Page 42 of June 7

"I'm not looking for a man." Liz sipped from the cup and scanned the room. "Besides, I think most of the men here are preoccupied."

The women from around town had come to party. Most were half drunk already, and Havlin members were taking advantage of their moods.

Jagger, Dio, and Bane were the only men not partying. They'd closed the shop and hadn't had time to drink yet.

Hell, even Maverick had a woman on his lap. Usually, his MC brother stayed out of the parties for reasons he never talked about. Bane assumed Maverick stayed away from alcohol. That's the only reason he could come up with for why he'd stay away from the parties and the women.

He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, gaining Dio's attention. He motioned for his MC brother to come to him.

Dio was thirty-four years old and coming from a toxic relationship. He wasn't looking for another girlfriend, but he enjoyed women.

"Dio, this is Daisy's friend Liz." He looked at Liz and hooked his thumb toward his left. "This is Dio."

As if a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi, Liz stared at Bane. He leaned forward. "He's a good guy. I'll have him show you around, and you can meet the others."

Before she could protest, he had Dio at Liz's side, leading her away.

Daisy grabbed the front of his vest and pulled him down to her level. "She's going to kill you."

"Not yet." He took another kiss because she looked so damn cute in a black, short dress with a denim vest over the top and a pair of black Converse. "By the time she remembers being mad at me, Dio will soften her up. Women love Dio. He's a good guy unless you corner him."

He took in her breasts. Tonight, she let her cleavage show. She was almost busting out of the top of the dress.

She took a drink of her pop and set the can down on the table. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she swayed to the music. If she kept that up, he'd take her into a dark corner and fuck her up against a wall.

Rush approached him with his arm around some chick whose tank was already ripped down the side. That wasn't bothering the woman who was already half-baked.

"Is there any Fireball left?" asked Rush.

He stepped aside, taking Daisy out of the way of the table. "Check yourself."

Once Rush found the bottle and filled the bottom of one of the Silo cups, handing it to the woman, his MC brother turned back to Bane. He growled, seeing Rush's attention go straight to Daisy.

"Name's Rush." He stuck out his hand to Daisy.

She shook it. "Daisy."

"Nice to meet you," said Rush.

"You can let go of her hand now." Bane brought Daisy to his side, out of reach of Rush.

The woman stared at Daisy. Bane had a bad feeling. He'd told Daisy he'd protect her at no cost. She should be safe on Havlin property.

"Hey, I know you." The woman gawked. "Aren't you the one whose dad killed your mom and then drove into the ocean. My little sister went to school with you."

Daisy pushed away from Bane. He snagged her wrist before she could walk away.

"Rush." He faced his MC brother. "Take the bitch out of here and make sure she doesn't set foot here again."

The woman pouted. "What did I do?"

Without any hesitation, Rush's whole demeanor changed. He grabbed the woman's upper arm and led her away.

Bane turned his attention to Daisy. Her stoic expression hid her hurt from everyone but him. He knew she had a strong ability to hide her emotions. Why she'd give a fuck about what other people thought was her greatest weakness and her greatest strength.

To come out of a traumatic situation involving both her parents. Parents she believed loved her for almost eighteen years, and then one horrible night the father she loved decided to ruin a family was beyond understanding.

But Daisy survived.

---