Page 30 of Creed (Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock #6)

DEVIN

“ D id you see the news?”

“Yes, Mother. I saw it.”

“Those are some pretty serious allegations, Devin.”

“I’m aware.”

“Do you think it’s true?”

“No, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” I let out a breath and tried to fight back the tears. I was a mess. I’d been a mess since Brian threatened to take the kids, and it only got worse when I saw the news about Fury. “What am I going to do?”

“Have you talked to Jameson about this?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

"I don’t know. I guess I was waiting for him to come to me and explain what was going on.”

“Hmmm, I don’t think this is a wait around and find out kind of thing, sweetheart.” Her motherly concern was shining through as she said, “He’s a big part of your life right now. He’s in your home. Around your children. You have a right to ask what the hell is going on.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“And why not?”

“If I ask him about it, he might think I’m accusing him or that I think the stories are true.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“But it’s true, and you know it. And the timing of all this couldn’t be worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“Brian found out that I was back with Jameson and threatened to sue for full custody if I didn’t break things off with him.”

“He can’t force you to do that.”

“But he can.” My stomach turned to knots as I told her, “He said that I was putting the kids in danger by having him around, and right now, there’s not a judge in the world who wouldn’t agree with him.”

“Oh, honey.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

I felt like the floor beneath me was crumbling apart, and I didn’t know how to stop it. Jameson had been so good. He made me feel like I was his everything.

I felt it when he touched me and when he talked to me, and the way he was always thinking of me.

The kisses.

The flowers.

The crazy snacks.

And the late-night texts.

I didn’t want to lose that. I didn’t want to lose him.

Mom seemed to sense my unease and said, “It’s going to be okay.”

“I don’t know. This is a lot. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Brian wasn’t behind this whole mess with Jameson and trafficking investigation.”

“You think?”

“It would be just like him to try something like that.”

“It’s certainly a possibility.”

“I feel like I’m barely keeping it together.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I know all of this is hard, and Brian certainly doesn’t make it any easier. But you aren’t alone in this. We’re here, and we’ll do whatever we can to help.”

“I don’t want to drag you into this.”

“You’re my daughter, Devin. I’m already in it.”

“This is so bad. I can’t imagine what Jameson is going through right now. I know he’s terrified he’ll lose the club and everything he’s worked for.”

“He won’t.”

“But what if he does? And what if Brian actually tries to take the kids from me?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Mom replied with such confidence that I wanted to believe her. “You’re going to have to stop with all the what-ifs and face this thing head-on.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

I brought my knees up to my chest and sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “I do.”

“Then you have to trust him until he gives you a reason not to.”

“I hate this.” My voice was barely there. “What if I’m the reason he loses everything?”

“And what if you’re the reason he doesn’t? Either way, you need to talk to him. You need to tell him what’s going on with Brian, and you need to give him a chance to explain what’s going on with the club and these allegations.”

“You’re right. I’ll call him.”

“Good… And Devin?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you. No matter what happens, remember that.”

“Thanks, Mom.” My voice cracked again. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I ended the call, and I just sat there, holding the phone to my chest. I took a moment to collect myself before dialing his number. I let it ring several times, and when he didn’t answer. I left him a message saying that we needed to talk.

I wasn’t really expecting a response. At least, not right away.

If he was available, he would’ve answered when I called.

I wasn’t sure how long it would be before he got back to me, so I distracted myself with the pile of work on my desk.

I graded a few papers and worked on my class PowerPoint before making my way to my next class.

My lecture went better than expected. The kids took interest in the lesson and even asked questions. It helped to ease some of the haze, but it was still there, simmering under the surface. I packed up my things, and on my way to the car, I kept repeating the same thing over and over.

It’s going to be okay.

It’s going to be okay.

It’s going to be okay.

I really wanted to believe it. I’d waited so long to get back to a place where I truly felt happy and content, and it terrified me to think I might lose it. It was that fear that had me feeling lost in a way I couldn’t begin to describe. I barely knew who I was, much less where I was going.

It’s one of the reasons I hadn’t noticed Jameson standing at my car until I was just a few feet away. His arms were folded, and his cut was pulled tight across his broad chest. The sight of his handsome face and the look of love in his eyes had all my emotions hit me all at once.

The fear.

The doubt.

The ache in my chest that hadn’t stopped since Brian threatened me.

Most of all, the love I felt for the man standing in front of me.

It was all-consuming.

And right then and there, I broke. The tears started to fall once more, and before I collapsed into a puddle right there in the parking lot, Jameson was there.

He wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me close, and I could almost feel his strength pouring into me, making me feel safe and secure, something I hadn’t felt in days.

“Easy, baby,” he murmured against my hair while his hand rubbed comforting circles on my back. “I’ve got you.”

In that moment, I realized just how much I’d missed him.

How much I loved and needed him, and I didn’t want to let him go.

Not now. Not ever.

I buried my face in his chest as I muttered, “It’s not true, right?”

“You know it’s not.”

“Then, what’s going on?”

