Saved by the Devil (Devils Arms Book 3)

by Michelle Woods

  With her mind a million miles away, she started prepping for dinner trying hard not to get her hopes up too high. Maybe he wanted her to stay but they weren’t a couple and she needed to remember that.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Peanut grabbed the man and slammed him into the wall next to the one Viking had just grabbed. His hand gripped the bastard’s neck as he struggled to get away. They’d picked up a weapon cache an hour ago and these two men had started chasing them. Rage had sent him and Viking back to round them up and bring them in for questioning. The prospects had been driving a second truck that was empty to use as a decoy. Since they needed a way to haul these two in they were using that to pick them up.

  “I wasn’t following you, plea—” the man he was holding whined.

  “Shut the fuck up. We know you were following the shipment, don’t fucking try to lie about it,” Peanut grunted, pressing his knee into the man’s back as he shoved him to his knees facing the wall. He used a zip tie to tie the man’s hands behind his back, pulling it painfully tight.

  “When are these fuckers gonna learn we aren’t stupid?” Viking asked, jerking the other man to his feet and shoving him towards the truck, barking at him to walk.

  “Don’t know, but it’s getting fucking old dealing with shit like this every time we do a job. These two are just prospects, maybe they were just in the right place at the right time. I don’t fucking know,” Peanut muttered, jerking his own struggling charge up to his feet. He was momentarily distracted while watching Viking shove the man onto the truck and he lost his grip on the man, who jerked away from him and took off running in the other direction.

  “Fucking idiot,” Peanut grunted before taking off after the running man. He caught him a few yards away when he fell into the mud face first. He jerked him up and frog marched him back to the truck, shoving him none too gently into the back of the bread truck before locking the door behind the stupid fucker.

  “How’d that happen?” Viking asked.

  “I was watching you and he jerked away. Don’t know what made him think he was getting far like that. Fucking moron.” Peanut shrugged as they both headed to the cab of the truck.

  “Thought it might be Phoebe distracting you,” Viking said as they climbed in on their respective sides. Peanut glared at him.

  “What the fuck is your deal with Phoebe, damn it. I can tell you that if I have my way, she won’t be going anywhere so you’d better get fucking used to her being around.” Peanut gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles going white.

  “Damn it, why can’t you see that this chick is just going to use you and spit you out when she’s done? What will that do to Jasmine’s confidence? If you let her think Phoebe is going to be a mother to her and then Phoebe up and leaves, what are you going to tell her? I just don’t get why you can’t see this woman for what she is.” Peanut turned to Viking, tired of having the same conversation they’d been having for weeks.

  “Viking, I don’t know why you think you can predict what Phoebe’s going to do. It’s possible that she might decide to leave and there isn’t anything I can do about that, but I have to try. Even if it ends badly. She’s it for me, man. I know you don’t understand this but sometimes a man just knows these things. Sometimes you find someone and the instant you see them you just know that she’s the one. It’s like fate. I know that you’ve never connected easily with anyone in your life because of your fucked-up childhood but I don’t fucking care. You need to get a grip. I’m not going to change my mind so stop trying to use my daughter to convince me.”

  Viking stared at him for a long moment before he turned to the window with a shrug, likely realizing that nothing he said was going to matter. Peanut had already made up his mind and they’d known each other long enough that Viking knew that he wouldn’t be able to change his decision.

  Peanut sighed heavily as he started the truck. He pulled out onto the road heading to the warehouse where Rage intended to question the two men. Neither of them spoke and the silence in the truck was deafening. He gripped the steering wheel, feeling the huge cavern opening up between them with a little twinge of pain. Viking was more like a brother to him than any other man in the club and it was hard knowing Viking wasn’t on his side. Peanut regretted the distance between them, but he wouldn’t sacrifice his happiness to prevent it. He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, glancing briefly at Viking’s profile as he stared out the window silently with his jaw clenched.

