Page 72 of Bolt's Flame
But I didn’t need time.
I deepened the kiss, my hands sliding up to his shoulders, pulling him closer. His lips were warm, soft, and the feel of him,the weight of his presence, made everything else fall away. There was no fear here. No pain. Just us.
When we finally pulled apart, my heart was racing, but it wasn’t from fear.
Bolt’s forehead rested against mine, his breath warm against my skin. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” he whispered. “I’ll always take care of you.”
“I know,” I whispered back, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
THE SUN WASdipping low on the horizon,casting a golden light over the clubhouse lot, but my mind wasn’t on the sunset. It had been a week since we’d taken James out of the picture, and things were finally starting to settle. Fiona was healing—slowly—but at least she wasn’t looking over her shoulder every second of the day.
That should have been enough.
But there was a nagging feeling deep in my gut, something that told me this wasn’t over. That James hadn’t worked only with Barbie. Maybe it was just paranoia, but the guy didn’t have the brains to pull all of this off by himself. And Barbie sure as hell wasn’t smart enough to play puppet master.
Something else was going on. I could feel it.
Thunder came out of the clubhouse, his face tight. “Devil wants us in the war room.”
I didn’t ask why. Just nodded and followed him inside. The others were already there by the time we reached the back room. Devil stood at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes sharp as he watched us file in. Everyone was already seated, and I took my spot next to Chain.
“What’s goin’ on?” I asked, already knowing it wasn’t good. The look on Devil’s face said as much.
“We got a problem,” Devil said, his voice low and hard. “Just got a tip from one of our guys in the city. Drago’s been making some more moves.”
“He’s one bold motherfucker,” Chain muttered, leaning back in his chair.
Devil’s gaze flicked to me, and the knot in my stomach tightened. “Word is, Drago’s been talking to someone—someone who’s got a grudge against us. And it’s not about territory.”
I felt my blood run cold. “You’re saying Drago was working with a civilian?”
“Well, that I don’t know,” Devil said. “Drago’s been keeping quiet lately, laying low, but that doesn’t mean he’s not making plans. James had been creeping around here for weeks, I’m guessing, and listening. He could’ve been the leak, and we just didn’t know it. That could explain the large amount of cash we found in the hotel.”
A sick feeling churned in my gut. James was bad enough, but Drago was a whole other kind of problem. Dragon Fire was ruthless, and if James had approached Drago, that meant Fiona was still in danger. Maybe more than before, especially since we haven’t been able to track them to their hideout.
“We need to put better security around our perimeter,” Thunder growled, his fist slamming against the table. “It’s adamn shame. Never needed it before that fucking James started lurkin’ around.”
“Nature isn’t enough anymore,” Devil agreed.
“My gut says James was a rat?” I said, my jaw clenched tight.
“Gatsby’s working on more intel,” Devil said, pointing at him.
“I’m going to snoop into James’s money situation. See what I can find,” Gatsby said. “If James took money from Drago, he won’t let that shit go.”
“How would James even find Drago?” I asked, leaning forward in my chair to look around the table.
“They have their ears to the ground just like we do,” Spinner said. “How do you think they got to me? They had to be tipped off, someone from that bar I was at in town was a snitch.”
I nodded, and replied, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Should we warn Fiona?”
“We’re still not sure this has anything to do with her,” Devil said. “But you can warn her to keep her eyes open and be aware of her surroundings.”
“Just don’t scare her, Bolt,” Chain said. “She don’t need that so soon after what just happened.”
“I’ll try not to,” I replied, thinking that wasn’t going to be easy.