Inferno: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance (3 page)

“I know you’ve heard that I want to expand the bike shop to include car restoration and get out of guns. I’m going to need your help to make this a smooth transition. Some of the members might not be too happy about making this change. They’ll wanna stick to the easy money, so I’ll need you to keep your eyes and ears open for the next few months. Let me know if you have any concerns or come across any issues I may need to address,” Bishop grabbed his beer and took a long drink, never taking his eyes off of Renegade. “I know I can trust you, and I may need help dealing with the Diablo MC. Ace will be the front man for dealing with any issues that might come up with them. They aren’t going to be happy about losing our end of the distribution. His position as Sergeant of Arms has never been more important. Knowing you will be there to help will make the difference.”

Renegade’s eyes met Bishop’s, and he said, “You know you can count on me. Dropping these deliveries is going to be a bitch, but I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a sweet 1964 Ford Falcon. This is gonna be a good move for the club. I’m ready to help make it happen.”

“I knew I could count on you. Now get back to Jessica. I’m going to grab Myles and head home. He has school in the morning, and after his fight today, he’s going straight to bed,” Bishop groaned as he stood up to leave.

“Myles got in a fight? Really? That doesn’t sound like him. Anything I can do to help?” Renegade asked with concern.

“Nah, it isn’t a big deal. As part of his punishment, he’s going help his teacher with some shit for their school fair for a few weeks. Although, it doesn’t seem like much of a punishment since his teacher is a stunner,” Bishop said with a smirk.

“Damn… nothing sexier than a hot teacher. I gotta see this…. Maybe I can help with this fair thing, too. Where do I sign up?” Renegade chuckled.

Bishop started walking out and paused, “Not gonna happen. She isn’t a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of woman. Something tells me she actually has standards,” he said sarcastically. By the time he made it to the kitchen door, he noticed that Jessica had already made her way back to Renegade’s lap. Renegade gave Bishop a grin before he pulled her in for a deep kiss and grabbed her ass. He pulled her into his lap as his hand began inching up her thigh. Bishop thought back to Myles’s hot teacher. She was not the type of woman he was usually interested in, but there was definitely something about her that made him want to get close to her again. Just thinking about her full lips and that tight skirt had his cock stirring. Damn, he needed to get laid. He didn’t think one of the Fallen girls was going to do the trick this time. He had something else in mind.

Chapter 3

Tessa

Myles was doing a great job helping with the ideas for the fair. They were making a list of games and booths that they would set up all around the school. This was their main fundraiser, so the games had to bring in the crowds. They were working in Tessa’s classroom and had spent the last hour talking and coming up with ideas. Myles seemed to enjoy working with Tessa, and she liked seeing him smile. He had a beautiful smile that reminded her of his dad’s brief smile from the day before. She caught herself thinking about him several times since their encounter. She was shocked that she could actually be attracted to a biker. He was totally not her usual type. She had always gone for the clean-cut, khaki and polo shirt, type of guy. Her ex-husband wore a suit every day. Now, she was imagining herself wrapped up in the arms of a man in leather. She really needed to get out more.

“Myles, you’ve done a great job today. It’s going to be hard to get all this together in just a few weeks, but I know people are going to love these games. I really appreciate your help,” Tessa said.

“Thanks, Ms. Campbell. This is actually kind of fun. It doesn’t seem like I should be doing this as my punishment for fighting. I’m sorry about that. Bradley really does get on my nerves though. He needs to have his ass kicked,” Myles said with a smile.

“Language, Myles. And yes, Bradley is hard to deal with sometimes. He’s given several students a hard time. Just keep your distance and don’t let him provoke you again. So, did you get a chance to talk to your dad about it?”

“Yeah, he was pretty cool about everything. He said I’d be grounded until I’m eighteen if I got in another fight in your classroom. He didn’t seem to like that you were upset about it or something.”

“What do you mean?” Tessa asked.

“I don’t really know. He just kept telling me that I shouldn’t cause you any more trouble and to be on my best behavior when I’m around you. I think he wants me to make a good impression or something,” Myles replied.

“You aren’t any trouble, Myles. Actually, you’re one of the smartest kids in my class, and I’ve enjoyed having you in my room this year. Besides, it’s nice to have someone who will keep me on my toes. I never know what to expect with you,” Tessa said as she started cleaning up their mess. As she was finishing putting things away, she heard the rumble of a motorcycle outside. Just thinking about him being outside made her heart begin to race and her knees get weak. Bishop had been on her mind all day, and she was nervous about seeing him again.
 

Bishop had already made his way up to the front steps when Myles and Tessa reached the front door. Bishop was wearing faded jeans that fit snug on his hips and his DC’s cut with a tight white t-shirt. Tessa’s heart beat faster as she stepped closer to him.

His dark blue eyes met hers with a heated look. She smiled and waited for him to speak first.

“He do alright today?” Bishop asked. His voice was husky, and his eyes had a sparkle that drew her in. She couldn’t look away. She took a deep breath and suddenly felt her nipples stiffen against her red sundress.
Damn, I’m getting turned on by Mr. Hot in Leather!

She cleared her throat and shifted her feet. “He did great. He had some really great ideas for the fair. He’s such a smart young man. Thank you for picking him up. I’ll be glad to drop him off at home if you ever need me to,” Tessa said apprehensively. She wasn’t sure how he would feel about her coming to his home.

“Thanks for the offer, Teach. I should be able to get him each day, but I’ll let you know if something comes up. Load up, Myles. We have to head out,” Bishop said as he moved in closer to Tessa. His eyes slowly roamed her body, and she almost moaned at the gesture. “Looking good today, Teach. Bet the boys have a hard time paying attention in class with you in the room.” He gave her a wink and headed to his bike. Myles climbed on and the bike roared to life. Bishop never took his eyes off of her as he pulled from the curb. Tessa did all that she could at that moment; she smiled and gave a small wave goodbye.
 