  Peanut didn’t know what to say to make Viking see that he was pushing Peanut away with his insistence that Phoebe was just using him. He felt for his brother, but he was wrong about Phoebe. Even if she later chose to leave them, it wouldn’t be because she’d used him. She didn’t have that in her. Phoebe was a nurturer and that was likely what had led her into the arms of that abusive son-of-a-bitch in the first place. He knew that she hadn’t seen the bastard’s flaws until it was too late, and by then she was trapped. Peanut turned when the light changed. He knew that she likely didn’t see his flaws either. That fact worried Peanut. She thought he was the man he pretended to be when he was with her and not as the man he truly was. Would she run when she discovered he wasn’t a good man? He didn’t know but he damn sure hoped she wouldn’t. Fuck, he was going to make himself mad thinking about this shit so fucking hard.

  At home he’d tried to keep his temper in check and sugarcoat any jobs he did for the club but even he knew that shit wasn’t going to last. Eventually she’d see something or hear something that would show her his true nature. He loved his daughter to distraction, and he damned sure liked Phoebe a hell of a lot and he’d never hurt them, but his life wasn’t lily white. Nope, he was a biker. He ran guns and drugs for shit’s sake and more often than not he was on the wrong side of the law. It might not matter if she wasn’t on the run from an abusive asshole who’d sold her a lie but since she was, he wasn’t sure how finding out the truth about him would affect her. He hoped like hell she’d trust him by the time she discovered his shortcomings, but he couldn’t know for sure.

  He knew better than anyone that life didn’t come with any guarantees. He wasn’t going to deny himself a chance at happiness because he was worried that either he or Jasmine might get hurt. Pain was part of life and if Phoebe chose to leave them, then so be it. Not that he thought that would happen. He’d started to notice stuff appearing around the house that led him to believe she was already starting to think of his place as home. Pillows had shown up on the couch in the living room with new mats in the kitchen and bathrooms. He’d smiled each time he noticed something new appear. The new stuff might not mean anything big, but each new item gave him hope that she would stay with him and Jazzy.

  He pulled up to the warehouse about thirty minutes later with his mind still mulling over his feelings. Peanut was so tired of the silence and his thoughts that he couldn’t get out of the truck fast enough. He pulled up next to the back door of the warehouse and shut the truck off. He then opened his door and jumped down, feeling grim all of the sudden.

  As he headed around the truck to grab the men out of the back, he nodded to Chains who was holding the door to the warehouse open. Chains nodded back, putting out the cigarette he’d been smoking. Peanut reached up and pulled on the lock, opening the back of the truck. The two men they’d tied up in the back came bursting out in a badly executed attempt at escape. Peanut stepped back, letting the two men who’d dove at the doorway fall flat on their faces.

  “Stupid fuckers. What the fuck was that shit?” Viking asked, chuckling as they stared down at the two men who were now wiggling around like pigs in the mud. It was sort of hilarious the way they were floundering. Peanut found himself snickering as he rolled his eyes at their obvious stupidity.

  “I don’t know where the fuck they get these prospects from, but damn are they stupid,” Peanut said.

  “You’re not kidding. How did they think that was going to go? This truck has a two-foot drop from the bed to the groun
d. With them barreling out like that they were bound to end up face first in the dirt,” Viking muttered.

  “I can’t believe they made these two prospects sit on that shipment and wait on us. They aren’t smart enough to follow us without being detected. Maybe they were just in the area and saw us and thought they’d get some brownie points for following or something. No way are the Raiders sending these dumb asses to do anything they actually want done correctly. I know the Raiders aren’t the smartest tools in the shed but they’re better than this, surely?” Peanut said as they each jerked one of the still floundering men up and marched their struggling forms towards the warehouse.

  “I would hope not, but stranger shit has happened. I just can’t see how they manage to stay afloat if these are the prospects. Fuck, they must allow hangers-on to wear prospect cuts or something. No way are they planning to add these two idiots to their ranks,” Viking said, shaking his head as they took the two men into the interrogation room followed by Chains.

