Page 29 of Bolt's Flame
And as we stood there on the beach, the sun rising behind us; I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could start living again.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE ROOM WASbuzzing with energy, low voicesmurmuring as the meeting started. Devil sat at the head of the long wooden table, his usual spot, looking worn out, and those red eyes scanning the room like he could see straight through you, and I swear there’re times I think he can. Thunder, Chain, Mystic, Spinner and the rest of the boys sat around the table, waiting for the discussion to kick off.
I should’ve been focused, dialed into whatever Devil was about to say, but my mind kept drifting back to earlier. To Fiona. To the way she looked at me with those round, expressive eyes, her lips soft against mine, and the way she felt in my arms. It felt like she was slowly breaking down the walls I’d spent yearsbuilding, and I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or if it was going to ruin me.
All I knew was I wanted more of it... more of her.
“Bolt!”
I snapped back to reality, blinking as Devil’s sharp voice cut through my thoughts. All eyes turned to me, the heavy weight of everyone’s attention suddenly pressing down like a boot on my chest. I looked up to see Devil’s angry red glare fixed right on me, his jaw clenched tight.
“You with us or you got somewhere better to be?” Devil growled, his voice soft but deadly, cutting through the tension that now filled the room.
The boys chuckled under their breath, but Devil wasn’t laughing. His gaze didn’t soften, and I knew better than to make some smart-ass comment. The one thing about Devil was whatever happened between him and his wife that night, years ago when she died, had left him a controlled but mean son of a bitch.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I muttered, sitting up straighter, pushing thoughts of Fiona out of my mind. Now wasn’t the time to be distracted.
“Good,” Devil said, his voice low but still menacing. “We’re talking business, not daydreams about getting our dick wet.”
He shifted in his chair, leaning forward, his tired eyes scanning the room. The conversation around the table had already moved past the usual updates—runs, jobs, and club business. Now it was time for the serious shit.
“Dragon Fire MC is without a doubt sniffing around our territory,” Devil continued, his voice hardening. “We have eyes on them, and those bastards are getting too close. They’re not backing off, for a new club it’s very unusual. Tell everyone what you ran into the other night,” he ordered, pointing at Mystic.
Mystic, who was sitting across from me, nodded. “We found tracks near the old paper mill a few nights ago. Fresh. They were holdin’ up there. Me, Bolt, Spinner and Thunder did some damage to their rides.”
“They’re testin’ us,” Chain added, his deep voice steady as ever. “Pushing to see how far they can go before we push back.”
Devil’s hand slammed down on the table. “Well, they’re going to learn real fucking fast that we don’t roll over. They want a fight? We’ll give ‘em one.”
“Drago doesn’t seem one to back down easy,” Gatsby chimed in, twirling his pen absently as he spoke. “That prick’s been running his mouth, saying we’re weak, that we’re spread too thin, lying to his men about what happened up north.”
“He can talk all he wants,” Spinner growled, his fingers spinning that damn toy in his hands, that drove me nuts for some reason. “We’ll shut him up when things finally get real.”
I tried to shake the lingering thoughts of Fiona and focus on the task at hand. The Dragon Fire MC wasn’t just some nuisance—they were a problem that wasn’t going away. And the longer we let them breathe, the more bold they’d get.
“What’s the play, then?” I asked, leaning forward, wanting to make sure I was locked in now. “We takin’ the fight to them?”
Devil’s gaze swung to me, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he didn’t call me out again. He knew when I was serious. “No play...yet,” he said, his voice rough but calm. “We need more intel first. I don’t want to lose any of our men because we rushed in blind. Patch tells me it’s possible they’re not just running drugs through our territory, but flesh. Thunder, you, Spinner and Mystic keep scouting. I wanna know every move they make. I want eyes on every patch they’ve got near our territory. No one rides through without us knowing.”
The men nodded, all confirming with the same words. “Got it.”
“And Bolt,” Devil added, turning his gaze back to me. “I want you and Chain to take a couple of the prospects and hit the north side tomorrow. I don’t care if it’s just a whisper of information—I want you to find out for sure what they’ve got their fingers in.”
“We’ll handle it,” I said, already mentally going through my contacts.
There was a beat of silence as Devil leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning the room one last time. “Make no mistake, brothers. This isn’t just a pissing contest anymore. Dragon Fire’s trying to make a statement, and if we don’t shut ‘em down, they’ll think they can take us. Drago is young and doesn’t understand the mistake he’s making, and it’s our job to teach him.”
The room was tense, everyone nodding in agreement. We all knew what was at stake. Territory was everything. You let one club push you around, and soon enough, every other MC out there thinks they can take what’s yours. And Drago? He didn’t want to play nice, just like his grandaddy Papa Bear.
“We’ll hit ‘em hard when the time’s right,” Devil said, his voice lowering as he brought the meeting to a close. “But until then, I want every man on alert. No one rides alone. No one makes a move without checking in. Got it?”
The room filled with murmurs of agreement, everyone understanding the gravity of the situation. We’d all been through this before—club wars, territory fights, and the blood that came with it. It wasn’t new, but it never got easier.
Devil’s gaze met mine again, his voice quieter now but no less intense. “Don’t fuck this up, Bolt. I need you clear-headed.”
I gave a sharp nod, knowing exactly what he was talking about. The distraction—the one with mood changing blue eyes and a soft smile—wasn’t something I could let get in the way right now.