Page 35 of The Devil’s Escape (The Devil’s Soldiers #7)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

HULK

God, any boy who thinks about dating this girl is in for a world of surprise and craziness. I almost feel sorry for them.

“Why do I get the feeling that things are about to get a hell of a lot more interesting around here?” Bullet asks drily as he watches me stiffly get on a pair of sweatpants. “You need help getting a shirt on?”

“I’m going to try and leave nothing on my skin for a little longer. Avery said that the stitches can come out in a couple of days and then I’ll be back to normal and can start to sleep on my back again.”

“Good.” He arches a brow at me. “You sure you’re good? You’re not pushing yourself too hard?”

“Prez, I’ve been down in that med bay only because you’ve been asking me to, not because I feel like I need to be.

Trust me, I’m not pushing myself hard enough.

I need to get back to doing normal shit so I can get back to top shape faster.

I promise I won’t overdo it, but I’m done lying down and doing nothing. ”

He nods, respect in his eyes. “Alright. I understand that.”

“Good. What did you need to talk to me about? Something else come to light?” I keep my voice low, just in case someone else is listening.

He shakes his head. “Nothing yet. We’re keeping someone on the kids as much as we can. No one else was available to help him look for his sister so I stepped in.”

“You really think that someone could hurt them?” I ask tightly, my chest constricting slightly. I’ve seen these kids face down the barrel of Nikolai’s gun, so I know they’re made of tough stuff. Still, they shouldn’t be in the middle of this mess.

“I don’t put it past any of them. Just before we came up, I saw a couple of the Misfits coming back into the room and their eyes zeroed on him. Could be curiosity, but I’m not taking a chance. We’re going to have Church tonight. You think you’ll be up to it?”

I nod. “Who will be watching the kids and Avery?”

“I asked Crypt.”

“He’s up for it?” I ask, frowning.

“It’s been a couple of weeks and Medic cleared him. He’s still got some symptoms from the concussion, but Medic said that as long as he’s inside working and not on his bike for a little bit longer, he should be alright.”

“What if our rat manages to catch him by surprise and hit him on the head again? One more time and he might just be dead.” It’s an unpleasant, but very real, worry.

“Crypt is hypervigilant, but I’ve got people keeping an eye on him,” Bullet assures me.

“Theo and him have gotten closer, and when he’s not around, Thea is often with him.

Even with a bum arm, she’s deadly. And if she’s there, Sniper’s not normally far.

Either way, we’re all on edge, but we’re all on alert too. ”

“Does Avery know the danger she’s in?”

He sighs. “I told her that until we know that Vlad isn’t going to come after her, that she and the kids will have a guard, but she doesn’t know about our in-house issues.

I don’t need to freak her out anymore than she is.

She barely came to us in the first place, and she’s our only link to that place and Vlad right now that we can mostly trust.”

“Mostly?”

“There’s some concern from the Misfits that she might just be a plant by Vlad to have a way in when he eventually comes running in to kill us. Or that she’s feeding information to him.”

“No fucking way,” I spit, anger burning at the very implication.

“There is no way that Avery or those kids are working with Vlad. I’ve seen the fear, Bullet, and I’ve been the one to watch her and those kids when Nikolai put a gun to their heads.

That wasn’t a show for my benefit to make me like.

They already didn’t trust her, and Vlad wanted to sleep with her.

He’s pissed that she didn’t just agree to be his whore, nothing more. Avery is not working with Vlad.”

“I don’t believe it either, but as much as I hate to agree with any of their bullshit, the Misfits do raise a good point.

Vlad has something over her, over those kids, and that makes people do things we don’t think they are capable of to protect those they love.

Avery would do anything for those kids, including sell herself out to Vlad if it means keeping those two alive and safe. ”

I shake my head, my anger burning hotter with every word he says.

A rational part of my head reminds me that he’s right, but every other instinct I have is screaming he is wrong.

I know it deep down. “The Misfits are trying to make it so that we’re looking at everyone else but them,” I grunt.

