up, those seeking entry into Torpedo Ink, Fatei would opt to stay with the original chapter. He didn’t want to lose the man. He knew the others felt as he did.
He heard the clock ticking on the wall and his gut tightened. Somewhere, across the country, his son, no more than a toddler, huddled alone without his mother, probably terrified. Most likely, he was crying himself to sleep, just like Breezy had most likely cried herself to sleep—if she slept at all. He wanted to leap up, get on his bike and ride, find his boy and bring him home to Breezy. He had no idea where to start.
“We’ll find him,” Alena assured softly and put her hand over his.
The others nodded. He looked around at them. These were the men and women he could count on. These were the men and women who would stand by him. They’d stand by his woman and their child.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
“Before we call it a night,” Czar said, “anything on the Demons?”
“I’m not certain what the Demons were looking for on us,” Steele said. “It was less of a cementing of relationships between our clubs and more of an information hunt. They brought their club girls and used them to try to pump us for personal information, at least it seemed that way to me.” He looked around the room for the others to confirm.
He couldn’t help cringing when he thought about Breezy looking on as he rose up out from under the three women who had partied with him so hard the night before. Her face, that beloved face, had shown hurt and betrayal. There was no excuse, he knew that. He’d tried numbing himself, believing he’d lost her. Believing he didn’t deserve her. He didn’t. That was the plain damned truth. He didn’t deserve Breezy and he never would. That wouldn’t stop him from claiming her or from keeping her because he was that big of a selfish bastard.
Maestro nodded. “Absolutely. The women were asking all sorts of questions, but all personal. They weren’t going for club secrets so much as trying to figure out where we all came from and what we did before we ended up here.”
Lana nodded. “Before I left, a couple of the men were plying me with compliments and liquor, asking similar questions.”
Alena agreed. “They’ve figured out that there’s more to us than a few friends getting together and riding. We rescued Hammer’s wife from the Ghosts when they couldn’t, and we did it fast. I imagine they’re wondering about us.” Hammer was president of a Demons chapter that had come to them looking for help.
“I believe we can count on them as allies in a pinch,” Player said. He looked around the table. “Did you all get that same impression?”
Czar had taken Blythe home after the barbecue. He looked to Reaper. Reaper and Anya had attended and stayed longer. Because Reaper had a woman of his own, he had more of an opportunity to observe the men and women who had come to party.
“They want to know who they’re getting in bed with, Czar,” Reaper said. “They want us as their allies, but they don’t want to get caught with their pants down.”
Steele seconded that. “I have to agree. We’re looking for just as much information on them. Code does that for us. They aren’t going to find jack on us, no matter how hard they look. Code can feed them bullshit, small random pieces on us he manufactures, if you think it’s necessary.”
They already had enough enemies, and they were right in the middle of Diamondback territory. That was an uneasy alliance. Adding another chapter to Torpedo Ink might make that alliance even shakier. Having the Demons at their back was a good thing. Of course, that meant doing business with them, but that was the name of the game. And they were very good at the game.
“It’s not necessary,” Czar said. “We’ll meet back here tomorrow and hash out with Breezy where to start looking for Zane.”
FOUR
Steele entered his bedroom at the compound quietly. The room smelled different. He’d always kept it clean. He was a doctor, and often, his room was nearly sterile. He used antibacterial spray on everything, but mostly it was antiseptic. He wanted his room sterile. It was the one place he never brought a woman—or women. This was where he was most vulnerable, and he wasn’t going to allow anyone or anything that might remind him of his