Page 56 of Bolt's Flame
He nodded, his expression resolute. “You will, once I prove that bitch lied.”
We sat there, locked in each other’s gaze, the silence around us filled with unspoken words and unresolved emotions. It wasn’t a reconciliation, not yet, but it was something. A step forward. A glimmer of hope.
“Alright,” I said finally, my voice barely more than a breath.
His eyes softened, and I saw a flicker of relief. “I miss you, Fiona.”
I nodded, afraid to speak, and lowered my eyes before he could see the tears that were threatening to fall.
As he walked away, I could feel his eyes on me, a weight that was both comforting and terrifying. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but for the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, we could work this out.
And that thought was enough to keep me moving forward, one step at a time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
THE ROOM WASthick with angry tension, thekind you could feel in the air, like right before a trapped tiger was ready to break free and attack.
Devil stood at the head of the table, his eyes scanning the room, taking in every man seated before him. His expression was stone cold, all business, the way it always was when he was about to lay down the law. This wasn’t just a meeting; it was a call to arms.
“Alright, listen up,” Devil said, his voice cutting through the silence. “We’ve got a situation on our hands, and I’m not only talking about the bullshit with Dragon Fire, we now have twopersonal vendettas to fight. That bastard James is in town, and he’s already made a move on Fiona. The big kicker is he’s getting on the grounds somehow and we need to figure that shit out real quick.”
A low murmur rippled through the room, the anger and restlessness palpable. Every man here knew what that meant. James wasn’t just a problem for Fiona; he was a problem for all of us—crossed a line, and that meant he was on our radar.
“We can’t let this go,” Chain said, leaning forward, his hands planted firmly on the table. “That son of a bitch thinks he can just waltz back in and threaten her? Trespass where he has no business. We need to show him he’s messin’ with the wrong people.”
“You’re damn right we do,” Thunder added, his eyes dark with anger. “We can’t let him think he’s got any kind of power over her, and especially not over us.”
I sat there, so fucking angry he had gotten close to Fiona, fucking close enough to touch her. Every word they said was like fuel to the fire burning in my chest. James was a threat, and threats needed to be dealt with. Period.
Devil raised a hand, calling for silence. “This has to be dealt with invisible hands,” he said, his voice measured. “We don’t need any unwanted attention on the club, not when we’ve already got Dragon Fire that has to be dealt with, and that’ll be bloody. We can’t have our fingerprints on the death of a civilian. But we’re not going to sit back and do nothing either.”
“I gave you my plan for security.” I said, my voice low and steady, even though inside I was anything but calm.
Devil’s gaze flicked to me, his eyes hard. “We’re upping security around the clubhouse, should have done this sooner but we’ve never had a problem before, not with all the miles of forest and fucking marshes. I want a man at the gate and patrolling the grounds at all times. No one in or out without us knowing aboutit. Got it? This will keep our privacy and Fiona safe at the same time.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on my shoulders. It was a necessary measure, one that I would make sure was enforced. But it didn’t make the anger go away. It didn’t make the urge to hunt James down and end this threat once and for all any less powerful.
“And do you think we have a rat inside?” Chain asked. His voice was tight with barely contained rage. “We need to lay out some cheese because we can’t just sit around and wait for the rat to squeal some more.”
Devil’s jaw tightened, a dangerous glint in his eye. There was a reason Devil was next in line as regional president once Patch stepped down—he was ruthless. “I hate to say it, but yes, I think we have a rat, and like always, I’ll be the cat that corners, then kills it.”
A murmur of agreement went around the table. This was how we handled things. We protected our own, and we made sure that anyone who threatened us learned quickly that it was a mistake they wouldn’t live to regret.
“It could be a sweet butt,” I said, my voice cutting through the noise. Every head turned toward me, but I kept my eyes on Devil. “If Jenny can drug me, then she’s capable of ratting us out to Dragon Fire.”
Devil stared at me for a long moment, weighing my words, weighingme. Then he nodded. “I need proof before I drag her into the roundhouse and question her. So, get the dirt and we’ll take care of business.”
I gave a curt nod, my jaw clenched tight. It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was the one that made the most sense. We had to be smart about this, and Devil was right. We had no problem serving out our own kind of justice, but it had to be warranted justice.
“Fiona stays under everyone’s eye,” Devil continued, his eyes sweeping the room again. “She’s under our protection, and that means we don’t let her out of our sight. If James so much as breathes in her direction, we shut it down. Understood?”
“Understood,” the room echoed, every man’s voice ringing with the same determination.
“We move tonight to find the Dragon Fire hideout,” Devil said, his tone final, brokering no argument. “Get your gear and be ready. We’re not playing games here. We need to end this and avenge our brothers with their blood.”
The meeting broke, everyone moving with a sense of purpose, a sense of urgency. There was no room for hesitation, no room for doubt. We had a job to do, and we were going to do it.
I stood up, feeling that addicting adrenaline start to pump through my veins, the anticipation of the hunt setting in and not just for revenge on Dragon Fire. James had made a mistake coming back here, and he was going to learn that we weren’t the kind of people you crossed and walked away from.