Inferno：A Devil Chaser’s MC Romance(17)

“I know this is gonna be rough for you, Taylor. We’ll all be here for you. You’re part of this family, and we’re going to look after you.” He continued to hold her as he spoke to her softly. His hand reached under her chin and lifted her face so their eyes met. “It’s late, and you need to get some rest. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow after the service. Come on, I’ll run you home,” Bishop said as he started to guide her out the door.

“Hold up, Bishop. I’ll take her. It’s on my way,” Renegade said with determination as he took her hand. He never looked back as he led her out the door. His actions surprised Bishop. He didn’t expect him to want to get involved with her like this. Maybe there was more to this than he realized.

Sheppard turned to him and said, “Tomorrow is going to be tough. It’s been a long time since we had to bury one of our brothers, but we need to start making a plan for what happens next.”

“I’ll get in contact with Duce in the morning and set up the meet for Monday. It’s time to cut all ties with them, but we’ll need to be prepared for their reaction. I wanna avoid a lockdown at the clubhouse, but we’ll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing that motherfucker’s face when we tell him we’re done with them. He won’t be happy. Did you get the contractors lined up for the garage remodel?”

“Yeah, they’re ready to get started. I just need to finalize the plans, and they’re set to go. It’ll be good to have something to look forward to. I’m headed to the house,” Bishop said. As he started to leave, he reached in his pocket for Tessa’s keys. “I need you to do me a favor. There’s a red Buick on the side of the road down by Matt’s Pub. The alternator went out on it. I need you to tell Bulldog and Otis to get the trailer and bring the car back to the garage in the morning. Get one of the guys to fix it. I’ll need them to return it to the owner when you’re done. I’ll text you the address.”

“Sure thing. I’ll get it taken care of. Belong to anyone I might know?” Sheppard asked with a smile.

“Doubt it. Thanks, and I’ll get you that address first thing in the morning,” Bishop replied as he left the kitchen. He was exhausted and needed to get some rest before the funeral tomorrow. Things were going to be hectic over the next few weeks, and he would have to be diligent to make sure things were done right.

Dealing with Duce was going to be a hassle, but he found himself looking forward to meeting with him. The last time Duce showed his face, he made a serious mistake. His threats could easily lead to a war between their clubs, but Bishop didn’t want to lose any more of his men. He would keep them safe at all costs. He would deal with Duce without putting his men in jeopardy. Duce was a fuckup, and it wouldn’t be difficult to find a way to bring him down.





Chapter 12

Tessa



The weekend had rolled by with no word from Bishop. On Saturday, when she had finally woken up, she had found her car sitting in the driveway. It was running great, but there hadn’t even been a note left behind. While she was out shopping with Courtney, she had found herself constantly checking her phone for a missed call or text from Bishop. She wasn’t even sure he had her number. By Sunday night when the kids had come home, she’d realized she wouldn’t be hearing from him, and she found herself more than a little disappointed. She’d really thought it would be up to her whether they continued what they had started, but it looked like he may have made the decision for them both. Maybe it would just be easier that way. She told herself that it didn’t really mean anything, and he had just been a flash in the pan. It didn’t keep her from feeling just a little bit sorry for herself though.

By Tuesday, she was flat out pissed about the whole thing. She was mad at herself for wallowing over some man. She found herself mad at him for kissing her in the first place. It wasn’t like she was some two dollar whore he’d met at some motorcycle rally. He hadn’t even tried to pick up the damn phone to just touch base with her. Hell, he could at least have texted her at some point.

She was dreading facing him after school when he picked up Myles. They had finished all the signs, completed their list of donations, and started gathering what they needed for each game. Myles had really seemed to enjoy spending time with Drake and his friends. They had laughed and made plans to meet up at Friday night’s football game.

“That’ll be cool. I’ll meet you at the gate at 7:00,” Myles told Drake. He put on his backpack and turned to Tessa to say, “Ms. Campbell, Dad should be here any minute. I should probably head out front.”