Page 31 of Devil's Queen
Rex looks down at his hands, silence settling between us like an unspoken truth. The restaurant’s cozy ambience feels suffocating now, as if it’s closing in on us.
“I didn’t mean to complicate things tonight.”
“I think we both know we’d have gone down this road,” I admit. “It was long overdue.”
“Yeah, it was.” Rex releases my hands, settling back into his chair. “Can I ask you something with the promise that you won’t get pissed at the question?”
“We both know I can’t guarantee that.”
“Fair enough.” He chuckles. “You hated the MC life. Why did you start one?”
“Sisterhood. We were all searching for a place to belong where we didn’t feel like outcasts. A sisterhood that was willing to do what it takes to protect others.”
“I get that,” he admits. “It’s the vision I have for the Zulu Kings as well. Your dad started that club to be a brotherhood, and it’s a perverted version of it now.”
“My dad’s addiction started that journey.”
“Wolff only made it worse.”
“What happened to him?”
Rex hesitates, considering his answer carefully. “We did what we had to do. He was leading us down a path that wouldn’t benefit the club, and we had to stop him before it was too late.”
His watered-down answer gives me little elaboration, but I know there’s only so much he can tell me. What happens in the clubhouse stays there. It’s how clubs work.
“He’s the reason you came to see me, isn’t it?”
“Part of it. I wasn’t lying when I came to talk about your dad. You deserve to know the truth.”
“And what you told me was the full truth?”
He hesitates again. “No, but this isn’t the place to talk about it. We should eat,” he remarks, looking at the plates in front of us.
I nod, accepting his deflection. It’s clear there are still secrets he is unwilling or unable to share with me. And perhaps it’s for the best.
As we dig into our meals, a comfortable silence settles between us. The flavors of the étouffée dance on my tongue, distracting me momentarily from the weight of our conversation. It’s a familiar taste, one that reminds me of home and simpler times. But even as I take another bite, my mind can’t help but wander back to what Rex said about Wolff. There’s something more there. Something he’s not telling me.
“So,” I begin, breaking the silence between us. “You said that you had more to say but can’t with an audience? Why don’t we go for a ride?”
Rex nearly chokes on the last bite of his meal. “You want that?”
Regardless of my hesitations about anything that has to do with Rex, my desire to have all the cards on the table means more to me. If he’s willing to give me more, I must take the chance to find out.
“Yeah, I do.”
REX
After paying for our meal,against Rem’s wishes, I follow her out of Muriel’s. Her bike is parked around the corner, opposite mine. Leaving her with her bike, I walk over to my Harley Softail before starting it up and heading back in Rem’s direction. I nod when I pull up next to Rem, and she takes off.
Following her lead, we bob and weave through the French Quarter until we make our way to her shop. She dismounts and heads into the building as I pull up behind her bike. The bay door opens, she returns, and walks her bike inside the building. Rem waves me in, and once inside, she closes the door behind me. I cut the engine and dismount.
“Not what I had in mind for a talk,” I admit honestly.
“It’s the one place we can talk without an audience to overhear us. Follow me.” She waves. “We can go up to my office.”
Rem gracefully moves toward the back of the shop, her hips swaying with each step. The black material of her catsuit clings to her curves, accentuating every movement. My grip on my control weakens as I watch her, entranced by her alluring sway. From the moment I saw her on the sidewalk, my plans for a peaceful dinner were forgotten. All I could focus on was how amazing it would feel to touch her. The thought alone sent shivers down my spine and made my aching cock throb more. She’d always been beautiful, but tonight she dressed to turn heads and fucking torture me with what I can’t have.
My eyes don’t move from her ass until she takes the last step and turns. I shift my gaze, but I damn well know she saw me staring at her ass. Rem shakes her head with a smirk.