Devil’s Game (The Devil’s Demons #2)

10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Giana

“ T his is a disaster.” I sighed, slumping back into the new black leather desk chair. “But at least your office looks better now.”

I’d had all new office furniture delivered to the bar last week, because, despite Merrick helping to wipe away the negative memories, I wasn’t sure I could sit in the room for hours without them floating back up to the surface. Besides, if I was going to sort through the monstrosity of papers piled in front of me, I could at least do it in comfort.

“I hadn’t realized how bad it was.” Merrick grimaced, pushing his matching rolling chair back from the desk. “I can just call the accountant again.”

He stabbed a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“You’re not going to change my mind, Merrick. So, you might as well quit while you’re ahead.” I reached for his hand, pulling his phone from his grip and laying it on the desk.

Some of my amusement faded as I remembered the other reason I’d made tackling Merrick’s disaster of an office a priority today.

“Besides, it will help keep my mind off other things . . .”

“Don’t worry.” Merrick’s voice was stern, practically demanding the worry gnawing at my insides to ebb away. “Spade does this, he’ll be back.”

When Kellan and I got back last night, I told Merrick about what happened while he took Sophia back to the house. I knew Spade was looking for the men that killed Ryan and trashed Kellan’s shop; I just hadn’t expected him to stay out all night, searching.

Merrick and Kellan had both told me not to worry, that Spade would be fine, but that did nothing to help. So, instead, I’d decided to direct my nervous energy toward something I could change, something productive, rather than treading a hole in the floor with my pacing. I’d already spent the morning on the phone with his accountant, and helped Merrick purchase the correct accounting software, while Eve gathered up the invoices and deposits for the last month. There was no way I was going to give up now.

I nodded, focusing back on my coping mechanism before I hopped into Merrick’s Chevy and canvased the whole damn town. “I can do this, Merrick. Besides, this way, you’ll have a better idea of your finances on a day-to-day basis.”

“That’s something we don’t have to worry about, little devil.” His lips quirked up into a teasing grin as he spun my chair to face him. “We have more than enough money to keep this place running. The guys like to drink, and with all the chop shops, and—”

“Okay, Mr. big-shot Ford.” I chuckled. “I get that you have money. What I meant was, it will give you a better idea of if your costs are going up, so you can either change prices or suppliers.”

“I think I like the sound of you calling me Mr. Ford.” His voice was a deep rumble as he bracketed my legs between his. “I also seem to remember us doing something a lot more fun the last time we were in my office.”

Heat bloomed in my cheeks as visions of our last time in his office, the need and desperation as our bodies came together, flashed through my mind. He slid his hands up my thighs, the rough, possessive glide of his palms sending a tendril of desire curling up my spine. I nearly climbed onto his lap, wanting to test out the new black desk, to see how it would hold up, yet I held myself back.

I’d realized something today. Like with the daunting task of sorting through these invoices, Merrick kept trying to shield me from his life, from the inner workings of the Devil’s Demons.

I probably wouldn’t have noticed that barrier still between us, if it wasn’t for yesterday. Kellan and I had destroyed that last wall between us, putting our pain behind us.

That revelation helped me see the barrier Merrick still had between us, like he was scared to fully let me in. I just wasn’t sure if he was trying to protect me or himself.

Either way, I knew what I had to do. Merrick and I had always communicated in the physical, even before we were more than friends. My touch would soothe him, and he would ground me in the same way without even needing words. But we needed those words if we were going to make it through this.

“I’m not sure the papers would survive.” I turned back to the desk, but his legs were still caging me in.

“Fuck the papers,” he growled, the sound vibrating straight to my core—tempting me, teasing me.

He gripped me tighter, thumbs running up the insides of my thighs, beckoning me to let him in. My legs trembled, the pleasure surging through my body begging me to give in.

I took a deep breath and placed my hands on his, stilling the teasing circles he was drawing on my skin as he drew closer and closer to the hem of my skirt.

“I want to do this, Merrick,” I breathed.

A knot formed between his brows. “Why?”

Here it was.

“I want to be a part of this—not just in bringing the Barones down, but I want to help in any way I can, with you, the business, the Devil’s Demons, all of it.”

The words hung in the air, his hazel eyes flitting between mine. “I want to give you your revenge, Gi. I want you to take that killing blow and see the life fade from his eyes, but I don’t want you getting too entrenched in this life.”

“Why not?” I gripped his hands tighter, needing the comforting warmth to keep me from sinking into myself. Did he not trust me?

“You deserve more. You deserve a regular, normal life, one that you won’t get if you’re helping run the Devil’s Demons, because there’s no walking away from this life, at least not for me.” His jaw tightened as he looked down at our hands.

He’d taken on so much of this, running these operations to get the Devil’s Demons to where they were now. Putting us in the position of one day taking on the Barones and keeping the rest of the gangs that would come flooding back in at bay. I wouldn’t let him shoulder that burden alone, not anymore.

