Page 14 of Dev

“Fine by me, boss, I’m a changed man. There's only one girl getting her lips around this weapon these days, and that’s a private show. But you know how Sinner gets off on an audience, you really gonna take that away from him?” Ruck shrugs.

“The club’s changed, Sinner has to accept that.” Saint sits back in his chair, thoughtfully..

“Sssshhhh. That’s the kinda shit that gets you taken away from us.” Ruck warns before standing up and heading toward me.

“You do have a point, though; this place is becoming much more family-friendly. We got a kid living in the motel now, won’t be long before there's a couple more running around. Who knows, there might even be a mini Ruckus in the near future.”He laughs to himself, and I roll my eyes. “Hey, don’t look like that, boss. I hear you and Peyton got plans, too.”

“Where ya hear that?” I snap back far too quickly.

“The girls talk, Raze. Ain’t nothin’ off the table with them,” he reminds me. I love how close the girls have become, but I don’t know how I feel about everyone around here knowing my private business.

“I say we put Wrath's rule to another vote, I’m getting sick of having to see Sinner’s chopper.” Ruckus takes us back to the subject we were on before.

“Hey, that's my chopper too,” Saint pipes up, looking offended.

“It ain’t when it’s going into Mrs. Kirby.” Ruckus winks.

“You're just jealous that your old lady can’t keep her eyes off it.” Saint covers his hand over his mouth to hide his smirk.

“Now why in hell would my old lady wanna look at that when she’s got prime fuckin’ T-bone, right here?” Ruck grabs his junk through his jeans.

“I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.” I leave them to fight it out because I ain’t in a tolerable mood. Times like these, I’m much better off alone.

I light myself another cigarette, watching the end burn cherry-red as I inhale. I guess it don't matter how much of these I smoke now, either way I’m gonna hurt Peyton’s feelings. I could take the gun out my top drawer and put a bullet through my own skull for that.

My girl deserves better than the life I’m giving her. She’s still so young, she wouldn’t even be thinking about having kids if it wasn’t for me. I’m the one who was pushing for us to make a family together, and now that she’s on board, I’m the one slamming on the brakes.

I massage my temple, hating myself for fuckin’ with her head. It’s just one of the many mistakes I’ve made lately, and I need tostart thinking smarter. I need to be a better leader for the club and a better man for Peyton.

I can already feel myself starting to lose her, and I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.

Iclimb over the fence into the parking lot that runs alongside the Pemberton shipyard boundary, making sure to keep out of the path of the security lights as I rush across to the fence on the other side of it.

I can see the black cage that my brother’s watching from, parked far enough down the street opposite the entrance gates to not stand out, and I have to be sure he doesn’t see me.

I get to the spot we used to gain access from when we were kids, and smile to myself when I see that gap we made in the fence is still there. I brought a pair of wire cutters with me in case, but it turns out I don’t need them.

Bobby Rendall may not have been academically smart in fifth grade, but he knew how to get shit done. The gap he made in the fence is low and leads on to the back of one of the huge, rusty storage containers. No one would have noticed where it is. Weeds are the only thing I have to clear before I attempt to get through a gap we made when I was ten years old.

I snag my shoulder on one of the rough edges as I force myself into the space between the container and the fence. It’s much tighter than I remember, but I guess that's to be expected. Coming out from behind the container, I shuffle into the gap that's between it and the next one along. With barely enoughroom to breathe, I then carefully pop my head out at the other side to check the coast is clear.

I’m assuming the men here will be using the main office building that's on the other side of the yard, so the closer I can get the cameras to that location, the more information I can feed back to Raze and the club.

I look through the huge gates in front of me that lead out onto the street where I know Dev and Vike are keeping watch, fully aware of how angry Dev will be with me for doing this…initially.

Once he sees how the club is gonna benefit, I'm hoping he’ll realize that I’m not a kid anymore.

I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, and I’m ready to become a prospect.

I already know Ruckus would sponsor me if he had my brother’s backing, but who knows after this? Dev might want to sponsor me himself.

I see a shadow moving toward me, so tuck back into the dark and wait for the footsteps to pass. Once it’s safe, I start moving closer to the office, using the containers as a shield. There’s a warm glow that lights up the tarmac, and I hear the laughter get louder when someone opens the door to enter, and when it slams back shut, I decide to make a break for it, keeping low as I move on to the storage container that's closest to them.

I catch my breath back before I’m brave enough to take another peek out of the shadows, and when I do, I count at least four men through the office window. None of them is close to being the size of Dev. I could easily take a few on myself, especially with some of the moves Ruck has shown me since I’ve been working at the gym.

I have a good view of the office from here, so I take one of the cameras outta the belt bag, press the tiny button on top, and wait for the blue light to flick. Then, carefully peeling the back of the sticky pad off, I reach up and around the front of thecontainer, pressing it hard against the metal lip above me. My heart is pumping now that I’m closer; the voices inside are loud and shouting over each other in strong Irish accents.

But it’s not clear enough. I need to get closer. Maybe I could get a camera onto a window ledge, even if the picture isn’t good, the audio is what's going to be most useful to the Souls. I’m just about to make another quick dart to the side of the building when I hear a shuffle come from behind me. Spinning around, I get struck by a pain that makes my bones rattle and my teeth clatter in my skull. My body hits the ground with a thud, and a man with red hair and a big, bushy beard stands over me, wearing a wicked smile as he stuns me a second time with the cattle prod he’s holding.

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