Page 4 of Lockout (The Vikings MC: Tucson Chapter #11)

I was breathing hard, so pissed that I could barely keep my inner demon contained.

My temper was legendary amongst those who’d witnessed it.

So much so, that I did my best to keep that shit under control.

But there were times it broke free, and I just had to go along with whatever the fuck happened, because I wasn’t in control of rational thought.

“Anyway, when they sent the flowers, I figured that I’d better get out of there-”

“What flowers?” I snapped, working to keep a hold on my anger. I wasn’t pissed at her. It was obvious she hadn’t volunteered for this job. She hadn’t wanted to be following these guys. She’d been coerced into it.

“T-they left flowers in my apartment with a note saying they knew who I was… And signed by Hangman.”

“Fuck,” I muttered, uncrossing my arms I raked a hand through my hair. That wasn’t good. “He’s not going to let you go just because you left D.C.,” I told her.

She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again and nodded. “I figured.”

“What was your plan, Keely?” I asked, tone low and dangerous.

She’d put herself in danger by coming here.

She had been the whole time; she wasn’t able to get away from it.

Instead she just further isolated herself.

If they knew who she was, they knew about this house.

But I was really pissed because she hadn’t come to me .

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’m just…doing my best to lay low.”

That wasn’t going to fucking work. Not with this crew. Not with Hangman. He didn’t let shit go. I had no doubt they were still trying to figure out who stole their drugs out from under them. The only reason they didn’t know it was us, was because we hadn’t left anyone alive to fucking snitch on us.

“Why wouldn’t you come to us?” I asked. That wasn’t what I wanted to know. Not really, but it would have to do.

“I didn’t want to drag you into this,” she cried out, jumping to her feet and waving her hands at me. “You have enough to deal with. You shouldn’t have to help me with my problems.”

Arching a brow, I asked, “What do you know about what we’ve been dealing with?”

“Nothing,” she said, her arms dropping down. “Dani’s let it slip that you still had them all living at the clubhouse. And I know about what was going on with Billie. Plus, you guys always seem to have one thing or another happening.”

“Looks like I need to have a talk with Toxic,” I said in an offhand manner. Although, I always needed to have a talk with Toxic.

She stepped closer and drilled her finger into my chest. She glared up at me, ignoring my scowl as she poked me again. “Don’t you dare get Billie in trouble. I was the one who asked you guys to help her. Plus, we’re best friends and tell each other everything.”

“There’s some things she shouldn’t be telling you,” I pointed out. “You’re not part of the club, and you’re not an old lady.”

She sucked in a breath, looking offended.

“You’re right,” she snapped. Anger had some of the color coming back into her cheeks.

She didn’t look as pale anymore. “I’m not, but when it concerns my sister, niece, best friend, or any of the old ladies, then you can’t keep me from helping.

And that’s what I was doing, helping by giving Billie someone to talk to. ”

I grabbed her wrist as she kept poking me. I wondered if she realized that every time she did that she was sawing at the fucking chain I’d put around my control? Did she realize it took everything inside me to keep my hands off her? Probably not, or she wouldn’t be tempting fate. “There are rules-”

“Not my rules,” she pointed out, trying to jerk out of my grasp. “I’m not part of your club, remember?”

Tightening my grip, I searched for patience.

Sometimes I wondered if life would have been easier if we’d all just continued as we were, before all my brothers started finding their old ladies.

Hush had been the only one married back in the day, and my sister never got involved with club business.

She just rolled her eyes and let us do whatever we needed to.

It’d been a time of drinking, partying, and doing whatever the fuck we wanted.

No women living in the clubhouse. No kids.

No literal fucking cats and dogs fighting in the middle of the hallways.

Of course, I was pretty sure Auron and Jecht enjoyed the torment Murder subjected them to.

She was always the damn instigator and the dogs put up with it.

But I knew it wouldn’t be better. Those damn kids were a fucking blast to have around. They lit up the place in a way I’d never imagined. When Hush’s kid first started walking, I thought he was going to keel right over with pride. Priest’s girls were all out terrors, but they were so much damn fun.

Course, I had to be the fun police half the damn time.

The other half Priest and Taz gave me a break and took over that role.

But I wouldn’t change a fucking thing, even though having all the families around meant change and more responsibility for me.

My brothers were happy. Content. Maybe I was just jealous because I didn’t know what that felt like.

And it didn’t look like I was going to, because this woman kept poking at me. Even when she wasn’t here, I couldn’t get her out of my damn mind.

“Do it again,” I prompted her, a warning clear in my tone.

Her beautiful eyes widened, and I thought for a moment she heard me. Understood. But then they narrowed and I knew I was going to lose this fight. I’d win it, because I always made sure I won, but in a way…I was about to lose.