Page 28

“ A ll we need now is popcorn,” Summer side-mumbles to me as she grabs her own chair and pulls it next to me to sit.

I nod in agreement. Mack and his brother used to be close.

Well, as close as half-brothers with a twelve-year age gap between them can get.

Oh yeah, and one went into law enforcement while the other works almost exclusively in the city’s underbelly.

I’m sure it doesn’t help that Mack’s little brother, Ryan, blames him for his mom’s death, and Mack blames Ryan for pulling his dad away.

If they actually had Thanksgiving as a family, I bet the dinner would be intense. Kind of like it is now.

“The kids with your ex?” I ask Summer without taking my eyes off the people in front of me. No one else is saying much, just letting the testosterone level elevate with every passing minute.

Her snort pulls my attention to her as she shakes her head. “Can’t get the guy to pay child support. You really think he’d be willing to spend time with his own kids?”

“Right.” I shake my head at my own stupid mistake. “They with your mom?”

“Yeah. I dropped them off earlier for a sleepover.”

“You had a fight tonight?” Summer adores her kids and puts up with her ex solely because he gave them to her. She’s rarely away from them unless she has a fight scheduled. And if she does, I usually know about it.

“You fighting?” Mack’s sharp tone has me turning to see all that pent-up hostility he has with his brother now on my bestie. Guess he didn’t know either.

“It was nothing. Just a small thing for a few extra bucks.” Summer waves it off, but I stiffen beside her. Her sister did a side thing once, and it didn’t end well for her.

“You know the rules, Summer. You fight for me, or you don’t fight at all.

” Mack crosses his arms, and I can only assume it’s to keep himself in check so he doesn’t reach out and strangle my best friend.

He’s drilled that into our heads from the moment we said we wanted to do what Winter did.

He was willing to let us in, but only if we follow his rules.

And rule number one: No fights he isn’t in on.

It’s not about the money but the safety.

He can’t protect us if he isn’t there. And he’s there for every fight we’re in.

He has a few girls on his roster, but we’re the only ones he watches in person rather than having one of his guys track us.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, Dad. Now back to the part where Viv has someone taking pictures of her and leaving them on her doorstep.”

I should be pissed at her for putting the focus back on me, but that is the reason everyone’s here.

And the sooner we get this sorted, the sooner I can get most of them out.

I’m still debating on who I want to keep, though.

My bestie or the best lay I’ve ever had?

Not that I’m going to tell anyone that. Girl’s gotta have a few secrets.

“Right.” Ryan takes a step forward, and out of everyone, I’m actually surprised he’s the one who gets back to the subject at hand. Then again, he’s the cop. Maybe they teach that at the academy or something. You know, get your shit together and focus on how to catch the criminal .

Ooo, maybe it’s a seminar I can take. I don’t want to catch anyone, but I have problems with getting my shit together.

Usually if I spiral, I ask Mack to line up a fight if I don’t have one scheduled already.

Apparently, my coping ability lies in hitting things.

Might not really be a coping technique, but it’s what I’ve got for now, till I take that seminar.

“Want to walk me through what happened? What time did you get back? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Who all touched the package? Basically, any detail you can think of, even if it’s small.”

“You ain’t a detective, Ryan,” Mack mumbles, his annoyance clear.

“Any details you have. Better to get it out now while it’s fresh, and then if I or someone else needs to go over it again with you, it’ll be in my notes, and nothing will be forgotten.

” Ryan talks as if his brother isn’t in the room, though he might as well be on the other side of the state with the way he’s ignoring him.

“Right. So, we got home about forty, maybe forty-five minutes ago. No one was driving down the road, and no one was parked close by that was different from any other day. We walked up, and I unlocked the door. I didn’t even notice Domino was holding the envelope till I offered him a beer.

He gave it to me, and I opened it on the counter.

I picked up a few of them, mostly in shock, but left everything else where you see it now. ”

Ryan nods as he writes this down in a small notebook that he pulled out when I first started talking. “And what did you do after?”

“I took a shower. I felt gross. Got out a few minutes before you showed up.” I shrug, unable to offer much, which is kind of why I didn’t see a reason to call the cops. But that’s me. I’m a no-fuss kind of girl.

