Page 83 of Training His Pet

Robert nodded and pointed toward the stairs. “Up in his office.”

“Okay, thanks. How many guys you have on shift tonight?”

“The usual, why?”

“If this conversation goes the way I have a feeling it’s going to go, you might need more,” Dax said.

Robert’s brows raised. “You walking away? Abandoning me?”

“This place has never been my dream, it’s his. If I can’t get him to cut Joey loose—” He bit back the words. His little brother had to see reason. He couldn’t get any further in bed with men like Joey Persuccio, and Dax would have to make him see that.

“Don’t worry.” Robert slapped his shoulder again. “You do what’s right. If it goes bad, Corbin might need to find another security team though. I’m not interested in playing bodyguard to the mob.”

Dax grimaced. “Yeah. I get it. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” But the twisting in his stomach probably wasn’t warning him about anything good happening up in the office.

Robert walked away, leaving Dax to deal with his brother.

Corbin didn’t like being told what to do—especially by Dax. He’d always seen Dax as an absentee brother. Dax couldn’t blame him for that, he had been gone in the military for most of Corbin’s preteen and teen years. There was a decade between them in age; it wasn’t like Dax was going to sit at home and wait for his baby brother to grow up before he went to live his life. But when Dax had come home, broken from Sarah’s betrayal, Corbin had opened his home to him until he’d gotten his own place, gotten solid footing in the civilian world.

If Dax couldn’t get Corbin to see the right thing here, there wouldn’t be another chance to walk away. Getting deeper in business with the Persuccio family meant more danger, more trouble for the club, for him, and for Erika. He needed to think of her now, too. He didn’t want a life that would rain down drama and problems for her. She deserved a safety net.

And he couldn’t provide that if Corbin was going to keep driving them down the road he’d turned on.

“Dax!” Corbin jumped to his feet when Dax strolled into the office.

“Corbin.” He gave a curt nod and strode straight for the desk. His brother’s hands braced on the desk; the color faded on his cheeks. “You haven’t been answering my calls.”

Corbin cleared his throat. “I’ve been busy. What are you doing here? I said I would call when it was safe.”

Dax narrowed his eyes. “Safe. For who? I hear the asshole from the alley made a full recovery. He’s back making collection calls or beating up people or whatever the fuck he does for Joey. So, where’s the danger?”

Corbin had never truly mastered the art of deception. His eyes flickered away from Dax. Scrambling for an answer.

“There is none, Corbin.” Dax huffed a sigh and dropped his arms to his sides. “What the hell is really going on?”

Corbin’s eyes darkened. “I had to do some business and if you were here you would have gotten in the way.”

Dax raised his brow. “Business. What sort of business? This isourclub, remember?”

“Yes, but I handle the business portion. You handle the security,” Corbin snapped.

“You wanted me to be busy so you could do what? Bring the Persuccio family into the ownership? What did you do, sell the club out from under me?” Dax accused.

The door to the attached bathroom opened, and Joey walked out, wiping his hands on a white hand towel.

“Dax. Good to see you.” Joey smiled a wide toothy grin.

“Joey.” Dax kept his gaze settled on his brother. “Didn’t realize you were here, too.”

Joey dropped the towel on the desk. “Just sorting out a few details with Corbin here.”

“What sort of details?” Dax demanded, a cold chill running through his veins. While he’d been off protecting Erika from nonexistent danger, it seemed his little brother was home walking into the fire.

“Dax,” Corbin cut in, his voice hard. “I think it’s best if you pull out of the club.”

The twist in his stomach grew into a grip on his heart. This was what Corbin had been doing. This was why he’d wanted Dax out of the city, out of his way. To betray him.

After a heavy pause, Dax laughed. “Just hand over my half to you, little brother? Why? So you can get yourself into bigger trouble with Joey and his family?” Dax turned a hard glare onto Joey. “The cops are watching you; you get that, right? And they have my brother listed as one of your little lackeys.”

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