Page 44 of Sinner's Storm
“Thanks, Vicious.”
He wasn’t lying. Out of all my brothers, Vicious was the only one who knew everything that happened between the Golden Skulls and the Society. He was there. Fought alongside Reaper until he met Linsey and walked away from it all to protect the woman he loved. He knew the uphill battle I was about to face.
“The first hurdle is the brand. Is she prepared for it?” Fury asked.
Taking a deep breath, I muttered, “About as well as the others were, I suspect. She doesn’t understand why I have to brand her, but so far, she’s going with it. I think she’s more worried about the actual marriage.”
“Just lock her down, Storm,” Payne stated. “The sooner you do that, the easier everything else will be. Get that you sprung this shit on her, but you need to be sure she won’t run when shit hits the fan. ‘Cause trust me, brother, it will be a lot sooner than you think.”
“Delany’s solid.”
Me and every brother in the room turned to stare at Malice, who stood near the fireplace, glaring at the hot poker in the fire.
“How can you be sure?” I asked, confused.
Malice was closed off. Brother barely spoke to anyone. He didn’t like anyone. Though he barely tolerated us, he was fucking loyal to a fault. The only thing he fucking cared about was the club and maybe Father Dominic.
“Just know.”
Looking at Mercy, my brother rolled his eyes before adding, “While I don’t agree with Mr. Wonderful’s assumptions, just do what you need to do to lock her down. After Montana has his meltdown, we can get down to business.”
“He’s going to fucking kill his father with his bare hands.” Payne chuckled. “Gotta say, I’m not gonna mind watching that one bit.”
“That’s if he doesn’t kill me first,” I retorted, taking a sip of my drink. “I’m about to marry a Golden Legacy.”
Vicious smiled, slapping me on the back. “Welcome to the dark side, brother, and may God have mercy on your soul when the Reaper finds out.”
“Thanks, asshole.”
“You know this could work out.” Fury smirked. “You marry a Golden Legacy. Reaper accepts the marriage, thereby aligning our clubs.”
“In what reality do you see that happening?” Payne snarked. “This is fucking Reaper we’re talking about. You think Malice is a bastard? Moody fucker is a marshmallow compared to Reaper. My gut is telling me he isn’t going to give a fuck. War is coming. Mark my words.”
“You think I shouldn’t go through with it?” I challenged.
“Nope,” Payne said, shaking his head. “Not saying that. You got a kid by that woman. Look, brother, I got nothing against Delany. Seems like a sweet woman, and I agree, she’s had it rough. Shit with her dad is bad enough. I’m with you on that part. The girl deserves retribution for what George did to him and her family. Hell, man, I’ll lead the fucking charge. I’m just worried about the flip side of this shitstorm.”
“We all are, Payne.” Mercy sighed. “All we can do is fix what we can right now and worry about the other shit when it happens.”
“And that’s where you come in, Storm.” Vicious groaned. “You want Reaper to accept this marriage, then you better seal Delany tight to your ass. Cause if he believes for one fucking second you are trying to pull the wool over his eyes, he won’t think twice before gutting you. Trust me. I’ve seen the man kill for less. However, there is someone who might save you.”
“Who?”
“Remi,” Vicious whispered as he looked me dead in the eyes. “You get her on your side, and Reaper will fall in line.”
“She’s in the wind. No one knows where she’s at.”
“You haven’t asked the right person.”
“Who would know where to find her?” Mercy asked.
Vicious grinned and simply said, “Her father.”
Fuck me.
Vladmir Ivenok.
Second-in-command to Maxim Fedorov, the head of the Russian Bratva.