Chapter 37
“We’ve got progress,” Tuck said as soon as the doors were locked, and Demon sat at the table. “It’s not done yet but we’re on the way to making sure the woman is safe.”
“My woman,” Demon clarified.
Tuck raised one brow as one corner of his mouth lifted. The glint of light reflecting off the fifty cent piece that flipped back and forth over the back of Tuck’s hand where it rested on the table in front of the president. Demon didn’t want to look too closely at what that expression meant.
“Switchblade is in the process of calling off the retrieval order for Ronnie,” Krissi spoke up. “I spoke with him earlier and we came to an agreement.”
“Thank you.” Demon met her gaze. “I know you haven’t spoken to him in quite a while, and that you want to keep your distance. I know what it took to make the offer to let him know Amber.”
Oh, I didn’t do that. I learned how to negotiate and make promises without giving up things I wasn’t willing to do.
I never agreed to let him see her. All I did was threaten to never let him see her if he didn’t do this.
” She shot Ruger a conspiratory smile then looked back to Demon.
“He’ll be in a position soon that he’ll never get a chance to come see her.
The closest he’ll ever get is a photograph and even that won’t be current, of that you can be sure. ”
“Still, I appreciate it.”
“That’s not the only news,” Gizmo spoke up.
He tapped a few keys on the computer in front of him.
“They picked up Randall Darq a few hours ago. He is singing like a canary.” Gizmo shook his head.
“I don’t know how a woman as strong willed as Ronnie came from a man like that.
Anyway, he’s in the process of making a deal to give up everything he knows, and from what he’s giving up, the Devils, as well as the Diablos, are not the only criminals he’s in bed with.
And the fucking idiot has stockpiled evidence against nearly everyone he’s in bed with.
It looks like he’s been blackmailing some with the information, but not all.
He’s not entirely stupid. His information, along with the evidence he’s stashed on everyone should clean up more than a few cold cases as well as put at least two dozen men in prison across four states. ”
Demon blinked and stared at the tech sergeant for several seconds.
Arizona and New Mexico he’d expected, but what were the others?
If he had to guess, he would say probably California, and probably Nevada, but maybe Utah or Colorado, not that it mattered that much as long as Switchblade, and everyone else who meant her harm, stayed far away from Ronnie.
“So what do I need to do?” Demon asked once the news sank in.
“Stay close to her for a couple more days, at least. We need to give it long enough for Switchblade’s order to stand down to make it around the underground network he uses to communicate with his associates.
I’ll keep looking for anything that might be a danger to her.
A threat or possibly revenge from any of the others that piece of shit has been working with or blackmailing.
Then she should be safe.” Gizmo dropped his gaze back to the laptop screen.
“Once this is all over, you can walk away. Your cousin will be behind bars, Ronnie will be safe, and your conscience will be clear,” Tuck said, watching Demon.
Demon didn’t bother to fight the growl that tore itself from his throat. “Never.”
Sadist lifted one brow and stared at him. Demon wasn’t sure if it was because Demon’s reaction had surprised him or if he didn’t approve of the growl. Demon wasn’t sure he cared.
“You claiming her?” Ruger asked.
“He fucking better,” Krissi put in. “I spoke with my sperm doner for you, and her. I hope she’s more than just a fling.”
“She’s mine.”
“You talked to her about that?” Tuck asked. “What will you do if she doesn’t want to be claimed?”
“My damnedest to convince her.” Demon shook his head.
“I haven’t talked to her yet, and we have a lot to discuss.
Not just between the two of us but in general.
If the feds confiscate all her father’s assets, she’s out of a job.
Her brother said he might can save the business, if she truly wants it, but I’m not sure if she’s decided if she wants it or not yet. ”
“Get that settled.” Tuck pinned him with a hard look.
“Let me know if I need to order her kutte,” Ruger put in.
“You?” Krissi said with a brief laugh.
“I can do it. I did all the ordering before you came along.” The club treasurer reached down and grabbed the bottom of his wife’s chair and pulled it over until it sat against his, then leaned in and kissed her hard. Krissi leaned into him, obviously enjoying it.
“You two keep it up and Amber’s not going to be an only child long,” Sadist said.
“Too late,” Krissi said when they broke apart.
They all turned toward the couple, Gizmo stared at them a moment, wide-eyed.
“Congratulations,” Gizmo said.
“At the rate we’re going we’ll have a whole clubhouse full of rugrats soon,” Sadist put in.
“I’m failing to see the downside here.” Demon shrugged. “I hope to be in those numbers before too much longer. Speaking of, if we’re done here, I want to snag Ronnie and talk to her a bit.”
“We’re done,” Tuck said. “Go see your woman.”
“Talking… that’s what they’re calling it these days?” Gizmo shot him a grin. “I’ll have to go have a talk with Jill too.”
Sadist rolled his eyes.
“You’re all idiots. Go, do you’re thing. I don’t want to hear about it.”
Demon grinned. He did plan on talking to Ronnie, but he wasn’t opposed to a little more, if she was up to it.
He nodded to the others, stood, and let himself out. Ronnie was still sitting in the booth where she’d been when he’d checked in with her before they’d locked the doors. The other women still with her. They were laughing and talking. He approached, bending down to drop a kiss on top of her head.
“All done?” Ronnie tilted her head back to look up at him.
Demon nodded.
“That didn’t take as long as I expected.”
Demon shrugged. “Sometimes things don’t take all that long, sometimes they take longer. You having fun?”
Ronnie nodded rapidly. “You ready to go do something?”
“I thought I might take you up to my room, if you’re interested.”
A light of interest that he loved seeing appeared in her eye. She looked around the table. “Sorry, ladies. I have really enjoyed meeting you all and hope we can do this again.”
“But you just got a better offer,” London said with a grin. “I don’t blame you. If my man came out with that look in his eye, I’d be abandoning you all too. Go. Have fun.”
“Woman!” Tuck’s voice echoed through the large room. “Are you getting sassy again?”
London’s grin grew. “Speak of the devil. I’ll see you girls later.” She slid from her end of the booth and hurried toward her husband.
Ronnie didn’t move as quickly, but she slipped from the booth.
“I’ll see you,” she said to Dana and Beth, then took Demon’s hand. “Lead the way.”
He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and led her to the stairs up to where the bedrooms were. “Come on, firecracker, we have a few things to talk about.”
“I hope there’s more planned than just talking,” she said.
Demon turned and looked at her, not sure he’d heard her right.
She blinked and did her best to look innocent, but failed miserably, as she had a hard time keeping a straight face. Demon shook his head and led her up the stairs.
“This isn’t what I expected,” Ronnie said as he let her into his room and closed the door.
“What did you expect?”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure, but not something neater than my house. I guess I expected messy. T-shirts and underwear on the floor, maybe a couple of beer cans.”
“Babe, I spent eight years in the marines. They worked all the messy out of me. Come over here and have a seat.” He used her hand to tug her toward the table next to one wall with a chair on either side. “We need to talk for a minute.”
“Why can’t we sit over there?” She motioned toward the bed.
“Because I get you on the bed and I’m not going to be doing much talking.
There are a few things we need to talk about.
Then we can see about going over there, if you still want to.
Or I might just lay you back on this table and make a meal of you where we sit.
Let’s see how things go after we talk though. ”