“Maybe I’m not normal, maybe I’ve never been suited for a regular life.” I pulled one hand from his to stroke through his short blond locks. He leaned into my touch, some of his hardened mask slipping away.

I thought back to all those times, when I’d craved the violence, when I’d delighted in watching Merrick pummel his opponents into the ground, seeing them beg for mercy. I pictured the hot blood pouring onto my hand as I’d plunged the knife into Mike’s chest, the light flickering out from his eyes as his heart took its last beats.

“But your dreams—”

“Were what I thought I wanted.” I cut him off, leaning forward until we shared the same breath. “I wanted to get the hell out of this town because I thought that was my only choice. I was stuck in a dangerous web, at the mercy of either Tommaso or my parents, but I don’t owe them anything. I’m free now, and I won’t spend another second following what someone else thinks is best for me.”

His lips pressed into a tight line, his eyes going distant for a moment as his throat bobbed. “I don’t want to be like him.”

Pain flashed in his gaze, uncertainty threatening to slam a barrier shut, as though he was just waiting for the moment he had to rebuild that wall between us, brick by brick.

My heart panged at the jagged edges he was showing me. All I wanted to do was put them back together, piece by piece, uncaring of the cuts and scrapes we’d both get along the way, because this man was worth it.

“You will never be like him, Merrick.” I gripped his face, forcing his gaze to meet mine, to make sure he heard and believed every word. “You built this life, you took on some of the toughest gangs, and instead of letting it go to your head, you kept fighting—for the people in town who could never stand up for themselves, for the families continually terrorized by the Barones, and for me.”

My last words seemed to snap his mind back into focus as his eyebrows knit together. “I don’t want you to think that you can’t take care of yourself.”

“I couldn’t, though.” I shrugged, smoothing my thumb over his cheek before I let it slip back down to capture his other hand in a reassuring grip. “You helped me remember my strength, my training. You helped me get out of there and gave me the opportunity and the will to fight.”

“It was you—”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you.”

His mouth tightened, like he wanted to argue, and I couldn’t help but smile. That was Merrick—so sure, so strong, and so stubborn.

“That will always be the difference between you,” I said, leaning forward to brush my lips against his. “He wanted to keep me caged, like a trophy on display. But you—you empower me, you help me take action, but you’d never hold me back, you’d never keep me locked away.”

He loosed a shuddering breath, the last of his reservations crumbling away as his lips smashed against mine. The kiss was hard and desperate as he hauled me onto his lap, his fingers stabbing through my hair as he feverishly held me to him, like he was scared I might drift away on a silent wind. Clutching the lapels of his leather jacket, I desperately pulled his chest against mine, needing the pounding of his heart next to mine as his tongue delved between my lips, tangling with my own. Neither of us held back as we unleashed the full weight of our desire on each other, our breaths turning ragged as need scorched its way straight to my core.

He groaned into my mouth as I wiggled on him, desperately needing friction as I rubbed my legs together, the movement causing my skirt to ride up. His hard cock pressed into me, his jeans rough against my bare thighs. I slid my hands down his chest, about to reach for the button of his jeans, when a sharp rap on the door pulled me short.

Merrick growled as he reluctantly drew away, sliding a cutting glare over his shoulder at the closed door.

I tried my best to muffle my giggle with my hand, but judging by the roll of his eyes, I obviously didn’t do that great of a job.

“This better be life or death.”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be knocking if it wasn’t.” Eve’s voice echoed from the other side, wiping any trace of amusement from my face. Feigned confidence bolstered her tone, and I knew immediately that it had to be serious for her to even knock on his door.

I scrambled off Merrick’s lap, my earlier fears bubbling back to the surface. “Spade?”

Merrick tried to grasp my waist, but his hands only skated over the thin band of exposed skin between my crop top and skirt as I leaped for the door.

I was sure I looked the hot mess I felt like as I wrenched open the door, judging by the bewildered look Eve gave me, her gaze running down my rumpled clothes, but I didn’t care. “Spade?” I asked again, a note of desperation hitching my tone up an octave as panic surged through my veins.

“No, I haven’t heard anything about Spade.” Eve’s black brows scrunched together as she glanced from me to Merrick as his hard chest pressed against my back. He ran his hands down my legs, straightening my skirt, before they came to rest on my waist.

“What is it, Eve?” Merrick grumbled, a hint of warning in his tone.

Eve’s throat worked. “One of the groups had a run-in with the Barones. It almost went south, but Jack—”

“Are you okay here?” He spun me slightly, so I could gaze up into his hazel eyes, tight with concern.

“The only threat I have in here is this mountain of paperwork falling on me.” I attempted to inject some levity, but considering the way his mouth tightened as he looked over my head at the office I was taken from over a week ago, it didn’t work. “I’ll be fine.”

I shifted my jacket, showing him the gun holstered beneath it, and he sighed in relief.

“Good.” He nodded, and my chest warmed at the confidence he had in me. Merrick stooped to capture my lips with his in a searing kiss that sent heat all the way down to my toes. “I’d burn the word down to get you back, and next time, I don’t think I’d be able to hold back from hunting that bastard down and putting a bullet between his eyes.”

