He’s too freaking scary to try to be stern or assertive with, so instead I keep my eyes on his shoes and say, “I’d really like to know why I couldn’t be using this door the whole time. Walking through the bar isn’t fun for me.”
Rue grunts and rubs his face. “Angel, for fuck’s sake. He walks you through so every brother in this club knows he has claim over you. No one is going to touch you and, better than that, if they see your boyfriend smacking you around on the street they’ll fill him full of lead and bring you home to Tomi. That’s why. He wants you fucking safe and someday soon you’ll need to start trusting him a little. I get that he was a dick but he’s trying. Either try along with him or cut him the fuck out. Plenty of other clubs you can dance at that won’t be messing with his head.”
I fumble over my words. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
He huffs at me. “Nah, you have an old man now. A Callaghan who will own your shit so keep your ass in line and start trusting us to have your back.”
He turns away and only manages a step before he glances back at me. He’s a little scarier than Tomi, harder and grumpier than his cousin, but he obviously cares about him enough to protect me… keep an eye out for me the same as he does Poe.
“The day you wore his jacket in here they knew. They all knew what that meant so you just sleep easy and keep both the doors locked. Pretty thing like you, too fucking tempting to idiot men and I don’t need a war breaking out over Tomi skinning these men. Hell, he wouldn’t get the chance to, I’d have them dead before he made it home.”
I don’t get the chance to say anything back to him.
I sleep in Tomi’s bed, my head buried in his pillow and his blankets wrapped around me so tight I can barely breathe.
Chapter Twenty Six
Tomi
We get the news as we ride out for the run that Speck has finally woken up.
Keely tells me they expect him to stay in intensive care for a full week, rehab after that because there’s shit going on with his lungs.
It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders but also the rage in my gut has been stoked, knowing the kid who has always been like a brother to me is fighting for his life in there while the rats who’ve played a part are walking around in my clubhouse, drinking beer and having a good fucking time.
Makes a man ready to fucking throw down for his blood.
I tell her we’ll be home in a few days, which she already knows but I need to remind her to keep herself safe and secure while we’re gone. She’s used to Hawk and I fussing over her, Rue too but in his own grumpy ass way. I send him one last text about keeping an eye on everyone before we leave.
We ride through town to meet up at the rendezvous point Jameson picked out. He called Axe for their weekly football and beers call, and gave him the code so we knew where to find the container. There’s a lotta country dirt roads that barely get used out this way and the Unseen know every last one of them.
We pick up the cargo without a hitch.
Hellion drives the truck with Hawk out in front and Cole and I flanking it. King takes up the rear, all of us carrying enough firepower to light any fucker dumb enough to try and mess with us the fuck up.
That should all be a sign of a quick and easy night but I know there’s no chance that this is going to be a routine drop.
There's something wrong in the air.
Call it intuition, call it the Callaghan curse, I can feel it sliding across my skin like oil, coating the back of my throat until I feel as though I might choke.
It’s only made worse by the fact that Rue isn’t here too, because I may trust every member of my blood and brotherhood who’s riding here with me tonight but none of them know me like Rue. None of them can form a plan with me without so much as a word between us, barely a fucking look shared between us, and