Ethan (Devil's Flame MC #9) - Romi Hart Page 0,35

for Corey.

Envy reigned supreme as she took in her surroundings. This place was at least five times the size of the Suns’ little shack, and while it wasn’t a palace, it was comfortable and cozy. It didn’t take long to spot Corey on the other side of a bar, deep in conversation with a man she didn’t recognize. He hadn’t been one of the guys at their meeting the other day, and she wondered who he was. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be angry at her interruption. She didn’t plan to wait until they finished.

She marched around and right up to Corey, stopping beside him before he realized she was there. He blinked a couple of times, as if he wasn’t sure he was seeing clearly. Meanwhile, the other man ogled her for a moment before recovering and clearing his throat. “She looks like she’s got a bone to pick with you, Corey.”

Corey scowled and shot him a warning glance. “Shut up, Zeke. What’s going on, Brett? Why are you here?” He stiffened. “Where the hell is Ethan?”

“Ethan is taking care of business,” she told him. “That’s not why I’m here. It’s actually about the fact that you aren’t taking care of business.”

“Whoa, what are you talking about?” He immediately took a defensive stance.

Brett crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “You told me you’d have my back, and then you sent Ethan a message, telling him to take over. If you wanted to push me out, you should have said so to my face when we met. I don’t appreciate you going back on your word.”

“Now, hold on a minute.” She saw anger flash in his eyes. “You can’t just come into my clubhouse and make accusations.”

“And you can’t just send a man in to take over a club I’m trying to keep together when you promised to back me,” she countered. “Besides, you told Ethan you trusted him to deal with the situation, and sticking your nose in to tell him what to do, going against everything you gave your word on, doesn’t do much in the way of showing your trust.”

The other guy, Zeke, shifted, moving toward them slightly so he gave the impression of getting between them without blocking their view of each other. Which was good because Brett would have leaned around him or shoved him out of the way. “Hold on, lady. I don’t let anyone come in and talk to my prez that way. You might want to watch your tongue.”

Huffing, Brett clenched her jaw and glared at him. “And you might want to rethink the way you address me. ‘Lady’ isn’t exactly endearing with that tone.”

“Stop!” Corey clipped loudly. “What the hell were you doing reading Ethan’s messages?”

Scoffing, Brett shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. For your information, no one is going to take over the club until I say so, and that’s not going to happen unless your investigator comes back with proof that my brother’s dead.”

“Ethan does what he’s told,” Corey argued, raising his brow in a challenge. “Are you telling me there’s something else going on I don’t know about?”

Brett had no intention of explaining how and why she’d seen the message. She wasn’t here to cause shit for Ethan. On the contrary, she wanted Corey to realize he had a good man in his club, who would follow through on his word. “I’m telling you that, while you’re over here making a power play and trying to shut me down because I’m a woman in your precious little man’s world, and not the kind willing to get on my knees to garner a little attention from a few bikers, Ethan is holding to the original agreement and making things work.”

This time, Corey made no attempt to hide his anger. “If you think you can sweet talk your way into undermining my orders because you’ve got a pretty face, you’re wrong. Ethan’s smart, and he’s loyal.”

Brett had gotten it all wrong. She’d appreciated his willingness to work with her and his understanding of her position. But that had been a big show, obviously, and he had used her to try to slide in under the radar. “Yes, I’m sure he is. Very smart. Very loyal. Which is why he’s going to force you to be the right kind of club president. The kind that keeps his damn word.”

Corey took a swift step toward her, but Brett held her ground. If he got physical, every man in this place would take offense.