Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Smoke

Ican tell by the look on Siege’s face that he’d love to leave me behind to clear up, but he needs me if they’re going to interrogate the Hounds. I’m the club’s only attorney and can help them get information without resorting to violence. Of course, not all of them are going to be convinced by conventional means. That’s normally where Rigs steps in and I step out. I can’t afford to be present if anything more physical or unethical takes place, as it could impact on my law business. Plausible deniability all the way. I’m good cop and Rigs is bad cop. After about fifteen minutes alone with him, they normally get really cooperative.

We unload the Hounds at the clubhouse, and I help take the intruders down to the basement. We only have a couple of rooms we use for lock-up so we put them four to a room and chain them up far enough from each other that they can’t fight. Having them beat the crap out of each other would certainly solve our problems, but before that happens, we want to get as much intel from them as possible.

Rigs calls in the older doctor who sometimes patches up our guys, to check out the wounded. In addition to the Hound I shot, and tranq-boy, who’s sleeping like a baby, there are a couple of brothers and several more Hounds who need medical attention. Doc’s got his work cut out for him today.

I meet up with the club officers in Siege’s office.

The minute I walk in, Siege lays into me again. “Sit the fuck down. I’m not finished talking to you about Serena.”

I cross my arms over my chest and respond firmly, “I’ll stand if it’s all the same to you.”

Rigs jumps up from his chair and glares at me. “What the fuck did you do to our club princess?”

Dutch chimes in, “That’s Claw’s daughter. She deserves your respect.”

Tank’s eyes narrow on me. “You’d best tell us what the fuck you did to her, before we beat it out of you.”

Hearing my club brothers talk to me this way stings my pride. I gesture toward them carelessly with one arm. “Since when did we ever treat each other this way? You’re all acting apeshit crazy right now.”

Tank takes a step closer, and his expression turns hard. “We asked a question and got a bunch of bullshit instead of a reply. Is there any particular reason you can’t answer the fucking question?”

Siege interjects, “He disappeared with my fucking sister last night, and I found her at his house naked with a sheet wrapped around her this morning.”

Tank spins around to gape at Siege. “Is this what you’re so fucking upset about? Your sister hooking up with one of your club brothers? She’s our club princess for fuck’s sake. Who do you expect her to play with?”

Dutch speaks up as well. “Tank’s right. She’s better off enjoying the company of a brother, rather that the sad fuckers in the community. At least you know one of our own will treat her right.”

“My sister is not going to be fucking passed around like a club whore,” he spits back at me.

I’m fucking onto him before my brain even processes what I’ve done. I plow into him with one shoulder and slam him on his ass. I jump on top of him and punch him in the face full force with my fist. “Don’t you ever talk about Serena that way again.” I go to punch him again, but he grabs my fist and twists it until I think my wrist is going to break. His other hand comes out to push me back, and the next thing I know he’s kicking me back off him.

I go after him again, unable to let go of hearing him call the woman I love a whore. Siege is my club president and my longtime friend, but all I want to do is slam his face into the fucking floor right now. Right before we clash, Dutch and Tank shove us sideways in opposite directions.

Rigs’ voice rings out so loud it makes my head hurt. “Stop fucking fighting. You’re grown ass men not fucking animals.”

I turn to glare at Siege, calculating what it would take to get past my club brothers to get my hands on him. I never thought I’d lift a hand to Siege, but right now I’d like to punch his fucking lights out. “Take it back,” I growl.

Something breaks through the anger. It looks like a touch of confusion. “Take what back?”

“Your sister isn’t a fucking whore, and I can’t believe those words came out of your mouth.”

“I didn’t say she was. I said I don’t want her being passed around like one,” he clarifies as he rakes one hand through his hair.

“Just as bad. If you think Serena needs you to keep her under control, you don’t know your sister very well.”

Siege huffs out an exasperated breath. “I don’t think that. I just don’t like all of you going after her.”