“You know I can’t…” He held me tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “I need you to give me a little time with this, Devin. I need you to trust me.”

“But how am I supposed to do that?” I pulled back just enough to look up at him. “How am I supposed to trust you when I know you’re involved in things you shouldn’t be?”

“Devin.”

“It’s why you couldn’t move forward with me while I was a cop.”

His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “This isn’t the time for this discussion.”

“Then when, Jameson? Because Brian is threatening to take my kids, and he’s going to use this with you and the club against me. He’s going to take them, and I can’t—” My voice cracked as I told him, “I can’t lose them, Jameson. I just can’t.”

“He’s not going to take them, Devin.” His eyes darkened as he reached up and cupped my face in his rough hands, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “I won’t let him.”

“But how will you stop him?”

“You’re just going to have to trust me.”

Tears kept falling as I searched his eyes, seeing the fire that burned within him, and for reasons I couldn’t explain, I believed him. I believed he was telling me the truth. And not only that. I believed he would protect me and the kids.

I’d considered the possibility of pausing things with him.

Maybe even breaking them off permanently.

Not because I wanted to, but to put an end to the nonsense with Brian and his threats.

But I couldn’t do it. I loved Jameson. I loved what we had together, and I knew deep down that it was worth fighting for.

I pressed my forehead against his as I whispered, “I love you, Jameson.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

He leaned down and kissed me, and I quickly got lost in his touch.

He had a way of doing that to me, and something told me he always would.

A couple of students walked by, and Jameson eased back, breaking our embrace.

He looked down at me with an intensity I hadn’t seen in him before and said, “I need you to do something for me.”

“Okay. What?”

“Keep your distance from Brian.”

“Why?”

“Just do it, Devin. You know, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

As I stood there, trying to make sense of what he was asking and why, it hit me. He didn’t even blink when I told him that Brian threatened to take the kids. “You knew… You knew he’d threatened to take them.”

Again, no reaction.

He stood there staring back at me.

“But how?”

“Just promise me that you will keep your distance, and if he tries to pull anything, you call me. Not the cops. Not your folks. Me .”

“Okay. Whatever you want.”

“I don’t want any of this, but it’s the cards we’ve been dealt and I’m playing to win.”

I wanted to push and ask that he tell me everything, but the look in his eyes said he was already dealing with enough. I didn’t want to add to whatever he was dealing with. So, I nodded and asked, “Do you have time to come by the house? I could fix a bite to eat or…”

“I wish I could, but I’ve gotta get back to the clubhouse.”

“I understand.” I reached out and placed my palm on his chest. “When will I see you again?”

His jaw tensed as he looked away, and for a moment, I thought he might lie and say something just to appease me. But when his eyes found mine again, I found only truth there. “I’m not sure. We’ve got a lot going on, but I’ll call or text when I can.”

“Okay.”

He reached up and placed his hand under my jaw, pulling me towards him for another kiss.

I closed my eyes and let his touch push back the fear and uncertainty rushing through my mind.

After a moment, he lowered his mouth to my ear, and I felt the warmth of his breath on my neck when he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

It was soft but desperate, like he was trying to memorize the feel of me, like he didn’t know when he’d get to touch me again. I kissed him back, hoping it would be enough to keep him there just a second longer.

But then, he inevitably pulled away. “I’ll call you.”

I nodded, then held back my tears as I watched him walk over to his bike. And then he was gone, and the emptiness I felt in that moment nearly swallowed me whole. When I couldn’t stand it a second longer, I got in my car and drove home.

When I walked in, the house was quiet. The kids were in their rooms,

watching TV and playing video games, so I used the time alone to make dinner and to pull my shit together. I was done with the pity party.

If Brian wanted a fight, I’d give him one, and I wouldn’t have to do it alone. I didn’t just have my folks. I had Jameson, and he would do everything in his power to make sure me and the kids were taken care of.

That thought sparked another.

I might have the means to help Jameson and the brothers, or at least, try to. I’d spent almost twenty years on the force. I had some connections, and some of them owed me and they owed me big. It was time for me to make good on them.

I picked up my phone and started making a few calls.

It didn’t take long to discover that Brian was behind the investigation against Fury, and he had little to no evidence that they were involved in trafficking or anything else for that matter.

I had no idea how he’d managed to get a judge to approve the search warrant. He must’ve pulled a lot of strings, but it got him nowhere. They didn’t find a single thing. But I knew Brian well enough to know that wouldn’t stop him from pushing forward.

I feared if he managed to get a search warrant for the clubhouse, he would do whatever it took to make sure they found something, even if it meant planting it there.

Brian was known as a good, standup cop. He’d solved a lot of tough cases and put a lot of bad people behind bars.

Everyone believed that he was a man who always played by the rules, and maybe he did.

But there were times when I had my suspicions that he didn’t.

The man didn’t like to be proven wrong, and because of that, he solved case after case. Everyone thought of him as a hero. I didn’t. I knew better.

No one had his kind of luck.

No one.