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CHAPTER SIX

Thyrie

I haven’t had this much fun in as long as I can remember.

The Ghost Born clubhouse is nothing like I thought it would be, and all I can think is how TV gets it way wrong.

Not that I got to see much of the clubhouse.

After brief introduction to all the guys, Hyram whisked us upstairs to his suite of rooms.

Don’t get me wrong… The men who make up the Lexen part of the club are every bit as mouthwateringly gorgeous as any Hollywood version.

But that’s where the similarities stop. Unlike TV motorcycle clubs, there are no bawdy, half-naked club girls flitting around knuckle-dragging Neanderthal men.

No drunken brawls or drugged-up assholery.

“Whatcha looking for, pretty girl?”

I thought I’d met all the guys over the few days I’ve been guarding Frankie and Teeny. This one, with the unexpectedly deep, rumbly, yet playful voice is new.

“Mine,” Hyram growls from behind me, startling me enough I nearly drop the bottles of water I’d gone to the kitchen to grab for my charges.

No, playing nursemaid isn’t in the job description.

Still, Frankie is the sweetest, and yet most boring, client I’ve ever had, so taking the chance to wander the clubhouse to fetch whatever she and the kiddo need is a good break.

“You can’t claim a whole person, Hy,” the stranger teases. He’s got an adorable dimple that three weeks ago would definitely have had a way bigger impact on me than it does today. Today, I’m focused on the crush I can’t shake and the possessive way Hyram watches me whenever we’re in the same room.

“Just did. Now, find somewhere else to be, Malachi. And stop flirting with the girls. If I don’t kick your ass first, you know damn well Arlo will.” As menacing as Hyram’s threat is, the tone makes it clear he’s not really angry at his flirtatious brother.

“In this economy?” Malachi tosses out the non sequitur out as if it’s the most logical response possible, and the absurdity of it makes me laugh. A slight shake of Hyram’s head catches my attention, and he soundlessly mouths the word ‘no.’

“Um, nice to meet you. Malachi? I’m Thyrie. I’m here to protect this one’s sister and Teeny for a little while.” Normally, I’d be far more circumspect with information, but Hyram made it clear there was no need for secrecy.

“Oh, yeah. Forgot. Sorry, Hy.” An adorable blush tinges his cheeks pink, taking the entire interaction from amusing to confusing in a heartbeat.

“All good, brother. You know that.” Hyram claps his MC brother on the shoulder as the enormous man passes by on his way out of the kitchen. There’s definitely something going on there, but I’m pretty sure it’s none of my business.

“Don’t mind Malachi,” Hyram says softly. “He’s a good guy. Got his bell rung while in the military a while back, but he’s solid when it counts.”

It’s sweet of Hyram to offer an explanation.

None of my business, but sweet. However, I guess it serves the purpose of letting me know, if a situation arises, I can rely on the guy to be a help instead of a hindrance.

Hyram’s been like that since we met, providing me what I need to effectively do my job, though it’ll likely be unnecessary.

I mean, what are the chances the Darrow boys fail to deal with the threat?

Even more, what are the chances the dude actually figures out where Arlo stashed his wife and daughter.

Least plausible is, the guy shows up and slips past Hyram.

So yeah, I’m well aware my presence is mostly window dressing.

I get it. Frankie and Teeny deserve to be shadowed by another woman.

It frees up her brother to take the role of surveillance without the weirdness of having a man, who isn’t her husband, stuck to her like glue.

“Got it. Should I be prepared for any other guys I haven’t met popping up?” I ask.

Hyram’s eyes narrow, and a muscle ticks in his jaw.

Oooh, he doesn’t like me asking about other men.

Jealousy is usually a red flag I steer way clear of, and unease tickles along the edge of the chemistry that always simmers when we’re together.

Dominance in the bedroom is hot, but a man getting all weird and territorial anywhere else in my life is a hard pass.

Breath stalls in my chest as I wait for him to speak.

“You’ve met them all, I think. They all know you’re with me to protect Frankie and Teens. None of them have been hassling you about being around, have they? Some of them…” He trails off, the hard glint in his eyes softening a bit.

“Some of them, what?” I prompt.

“Aren’t great with people. Especially new ones. You’ll tell me if anyone is an asshole, yeah?” His demand diffuses the tension building inside me, the worry that I’d misjudged him and somehow found myself attracted to a mouth-breathing misogynist.

“Everyone’s been super nice.” I assure him. “Even what’s his name…the Russian guy, the one who’s with Malik?”

That guy’s a little on the scary side, if I’m honest. There’s an intensity in his eyes I’d normally find unsettling enough to avoid like the plague.

He’s smaller than his partner, physically, but one glimpse into the duo’s dynamic is all it takes to see a level of obsessed devotion I’d be terrified to have directed at me.

Malik glows under it though, and that makes it impossible to hold on to my misgivings about the guy.

“That’s Rurik. He’s not MC, but he’s…adjacent. Of a sort. If you run into trouble, and I’m not here, find them.”

“You going somewhere?” I ask. Hyram’s been a little skimpy on the details of what’s going on in the search for Mitchell Vance, the suspiciously widowed creeper who’d been hitting on Frankie for weeks. I get it, really I do.

The Ghost Born MC clubhouse might not be the stuff of Hollywood stereotype, but I’m not foolish enough to expect they’re as innocent as it seems. Just because the guys have all been nice to me since I got here, it doesn’t blind me to the aura of leashed violence palpable in the air.

Between that and the lust that chokes me whenever I’m near Hyram, it’s a wonder I’m managing to get any oxygen to my brain at all.

“Definitely not going anywhere, Spitfire. But it pays to make sure you know who to go to if an emergency arises.” When Hyram calls me Spitfire, it feels as if he really sees me.

Sees me and isn’t intimidated the way lots of guys are.

I never realized feeling seen would be such a turn on. But it is. It so is.