Page 48 of Ryder

I followthe asshole wearing a Devils Ink MC cut, hardly daring to believe what I’m seeing.

Crystal —my fucking Crystal— is with a member of the Devils Ink?

In what fucking universe did this happen? It explains everything, though, and my mind has several flashbacks to her shady behavior at trying to hide shit from me.

This is why she’s being so cagey.

Why he’s never met anyone in her family.

Why she’s fucking lying.

I don’t fucking believe it, but it’s right in front of my eyes.

The bastard comes and goes from her apartment like a revolving door, and I’ve seen them leave together.

I clench my fists around my handlebars, ready to storm in there and rip his fucking head off. This piece of shit prick sleeps withmygirl?

I don’t fucking think so.

I can barely hold in my rage, but I tamper it down as I keep driving past their clubhouse. Going in there alone would be suicide, and while I might have anger issues when it comes to Crystal, I don’t have a death wish. They’ll skin me alive, and then nobody will know where I went. They may even carve my body up and deliver it to Cash as a warning. His fucking stepbrother is a piece of shit and everyone knows it, and this would be the perfect opportunity to start a war.

As much as I want to urge the rage inside of me to power on, I don’t. I have more to lose than just my life. Though right now, you could cut me open with a hunting knife and I’d be less surprised than this shocking discovery.

I ride back to the club, furious. I’ve a good mind to go to the school and drag Crystal out of class. If there weren’t little kids around, I might even do just that, but I rarely act on anger. That shit will get you killed.

Instead, I seethe all the way through town. Driving too fast — and not giving a shit — comes second nature these days. It seems I’m always angry. Crystal had me up in such a bind at dinner that I couldn’t even enjoy the weekend with Luca. I couldn’t help myself slipping out of the hotel to go past her place on my sled. I wanted her to see me. I wanted to send a message. And now she has that message, she’s in for a new realization: under my dead fucking body is she dating a Devils Ink MC member.

Now I’ve got to broach things with Cash, and that’s going to cause a little tension. It’s not like me and Crystal are together, but she’s been in this clubhouse. Cash may not know how I feel about her, but he’s about to.

I’m going to tell him that once I convince Crystal to leave that piece of shit, it could stir up trouble. Jimmy is going to retaliate, not that I’d expect any decency out of a member of the Devils Ink. They’ve been a thorn in our club’s side for years and are well renowned for their shady deals and lack of conscience.

Razor, Cash’s stepbrother, is one of the biggest drug runners in this city. The Devils Ink are a 1% club, and even with the cartel taking out half their club members a little while back, they just keep coming back for more. Every fucking scumbag wants in because Razor can pay them, but there’s a fifty-fifty chance you’ll wind up dead. We all know it’s only a matter of time before Razor is taken down, and along with him it’ll be his club members, too. That means Crystal is involved. I can’t let anything bad happen to her.

The first person I see when I head into the clubhouse is Bronco. He’s sitting at the bar, talking to Amber. She comes and goes a little bit from the club and works behind the bar. Amber is one of the few who doesn’t sleep with any of the guys. Cash likes some of his staff to do actual work, and not stir shit up just because they can.

“Well, who pissed in your cereal?” Bronco snickers.

I glare at him, then manage a smile for Amber. “Can I get a double shot of whiskey, honey?”

“Day drinking?” Amber raises a brow. “Is everything okay?”

I slump on the stool as she pours my drink. “Everything’s fine,” I mutter as she passes me my drink. “Thanks.” I throw it back, savoring the sweet sting.

Amber whistles. “I’m not going anywhere near that.” She takes off, and I swipe the bottle, refilling my glass.

Bronco’s still staring at me. “Now are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

“You won’t fuckin’ believe what I’m about to tell you.”

He sobers. “Spit it out then. Haven’t got all day.”

“Fuckin’ Crystal’s new boyfriend? He’s a member of the Devils Ink MC.”

His eyebrows lift, then they drop again. “No fuckin’ way.”

“Just saw them together, and I followed him to their clubhouse.”

“What the fuck is Crystal doin’ with a Devil?”

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