Page 57 of New Orleans Collection

I hold my hands up in front of me. “I don’t have a lot more than that, but we’re looking into it.”

I wish I had more to tell them, but I don’t. I make sure they know that, but I can feel their unease and their anger. It’s the same thing I’m feeling.

I’m not going to be able to allow the distance between my woman and us grow much more than it already has. There’s an itch under my skin telling me I need to keep her safe.

Scythe, trying to ease the tension in the room, slaps my back after we’ve been silent for too long. “How about coming to The Sanctuary. A few of us are heading over to check on things and have a drink.”

I look at Prodigal and he gives a sharp nod to indicate he’s going to be there even though I have a feeling he’d rather be at home with Wrenley. I give Scythe a chin lift and we end the meeting, the tension from the bomb I’ve dropped in the room still there because there is nothing we can do without more information.

I know how much security Fleur has in her home and her brother and father don’t need to know I have her covered whenever she goes anywhere. I’m sure they’ll try to do the same, but Fleur won’t like having a prospect or a club brother watching over her. My men will stick to the shadows, and she won’t even know they’re there.

By the time we head out and enter The Sanctuary, a historic church the DSMC converted into a bar, none of the tension has left me. I know I’m wound too tight, but there’s not much I can do about it right now.

Tack, the Sargeant at Arms for the club, sits down at the bar next to me and lands a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You look like you’re about to go on a rampage, man. You good?”

I try and roll some of the strain from my neck and shoulders, but it doesn’t do a damn bit of good. Not even throwing back the whiskey the bartender puts down in front of me does the trick. When I look back up at the bartender, she’s giving me ‘come fuck me’ eyes and the Hammond Whiskey in my stomach churns.

“Just some shit on my mind,” I deflect, and he nods sagely like he knows what I’m talking about.

“I can’t believe she’s the club princess,” a voice says from a little way down the bar and my head snaps in that direction. My gaze narrows on the guy wearing a prospect cut. “She’s sexy as fuck.”

Before I can think about it, I’m up and closing the distance between us. My tone is menacing, “What the fuck did you just say?”

He must not have any sense of self-preservation because he just shrugs. “Hey man. I don’t think I’ve met you before.” He sticks his hand out between us even though my fists are clenched at my sides. “I’m Trent. I’m a new prospect.”

I remember hearing something about some prospects—Poe, Gray, and Zach—being patched in over the last few months which means the club opened up to new guys who want to do shit work for the chance to become part of the brotherhood. I narrow my eyes at the guy in front of me and the easy grin on his face slides off. He looks around, maybe expecting someone to come to his rescue. I know they won’t.

“I was just saying I saw Fleur, the club princess,” there’s a question in his tone that I don’t respond to, “and she’s hot.”

My fist meets his face before I can stop myself or even consider if I’m showing my hand too early. Trent drops to the floor, out cold. When I look up, I meet Prodigal’s eyes and see recognition and surprise there before he walks away from the bar and out the door of The Sanctuary.

Well, shit.

CHAPTER 8

ROCCO

I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t ignore the feeling that Fleur needs me. There’s been a tugging in my chest all day and the more I tried to ignore it, the more I couldn’t. How did I know it was Fleur who needed me? I have no fucking clue, but I’m not going to ignore what I’m feeling.

I can’t do it. I’ve been ignoring the need I have for my woman for far too long and that shit ends today.

In talking with my brothers, we agreed to give her some space after the night we spent together. I didn’t completely agree, but I did think if we pushed her too fast then we could lose her.

It’s been a week since I woke up to find Fleur snuck out of Club Sin and I’m not going to wait anymore.

Even though we’ve had someone watching her while knowing her house is very secure, I need to see her. I need to touch her and make sure she really is okay. I’m willing to deal with my brothers being angry at me to make sure our woman is safe.

Their ability to stay away surprises me, but I’ve seen the toll it’s taken on them as well. They weren’t faring much better than I was this morning when I saw them. We barely looked at each other and we didn’t speak at all.

I think it’s time for us to step up and do what we should have done from the beginning—claim our woman as ours. I just need to get my brothers on the same page because Fleur isn’t going to make it easy on us.

She’s not the only one who will probably try and stand in our way. Leo told us what happened the other night at The Sanctuary and how he suspects Prodigal is aware something happened between him and Fleur. We don’t know if thinks it goes any farther than Leo.

I’m going with probably not considering he hasn’t shown up at our door and aimed a gun at our heads.

When I get out of my car and walk up to Fleur’s front door, I don’t hesitate to knock. I’m trying to be patient as I wait for her to open the door, but it feels like she’s taking forever when I see a shadow move near the glass panels at the side. I knock again and I swear I hear a squeak from inside that has my heart racing.

“Tesoro,” I yell, “I know you’re in there. Open the fucking door.”

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