  “These idiots give you boys any trouble?” Chains asked.

  “Nah, they like falling face first into mud a lot though,” Viking said as they shoved them into the chairs. Viking cut the zip ties and they started binding them to the chair.

  One of the two men started howling like a little baby repeating his innocence over and over. It was sad. Peanut wondered again where the fuck they got these dumb disloyal fuckers from. Seeing the way these two were acting would only solidified the club’s suspicions that the new issues the club was having were with someone other than the Raiders. If these were the type of fuckers their MC was using to shore up the ranks, then their club was already falling apart. It was possible that they added men like these two as cannon fodder, but it wasn’t likely. He could maybe see the Raiders telling them they were in the club and then sending them out on shitty jobs. If they were pulling off these new almost flawlessly executed shake-downs, he would be surprised. He could see how sending these two after the arms shipment might make his brother’s look in another direction. He as well as the rest of the club would never believe that men like these two were capable of systematically taking down their operations. The Raiders had never been very good with deflection or disruption of the Devils Arms MC. Peanut didn’t know what to think but his gut was telling him that they had someone new lurking around in the shadows making trouble.

  “I can’t believe we have to question these blubbering idiots. Is he really in there whining about how he doesn’t know anything when we haven’t even started torturing him yet? He’s even screaming that he will tell us where their base is. What the fuck? How can he be such a pussy motherfucker? It leaves me feeling sick to my stomach. Nothing we get out of these two is going to be any good, I can already tell. They’re useless and if the Raiders are at all intelligent—which I am currently questioning after hearing this moron—they didn’t let these two in on anything they are up to,” Hemp said when they headed back into the main room. His face was grim as he cleaned his tools.

  “Yeah, not sure these aren’t just two fuckers who stole some leather cuts from the club then started playing the part like they were real bikers. It’s fucking sad that that dude is in there already screaming and we haven’t even touched them,” Viking muttered shaking his head.

  “Not sure I can stomach the whining from these two,” Chains grumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck and leaned against the wall.

  “Yep, it’s going to be a long fucking night,” Hemp agreed.

  Peanut couldn’t say that they were wrong. He knew that they had to see if they could get decent intel out of them even if they already knew it was a long shot. Rage wouldn’t accept they were giant man babies as an answer when he wanted information. Nope, they’d have to get them to talk even if it meant dealing with the sadly unnecessary task.

  Four hours after leaving the warehouse frustrated and more than glad to be pulling up in the front yard, he was surprised to see the light on in Phoebe’s room. He wondered if she was waiting up on him. The tight feeling in his chest at the thought was new. He found he liked the idea that she would wait on him. Hell, he liked everything about her.

  He headed inside, resetting the alarm before he headed up the stairs to check on her. He peeked into Jasmine’s room on the way, finding her fast asleep in her bed. Reassured that his Jazzy pants was okay, he headed up to check on his other girl. The door was slightly ajar and he pushed on it gently, opening it enough that he could stand in the doorway.

  Phoebe was lying on her side on the bed with the e-reader he’d bought her a few weeks ago. Her protests about it being too much money had fallen on deaf ears. He’d handed it to her and told her to use it or don’t. He’d paid for a two-year subscription for unlimited free books when he’d bought the damned thing and told her it was included with the purchase. It hadn’t been and that shit was expensive, but she’d started using it when she thought it was free which was all that mattered to him. She mostly downloaded cookbooks and books for Jasmine, but she had some mysteries and a few romances on there too. He liked being able to provide for her. Hell, he liked her living here and even though she thought she was working for him, he didn’t agree. She wasn’t his employee even if he was paying her each week. He thought of that as her allowance really. He almost snorted at the thought because to him she was already his old lady even if she hadn’t agreed to it yet.

