Page 39 of Burning Ember

“Necessary. Cap would bury my ass if I didn’t have someone protecting her right now.”

“She knows it. Doesn’t mean she’s not bitchin’ to high heaven though,” he replies.

We both grin at that. “Listen. I’m out. Goin’ for a ride.”

We bump knuckles. “Alright, man. Later.”

I don’t know why I do it, but I watch him walk back to her. She looks up when he steps close and that same little smile of hers blooms over her mouth.

Ah, fuck.That shouldn’t affect me. But it does, because my jaw’s tight as hell and my fists are looking at my brother like he’s my enemy and not my friend.

I spin on my heel and head toward the front door, knowing exactly what I need. Some fresh fucking air, an empty road, and a silent one on one with the man in the moon.

Before I can make my escape, Taz hollers, “Where the fuck you goin’?” He’s sitting on the couch with what looks to be Star between his legs, her head bobbing up and down on him, his hand tangled in her hair.

“Out.” Under my breath, I mutter, “Need some air. Crowded as shit in here.”

I hear a female cry of frustration and then boots stomping behind me. I keep going and push through the front doors of the clubhouse.

As I amble over to my bike, Taz barks, “Hey. Hold the fuck up.” The words, as always, come out raspy.

I throw my leg over my ride and grip the bars harder than necessary. Only then do I look at him. “What?”

He’s in front of me, so I can’t take off without running him over. His brownish-black eyes are eerily calm as he studies me. “What’s up?”

His dark, semi-mohawked hair is sticking out everywhere as if he’s run his hands through it a million times. The tattoos on his face appear to be black out here, even under the lights of the courtyard, though they’re really a dark blue. Taz is a big guy like D, but not because he wants people to be impressed. No. He gets off on being intimidating. When the opportunity presents itself, he loves to scare uppity old ladies, and mouth-gawking little kids. There’s no denying, he’s a bit off kilter. But you can’t do what he does for the club without it taking its toll.

I’m sure he can tell my head’s all fucked up. The cocksucker’s got a sixth sense about shit like that.

I shake my head. “Nothin’. Go party. Just goin’ for a ride.”

He clears his throat but his words still come out hoarse. They always do. “Want company?”

When Edge was sent away, Taz happened to be his first cellmate. Three days in, Edge got in a tussle with a few 13Ds. This was before our truce. Somewhere in the middle of it, Taz jumped in trying to even the odds. He was stabbed and had his throat stomped on, but eventually the guards showed up and they both lived to tell the story. Needless to say, he earned Edge’s loyalty, and when he got out, Edge told him to look up the club.

I give him a hard stare. “No.”

Flashing me a wide cocky smile, he grates out, “Too goddamn bad.”

I shake my head.

There’s a good reason it only took him five months to earn his patch. The guy’s loyal as fuck. Self-sacrificing. And he’s always willing to do the dirty work the club needs done.

He hops on his bike. I start Eve, my ride, and pull her out of the lot with Taz right behind me.

The night is warm. The slightly cool air rushes up to meet me and feels incredible as it skates over my face and arms, sneaks under my cut, taking my body heat down a notch. The smell of sage surrounds me and I draw it into my lungs as I gun the throttle.

Then a hundred feet down the road, I let off as I see a patrol car sitting, idling.

For a few seconds, my gaze locks with Officer Davis’.

What the fuck is he doing here?

The question adds another concern to the mountain I’ve got piling up inside my mind. But after a minute, I tell myself to store that shit away and think about it later. I have more important shit to think through on this ride. And I’m not wasting any of this road on Deputy Dipshit.

No. First, I need to find a way to scrub angular cheekbones, sun-swollen lips, and a small freckled nose from my mind. And stop images of her cinnamon-dotted skin, ruby red hair, and toned calves from popping up into my head like fucking billboards.

I clench my fists around my bars as my cock swells.