Chapter One
Blade
These past few months have been nothing short of crazy for all of us who are part of Devil’s Inferno MC. I’m relieved that the threat we were facing has finally been neutralized. I guess that”s a nice way of saying that Claire, the woman behind all the issues, is now dead. Having her throat slit by Flame, one of the MC’s Enforcers, just a few days ago.
It’s nothing short of what she deserved. Not only for targeting Wrath, our President, Shadow, our VP, and Flame, but for hiding Wrath”s son, Cam, from him and using him as her personal punching bag for the majority of his life. I hate people who abuse kids, but especially women; they remind me of my mother and what she used to do to me, all because my father loved me more than he ever should and she was jealous.
Fuck no, I don’t need to be thinking about my fucked-up childhood and so-called parents. It’ll just cause me to spiral, and that’s something I can’t afford right now. I’ve got enough issues with Jasmine, my sort of ex. She’s actually the reason I’m here again, at Inferno’s, the nightclub Devil’s Inferno owns, instead of at home, at The Clubhouse.
I’m avoiding her like the plague. I thought she was someone I could trust with my truth. With my pain. It turns out I was so wrong. When the bunnies decided to cause trouble, instead of coming and talking to me like an adult, she believed them. Throwing everything we were building right back in my face and accusing me of lying about my past in the process. I still, to this day, don’t know who told her I was lying, and at this point, I’m past the point of caring who told her. She showed her true colors that day.
Also, why the fuck would I lie about being raped as a child? That’s not something anyone would fucking make up and lie about. It”s something highly fucking traumatic and personal. At the time everything went down between me and Jasmine, hardly anyone knew about what I’d been through, and those who did understood that I didn’t want everyone to know about it, but that”s not the case anymore. Jasmine exposed it to everyone at The Clubhouse when she accused me of lying. My only saving grace was that I hadn’t told her who did it. I don’t even want to think about what she”d have done if she had the full facts. What she did with the small amount she knew was fucking bad enough.
The worst part is that I can’t even do anything about her still being around because she’s Cam’s aunt. I don’t want to cause problems for my President. He’s grateful to Jasmine for trying to protect Cam when he was younger and living with Claire. She went through hell after trying to help Cam. Her own sister ordered her to be raped and beaten, but that doesn’t excuse her behavior. Not in the slightest.
God, talk about a fucked-up situation. I just need to keep my distance, and hopefully she’ll forget about trying to make my life a living hell. It’s a good job, I don”t mind working here as a bouncer. It keeps me out of her way and gives me a slice of normality and sanity at a crazy time in my life.
Glancing up from my post at the door, I notice a young woman off to the side, looking lost. She looks about five foot seven, with long blonde hair down to her waist; I can’t clearly make out any of her other features at this distance. I do wonder what’s going on there, though; she certainly isn’t dressed for being at a nightclub with her skinny jeans and baggy black hoodie. She sticks out like a sore thumb in that outfit.
Seeing me watching, she slowly makes her way towards me. Luckily, it’s still early enough that there isn”t a queue; otherwise, people would be hurling abuse at her about cutting the line.
“Are you okay?” I ask her gently, once she’s standing in front of me.
“Yes, no, I don’t know. Fuck.” She says, shaking her head.
Now that she’s closer, I can make out the rest of her features. Warm chocolate brown eyes, a small button nose, and full red lips. She’s fucking stunning. There’s no way I can miss that, even if I am a little jaded about women right now.
“Just take a breath and calm down.” I say, as I place my hand on her arm.
I can see her do as I ask, and she looks a lot more composed now. Which is good; hopefully she can tell me why she’s here.
“Sorry, I have a lot going on right now. I’m wondering if you can help me. I’m looking for Jackson or Alex Jacobson.”
Immediately, I go on alert at the mention of my President and Vice President’s real names.
“Why are you asking?” I ask warily.
“I think I may be their sister.” She tells me, dropping one hell of a bomb in my lap.
Now that she’s said the words, I can see it. Those warm chocolate brown eyes? Yeah, they’re the exact same as the twins, but if that’s the case, that means she has got to be Blaze’s daughter too. I can’t be having this conversation with her out here. We need to go somewhere private where we won”t be overheard. We don’t need some nosy fucker overhearing and trying to use whatever information she’s providing for their own gain.
“Come with me.” I say, waving her to follow me inside.
She does as I ask, following me inside the club. As we walk towards the office, I send a text to the other bouncer on shift, asking him to go and cover the door as I need to deal with something that’s come up. I know he’ll listen to me; everyone who works here listens to me. I guess that’s a good thing about being an Officer in the MC that owns this place; everyone listens. Well, almost everyone. There’s one staff member, Megan, who has recently been getting a little too big for her boots. I keep forgetting to bring it up with the other Officers. It’s something that most definitely needs dealing with before her attitude gets too far out of hand. Making a mental note to bring Megan up to everyone, I focus back on my task right now. Getting answers.
