Page 33 of Cocky Secrets

“Dad,” I say, attempting to sound confident, but my voice wavers. “I?—”

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” he interrupts, voice low, menacing. “I vouched for you!"

Luke butts in. “We’re not just angry. We’re worried.” He’s looking at me like I’m supposed to comprehend something I’m not yet grasping.

Atlas growls, “You’re with a cop, Sage—what were you thinking?”

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and defiance. “I’m far from being a kid, you guys. I can take care of myself.”

Bear shifts beside me, his presence grounding. “I care about your daughter, Honey Badger. It wasn’t some joyride.”

“Care?” Dad scoffs, crossing his arms and returning his glare to me. “A cop? You think they care about you? They don’t care about family. They just want to keep you in line.”

“That’s a blanket generalization, Dad,” I snap. “You don’t know him. You won’t even take the chance to get to know him!”

A murmur ripples through the group, their eyes narrowing on Bear.

“We don’t take those kinds of chances,” Jett says.

“Look, I know you’re all looking out for me…” I’m trying to keep my voice calm. “…but I chose to be with Bear. He’s not just a cop. He’s… he’s my friend.”

“Friend?” Dad’s voice rises, and the tension escalates. “You’re part of this family, Sage, not their world.”

The weight of his words hangs in the air, a palpable threat cloaked in concern.

I glance at Bear, who remains stoic, tension in his jaw. He admits, “Honey Badger, I know this looks bad,” stepping forward, his tone firm but respectful. “But Sage is an adult. She can make her own choices.”

“Choices?” Dad barks.

Scythe snarls, “We don’t trust your kind.”

Tonk Sr. growls, “And we’re not gonna start now.”

Jett somberly informs Bear, “The last time we trusted cops they turned out to be on the take from drug dealers.”

Luna sneers, “Cushioning their retirements with blood money.”

The other members murmur in agreement, eyes hardened.

I feel anger rising within me, a fierce need to defend Bear, to stand up for who I know him to be. “Enough!” I shout, my voice ringing out with unexpected power. The group’s energy stills, all eyes on me. “Bear’s not like that. Dad, you said it yourself — he’s the kind of man you could see me with. Yourinstinctstold you he was a good guy, until you found out he was a cop. Not all cops are bad — I know you know it! I’m tired of being treated like a child. I’m not just some pawn in your much more interesting lives. I get to have a life of my own! I choose who I want to be with, and that’s Bear.”

For a moment, everything freezes. Dad’s eyes narrow, studying me as if he doesn’t recognize me.

Atlas lets out a low chuckle, but it’s devoid of humor. “You’re playing with fire, Sage.”

“Maybe I like fire,” I shoot back. “Just like all of you! And maybe I’m tired of living in the shadows of your decisions.”

Luke, the more grounded of my two brothers, speaks up. “It’s not going to happen, Sage.”

Sofia Sol has been quiet up until now. She married Luke, so that makes her one step removed from my immediate family. Not an outsider, but also not one to have the right to speak upovermy father. Or my brothers. Not when it comes to what they consider my safety, or my wants and needs if it defies the club. Regardless, I turn to her, woman to woman. Sofia Sol is a wild card and just might stand up against all of them if I really needed her to. “Soph, please. You know I need more than what I’ve been given.”

Her mother and father, Luna and Jett, shake their heads slowly at her, a warning. She locks eyes with me. “This isn’t my call, Sage. You know that. And I wouldn’t make it in your favor.”

“What?” I cry out. “You, too, Soph? What about you, Celia? Wouldn’t you?”

“No,” Celia answers. Sean, her husband, by her side, shakes his head in club solidarity.

Luke somberly reminds me something I’d forgotten. “Sage,you knowthere’s more at stake here.” He holds my glare until I soften with understanding. To bring it home he adds, “It’s not just about you,” completely crumbling my heart.

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