Page 7

“You’re leaving?”
I nod, not sparing Malice a glance. My patch-in ceremony and after-party has been going strong for hours, but I’ve had my fill of people and need to get outta here for a while.
“Where are you going?”
The elevator door slides open, and when I step inside, I turn around to face my brother. “Worried I’ll miss curfew,Dad?”
“Fuck you,” he snaps.
My smirk grows as the doors close. Tension leaves my body, and when I step out of the elevator into the garage, anticipation hums through my veins. I always feel this way when I’m about to ride.
Doesn’t hurt that you’re gonna seehereither.
As I speed across the desert to the main road, sand swirls in my wake. The ride to Jez’s house in Boulder City goes by in a blur, and when I pull into her driveway, I’m surprised to see that there’s no light coming through the windows.
After parking, I stride to the front door and knock. When she doesn’t answer, I move to the garage and peer through the window. Her matte black Charger is inside, telling me she’s home. Returning to the front door, I pull out the key I have from when I lived with her briefly.
“Jez!” I call out when I step inside. My eyes dart to the shaft of light coming from the kitchen. “C’mon, Jez, I know you’re home.”
Entering the kitchen, unease settles into my bones when I see the door to her basement open.
“Dammit, Jezebel,” I mutter as I start down the stairs.
The moment I hit the last step, the hatch to what lies beneath the basement opens. Jez’s head clears the opening, and she gasps when she sees me.
“Jesus, Mark,” she hisses. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s Demon,” I tell her. “Got my patch, remember?”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course, I remember. And that doesn’t answer my question.”
I arch a brow. “What the fuck are you doing down there?” I counter, nodding toward the hatch as she lets it fall closed.
Jez huffs out a humorless laugh. “Last I checked, this is my house. Pretty sure I can go wherever I want.”
She brushes past me to climb the steps to the main level, not bothering to see if I follow.
“You left the party,” I state, knowing she’s not gonna answer my question.
That’s Jez for ya. She doesn’t do a damn thing she doesn’t want to do.
After closing and locking the basement door, she levels her eyes on mine, the worry crease that mirrors her twin’s prominent. “I had shit to do.”
She thrusts her hand toward me, palm up.
“What?” I ask.
“You know what,” she bites out. “Gimme the key, Demon. You don’t live here anymore.”
Heaving a sigh, I work the key off the ring and hand it to her. “You know I can still get in if I want to, right?”
“You know I could castrate you if I want to, right?”
I flinch at the thought. “Fuck,” I mutter, cupping myself as if to protect my cock from the damage she could inflict. “Low blow.”
Jez smirks as she steps around me. “I really do have shit to do, so if that’s all…”
“It’s the middle of the night,” I say unnecessarily. “What could you possibly have to do that’s so important? I know it isn’t club business.”