When Tessa finally made it home, Drake was already starting in on his daily ritual.

“Mom, what’s for dinner? I’m starving!” Drake shouted from the living room. He was finishing up his homework while Izzie laid on the floor watching her favorite cartoons.

“I’m trying to figure that out now. Do you have anything in mind?” Tessa asked even though she knew the answer.

“Chinese!” Drake said hopefully.

“No, Drake. I’m actually going to fix something here tonight. How about spaghetti? I can make a salad and garlic bread to go with it,” Tessa said as she was already starting to brown the hamburger meat.

“Fine, but I want something good tomorrow night,” Drake said with a huff.

“I love your spaghetti, Momma. Can I help you make the salad?” Isabelle asked.

“Sure, baby girl. Come on. I’d love for you to help,” Tessa said as she pulled out everything they would need.
 

They had a quiet supper together. Most nights were the same around their house. After dinner, Tessa would work on grading papers and lesson plans, while the kids watched TV or played their video games in the living room. Drake had just turned 13 and was in the seventh grade, while Izzie was only 6 and in the first grade. They were relatively new to town, so they were still getting to know people. Tessa had several friends from school, and really enjoyed spending time with her pair teacher, Courtney. She was younger and kept Tessa feeling young. They often went out together on the weekends when the kids were at her mother’s. It was nice to have a break now and then.

Although it was hard to be off on their own, Tessa knew she had made the right move for her kids. Things with her husband hadn’t been good from the start. She had become pregnant with Drake while she was still in college. She had married his father, Steven, several months before he was born. Steven had always resented her for becoming pregnant so early. He wasn’t ready to give up his life of partying with his frat buddies, and he had let her know every chance he got that he wasn’t happy with their marriage.

She had tried to make the best of it and even thought having a second child might make things better. Unfortunately, it only made things worse. He’d begun drinking heavily, and he was not a pleasant drunk. She and the kids began looking forward to the times when Steven was gone on trips for work or just out at the bar with his friends. When he was home, they were always on edge waiting for him to explode about something. No one knew what would set him off or how to make him happy. He was mad at the world, and he’d taken it out on his family. Tessa finally had enough and had asked for a divorce. Thankfully, he hadn’t even tried to fight her.

For a time, the kids would go to their father’s house every other weekend and every other holiday. Then, over time, he began to make excuses to miss his visits. He always had some lame reason he couldn’t make it and didn’t seem to mind not seeing the kids. It had been months since they had seen him, but that didn’t seem to bother them. They rarely asked about him, and they were excited to spend the extra holidays at home instead of traveling. Tessa couldn’t imagine being away from them like that, but she held on to the hope that he would become the father they needed someday. She hated that her kids were missing out on a relationship with their dad.
 

“It’s time for bed guys! And be sure to put your backpacks by the back door for the morning,” Tessa said.

“We know,
Mom
. You don’t have to say that every night,” Drake said sarcastically.

“I’m just reminding you. Did you get all of your homework done?” Tessa asked.

“Yeah. I gotta get that Language project done tomorrow night for Mrs. Delk’s class. I need you to pick up some posterboard after school if you can,” Drake told her.

“Okay, but you have to tell me before nine o’clock at night, Drake. Don’t wait till the last minute every time,” Tessa fussed.

“I’m not waiting till the last minute. I’m telling ya now,” Drake said with a smirk on his face.

“You know what I mean, Drake Campbell. Now, head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

Tessa went to each of their rooms and kissed them goodnight. She turned out all the lights in the house and locked the doors before she headed to her room. After a long hot shower, it was her time curl up in bed with a good romance novel. The house was quiet, and the kids had finally fallen asleep. She reached for her Kindle and settled into her bed. It was her favorite time of the day. The characters in her books gave her an escape from the loneliness she felt as she got into bed each night alone.

Chapter 4

Bishop

Bishop met with a construction company to get an estimate on the garage expansion. He knew what he wanted, and he needed them to get started right away. He just had to find the right guys to do the job, since he wouldn’t be able to babysit them while they worked.

He still had issues with the Diablo’s president to take care of, and he wasn’t expecting things to go well. He needed to do more research on Duce and see if he could find something that might help. He needed to find an out that didn’t lead to a war between their clubs.

He made his way over to the clubhouse to see the guys off before they left for their delivery to Memphis. He wanted this run to go smoothly, but his gut told him something was off. He knew he shouldn’t trust the Diablos, but he had to make this last delivery.

When he pulled up to the garage, the guys were already loading the motorcycle trailer with the crates of guns. They were concealing them behind a secret panel in the front section of their 6 x 12 cargo trailer. He walked over to Ace to go over their plans for the night.

“What time are you planning to head out today, Ace?” Bishop asked as he checked over the trailer.

“It’s about a three hour drive, so we’ll leave here around 5:00. I’m not expecting much traffic on a Thursday night,” Ace replied as he loaded the last crate into the trailer.

“That sounds good. I expect you to keep me posted on things. I wanna know as soon as you start to head back. That warehouse in Frayser is in a bad part of town. You gotta watch your back,” Bishop stated with concern.

Bishop’s conscience gnawed at him each time his guys made one of these deliveries. He knew where these guns ended up. At first, it was just gangs killing other gangs. Now, more and more innocent people seemed to be getting caught in the crossfire of these brutal gang wars. There had just been a shootout the past week at Gaston Park, and a child had been struck by a stray bullet. Bishop’s heart had ached as he watched the mother cry over her dying five year old daughter on the news.