“I know you look at everything, Prez, but if she was going to betray us by giving us over to Vlad, she would not do it with those two kids here. There’s no way.

She’d have already insisted that we send them out of harm’s way, or she’d be trying to get out of here with them.

Not staying here and risking all three of them. ”

Bullet holds up his hand placatingly. “Brother, I know all that. Which is why I don’t think they’re right, but I have to be careful. I have to consider everything in some way.”

I understand that but everything in me is telling me to make him understand that he’s wrong.

Very wrong. Except, this is my Prez, so I need to be respectful and trust that he has everything under control.

I nod. “Alright. What can I do to help around here? I know I can’t do everything I want to, but I can be useful somehow. ”

“Medic told me that you should still be resting until your stitches come out, but I also know how it feels to be injured and not able to do what you want. So here’s what I need from you.

Right now, with Stone and Shadow gone, I need as many of our guys able to ride out of here as possible, including the Prospects as needed.

Help Crypt on guarding the women and kids.

Keep your ears to the ground for anything that might be said when no one else is around. ”

“You want me to see if someone is slipping up?”

He nods. “And I need you to listen to the Misfits and our men. No one is considered cleared except myself, Sniper, my boys, Viper, Crypt, Theo, and you. Crypt and Theo are because they haven’t been around long enough and were in the military.

I also had Cryos figure them both out first to make sure of it. ”

That all makes sense. “Alright. Anyone you really want me to pay attention to?”

He hesitates again. “No, I want you to go into this without any preconceived shit going on in your head. Just let me know if you hear or see anything that stands out or makes you think it’s something we need to look into.”

“I got it. I’m going to head downstairs to get something to eat, and I’ll stick to Avery and the kids as much as I can.”

“Don’t overdo it,” he warns me again. “I mean it, Hulk. You feel like shit and need to lie down or something, then let one of us know and we’ll handle things until you can rest.”

I nod, but I’m going to do my damnedest to push through it.

When I make it downstairs after Bullet heads back up to his office, I find a few of the Misfits sitting around in the common area, all of them talking quietly.

I instantly see Arson in the middle, with Silver on his right and Crow on his left, with Crook, Trix, and Ace all sitting, leaning over the table.

Not a single one of them seems to hear me, so I continue walking toward the kitchen on silent feet, avoiding the spots on the floor that I know will creak if I step on them.

No point in announcing my presence.

I can’t make out what they’re saying with how low they’re talking, but I do hear the words move, plan, and Cobra .

I wonder if they’re trying to figure out a way to get Cobra home, but my gut tells me it’s not that simple.

I just hit the door to the kitchen when I feel eyes on me.

I turn my head casually and see Silver watching me, eyes narrowed.

I just give him a nod and walk into the kitchen.

Now to see if they send someone after me to see what I heard.

When I walk into the kitchen, I find Rose, Sniper, Thea, Isla, Sawyer, and Avery all there. The room smells delicious from whatever Rose is cooking, and my mouth instantly waters. Oh, yeah, I missed this. Rose’s cooking is always good.

As I approach, Sniper turns and sees me, his eyes moving over me quickly before rolling his eyes. “Seriously, brother, you had to go walking around like that?”

That gets everyone’s attention and I give him a sly grin.

“What? Worried that your Old Lady is going to get a look at all this hotness and leave you for me?” I taunt him, waving a hand at my bare chest and abdomen.

I wink at Thea, who’s rolling her eyes and laughing, while Sniper is glaring at me.

A lot of the brothers don’t fuck with Sniper, and I know why considering who and what he is, but I’ve also known Sniper well enough to know that he won’t do shit to an injured man.

At least I hope not.

“If you don’t want him, I’ll take him,” Isla announces, drawing my attention. She gives me a quick once-over. “I do like my men a little older, but when I said you were the walking dead, I didn’t get a good look at anything more than your ass. So I’m reversing my opinion.”

“Isla,” Avery scolds, but I can see her eyeing me out of the corner of her eye.