  She had her head propped on the pillow and was obviously really into the story because she hadn’t even looked up. Her silky hair hung down her back and Peanut felt the stirrings of desire as his prick throbbed in his pants. He liked seeing her here. The only sight that would have been better was if she’d been waiting in his bed instead of hers. She looked up, likely sensing his gaze on her.

  “Oh, sorry. Did you need something?” she asked, starting to shift on the bed to get up.

  “Nah, just checking in. Wanted to see if you were alright. It’s late and I know you have to be up early tomorrow to go with Star and the boys to the fair you’re taking the kids to,” Peanut said watching her. She looked at the bedside clock in surprise.

  “Gosh, I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. Guess I better get some sleep,” Phoebe said shyly. Her cheeks were slightly red, confirming his suspicions that she’d been waiting on him to get home to go to bed. Damn, she was such a cute little thing. He moved into the room, coming to stand over her near the bed, his eyes caressing her features as he debated on kissing her. If he did and one thing led to another, would she regret it? He didn’t know, but taking chances was what he did and he wanted to at least reward her a little for staying up to wait on him. It was a behavior he liked and she’d told him rewarding good behavior was always a must. Of course she’d been talking about Jazzy when she’d said it but he was going with the idea that it applied to her too. Peanut leaned down, resting his knee on the edge of the bed. He cupped her cheek, staring into her green eyes for a long moment.

  “Hi, Lovely,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.

  Her eyes widened and her breath caught, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. He took her e-reader and set it on the table beside the bed before cupping her face again. She didn’t break their intense eye contact even though he could tell she was unsure about what was happening.

  “Hi,” she squeaked back.

  His breath caressed hers and he moved slowly towards her, leaving plenty of time for her to protest. When she didn’t, he took her lips with his own. It started off gentle, but before long he was devouring her hungrily with his teeth nipping at her lips and his hands buried in her soft hair holding her to him. Phoebe was moaning and her tongue was just as ravenous as his own. Her hands had moved from the bed and were resting on his shoulders as he continued his exploration of her mouth.

  He let out a groan, coming fully onto the bed and rolling her beneath him. He pressed into her, his thick cock resting on her thigh as he moved his hands down to cup her breasts. She let out a little mewl and pressed against his hands. Peanut let out a gro
wl and moved his hands under her shirt cupping her soft breasts with his hungry hands. Her hard nipples poked into his palms when he covered them.

  “We-we shouldn’t,” she panted when he pulled back slightly to remove her shirt.

  “We most definitely should,” Peanut countered, tugging at her shirt and lifting it up to her waist. He stopped there looking into her eyes, waiting on permission. He wouldn’t take her choices even if his cock did feel like it would fall off if he didn’t get it inside her soon.

  “I—I don’t know,” Phoebe whispered, her brow furrowed.

  “It’s up to you, Lovely. I won’t take anything you’re not ready for, but I really want to make you come on my tongue at least. I need to feel you come apart in my arms.”

  “Is this a good idea? Peanut, I need to keep working here and I have to be smart. I don’t want you to think I’m a tease, but I don’t know if this is a good idea.” Phoebe looked so torn that Peanut found himself smoothing her shirt out over her belly. He sat up, taking off his shirt and shucking his pants leaving only his boxers on before pulling her into his shoulder. He settled her with her head resting against his shoulder and his arms tightly wrapped around her holding her. He reached out and flipped the bedside lamp off.

  “Go to sleep, Lovely,” he murmured before kissing her forehead gently.

  “You’re sleeping here?” she asked, her voice confused.

  “Yep, go to sleep.” He didn’t bother to say anything else. He wanted to hold her even if he couldn’t make love to her. She would just have to get used to him being in her bed. If she wasn’t ready for sex, he was okay with that but he knew what he wanted them to become. Taking their time to get there didn’t bother him.

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea, Peanut,” Phoebe whispered into the darkness even as she settled her head into the crook of his neck with a soft little sigh. Even with his cock throbbing, he felt better than he had in a long time with her cuddled in his arms. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep with her warmth snuggled against him.