Page 26 of The First Cut

I wait for her reaction. For the tears, the begging and pleading. The fear. But instead, she gets angry. “I’m not a fucking toy to be passed from brother to brother.”

I pull her hat off and cup her jaw, my thumb brushing lightly over her cheekbone. “Good. Because I don’t share. I take what I want—and I keep it.”

“And when you get bored?”

“You really don’t want me to answer that, Lola.”

“I don’t know what’s going on here. Is this some sick game or something? Havoc said if I let you check me out, I could leave. So I’m leaving.”

She shoves past me, but I catch her wrist, stopping her.

“If you try to walk out that door, I’ll strip you naked and tie you to the bed. Hell, I’m a medic. I’ll insert a catheter if I need to.” I bend down, letting my lips skim her ear. “Try me, Lola. I dare you.”

She yanks her arm free but doesn’t move. Instead, she glares at me with angry tears in her eyes. “You’re going to get me killed.”

“No one’ll touch you now. You’re mine.”

“Yeah? And who’s going to keep me safe from you?” she snaps.

I don’t answer, because we both know I probably will hurt her—one way or another.

Sliding my hand into her hair to hold her in place, I press my lips to her swollen cheek. “I can promise you that I’ll never do shit likethisto you.”

“And what, I’m just supposed to believe you? The last time I put my trust in someone, I ended up in my own personal hell. Why would you be any different?”

“I’m not. I’m worse. But Driller probably has a tracker on your car. He’ll know you’re here and will be waiting for you when you get back.”

“I’m never going to be free, am I?” she says, her voice raw and broken, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

“No,” I tell her honestly. “Truth is, Driller and Khan got mixed up with some really fucked-up people. With Driller gone, they’re gonna come looking to collect. And far as they’re concerned, the only thing he’s got that’s worth anything is you and your kid. If you run, they’ll hunt you down, and they won’t stop until they find you. Trust me when I say the last place you wanna be is in their hands. Without Driller, you’ve got no protection.”

“I don’t have protection with him,” she snaps. “And you don’t have to remind me that the club doesn’t give a shit about what happens to me, Hannibal. I know. They’ve never hidden how they feel about me.”

“Well, that’ll change too. With Khan gone, someone has to take over—and that someone’s me.”

Her mouth drops open. “You’re taking over as president?”

“Yeah. Might as well.”

She rubs her hands over her face, wincing when she rubs her tender eye. “You’re not doing yourself any favors tying yourself to me.”

“If the club has a problem with you, they’ve got a problem with me. I don’t give a fuck.”

“Why me? And don’t say it’s because of this.” She points to her eye. “You couldn’t care less that Driller hurt me. You probably even think I deserve it.”

I place a hand on each of her shoulders and squeeze lightly. “Did I say that? No, so don’t put words in my mouth. You wanna know the two reasons it has to be you? One, I’ve got a teenage daughter. Her mother’s dying, so she’ll be coming to live with us. I don’t know shit about teenage girls, and you…well, you used to be one, so you should be able to speak her language. And two, I wanna fuck you.”

“I’m not a whore. That’s what the club girls are for.”

“If I want you to be a whore for me, then you’ll be a whore for me. If I tell you to get down on your knees and bark like a dog, then you better get down on your fucking knees and bark.”

This time, she lets her tears fall freely. “You want me to bark? Fine, I’ll bark. You want me to play the dutiful old lady? I can do that too—if you promise to keep my son safe. For him, there’s nothing I won’t do.”

“Is that right?” My cock thickens as I picture her on her knees, looking up at me with tears running down her face.

Right now, her expression’s blank.

“I don’t care what happens to me. None of it matters anymore. I just want my baby to be safe, and if that means getting down on my knees for you, then so be it.”