“You can kill the high and mighty shit, babe.” Fuck, she didn't get it. “This is all club business. That's why I'm standing here. It's not about us. I'm not letting you ride Beam's dick, and that's got nothing to do with our ancient history.”
“No? Then why barge in here and look at me like you're so fucking jealous you can hardly stand it? I saw the way you went after him, Roman. That's not business – not even club business.”
Fuck, she was playing with fire. My fists burned, begging me to grab her, throw her against the wall, and shut those hot lips up for good. I'd show her what a real man could do with her lips, put that little pissant with the goofy haircut to shame for good.
Remind her how much better I am, in every single way, and always fucking would be.
“Whatever, babe. You leave the protection racket to me and feed your horses. My job's to keep shit under control, and if that's making you listen to common sense, or pulling my horny ass brother off you, I'm gonna do it. I really don't give a shit what the hell you think, and I don't need your permission.”
Sharp, angry laughter burst outta her throat. “Finally! It's about time...thanks for saying everything we figured out weeks ago, probably longer. What the hell's so important that you had to come into this house anyway? You know you're not supposed to be in here.”
She had me there. Technically, none of the brothers were supposed to enter, not unless there was a damned good reason. Beam sweet talking his way between her legs didn't count, and neither did me preventing that from happening.
Too bad. Ignoring her shit, I grabbed her by the hand and walked her over to the nearest couch. She squirmed the whole time.
Didn't matter. I had to sit her down for this, make her understand how goddamned serious shit really was, now that the family ranch had become a viper's den.
“God, you're obnoxious,” she hissed, jerking her hand away when I finally let her. “I can't believe I ever cared about you.”
I didn't even twitch. I looked at her dead on, ignoring the urge to stare at her huge, memorable tits poking outta her v-cut top. She wasn't gonna rip my heart out, or tie up my tongue.
“Babe, if you give a fuck at all about your relatives, kindly shut the fuck up. Listen.” Her cheeks got redder, but she didn't say another word. “Earlier today, Stryker and me found more spider holes. That shit you and your cousin stumbled on last week's not just a one-off hiding place. They're using this whole area as a staging ground for shipments. Probably something that's gonna try scorching my club for good.”
The rage lining her face melted. “Jesus. Staging area...what are you talking about?”
“I'm talking about arsenals, smuggling, shit as big as a shipping container. Bombs, guns, body armor, the whole nine yards. All underground, tucked back on your fields, and probably several more around here. They've done this thing before. Last year, just outside LA, they took over abandoned houses and moved their shit in ahead of their men. They whacked eighty percent of the Grizzlies charter down there, and started pushing their shit on the streets before the last brother's blood dried the following week. They're sneaky sonsofbitches, but they do it seamlessly.”
Sally ran a hand through her golden hair, and I noticed the unsteady tremor in her fingertips. Fear crept into her eyes. For the first time since I'd stormed into the house, my heart got heavier in my chest.
“Lay it on me, then,” she said sadly. “What does this mean for my farm?”
“It's not safe. We'll beef up our patrols, but you and your cousin are both sitting on a ticking time bomb.” She opened her mouth to protest, and I held up a finger. “Don't act like this shit's business as usual. It isn't. With the activity going on right under your noses, you're goddamned lucky you haven't collided with the cartel assholes out in those fields. They could've killed you any day, and they still might, as long as you're both here.”
“I don't get it. We can't leave now. It's fall. Having the Grizzlies here so we could carry on was the whole point.”
Clenching my teeth, I tried to pull back, tried like absolute hell not to let the growl creep into my voice. Total fucking failure.
“Babe, when you met with Blackjack, you turned security over to us. That means protecting you, not just the ranch. I'm telling you to pull the fuck out, and it's the same damned thing I'd tell you if I saw you walking toward a burning car. The cartel doesn't ignore civilians like the MCs – especially not when they're out here in bumfuck nowhere. If you or Norm run into them, you're dead. Simple as that.”
We both shared a long look. Finally, her eyes flashed, denial lighting up her baby blues.
“I'll talk to Norm.” I waited for her to finish, but nothing else came.