At that time, they’d drawn in, becoming a unit of three. When Simone had come along with no father in sight, they’d enfolded her as one of their own.
No, a demon wasn’t good enough for her.
He drove into the triangular compound of the Fire Club; a pall had settled over the place. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and a quick glance toward Daire showed absolute focus. Yeah, he felt it.
They stopped their bikes, and the sudden silence pounded down.
Pyro strode from the main compound, his face pale, lines fanning out from his eyes. He wore dirty jeans, scuffed boots, and greasy hair, but the stench of fear pouring from him covered any other scent.
Kell disembarked and strode toward the club leader. “What’s going on?”
“Follow me.” Pyro turned and hitched across the main garage and around to the back.
The smell of burned flesh instantly slammed into Kell. He and Daire kept going, not losing stride, even when Pyro’s steps slowed.
Pyro squared his shoulders and walked around the back corner of the garage.
“Holy hell,” Daire muttered.
Kell halted, his gaze catching on a man burned to nearly a tinder, nailed to a white pine. His head was down, his hair singed off, burns streaking down his naked body.
Gaping holes exposed scalded intestines, partially falling out of the abdomen. Part of the liver remained, but the spleen was gone.
Darts, a myriad of them, lined the cracked skin of the neck and most of the torso.
Kell stepped closer to the body and tilted his head. “Spike Evertol. It’s Spike.”
Pyro gagged, swallowed, and then nodded. “Yeah. He was dealing for us, while also leading the cops away from us.”
Kell turned to eye Pyro. “Spike was a snitch?”
“He doubled as one.” Pyro backed away, gagging again. “This is a message from somebody to get out of the trade, and the only one I can think of is Bear. The Grizzlies want to take over the distribution of Apollo.”
Kell rubbed his chin and cut Daire a look, who gave a barely perceptible nod. “No, Pyro. This is a message to you since your dealer was messing with the cops.” The manufacturer of Apollo would have no problem killing a lowly dealer as a warning to other snitches.
Daire pivoted on his heel to face Kell. “What do you want to do with the body?”
In other words, was there any reason to call in the cops and alert Alexandra?
Kellach shook his head. The farther he kept her from the witch at the helm of this disaster, the better.
Pyro slapped his hand against his thigh. “I’m in charge of the club. It’s my call.”
Kell had forgotten the guy was even there. “What do you want done with the body?” he asked, not really giving a shit. There was no need to involve Alexandra in this shit storm. As a cop, she’d be truly pissed he hadn’t notified the police of the murder.
Right now, all he needed was human cops in the way.
Pyro sniffed, his chest puffing out. “I’ll have the prospects bury the body where it’ll never be found. We can’t have cops around here. There’s a meeting in an hour with the board. I want to strike back at Bear.”
Garrett and Logan weren’t going anywhere near the crispy human. They’d both seen enough war and death. “I’ll take care of the body,” Kell said slowly.
“Suit yourself.” Pyro turned and scrambled around the building again.
Kellach wiped his aching eyes. God, he was tired. Tired of humans, tired of Apollo, tired of duty. “Should we warn Bear?”
Daire snorted. “About what? That a human motorcycle group is gunning for him? I think he’d laugh his furry ass off.”
Kell smiled and it felt grim. “Good point.” He sighed and turned back to the corpse. “I’ll take care of this.”
Daire shook his head. “I’ll bury him. You find your mate.”
Kellach moved toward the body, unwilling to make his brother deal with it alone. “Let’s get this done, and then I’ll lock her down.” Alexandra had no clue what kind of danger existed in the immortal world, and she wasn’t immortal yet, so she could die.
The idea of losing her, now that he’d found her, hollowed out his chest. Determination, male and sure, filled that void. Oh, she wouldn’t like it.
“I guess it’s time she met the real enforcer,” he muttered, reaching for a spike shoved through Spike’s shoulder. Irony or coincidence? Not that it really mattered.
“Good luck with that.” Daire slapped him on the back and reached for the next spike. The burned flesh made a squishy sound as he removed another spike. “They’re enjoying this game way too much.”
Kell nodded. “I know.” There was a sense of joy in the kill, and to think that Alexandra was chasing the bastard responsible heated Kell’s blood. Fear for his mate hurried his movements, while intent hardened his shoulders. He’d wanted to slowly introduce her to his world, to draw her in and show her how amazing her life with him could be.