“A girl after my own heart.” Rose laughs, high-fiving a grinning Isla. Then she winks at me. “And I do love some eye candy around here.”

“How tall are you?” Isla asks, getting up from her seat and walking over to stand in front of me, her head tilted back to look up at me.

She’s tall for a teenager, but still a few inches below her brother and sister, and definitely a good foot shorter than me.

Then she looks over at her sister and asks, “If you two have babies, they’re going to be giants.

I hope to God your nursing knowledge will prepare you for the birth of giants, because damn, my vagina just hurts thinking about pushing out a human that’s going to be this big. ”

“Gross,” Sawyer blanches, his face going a little green as he glares at his sister.

“What? It’s a natural human function,” Isla sniffs. “Besides, you want to be stupid and stick your tiny pencil stick in some girl, that’s what could happen.”

“Isla,” Avery snaps, irritation in her voice as Sawyer’s glare intensifies. “That’s enough.”

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Sniper declares, lifting Thea from her seat and into his arms. Then they’re walking out the door, with Thea protesting that he always takes her out when things are just getting good.

I bite back a grin as I look back at the siblings all glaring at each other and Rose grinning like a fool, clearly having the time of her life.

This protection detail is going to be an interesting one.

Isla rolls her eyes at her sister. “You can’t be mad at me for giving him a sex education moment. I mean, he’s a guy. Most of the time when they’re his age, they aren’t thinking with the right brain.”

“I don’t need a lecture from my sister,” Sawyer snaps, anger leaking out, but I’ll give him props that he doesn’t yell or get in her face about it.

“Alright, enough,” Avery barks. “Both of you. Isla, you cannot go around talking to people like that, and you certainly don’t get to talk to Sawyer that way.

He is smart enough to know about sex and if he has questions, I’ll be the one to answer them, not you.

Now, stop objectifying Hulk and making him uncomfortable. ”

“Am I making you uncomfortable, Hulk?” Isla asks me innocently, blinking up at me owlishly.

I nearly laugh, but I swallow it down. God, any boy who thinks about dating this girl is in for a world of surprise and craziness.

I almost feel sorry for them. I also feel sorry for any woman that Sawyer thinks about dating because Isla is going to be a strong-willed sister that they’re going to need to learn to deal with.

“I’m good,” I tell her easily. “But your sister is right,” I add when she turns to send a smug smile at her sister.

That stops her and she scowls when she looks back up at me.

“I do think that purposely embarrassing your brother isn’t a great way to stay on his good side.

Especially considering none of you really know me.

” Sawyer shoots me a grateful look, and Rose gives me a wide smile of approval.

When I glance at Avery, I see her watching me thoughtfully.

At least she’s not pissed at me for saying something to her sister.

Isla regards me through narrowed eyes, but finally nods and says, “Alright, I get that.” She turns to look at her brother.

“Sorry, big brother.” Sawyer looks surprised but nods his acceptance.

Then he shoots me a look that’s a mixture of wow and how the hell did you manage that?

Isla draws my attention back to her when she suddenly says, “I’m sorry to you too, Hulk.

I was just joking, but I guess that was in poor taste.

You know, considering everything that’s happened and why you can’t have a shirt on.

” She pats my arm gently. “I’m glad Avery’s got you taken care of. ” She steps away and sits in her seat.

“Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” Avery demands, eyes wide.

“Ahh, the teenage years.” Rose sighs, grinning when Avery looks at her like she’s lost her mind.

“I have not missed this, though I will say it wasn’t as entertaining with three boys instead of a girl.

” She winks at Isla. “But I have a feeling she would have been just like you if I had a daughter myself. Now, all of you sit down and let me feed you.”

I take the open seat beside Avery that Thea left, and Avery slides a glance over at me.

She doesn’t say anything, but I see her eyes dip down to take in my chest and abs.

I bite back a grin. Oh, I definitely can work with this.

Maybe playing guard for her and her siblings will be just the thing for me to find out more about my devilish angel and make her mine.