Page 169 of His Virgin Romance Series

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “Godwin is a dangerous man—”

“I’m aware,” Devon nodded. “But we also don’t know for sure if his men are tied up in this. Walter Black could be some random loser with anger issues. Just because he’s a psychopath doesn’t mean he’s a part of Godwin’s crew.”

“I think he is.”

“No, you want him to be,” Devon said. “So you’ll have an excuse to hit at Godwin after all this time. Admit it.”

“First, we’ll find Walter Black,” I said. “Then we’ll find out once and for all if he’s just a lone agent working on his own or if he has ties to Godwin.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Devon asked.

“Then the truce will stay intact,” I said, even though it pained me to say it. “And nobody will have to worry about another faceoff with the Knights.”

Devon looked unsure, but he didn’t push the subject. I didn’t tell him that my desires were secondary to my instincts, and my instincts were telling me that this Walter Black knew what he was doing. And the only reason he was so cocky about it was because he had backing… powerful backing.

When we finally pulled up to the Horse’s Ass, it was almost eleven o’clock, but the bar looked dead. Despite the music and muted lighting, there didn’t seem to be many people there. When Devon and I walked in, there was one lonely man at the bar, sitting in front of the bartender, and a couple of guys sitting at a table across from the bar.

Devon went up to the bartender and ordered a couple of beers. “Tell Gallagher we’re here to talk,” he said.

The large, beefy bartender nodded, then disappeared through the back, while Devon and I sat down in one corner of the bar that was shrouded in darkness.

“He approached you?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Devon nodded. “I was talking to a couple of guys in here the other night, and he came up to me and said he wanted to meet with you.”

“Did he say what about?”

“No,” Devon said, shaking his head. “Just that it was connected to this Walter Black guy that we were looking for.”

“Good,” I said, growing a little hopeful.

For a second, I wondered what would happen once we found Black and managed to get rid of him. Abby would certainly have no reason to stay with us in the clubhouse. I was surprised by how conflicted my feelings were about that. Was it possible that I actually liked having her around? I had never been the kind of guy who stuck to a woman. I had never been the kind of guy to remain preoccupied with a woman. So it was unsettling to me that Abby still managed to remain at the forefront of my thoughts.

I glanced at Devon drinking his beer. I could understand why he didn’t want me near his sister, but the fact remained that my desire for her only seemed to grow with each passing day. Maybe it wasn’t about Abby at all. Maybe the fact that she was resisting me was the real allure. That explanation sat well with me, and I decided that that was all it was. I didn’t have feelings for Abby. I was just after the thrill of the chase. Once she gave in and allowed me to fuck her, my preoccupation would her would cease. At least that was what I hoped.

“He’s coming,” Devon told me.

A moment later, Fred Gallagher appeared at our table. He was a tall man who looked as dodgy as his bar. He had misty eyes, a pointed nose, and a wispy facial hair that he refused to cut. He pulled up a chair, turned it around, and straddled it.

“Hello, boys,” he said, with an insipid smile. “What brings you two to my neck of the woods?”

“You said you wanted to speak to Ryder,” Devon said impatiently. “Well, he’s here, so speak.”

Fred turned to me. “You look more and more like your old man every day.”

“I didn’t come here to exchange small talk, Fred,” I said. “You have something to say to me?”

“I hear you been looking for some guy,” he said, leaning in.

“The name’s Walter Black,” I said. “Do you have any idea who he is?”

“Someone you don’t want to mess with,” Fred said, giving me a look that I assumed was meant to be a warning.

“Is that a fact?” I asked uncaringly.

“There’s been rumors and shit floating around… The Angels are throwing their weight around, trying to stir up shit.”

“We’re not stirring up anything,” I said. “We’re just trying to find this guy.”

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