Page 29 of Raze

“I take it he came with you?” I laugh as I watch him flop into the space beside Saul’s sister.

“I don’t usually let him hang out here but Saul’s sister, Alicia, told him there was a family thing happenin’, so....” He shakes his head and seems on edge.

“How old is he?” I ask, watching the way Peyton smiles at him as they get introduced.

“He’s eighteen, and of course, he’s desperate to prospect, but I’d never let that happen.” I know very little about Dev other than the fact he was trained by my father. You gotta be a certain kinda man to withstand that. He doesn’t just teach you how to torture a man, he teaches ya how to be tortured. How to switch off ya head to pain and emotion. I can see that Dev cares a whole lot for his brother though.

“Why not?” I test him as we stare across the flames, watching Peyton engage with the guy who’s much more her age, and feeling an intense pang of jealousy. The stench of weed mixed with bonfire lingers in the air and I can’t help wondering what she makes of all this.

“Because the kid’s a fuckin’ genius. He’s got three colleges offering him a scholarship and he’s gonna get his ass as far outta Long Beach as he can and make somethin’ of his life,” Dev informs me, sounding determined.

I light myself up a smoke and tip my chin at Saul when he passes us. He’s got a woman under each arm and a bottle of Jack hanging over one of their shoulders.

“He get that genius from you?” I ask, trying to suss the guy out. It’s always handy to have a brother who knows how to use his brain, but I can imagine that men who always think they know better are hard ones to lead.

“We got different fathers, both of ‘em ‘bout as good as each other. We lost Mom five years ago. Luckily, I was old enough to take parental responsibility, it kept him out of the system, but he’s set for greater things than this place. If he ever comes to you and asks for an opportunity, as your club brother, I’m askin’ you to turn him down.” He looks across at his brother, who’s now got both girls laughing hysterically and I nod my head in agreement.

We got enough prospects to educate with Rocco and Sonny. Dev smacks me on the back gratefully and his eyes squint as he looks across the beach.

I check out what’s got him so fixated and see a man wearing a shirt and tie, walking barefoot, with his slacks rolled up at the bottom.

He’s looking nervous as he crosses the beach toward us, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stopping to gawk when Trinity walks past him wearing nothing but a pair of bikini bottoms.

“Hey, Trin, cover it up,” I call over to her, reminding her of the rules I set earlier.

“Mr…um…Raze?” The man who I’d put in his early thirties stands in front of me and holds out his hand.

“I’m guessing you're Paul’s boy.” I look down at the briefcase in his hand.

“That’s right, sir, Connor Monkhouse. I hear you wanted to discuss an arrangement with me.” He glances around us nervously, his eyes widening when he sees Saul getting sucked off by one of the girls he passed us with earlier.

“Does no one around here know how to take a fuckin’ order? They’re animals, the lot of ‘em.” I look to Dev, then back at Paul’s son.

“We ain’t discussin’ shit tonight, I just thought you might wanna hang out, get to know us a little better, participate in some activities.” Right on cue Cara comes over and rests her hand on Dev’s shoulder. She bites on her lip seductively as she looks Connor up and down like he’s a snack.

“My, ermmm, my father said I shouldn’t.” He tries real hard not to stare at her.

“And do you always do what Daddy tells you?” She steps forward and slides her hand through his thick, brown hair.

“Well, um… I’m here, so I guess not.” He laughs nervously.

“Come with me honey, I wanna show you something real special.” She takes his hand, leading him toward the steps to the balcony, and when she looks over her shoulder and winks at me I nod her my gratitude.

“Who the fuck is that?” Dev asks

“That is Paul Monkhouse’s son, he passed law school with honors and he’s taken over his father’s firm,” I explain.

“Monkhouse ain’t had nothing to do with the club since Cliff burned down that bar his sister’s husband owned.” He looks back at me confused.

“Well, Cliff ain’t president of this club no more. Tell Saul to take his business inside the clubhouse, his sister don’t need to see that shit and neither does Peyton. I made it clear tonight was a family night,” I order him.

“Take a look around ya, Raze, ya see much family?” he points out. “The men in this club don’t have family. Cliff kinda enforced that. And even if they did, this would be the last place they’d bring ‘em.” He’s looking at his brother again with that protective scowl on his face. I know all too well how Cliff saw emotional attachment as a weakness and how he liked to crush it.

“We ain’t ever gonna be like the Colorado charter, you ain’t got the right men for that here,” Dev reminds me.

“We can be what the fuck we wanna be. Now, tell Saul to take his whores and go get his dick sucked in the clubhouse.”

“On it, Boss.” Dev makes his way over, and when I see Wrath sitting on one of the fold-up chairs around the fire by himself I head over to join him.

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