Page 93 of Red's Peril: Part 1

“You don’t believe me?” Mel scoffs. “Well, in about four and a half months I’ll have proof. Do you know what it’s like, Clare, to be in love with a man you then find out doesn’t exist? To mourn the death of a man who’s still alive? To be carrying the baby who came into being through falsehood and deceit? Can you even begin to imagine it?”

She focuses on my eyes, as though trying to find something she can use to disbelieve Mel’s words and her expression which is telegraphing pain and hurt.

“If what you’re saying is true, you’re right, I can’t begin to imagine it,” Clare says at last. “But if what you say is the truth…” She swallows. “I don’t know.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “It was his job… Maybe he had to—”

“Job?” Mel rasps back, interrupting. “I was part of hisjob?”

It’s clear Clare doesn’t want to believe her, and to me, some of her words don’t make sense. She tries to justify Skull was hers first, and then retreats to the explanation that Mel must be lying. They go back and forth for a while, until we’re interrupted.

“Clare, oh my God, Clare. What have they done to you?” Her husband, Mel’s old man, Skull has arrived. He’s been escorted down to the basement and is running straight across to Clare, examining her, running his hands over her as if to see whether she’s been hurt.

I draw in a breath, ready to take over.This man is a traitor to the Satan’s Devils.He deserves every ounce of pain he’s going to get. Then I hear someone calling me urgently.

“Prez, VP. Come quickly, we’ve got company.”

What the fuck?

Annoyed I’m being called away, I pause only a moment to satisfy myself Pyro’s got this under control and then climb the stairs leading out of the basement.

“What the hell is it?” I warn Indian, “This better be fucking important.”

“I think you’ll find it is.” He points to Keys who’s staring at a monitor.

“Jesus,” I breathe. “They’re here for Skull.” I blink, but it doesn’t make the sight any different. Right outside the gates there are police cars and cops, and what I think is even a SWAT team. “Damnation! Fuck it!”

I turn and take the stairs back down to the basement two at a time to stop Pyro from making a mistake we’ll all regret.

“Skull, here, brought company,” I hiss when my hasty reappearance gets their attention. “Cops. They’re outside the gates. His insurance policy to make sure he, and she, walk out unscathed.”

Knowing he’s prevented from using his fists, Pyro blasts him with words. We get the confirmation we knew already. That he’s a plant.

“You working for the cops or the feds?” I ask, knowing the difference is vital. One could see a few men behind bars, the other could close the club completely.

He refuses to comply and his answer as to why he disappeared was simply, “Job done.”

Which, quite rightly, sends Mel off the handle. I step back. She’s the one most hurt.

To my disgust, he doesn’t try to deny that he used her, doesn’t even gloss it up by saying he couldn’t resist her, and as to why he left without a word, he repeats, “My job had ended so I returned to my wife.”

His concern and eyes had been on his wife. He hadn’t the decency to even look at Mel, so she had to spell out that she’s pregnant. When she does, Skull, Donavan, or whatever he’s going by now looks like he’s going to be sick. He staggers back and then staggers again when Pyro’s fist in his stomach winds him.

Then what happens next means I have to hide my grin. Never, ever, underestimate a scorned woman. I’m full of admiration for Mel and for what she says after Pyro informs him, he’ll never be seeing his kid.

“He won’t be seeing him from behind bars.”

Doing his job isn’t a crime, so Mel must be on to something. I can see it in her intelligent eyes. “Whatcha saying, Mel?”

“He raped me. He misrepresented himself. If I’d known who he was, what he was doing, I’d never have given my consent. I didn’t give my body to a cop, I gave it to the biker he was pretending to be.”

My eyes gleam.Too fucking right.I turn to Skull. “You were sanctioned to fuck for information?”

Skull’s eyes widen. “What?” For the first time, his voice isn’t steady.

I raise my eyebrow in challenge. When Skull doesn’t say more, I probe further, “Your superiors know? Or is this something you did on your own? Did you want an old lady to get information, use her in some way to strengthen your acceptance into the club? Or did you just want a handy fuckin’ companion?”

“Don?” his wife asks, almost hesitantly, as though she too wants clarification but is afraid of the answer.

But instead of answering her question, he rounds on her, accusing her of being caught and him being put in this position.

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