in. And that’s where Ethan came in.
He’d told her he wouldn’t come in and take over, wouldn’t press his own agenda, or the agenda of his club. He’d just support her leadership, enforce her code of morals. And she assumed the Flames backed him in that stance, or they wouldn’t have sent him to take care of this job. She trusted him, and with the forbidden attraction they both felt, she felt they had a secret bond that increased that trust.
Unfortunately, that didn’t help when he was a few hundred miles away, and she was surrounded by men who talked behind her back and didn’t even bother to do so quietly. From the office, Brett could hear rumblings about the ‘bitch’ who thought she was hard enough to rule in a man’s world. She heard Dennis’s voice loud and clear, proclaiming that they should take a vote and put him in charge, give him the president patch. This was Martin’s best friend, a person she thought of as an older brother, calling her a bitch.
She couldn’t believe the way this shit was going down. And while it worried her what would happen, what they would do to overthrow her, she started to worry more about something else entirely. The ease with which some of them seemed to take to the idea of Dennis taking charge, and the way he spoke, made her suspicious. It didn’t sound like a new idea, and she had to wonder if this had been going on before Martin disappeared.
The idea that his own men would turn on him seemed outrageous. He’d always gotten along well with all of them. But with the things she was learning about what had been going on these last few months, she had to wonder if it had caused a division among them.
The fact that they’d taken Ravens into the fold was crazy, either to their desperation for membership and support or for income. And she didn’t even know for sure that had been Martin’s decision. If it had been put to a proper vote, what side had he chosen?
On top of that, she knew they were hard up for money, or they wouldn’t have ended up in league with the Kings in the first place, agreeing to run drugs between here and the state border. Martin and his crew weren’t exactly green, but they didn’t have the firepower or the experience to take on something so heavy and dangerous. And while Brett knew her brother had aspirations to grow the club and often had impulsive behavior, she couldn’t imagine him spontaneously deciding to take up with Dylan and his men.
Of course, if any of those things had been his decision, it would have created some dissonance within the group. Or if he’d been against it while several of the Suns were for it, they may have felt Martin was in the way. All of this swirled around in her head until she had a headache.
Part of the problem was, she was too close to this. She loved Martin, despite his flaws and whatever he may have done wrong. And she couldn’t judge fairly from that perspective. She needed an outside opinion, and she knew exactly where she was going to get it. She just had to wait until Ethan got his ass back here.
And in the meantime, she’d have to stop thinking so much about that fine ass of his. It didn’t belong to her, and most likely, it never would. She could think about the future, if they got through this mess, but by then, any interest he might have in her would have faded.
Glancing around the office, she considered the merits of curling up in the chair and sleeping here. But the more she looked around, the more claustrophobic the tiny closet seemed, packed full of the desk and file cabinets, boxes of cleaning supplies in the corner. She shivered just thinking about it and knew she needed to go home.
She just didn’t relish the idea of walking through the rundown clubhouse with Dennis and some of the others still there, watching her and having whatever unsavory thoughts they might have. She didn’t want to become a casualty of whatever was going on here, anymore than she wanted to think her brother already was.
Still, she couldn’t stay, so Brett grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder, and strode through the building without turning her head to look at anyone. “Everyone better be here by noon,” she