Page 40 of Sinner's Storm
“Who else knows?”
“Malice.”
“Shit,” Mercy cursed, leaning forward. “Then you have no choice but to call for a board meeting and lay everything on the table. Montana isn’t going to like it, but he already knows his dad is on borrowed time. The only problem I foresee is your baby momma. Montana won’t budge on that, brother. Not after the phone call he got the other day. Bullseye called in the club’s marker. Montana agreed but told the acting president to never call again.”
“Not taking my daughter away from her mother, Mercy.”
“Then brand her and marry her. With the Soulless Sinner mark on her shoulder, Montana’s hands will be tied. He won’t be able to do shit because the board will be honor bound to protect her.”
“And how in the hell do you expect me to accomplish that? I only slept with the woman once. I know nothing about her or vice versa, for that matter. The only thing we have in common is Harlow.”
“Says the brother who has a new piece every month. Look, Storm, do it for your kid. I don’t care, just seduce the piece, get her to agree, then brand her fast. Because the longer she is without protection, the more danger she is in.”
Fuck. Mercy was right.
“What about Reaper?”
“Well,” Mercy sighed, leaning back again. “That’s where shit gets tricky. Two things could happen. The best outcome would be that Reaper accepts the marriage, thereby aligning the two clubs.”
“Which will piss off Montana.”
Mercy nodded.
“And the other?”
“Reaper refuses the marriage and demands reparations. He does that and then you have a problem, because there are only two things I see him demanding. Either a dissolution of the marriage. Which means Reaper will take Delany and your daughter back home with him. Or he demands blood. If he asks for blood, you will have no choice but to fight Reaper for Delany. If that’s the case, our club rules are clear. The club will disavow you until the outcome of the fight. You win, you get to keep your seat on the board.”
“What happens if I don’t win?”
Mercy looked me dead in the eyes and said, “It’s a fight to the death, Storm. If you don’t win, that means Reaper killed you.”
Hanging my head, I sighed.
“Look, Storm, this is a clusterfuck, no matter how you look at it. My advice is still the same. Brand and marry the woman. That way, Delany can stay with Harlow and the board will protect them both. With Reaper off doing fuck knows what, you’ve got time to seal her to you. Because when Reaper returns, and he will, you are going to need Delany’s help to sway him.”
“He’s an animal, Mercy. That man doesn’t give a fuck about anything or anyone but Remi, and you know it.”
“I do, which is why you need to do this shit fast, because neither of us know when Reaper will return or if he will be in a forgiving mood when he does. Plan for the worst, brother, and hope for the best.”
“That’s the shittiest advice I’ve ever heard.”
“And yet, it may be the only thing to keep you alive.”
Chapter Fifteen
Delany
The smell of coffee woke me, and I turned to find Jason sitting in a chair, watching me while he held a cup in his hand. I did not know why he was in here, or what he wanted. Since everything started, the man barely talked to me. When he did, it was cordial and respectful. The only time I saw any kind of emotion from him was when he was with Harlow. It didn’t take me long to see he adored her.
Everyone who knew her saw the exact same thing.
“We need to talk,” his gruff voice spoke, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to prickle. Every time someone told me they needed to talk to me, it was generally bad news.
“Harlow?” I asked, sitting up straighter.
“She’s fine. She’s with Marco, having breakfast.”
“She’s eating?” I asked in wide-eyed surprise.