was already coursing through her veins too. My jaw ticked as I tried to push down my need for her, but I couldn’t hide it. I couldn’t push away the lust that was fogging over my brain any longer.

He’d taken her from me—from us—again. I couldn’t keep her safe, even in my own damn bar, and that was an oversight that would never happen again. I’d comb through every member of this gang until I was sure where everyone’s loyalty lay.

Kellan glanced at me and gave me a terse nod, his mouth tight as he, too, felt the same pull to be with her right now, but he knew one of us had to stay here and get phase one of our plan rolling before everyone went to sleep for the day. I gave him a grateful look and leaned down to brush my lips over Giana’s ear, knowing how much the intimate touch lit her body on fire.

“Let’s go to the back, little devil,” I growled. The only thing that kept me from bending her over this bar and taking her here were all the men and women I’d have to kill to erase the image of her naked body from their memory . . . and I kind of liked most of them, so that wouldn’t be very productive.

Giana nodded eagerly, and I shifted her to walk closest to the bar, unable to stand her getting near anyone other than me or the guys right now.

“What the fuck?” Spade huffed from behind us, Kellan’s muffled murmur the only thing that followed as I led her into the back, so it was finally just the two of us.

“I need—” My words cut off as her back stiffened beneath my touch, her gaze locked on my office door. “Shit. I’m sorry, Gi. I didn’t think.”

I stabbed my fingers through my hair, exhaling a harsh breath to keep myself from smashing my fist into the doorframe.

“I would fucking bring him back from the dead just to kill him again if I could.”

Giana laughed at my outburst, sapping the ire straight from my veins, like the sound of her giggle was a vacuum to any negative emotion coursing through me.

“Come here.” She turned to face me and clutched the edges of my leather jacket in her fists, heedless of the splatters of blood that flaked off. Without a second thought, she walked backward into my office, pulling me along with her. “Shut the door.”

“But—” I snapped my lips closed at the heated glare she gave me, and I followed her orders without question. This woman could tell me to burn the world down around us, and I’d do it reverently if she looked at me like that.

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