“And you, sir? Can you tell me your side?” Ryan looks at Domino, who’s closer to Mack, but Ryan still makes a point of keeping most of his back to his brother.

“Like Viv said, we didn’t notice anything when we got here.

I wasn’t looking for trouble, but I glanced around the road, mostly at the club, to make sure all was in order.

When we walked up the stairs, I only noticed the envelope by happenstance.

Most of it was under the mat, but a corner was showing.

I thought it was odd, so I picked it up and gave it to Viv, thinking it was maybe a payment or something for her art downstairs.

She opened it, and we both grabbed a few pics before we left the rest as it is. ”

“And when she went to shower?”

“I called my boys, and then we called you.”

“And the reason you chose to call them first over the police?”

Domino doesn’t even seem put out by it, but I see Mack and Bane both glare at Ryan for asking.

“New in town. Wasn’t sure if the local PD could be trusted.

Had some issues with bad seeds back in Kansas where I’m from, so I asked them to let me know if you lot were clean, and once they did, I put in the call. ”

“You didn’t invite them over here?”

Now Domino smirks, and I cross my legs to squeeze my thighs together so no one can tell that his smile is making me wet.

Leggings are great most days, but they can also show some things that you don’t want others to see.

Not all brands, but I don’t buy the type with a designer label.

Mine are comfy and probably not leakproof quality.

“Can’t help that my boys are curious.”

Ryan huffs, and I can’t tell if he’s laughing or not.

If he did laugh, I bet he caught himself last-minute.

Cops aren’t supposed to get along with bikers, right?

Or can they? I’m not really sure if the Hounds of the Reaper are affiliated with the one-percenters who usually end up in jail and on the news, or if they’re the type of people who you smile and wave at when they pass.

They look scary, but so far, none of them seem like douchebags.

At least not to me. Bet Summer has a different opinion on at least a few, if not just a singular one.

“Now, before coming back, you were both out together, right?” We both nod at the officer’s question. “Where were you coming from?”

“We went to Four Corners food truck stop and then to the Silver Bullet bar.”

Ryan stops writing and looks up at Domino, then me, then back to Domino.

“Silver Bullet, huh? You wouldn’t know anything about a fight that broke out there tonight, would you?

Cops were called, but when they showed, the Delany brothers said it was nothing.

A witness stated some woman kicked ass against a few guys and then picked the cute one to keep.

You ain’t by chance the cute one, are you? ”

I have to hand it to Ryan. He’s keeping a straight face despite his eyes twinkling with laughter.

Domino balks at the compliment. “Cute? Really? Not hot as fuck or sexy god? ”

I roll my eyes. “Please, your ego is big enough that you can handle being called cute.”

“Just like something else is big, right, sweetheart?”

My mouth flies open, and I squeak at his quick jab followed by a wink and another smirk thrown my way.

“What?” Summer hits me. “You slept with him already? You hussy! High five.” She literally holds her hand out, and me, being the amazing friend I am, smack hers on instinct.

I’m still a bit thrown that he just laid it all out there for, well, everyone.

I’m not ashamed we had sex, but I wasn’t prepared to tell people a minute after it happened.

Wasn’t going to hide it, but he basically put it on a billboard blast and then some.

“You think any of the men who you took down would have had enough time to come here and drop this off?” Ryan points to the table of the pictures of me.

I shake my head, but it’s Domino who answers. “No. Viv pretty much knocked everyone out, and the one who was still standing didn’t seem like he would be for long.”

“Always the menace,” Ryan mumbles under his breath, but I feel no annoyance or anger from it. Almost like a kinship.

“You know it.”

He raises his eyes from his notepad to grace me with a small smile.

I wanted him to know I heard it, and I’ve got no ill will toward him.

He might be Mack’s brother, and I might owe Mack, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be nice to someone because of their beef with another.

Not till I understand it. I’m not saying I won’t be mad at someone on behalf of my friend, but I need all the details first.

He coughs and gives himself a shake, as if he realizes he’s meant to be asking questions and not letting on that he knows I fight in an illegal underground ring. Most people around here know I do it, but as long as the cops don’t catch me in the act, I can skate under the radar.