Page 100 of Suspicious

Wes turns back to Alpha and tentatively smiles. “I understand. I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit. Justplease,Alpha, don’t kick me out of the club. Let me prove to you Iamworthy of Defiance.”

Alpha tilts his head, and I shrug in response. Then Alpha exhales, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Okay, prospect. You want to prove to us that you belong here?”

Wes nods emphatically. “Yes. I’ll do anything!”

Alpha throws his hands to the side. “All right. Have you seen the movieCoyote Ugly?”

Wes tilts his head in confusion but slowly nods. “Yeah?” he replies hesitantly.

“Then I want you to get your ass up on top of that bar and sing “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” just like they did in the movie. Hips gyrating, boots stomping. All the sexy dancing you can do. And I need to believe it, Prospect.”

“Pres?” Wes questions, his voice full of nervous tension. I try to fight back my laugh while hushed snickers behind me echo through the clubhouse. Alpha gestures for the bar, and Wes’ face falls. He turns to look at the glistening woodgrain as Navy wipes it down for him. His breathing increases as he cranes his neck to the side to release his stress. “Okay... yeah. I can do this.”

He takes off for the bar, his steps slow and cautious as I move over with Alpha to grab what we need. I turn around just in time to see Wes hoisting himself up onto the bar. Clover lets out a loud cheer, her cell in her hand as if she’s recording. “Woo! Go, Wes. This will make such great content,” she hollers, making everyone break out into a fit of laughter.

Wes’ hands clench into tight fists, his eyes closing like he is preparing himself.

“C’mon Jersey, show us what you got,” Ink calls out, referring to the main character fromCoyote Ugly.

Everyone continues to laugh as Wes throws his hands in the air in a ‘fuck it’ motion. He puffs out his chest, then smiles wide and begins to sing—really fucking badly.“Under a lover’s—”

“For fuck’s sake, Wes. Get your ass off the bar and come get your patch, you damn idiot,” I call out, interrupting him before he can really get into it.

His eyes widen in shock while I hold up his patches for him. Everyone cheers, gathering around him at the bar. The brothers reach up and grab him, carrying him toward us on their shoulders in celebration as he bursts into a fit of hysterical laughter. Everyone takes turns to slap him on the back in celebration as they lower him in front of Alpha and me.

He shakes his head as they drop him to his feet. “You fucking got me good, you pricks!”

Chuckling, I step forward, handing him his patches. “We’ll have to get you some tight leather pants and a tiny tight top to accentuate your cleavage for your nightly shows. Get you to make us some real money,” I tease.

He grins shifting his eyes from me to Alpha, then back to me. Then slowly takes the patches from my grasp, holding them in his hands with the brightest smile. “For these patches, I’ll even auction off my brothers to the highest female bidders. We could get a real business model going.” He chimes, making another joke fromCoyote Ugly.

We all burst out laughing as Alpha raises his brow. “Hell, no, H2O. Women would go feral for these guys… I mean, look at them. We’d never get them home again,” he quips, using yet another pun from the movie.

Haven groans, shaking her head. “Seriously?For macho, tough bikers, you all knowfartoo many lines fromCoyote Ugly. Can we get on with this, please?” she snaps.

Alpha spins to face her, raising his brow. “Babe… have youseenthe movie? Guyslovethat movie. We just don’t usually talkabout it so openly.”

Ink nods his head. “He’s right, Haven. Sexy-as-fuck women dancing on top of a bar, getting all wet, and grinding up on each other? Why the fuck would wenotwant to watch that?”

The guys all around the clubhouse nod in unison. At the same time, the girls groan under their breath.

“We’re getting off-topic… Loki, focus on Wes,” Clover calls out.

Wes turns to Clover, a bright smile lighting his face, and she grins back at him, bringing her cell up and continuing to record.

Chuckling, I spin to Wes and grip his shoulder supportively. “All right, time to get serious. Wes, we all know you’ve been through a lot. Living with the Serpents means you’ve seen shit, done shit that you didn’t want to do. But you didn’t let it change you…too much.You’ve proven to us that you’re willing to go above and beyond, even make a complete dick of yourself if we ask you to. You’re the kind of brother we want. And, because of the growth we have seen in you since your arrival here, from your darkest days in the Serpents to your new beginning here with Defiance, you will now be known as Phoenix because of how you have a way of rising throughandsetting fire to anything that gets in your way.”

Phoenix smiles wide as he rushes forward. I hug him, slapping his back a few times in a brotherly manner for good measure. “Proud of you, kid.”

He pulls back, glancing down at his patch, sporting the road name, Phoenix, and shakes his head. “Shit… thank you! Ireallyfucking mean that. For training me. For pulling me into the club when you could have killed me off with the rest of the Serpents. Iwon’tlet you down.”

Grinning, I slap his back and nod. “I know.”

He turns to Alpha, lets out a huff, and places his hand out for him to shake.

“Welcome to the club, Phoenix. But remember, even though there are no prospects here at the moment, technically, you’re still the lowest-ranking brother.”

Phoenix chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter if I’malwaysthe lowest rank. I have my patch. I’ll clean the bikes and scrub the floors every fucking day if it means I get to stay.”

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