A shiver of delight ran up my spine at the violence sparking in his eyes, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my lips.

Eve cleared her throat as her footsteps scuffed back. “I’ll be at the bar.”

“You won’t need to, because next time I see him, I’ll do it myself.”

A few hours passed as I sorted through the paperwork and entered the invoices into the system, one by one. It was tedious work, but it allowed me to slip in my earbuds and listen to some of my favorite songs I hadn’t allowed myself to play in years, since they reminded me too much of the guys. I lost myself in the heart-wrenching lyrics, giving my mind a much-needed vacation from everything that was closing in around us. But, despite the momentary reprieve, Spade kept slipping into my thoughts with a sharp panic I had to calm myself from.

I’d gotten about halfway through when I decided to take a break, needing to get up and stretch my legs for a few minutes before slipping back into the hyper-fixation that was keeping my mind at ease.

“Need a drink?” Eve asked as I stepped out into the nearly empty bar. There were a few familiar men in the corner, but other than that, most of the Devil’s Demons must’ve been with Merrick. “I don’t know how you handle staring at that screen for so long.”

“I’m used to it, I guess.” I chuckled, sliding onto one of the barstools in front of her. “Just water, please.”

Understanding flickered in her gaze as she filled a clean glass and slid it over to me.

I took a sip of the cool liquid, allowing it to roll over my tongue and soothe my dry throat, reminding myself I’d seen Eve pour it herself from the drink gun.

I grimaced as I placed the now-empty glass on the bar, the peeling fake leather of the stool pricking against the back of my thighs as I shifted. It seemed like it was barely holding on. “I really have to redecorate.”

“I honestly never thought I’d see the day when he’d bring a new piece of furniture in here that couldn’t be fixed with a good piece of duct tape.” Eve rolled her eyes as she refilled my glass with the soda gun. “But I swear you could tell that man to burn the place down, and he’d rush out to buy the lighter and gasoline.”

“I don’t know about that.” I chuckled, already imagining what pieces I could bring in to match the grungy biker bar vibe without all the dilapidation . . .

“He’s complained about his back in that office chair more times than I can count, yet he refused to buy another one—” She cut off abruptly, her eyes widening in realization.

I swallowed thickly, not wanting to explain the little voice in the back of my mind that had revolted at the thought of sitting on that chair again, of feeling the rough, worn threads scratching against my thighs.

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” I waved off her concern, forcing another sip of water down my parched throat.

“I should’ve brought the drink to you myself. I should’ve remembered that most men are trash.”

“Hey!” one of the men in the corner piped up, his hand stroking his grizzled grey beard as he narrowed a glare at Eve.

“Simmer down, Ben. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t kill that fucker if she hadn’t already.”

“You’re right.” He sighed, and I could’ve sworn there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes as he tipped his head to me.

I smiled, some of the clouds from that night lifting. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, though.”

The truth of that settled in my chest. I’d avoided talking about that night, past rehashing details for the guys, and then Sophia, but I needed this. Not a heart-to-heart or to spill my feelings, but to know that, despite the reservations that lingered, it hadn’t broken me—it only strengthened my resolve. I’d make the men who had made my life hell pay with theirs, and then I’d do the same to anyone else who thought they could prey on someone they saw as weak.

“True.” I nodded. “It’s not fine. I shouldn’t have to watch my drink, just like you shouldn’t have to make sure a man who works here doesn’t touch a woman’s drink. But what happens to us doesn’t define us. I’s what we do after it, our perseverance—and I, for one, plan on making them pay.”

“I like the sound of that.” Eve grinned, raising her own glass of water before taking a large gulp, as though she was downing liquor.

I mirrored the gesture and nearly sputtered on the sip as the front door slammed open. The worn wood crashed against the wall, and just as I bolted from my seat, my hand automatically reaching for my gun, the click of pistols echoed behind me, all of us focused on the figure still shrouded in darkness as he strode into the dim bar.

“Sugar,” a familiar voice drawled, immediately dropping my defenses.

“Don’t do that.” I sighed as I placed the gun back into its holster, barely getting it in place before Spade was wrapping me up in a tight embrace.

“I have a surprise for you,” Spade whispered, his breath skating over the shell of my ear as he buried his face in my neck.

I barely had my arms wrapped around him before he was lifting me up and swinging me toward the door.

“Spade,” I hissed, hastily twining my legs around his waist, so I wasn’t awkwardly hanging off him like a rag doll.

“I found them.”

I pulled back, needing to search his face to make sure I’d heard him right. “You found them?” The blood drained from my face as shock rattled my bones.

“I found them.” He grinned, his violet eyes twinkling with mischief as he expertly opened the car door and lowered me onto the seat. “And I even got you a present.”

He nodded toward the back, where a brand-new baseball bat laid, the setting sun glinting off the veneer of the tan wood.

Excitement buzzed through me as I pulled it onto my lap, admiring the weight of the solid wood.

“Let’s do this.”