Slamming my hand into my chest, I say, “I didn’t go after her. She came to me. Said she wanted to ride on my bike and other miscellaneous things.”

Siege surges forward again, his face a mask of fury. I immediately regret my choice of words. Holding up one hand, I tell him, “Your sister is a grown ass woman. She was curious. Said it was a one-time only welcome home treat.” That’s not quite true. She said kissing me was part of her welcome home, but we got closer and changed it to a short-term affair for as long as we work together. I don’t want to get into all with my club president though.

He points a finger at me aggressively. “My sister never called you a fucking treat.”

I shrug because he’s not wrong. “Welcome home treat, gift, accommodation…I don’t remember what the fuck she called it. The point is, she asked me. I didn’t ask her.”

Siege makes an imperious slashing motion with one hand. “Fine. It was a one-time only thing. Now walk the fuck away from her.”

I fling back, “Thanks to your scheming, we’re now working together, remember?”

“You know what I mean. Just because you’re working together doesn’t mean you have to continue this affair or whatever it is.”

“Look. She’s the one who doesn’t want to continue anything. I don’t know how many ways I can tell you that she’s not fucking interested in me. It’s almost like you don’t realize how much that sucks. If you did, you wouldn’t still be screaming at me like a fucking banshee.”

Rigs’ voice silences us. “Enough, both of you.”

Turning to Siege he states flatly, “You need to fucking butt out of your sister’s life. I’m pretty sure that if she catches wind of what just happened, she’s going to pack her bags and move right back to San Francisco, where every asshole in the city can prey on her unencumbered. I’m sure you don’t want that, right?”

“She’s my sister,” Siege said with a note of desperation in his voice. “I couldn’t save Nicole, but I’ll be damned if I let anything bad happen to Serena.”

This was totally different, his older sister, Nicole got addicted to drugs and try as hard as he might, he couldn’t help her get clean, nor could he protect her from the drug dealer who stuck a needle in her arm and intentionally overdosed her. But I know nothing I say will make a difference, he feels responsible for Nicole, and clearly now, Serena. Of course, he would be freaking out about anything bad happening to Serena, even something as simple as a broken heart or being alienated from the club his dad created because of all the brothers trying to hook up with her. No woman likes to be chased like prey.

I take a step closer. “Look, I don’t want Serena to get hurt either. What happened was because she wanted it, and she made it clear she wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship. You’re worrying about nothing here. Serena’s a classy lady. She’s destined to be the wife of a rich CEO, bank executive, or politician.”

“Or a well-heeled attorney, who speaks her language, can springboard her career and give her everything her heart desires,” he shoots back.

I stare at him grimly, because he’s not wrong. I am the perfect match for her, and we both know it. Still, I try to assuage his fears. “As much as I would like that, she made it clear that’s not what she wants from me. So, I have to respect that.”

Taking another step closer to him, I disclose something I probably shouldn’t. “We should all keep eyes on her moving forward. After talking to her over the last few weeks, I have a feeling that something bad happened to her in San Francisco. Something that sent her running back home to the club she knew would protect her.”

Siege’s expression turns from angry to concerned in a heartbeat, “What did she say?”

“Something about how she thought all men were like our club brothers, and how disappointed she was to find out they were all assholes. When I asked what she meant, she avoided the question by kissing me.”

Siege’s expression reverts to simmering anger.

“Alright, that’s enough sharing for one day,” Rigs intones.

“We’ve got Hounds to interrogate,” I remind him.

Siege speaks up, “The other club officers will help me with that. I really don’t want to look at you right now, Smoke.”

That stung. When Rigs jerks his chin toward the door, I do an about-face and walk through it. I’ll be fucking honest, for one brief second, I thought about leaving my cut behind. There was no way in hell I deserved the treatment I just got from my club brothers. Not at all. I was true blue in every conceivable way. That loyalty hadn’t been reciprocated by Siege, Rigs, Tank and Dutch today.