Diesel looked over his shoulder, and Rush almost laughed because the man had his eyes open, but he still looked asleep.
Rebel’s brother caught sight of him, though, he immediately looked away.
So Rush walked right in, saying, “Yo,” caught a glance at the mugs on the counter in front of them and went on, “Cool. You made coffee.”
He rounded the counter and went right to the pot.
“Hope you don’t mind we made ourselves at home,” Maddox said while Rush pulled down a mug from the cabinet over the pot. “D doesn’t kickstart until after his second cup.”
“Don’t mind. Glad you did.” Rush went after the pot, asking, “You guys want breakfast?”
“Food’d be good,” Maddox answered.
“Bet it will,” Rush muttered, smiling at the joe he was pouring into the cup.
“Should apologize,” Maddox remarked.
Rush looked to him. “Why?”
“We thought you were asleep, brother,” Maddox told him.
“I was. Rebel was. You woke us up.”
“That wasn’t cool,” Maddox replied. “And it was unintentional. Things just got . . . outta hand.”
Rush shook his head, putting the pot back and reaching for the sugar. “I don’t give a shit, man.” He shot them a smile. “Now, Rebel. Skeeved her out.”
Maddox’s mouth was quirking. “Sounded like she got over it.”
“Thanks for the payback blowjob,” Rush muttered.
Diesel made a before-hurling noise.
Maddox chuckled.
“She still asleep?” Diesel grunted.
Rush nabbed his mug, turned and leaned a hip to the counter. “Yep.”
“We need to talk,” Maddox declared.
He figured that.
He took a sip and registered that he liked strong coffee, but they drank coffee strong, before he invited, “Hit me.”
“Anything you all left out last night?” Maddox asked.
There was a shit ton they left out.
But it was a shit ton they’d never know.
He liked these guys.
But they were not Chaos.
“Not that I know. It’s a mess. I’ve been in it for years and I can’t keep up,” he said.
Maddox went on the move, rounding the counter and doing it talking. “We thought we’d come up, get Rebel, leave. That isn’t happening. This shit is going down, we can’t leave.”
Rush got out of his way for Maddox to commandeer the coffeepot and watched the man move to their mugs at the counter, still talking.
“We got personal days we can take. That’d bring us to Tuesday. After that, we’d have to take vacation. We got some,” he was pouring coffee into Diesel’s mug, “but we also got a two-week honeymoon that’s comin’ up soon and that shit is happening. In other words,” he shoved the pot back into the maker, “you got a week.”
“Before what?” Rush asked as the man moved back around the counter.
“Before we take her and go,” Diesel forced out then sucked back more joe, a lot of it, hot, and Rush was impressed he didn’t run directly to the freezer to suck on an ice cube.
He thought this instead of allowing his back to get up when they mentioned taking Rebel.
“There’s no timer on this situation,” Rush informed them.
“There is now,” Maddox replied, planting his ass on a stool but lifting his hand toward Rush. “You’re solid. Your Club sounds solid. Nothin’ but good vibes, brother.” He dropped his hand. “And not sayin’ dick about your ability to look after her. It’s clear you’re more than into her. It’s clear she’s more than into you. And you look like a man who can handle himself. But we wouldn’t be movin’ her to Phoenix. We’d be taking her there and she can come back when this is done.”
“She does have a say in this,” Rush pointed out.
“She does not,” Diesel muttered into his mug.
Maddox gave his man a look before turning back to Rush. “I hear that. We’ll talk to her. But she’s safer down there.”
“I got fourteen brothers who’ll look after her here, there’s two of you and you got work. You also got a woman. I’m not sure how long the arm is on these assholes, but I’m thinkin’ none of us want to find out,” Rush returned.
“You don’t give a fuck,” Diesel said.
Right.
Now he was getting pissed.
Maddox was correct. He could handle himself.
One of them, he played it smart, he might be able to best.
Both of them, he was fucked.
And no way he wanted Rebel to wake up to her man fighting her brother and his man in the kitchen.
“I do give a fuck.” His voice was tight trying to rein it in.
“No,” Diesel said, putting his mug down. “We got a woman. You just said that. I fucked my boy hard last night, you heard it. And you