Guiding the woman into the office, I close the door behind us and lock the door. I don’t need any nosy fucker coming in here and finding out whatever she has to tell me. I can tell by her demeanor that there is more behind her being here than just finding her brothers. She’s nervous and on edge. Don’t get me wrong, she’s hiding it well, but my role as an Enforcer means I’ve had plenty of experience picking up people”s tells.
“Take a seat. Whatever you have to say won”t be overheard here.”
She walks over to the couch that”s pushed up against the wall and flops down. Dropping her head to her hands. Now that we’re not out in the open, she looks like she has the world on her shoulders, and I can’t help but feel for her.
“Thank you for being willing to listen to me.” She says as she looks back up at me. There’s something I can only describe as hope in her eyes when they lock with mine. That’s not a look I’m accustomed to people having when they look at me; normally, their gazes are filled with fear and worry.
”Well, I can’t say I was expecting you to claim to be Wrath and Shadow’s sister when you walked up to me, but it was certainly a way to get my attention.” I say, hoping to break the ice a little. I know this can’t be an easy conversation for her to have with a complete stranger.
She lets out a little laugh at my words, causing me to internally smile. It makes her look even more beautiful. God, I shouldn”t be noticing this about her; I swore off women after Jasmine.
”Yeah, I didn’t know what else to say, if I’m being honest. I saw your kutte and knew you’d at least know who I was talking about.”
“Well, I guess we should actually talk about your claim.” I say as I walk over and sit next to her. Making sure to angle my body so I can see her facial expressions and read her body language.
”Yeah, I guess. I just need to check. Your name”s Blade, right? Or at least that”s what your kutte says.”
“Shit. Sorry, yeah, I’m Blade and one of Devil’s Inferno’s Enforcers. What’s your name?”
“Seraphine, but everyone calls me Sera.”
“Nice to meet you, Sera. So, why do you think you’re their sister?”
”Well, it’s easier if I let you listen to something.” She says, wringing her hands together.
“Go ahead; I’m all ears.”
She pulls a phone out of her pocket and clicks play on the newest recording. I can see the screen and notice that it was recorded in the last twenty-four hours. So I’m guessing she didn’t know who she was before then, and whatever else is on that recording is what’s got her so on edge. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me with what I know so far, but I’m sure I’m about to find out for certain.
As I listen to the recording, I’m taken back by how much information she managed to get in one recording. So I was right; she is Blaze’s daughter, but the kicker is that her mother is the same as the twins. Which is mind-boggling because I know for a fact that Patricia Dawson was forced to leave Devil’s Inferno after she gave birth because of her deceit in how she ended up pregnant. She was a bunny back then and was desperate to become an Ol’ Lady, so she poked holes in all the condoms she used with members. I may not have been around back then, but I’ve heard the stories. We all have. After she gave birth and DNA testing proved the twins were Blaze”s, she was given two options: leave and never come back or die. So how the fuck did she manage to get pregnant by Blaze again years later? There is no way Blaze wouldn’t have recognized her. I’d like to say that”s the biggest revelation in the recording, but it’s not. No, that would be the fact that Patricia has fucking sold her to Silvio Sabbatini. He may not operate around here, but that”s not for lack of trying.
Wrath put an end to Sabbatini’s plans to traffick his victims through Devil’s Point years ago. Taking out some of Sabbatini’s top men in the process. So my question is, does he know who Sera really is? Is that why he wants her, or is it more than that? God, I have so many questions and no fucking answers. I hate not having all the answers.
I feel for her. It can’t be easy knowing what her mother has done, but from her expression, she”s not surprised. So that raises the question: What the hell has she done to Sera in the past?
“Sera?” She looks up at me as I say her name. “I take it this isn’t the first time she’s done something like this?”
She lets out a humorless laugh. “Oh Blade, you have no idea the sort of shit that woman has done throughout my life, but that’s not what’s important right now.” I can see her starting to shut down, thinking about whatever has happened in the past.
I’m not going to ask for any more details right now; I know firsthand how hard talking about your past can be. I can tell by her reaction that whatever Patricia has done in the past is going to piss me off, and I don’t need to be anymore pissed off right now. Everything I’ve heard in the recording has me steaming mad as it is.
Now I just need to know what she wants to do. If I had to guess, she’s not just here to find her family, just like I originally thought. She’s here to get help with this situation that Patricia has put her in with Sabbatini. I don’t blame her for that either. Sabbatini isn’t someone to fuck around with. He’s one of the most despicable human beings I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Even if she wasn’t who she is, I’d offer her help with the situation she’s in. She’s going to need strong allies to get her out of this. Sabbatini won’t back off just because she doesn’t want what’s been arranged. No, it’s going to take a show of force and probably a shitload of threats to end this.